Mike Scagliotti is creator of Oddly Gone Comix, a philosophical comic strip about relationships and magical dimensions. He exhibits his original comic strip art along with a series of abstract paintings.

I work as a full-time artist and live both in San Francisco, California, and in Melbourne, Australia. My artwork has been offered by Cain Schulte Contemporary Art in Union Square, San Francisco, by Reaves Gallery in Chelsea, New York, and by Art Equity, in Sydney, Australia, and by Kenneth Paul Lesko Gallery in Cleveland, Ohio.

My paintings explore the contemporary self and its evolving sense of identity. I investigate the influences of pop-culture, marketing, and news media on social and individual motivation and behavior, and I question the plausibility of the authentic individual. Each painting is the result of a labor intensive process comprised of scavenging and collecting newspapers and media materials to use as collage backgrounds that form suggestive narratives for the over-laying figurative images I paint on top. Once the collage is created, the drawing and painting begins, and finally the piece is sealed in a thick coating of epoxy resin. In early 2011, my series "Upload," based on Great Britain's Machin Head stamp, was exhibited at the Melbourne Affordable Art Fair and enjoyed a sold-out show. My latest series, "Comic Relief," is a small series inspired by the TinTin comic and addresses a society's inclination to ignore the underlying social psychological patterns and behavior that threaten to destroy it.

Most exciting at the moment for me is my current series called the "Rx" series.  I have been working twoard this solo show for the past two years.  The 20 paintings that comprise this series will open November 21, 2014 at the Kenneth Paul Lesko Gallery.

art makes me make art makes me. i work in a variety of mediums, reflecting my take on everything from societies absurdities to its beauties. Often I work quickly on impulse and find i achieve my best results this way. In the past i have worked with ceramics, but currently focus on latex painting, drawing, silkscreening, installation, and performance art.

Oliver Klink – Nature, Wildlife and Fine Art Photographer 

I like to make people dream and to tell stories with my photography.

My intent is to capture the complex ecosystems that we live in. Any subjects I photograph, whether it be nature, wildlife, culture or landscape, reflect the challenge to preserve some of the beauty of our rapidly changing planet.

I photograph with a print in mind as the output and rely on advanced techniques to capture details. My intention is to print images “almost” life size, so that even a trained eye discovers new interaction, new feel, new creatures, and the intricacy of the ecosystem every time he looks at the images.

One of my secrets for capturing intimate scenes is the use of shorter lenses and cameras traditionally employed for portrait and fashion photography. It requires extensive knowledge of the subjects, so I can capture their personality at close proximity and deliver images that make you feel you were there.

My photography takes you to places that are real but can also be turned into dreamlands. I use both staged and real events to discuss the blurred boundaries that exist between reality and fantasy. At first, the photographs may tell a story that is real, until one discovers only gradually that they contain elements of fiction, or vice versa. This was the premise for my work entitled “Romance”.

In my most recent project on the African wildlife, titled “Life”, I even go a step further. I use multiple cameras, take exposures from various angles, and composite images in post processing. My intent is to go back to my main goal and make people dream.

Additional information about my work can be found at www.incredibletravelphotos.com and www.oliverklinkphotography.com

Virginia Barrett is an artist drawn to capturing form and color in nature, landscapes, and sculptural work from diverse cultures. Her series of mixed media painted poems celebrate a unique, spiritual relationship between the word and image. In addition to her visual work, Barrett is a published poet, author, and editor; her most recent books are: I Just Wear My Wings—collected poems of an aspiring mystic; OCCUPY SF—poems from the movement (co-editor); Mbira Maker Blues—a healing journey to Zimbabwe (travel memoir); and Radiance—poems from Mendocino.  Barrett is the founder and director of Sweet Sanctum, a salon-style art, literary, and performance space in the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco.

Sara is mesmerized by visual delights; the color of light going through a prism or the way colors run together when one puts them on the paper; a beautiful brocade pattern; a marvelous dream. She paints in an attempt to take visual notes of what she finds intriguing.

I'm interested in combining different materials and elements to create or change an image, to elevate it or diminish its glow and power. In this work, I am exploring the myth of celebrity and beauty, of what is classic or sacred, I use photographs by Annie Leibovitz, classic paintings by Da Vinci or Lautrec, cut out pages of W or Vanity Fair magazines, old record covers, or poetry books as my essential elements of expression. I see their beauty and power, and I want to reinterpret, to enhance, or metamorphosize these powerful images.