Columnist Linda aka LindaJG
“Artists should always use themselves, their own inner world, life experiences, and their lens (world view) as a resource for their expressions. I want to tell artists not to look to what others are doing or what the art market is relishing. Remember your first love, remember why you started in the first place.”
I had the pleasure of meeting this extremely talented artist because I was paired with her in thr last 2 art festivals I’ve been in! What a fascinating person she is, and since her art work is just as awesome, I felt like Caroline and her gorgeous art should be introduced!
Caroline Marcos was born in Alexandra, Egypt as a Copt (Christian Egyptian) – this has some cultural significance as they are closely linked with the Ancient Egyptians in descent before the Arabs came and islamized Egypt, stripping Egyptians from both their religions and language – Coptic. Caroline migrated to the US with her family when she was 9 years old. She is also 1/4 Greek! She currently lives in Houston, Texas with her husband, where she worships in a Coptic Orthodox church at: www.saintmaryhouston.org
Caroline’s multi achievements partly include a B.A. in Studio Art and Psychology (double major) from the University of California at Santa Cruz and a M.A. in Marriage and Family Therapy/Art Therapy Psychology.
“I don’t remember my life without art, I grew up painting, even in my coloring books with water paints as my parents told me stories about my paternal grandfather’s oil paintings. His paintings (mostly landscapes and figures) adorned our home in Alexandra, Egypt, and I always enjoyed the scent of oil paints and admired his old paint set. Ironically, I never personally used oil paints like he did.”
In high school, Caroline was part of an advanced after school Watercolor Club where she refined her talent with watercolor.
“On my own, I really enjoyed oil pastels, their tactile quality and the great renderings that I achieved with them. In college, the emphasis in my degree was conceptual and philosophical, so I didn’t get specialized training in any particular medium.”
Caroline did have some very inspiring instructors (Frank Galuszka, Tim Craighead, and Don Fritz), who worked in painting and mixed media using Mica, Acrylic get transfers, and Bees Wax.
“I think that what started in their classes, was what turned into what I do now with the encaustic painting, collage, and initiated my freedom into experimentation. Finally, when I studied art therapy, art became a vehicle for me to search my own depth, soul, psyche, and give meaning to my life experiences. This all started something for me that I still am working on today!”
Caroline traveled to London, England where she studied under the mentorship of Dr. Stephan Rene, who is a PHD student of Professor Isaac Fanous Yousef, the father of contemporary Neo-Coptic school of Iconography. She did that because she wanted to learn more about the art of her church and because she believed her spirituality is closely connected to her art. There, she learned the fundamentals of the “written” icon, including the geometry and the theology of the icon. She practiced and completed writing the face of Christ using egg tempera. (www.firstimageicons.com).
“I am inspired by nature, by color, by a text (whether it be a poem, a scriptural verse, or lyrics and of course, by archetypes (symbolic images that have layered meanings throughout culture/history and the pshyche.”
“Artists should always use themselves, their own inner world, life experiences, and their lens (world view) as a resource for their expressions. I want to tell artists not to look to what others are doing or what the art market is relishing. Remember your first love, remember why you started in the first place.
You may view more of Caroline’s art at www.carolinez.com
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Two Houston Artists Participate in First Global Online Auction
Posted by LindaSP at 11/6/2009 10:56 PM CST
Two Houston Artists Participate in First Global Online Auction “140 Hours of Fame,” the first art auction conducted entirely online through the social network Twitter, has kicked off, announced Galerie St. George director Gary Brant. Designed to introduce artists to a global market, the auction began on November 5, 2009 at 11:01 a.m. CST and lasts 140 hours, through November 11, 2009 at 7:01 a.m. CST. The auction includes nearly 100 artworks in a variety of media created by a global cross-section of today’s fine artists. Galerie St. George of New York selected the work of two Houston artists, Linda Summers Posey and Caroline Zakaria Marcos, to participate in the “140 Hours of Fame” auction.
Linda lives in the Memorial area. Her acrylic painting on canvas is entitled “Alive.” Caroline resides in the Willowbrook Mall area. Her entry, a mixed media piece on paper, is “I Will Provide.” Both Linda and Caroline are active members of Artists Alive and Well, a Houston-based artists educational support network.
The 140-hour auction is taking place entirely on the world wide web. The gallery designed an auction system allowing Twitter users worldwide to bid online via TWEETBID (R) technology. Gary Brant, director of Galerie St. George and “140 Hours of Fame,” explained, “With the huge popularity of Twitter, we wanted to reach out directly to this group of highly sophisticated users. This event gives art buyers and collectors an opportunity to see and acquire fresh new work because they were alerted to the auction through the power of social networking.” The available artworks may be viewed at www.140hours.com. Art lovers who wish to participate in the auction can still do so by following the Twitter account @140hours. Bidders then enter their bids via a direct message (DM) to @140hours, following the easy instructions on the auction website.
Founded in July 2008, Galerie St. George is a cooperative artists’ gallery based in Staten Island, New York. For more information about the auction, contact Gary at gb@galeriestgeorge.com.
Tags: artist, art, auction, online, Houston, Twitter
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A reader blog about Houston's art scene with Lorena Fernandez
Posted 4/6/2008 5:20 PM CDT
Katy resident Lorena B. Fernandez has been selected to be one of the featured artists at the Community Artists Collective's "Of Women" exhibition set for the Midtown Art Center Tea Room in Houston. The all-female exhibition, which runs from April 11 through June 28, is coordinated by Dr. Sarah Trotty and Michael Kahlil Taylor. In addition to Fernandez, participating artists include Regina Agu, Michelle Barnes, Lanre Buraimoh, Valerie Burkes, Kittyn D, Stephanie Guajardo, Tina Hernandez, Ann Johnson, Vivian Karayiannis, Lauren Kelley, Sacha Lazarre, Victoria Lewelling, Mary Ann Lucas, Caroline Marcos, Lindsay Peyton and Erika Walker.
A familiar face on the the Houston art scene, Fernandez says, "My art is testament to the healing power of art in perspectives that are inherent to me: Spanish, English and Art. Each language is a slightly different window to look at life and so is art."
Fernandez, who lists Frida Kahlo and Salvador Dali among her artistic influences, will also be giving a presentation about Expressive Arts at the Watercolor Art Society-Houston (WAS-H) on May 18 and recently learned that her work will be represented by Agora Gallery in New York City.
Fernandez writes the "ArtBeat" blog for the Houston Chronicle about Houston's art scene and is also the author of the book"Spiritual Healing with Art - Curación Espiritual con Arte." The book, available at all online book sellers, is a bilingual (Spanish/English) art memoir about the power of art as a healing mystery. Over 80 of Fernandez's artworks illustrate the bilingual text detailing her journey of overcoming emotional wounds.
However, art and writing are just two facets of Fernandez's life. Aside from painting and selling her art, Fernandez is also a Certified Expressive Arts Facilitator, former engineer and current Ph.D. Media and Communication candidate in the European Graduate School EGS program in Switzerland.
Fernandez was born and raised in Merida, Venezuela, and worked in Singapore for seven years as an industrial engineer and artist. She currently resides in Katy, Texas with her husband and two daughters. For more information about her art or upcoming events, contact Fernandez by e-mail at Lorena@LFcreative.org or visit her Web site www.lfcreative.org.
The Community Artists' Collective @ Tea Room Gallery (Midtown Arts Center) is located a 1413 Holman, near LaBranch, across from HCC. For more information, call 713-523-1616 or visit the Web sitewww.thecollective.org