From an extremely young age, Michael has had an intrinsic response and relation to the arts. He was a singer and a pianist and later became a classical dancer performing with major ballet companies across the United States. In his mid 20s painting became his ultimate passion which soon translated into a professional career. One can see the early influence of music in his “Cosmic Melodies series”, the style for which he has received significant, international recognition. There is a mood to each piece and an eminent sense of how Michael’s mind orchestrates the brilliant passionate colors, which are then born onto canvas.

Michael’s Wildflower series is also thickly textured with radiant colors. This series is inspired by time he spent as a child roaming through the mountains and fields in California, Hawaii, Mexico and Europe.

Michael’s Zen and Pathways abstract expressionist series are he believes a result of the natural maturing process that takes place within all life. This series, with its beautiful colorations, has an intrinsic serenity and age old symbolism that sooths the soul.

Michael’s paintings are currently sold to private collections throughout the world as well as in galleries such as the Wyland Galleries, Gallery Michelangelo, Oh My Goddard Galleries, Studio 22, Village Galleries, Art One Galleries and The Tate Modern. He has participated in numerous one-man shows, as well as world renowned exhibitions such as Art Expo New York, Los Angeles and Art 21 Las Vegas. Michael has been published by Hallmark, B.V Sunshine, and Poems Art Publishing and was recently selected as on of the official Olympic artists for the 2006 winter games. His credentials also include a degree in Fine Arts from San Jose State University.

The company Michael Hall Fine Art, established in 1981, contributes to numerous charitable causes from ‘Make a Wish Foundation’, ‘American Society of Young Musicians’, ‘The Grammies Musicare’s Foundation’ and numerous other worthy causes from hospitals and  churches to children’s education.

Michael’s paintings hang prominently in collections worldwide, including Dolly Parton, Mel Gibson, Former President Bill Clinton and Diane Warren as well as producers of hit TV shows such a American Idol, Nip-Tuck , Divorce Court, to name but a few.

Wil Cormier’s natural gift for painting was evident from an early age. His enthusiasm for painting marine life was born during his teen years while working as a lab technician for his father on an island off the coast of Georgia. His father was a Marine Biochemistry Professor specializing in the study of bioluminescent sea creatures.

Wil started his career as an illustrator after graduating from the prestigious Art Center College of Design in 1983. He studied human anatomy extensively and drew and painted from live figures for many years to sharpen his natural talent. He used various mediums such as gouache, pen and ink, scratch board, water colors, pastels, prisma pencils, acrylic and oil paints. He went on to become well known in the Hollywood entertainment industry for his movie poster illustrations including Home Alone 2, Crocodile Dundee, Oscar, Navy Seals, Witches of Eastwick and Naked Gun 1 & 2. During this time he worked for such movie companies such as 20th Century Fox, Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros., and Disney to mention a few. He also taught at the Art Center College of Design to advanced graduating students in the field of Advertising Illustration.

His imaginative art has earned him numerous awards in the entertainment industry. He has also received many honors from the World Science Fiction Association for his creative book covers. He has also had the opportunity to sell to art collectors through Sotheby’s in New York.

Wil Cormier’s fine art series “Mermaids of Atlantis” is now being joined by a tribute to Mel Fisher. This new series is drawing from two sunken ships called the “Nuestra Senora de Atocha” & the “Santa Margarita.” These ships, along with many others were sunk during a large hurricane on September 5th, 1622. Mel Fisher, his family & friends were to find the treasure of these ships 350 years later. To date, they have found hundreds of millions of dollars in gold, silver, & emeralds.

Thomas Easley is a self-taught artist whose successful career spanning 30 years and three continents has taken him from the snowcapped Sierras of his childhood to the verdant hills of England, the canals of Venice and the banks of the holy Ganges in India. Each location has provided Easley with insight for his inquisitive mind and inspiration for his blend of painting styles and techniques.

For Thomas, living in Europe meant studying the techniques of the Old Masters. In England he refined his skill as a classical realist, specializing in miniature paintings along with illuminations and portraits. An election into the Royal Miniature Society in the mid-1980 is a testament to Thomas’ passion and dedication to perfecting his craft. In Italy while studying Canaletto and Guardi he used glazed oil modes to paint large-scale architectural landscapes, floral still life, and nudes improvising a distinctive blend of pencil, chalk and watercolor techniques. Subsequent travels to India, a country rich with mysticism made him delve into dimensional realism, surrealism and allegorical works.

It is the applied knowledge and the development of his wonderful skill while studying abroad which today gives Thomas the confidence to meld traditional styles with new; to create a blend that is uniquely his own. Rather than a signature image, Easley’s works are recognized by a signature style. Using layered and modeled acrylic paint on board, a rich vibrant images is created, it is bold and life affirming.

