Matthew Lively

This is another local Richmond artist who I've known briefly through a friend who interned for him. I had never really gone through his online portfolio, so I decided to check it out. There were a couple paintings where the subject was completely by itself; surrounded by an atmospheric background. I thought this was a very interesting composition, as most professional paintings seem to include the various grounds, (background, foreground, etc.) if they are trying to depict a specific subject somewhat realistically.

Heidi Trepanier

I found this artist after my mom recommended her, as she knows her through some strange Renolds (spelling?) Gallery connection.

I was attracted to her art first for the scale (most paintings are large enough to inspect every last detail) and for the fantastical qualities that they have.

You could seriously stare for hours on end trying to figure out what each individual shape is supposed to represent, and maybe that's the point, to confuse the viewer when the answer is really very simple.