Christiane Vleugels’ Divas

Christiane Vleugels, uber talented artist in Belgium, paints giant photo-realist portraits with oil. Her surreal use of light mixed with photo-realist details and proportions create her strong stylistic technique. Christiane’s interest in art began at the very young age of twelve, when her parents enrolled her into the Academy of Fine Arts; she was taught under the talented Herman Cornelis. Afterward, Christaine continued her art education at SISA and the Royal Academy of Antwerp.

Her work eventually began to exhibit in Egypt, Liverpool and the Galerie Des Beaux Art in Germany. As many artists have designers have experienced, the success came with much pressure and stress.

“For years I was forced to take on numberless commissions, many of them reproductions. When I look back at those tiresome years, during which I often felt myself under incredible pressure and even, at times, uninspired, I realize they were a necessary part of my artistic journey. After all, it is by taking on all those commissions that I learned to perfect my technique. I really do think I owe my various skills to that endless list of reproductions, strange as it may sound,” – Christiane Vleugels

Christiane no longer represses her urge to paint the ideas that spontaneously sprouted in her heart. As she describes on her website, her art is meant to tempt people to dream. To see more of Christiane’s portraits, visit her gallery on deviantart, here.

Rich Pellegrino’s Magical Masterpieces

Rich Pellegrino is a very talented illustrator and artist, based out of Providence, Rhode Island. His use of color and light gives the portraits a whimsical feel, while staying true to the individual’s character. Rich has an ongoing series of pop icon portraits which feature the head and shoulders of Marilyn Monroe, The Royal Tenenbaums, Willy Wonka, and Star Wars, to name a few. In his recent series, “RESUSCITATORUM“, Rich dives into a new realm by showcasing the entire body of his subjects. Resuscitatorum is Latin for “reinvigorate” or “refresh”, which perfectly describes his reinvention of European fairy tales. Right now, you can see his exhibit at Translations Art Gallery in Canton, Ohio. Be sure to keep up with Rich’s blog for previews of his latest work, exhibition schedules and more. I especially enjoy his sketch book pages, many featured below, that he posts on his blog! Also check out his Etsy page to purchase prints and original art! And appreciate his work on Behance.

“During my research for this show I was re-introduced to the European fairy tales by famed writers Charles Perrault, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen, and Joseph Jacobs.  I also revisited some of Shakespeare’s plays and the Bible.  Fables such as “Sleeping Beauty” and “The Girl Without Hands” inspired me to reinterpret these tales in new ways. My thought was to simplify each into a single narrative portrait of the protagonist with ornaments gathered from her journey.” – Rich Pellegrino

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