Since Easley’s return to the United States, he has focused his passion on creating wine still life paintings that are reminiscent of the warmly lit rich style of European masters and energetic roosters filled with attitude and elegance. It is in his wine paintings where the color and texture in the background builds upon the romance and emotion of the subject. The senses are encouraged to drink the wine and taste the fruit. His is a painting style encompassing impressionism, realism, abstract, miniaturist detail and often surrealism to create an image all his own – undeniably Easley.

Easley Roosters are more than simply roosters. They are proud creatures beaming with confidence and sure of their role in the world. Painting a rooster embodies the joy of creating and provides Thomas the challenge to capture their attitude, yet maintain the elegant grace each possesses. It is artwork for fun, meant to celebrate life and stimulate a visceral connection.    His passion to create leads him also to textured cityscapes, landscapes and sensual nudes in his Extreme Impressionism style.

Kathleen Brodeur is a graduate of Florida State University, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Visual Arts. Growing up in Connecticut she has enjoyed painting, drawing and photography for most of her life. She has participated in various art shows around the state of Florida as well as the Epcot Flower and Garden Show in 2004-2005.

Kathleen’s oil paintings are brought to life with her strong, bold use of color and the spontaneity of the palette knife. She loves to travel and creates paintings from her own collection of photographs, calling them “painted memories”. Kathleen’s most recognized work is located in the central lobby of the Orange County Convention Center, in Orlando, Florida. She completed a permanent series of 18 colorful oil paintings, some as large as 8×10 ft., depicting Florida’s beautiful, vast and varied landscapes.

Her most recent inspirations have been derived from her travels with Edson Campos to Paris, France, Florence and Venice, Italy.

Born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Edson has enjoyed sketching and painting since childhood, and he has become a completely self-taught artist. He moved to the United States in 1978 and quickly established himself as an artist of the highest caliber. He has exhibited his lifelike paintings and drawings at major cities throughout the country, winning many awards and much recognition. Edson’s artwork has also been published in Playboy and Penthouse magazines, and has been commissioned to grace the walls of all 500 rooms in the Queen Mary Hotel in Long Beach, California. Edson has participated in the acclaimed Art Expo New York, where his work was highly praised.

Edson has achieved much success with his work that the November 1999 issue of The Artist’s Magazine featured his work in a special section on painting techniques.

At the prestigious Coconut Grove Art Festival in 2002 and 2003 Edson received the Award of First Place. His Artwork has been displayed at many Art Festivals thru out the U.S.A. where he has claimed numerous awards. Edson was also honored with the Title of ” Artist of the Year ” by Orlando Modern Art Collection in 2003.

In Edson’s extensive travels, especially through out Europe, where he can visit and study the paintings and sculptures of his favorite Masters, has been a great source of inspiration.

My name is Barry Cohen, born in Brooklyn, NY – Dec. 10, 1952. As a teenager, I worked for my family in the Acrylic fabrication field. There I learned how to cut, bend, and design with the Acrylic. In 1990, I started my own business in this field doing Arts & Craft shows in Florida. As a young boy, my son Alex was enamored with sea life and on several occasions he wanted me to do a carving of a whale’s tail. Many years had gone by, and his love of marine life grew stronger over the years. When I attempted to carve the whale’s tail, which he had so long been waiting for, no one in my family, knew what they were looking at. In 1993, after that carving, I knew it was something I had enjoyed doing, but I knew I had to perfect

Philippine-born Arozi is a self-taught artist who began drawing at an early age. Now living in Australia, he has gained international renown for painting passionate seascapes that showcase the translucent light of the ocean and the transparent light of the sky.

Arozi defines his style as realism based on fantasy, and his art as a quest to capture the ocean’s magnificence and the light that illuminates it. He uses both real and fictional locations for his settings, blending light and shadow to depict the breaking waves of the sea against the sky. He employs the technique of glazing: superimposing thin layers of paint atop each other to achieve a rich depth of color.

The storms that have churned the world’s seas in recent years have inspired an evolution in Arozi’s artwork and his palette. In his sailboat series he strives to communicate the exhilaration and challenge of sailing through an unexpected storm. His series featuring stormy shorelines uses dark colors to emphasize the ocean’s turbulence and evoke the sense of a tempest.

Amiry comes to us as a Master painter from distant lands where art has been the soul of humanity from the beginning of time.  Born in Mached, Iran.  Amiry learned to paint as he learned to walk and to talk.  His style is in the sharply defined, opulent tradition of the artisan of his ancient and beloved Persia. Leaving Persia where his famous portrait of the Empress hangs in the Royal Palace, Amiry decided to reside in Italy for a time to expand his life experiences while absorbed in painting and teaching.  His mission accompli shed, Amiry then went to England where he was commissioned by Lord Beaverbrook and other prominent English people.  Then, inevitably, he turned to the United States where his reputation had preceded him. Amiry is represented in the collections of many major private collections, as well as in public and private galleries in Italy, Lebanon, France, Germany, England and many other countries throughout the world.

Amiry the artist now lives and works with us and, in his own inimitable way, has chosen this splendid studio-gallery to display his paintings, not merely to delight his friends, but mainly to help us pierce through the veil of a sensitive mind endowed with the genius to transmit artistic glimpses of the beauty of life in its various forms. Amiry has created what in America would be called his trade-mark.’ He has included in nearly every painting a likeness of himself.  His profile may appear in the melted wax of a burning candle or his countenance may be caught in the reflection on a silver wine goblet. And so, the truly beautiful and graceful are here for us to enjoy through the eye, mind, and magical strokes of Amirys brush.

Walfrido Garcia, known in the art world as simply “Walfrido” was born on November 23,1966 in the Philippines. His Father Edgardo F. Garcia, a well know artist and instructor, came to the United States in 1969 during turbulent times in the Philippines. The family reunited in Los Angeles in 1972. In 1973 they moved to the San Francisco Bay Area where Edgardo taught the fine art of oil painting to his protege Walfrido.

At the age of 14 Walfrido apprenticed with his father. His duties included being a teacher’s assistant at their home studio. By the age of 17 Walfrido began teaching classes and workshops of his own.  At that time he began showing in fine art galleries in Monterey and Carmel plus attended Ohlone College and San Jose State University. He majored in Graphic Design and studied art history, photography, watercolor, 3 dimensional, and figure drawing and painting. His teachers included award winning watercolorists and oil painters. His chosen medium is oilpainting. The ability to reach deep colors and transparent hues were taught to him by his father, the works of the “Old Masters” and nature herself.

Walfrido continued to show locally until 1987 when upon his first visit to the Hawaiian Islands he found representation. His works spread their way into collections from the Far East, Europe and the United States. Now they can be found in the top galleries in the most desired locations. With 30 years of painting and touring he has sold out many limited editions, thousands of originals and is considered to be one of the top seascape artist alive today.

His style has been described as “Romantic Realism”, the blending of photographic elements with the dramatic use of light. Most of the subjects are inspired by real places the artist has traveled to with his signature “Idealized” style. He often takes pictures and video for reference, sketches out a composition and starts the painting process in the studio. A majority of works are painted on location during his travels. From the awe inspiring Napali coast, out of this world lavascapes of the Big Island and the tranquil seas of Europe and the U.S, collectors and fans have been delighted by his heartfelt compositions.

“I try to make each and every painting sing as if you can hear the light and color through your heart. It helps to be a true romantic because the scenes I like to paint are scenes that should be shared with a loved one. My desire is to have they viewer respond to my work similar to what I feel as I am creating it. We are all tied together through light whether it be a sunset, sunrise or moonlight which makes it go without boundaries. My favorite are those scenes that evoke feelings of peace, tranquility and joy”. I feel that I am reflecting love of God which I see through nature.”

The artist resides on the Island of Oahu living his dream with his wife Patricia and two daughters Rose and Sonja

Rodel Gonzalez’s initiation into art, in its many forms, began at the age of 9 through the tutelage of his father, Rick Gonzalez, and his grandfather, Felix Gonzalez. He continued to study art at the University of Santo Tomas, majoring in painting, and received a degree in Interior Design from the Philippine School of Interior Design. At 20, he expanded his artistry into music field as the founder, lead singer, and songwriter of Side A, a band that is still active and popular in the Philippines. In 1994, he followed a new calling as a minister, teaching and serving others.

Even through two different careers, Rodel still maintained his connection with art by doing commissioned portraits, murals, and sketches for friends and acquaintances. In 2002, he and his family moved to Hawaii, where he began pursuing his art in earnest. With inspiration and encouragement from his brother, Rudolf Gonzalez, and his cousin, Roy Tabora, Rodel has found new energy and passion for his art. In December of 2007, after 5 years of living in the beautiful island of Oahu, Rodel and his family began a new chapter in California as his new residence.

Rodel displays this energy and passion with every brushstroke onto the canvas. With his keen eye for subtle contrast and attention to fine detail, his paintings evoke a fresh perspective and a new appreciation for life’s captured moment. Whether it is people. places or things, Rodel Gonzalez’s art reveals the beauty and the grace in the ordinary and the commonplace.

“The everyday lives of people and their surroundings are my inspiration. I love the interplay of light and shadows, and the details in expressions and structures. I find it challenging and rewarding to depict the changing moods of each day.”