View the full bodies of work, artist profiles and art pricing in the ArtAscent Art & Literature Journal magazine issues. For commission and purchase inquiries, contact artists directly.
- Susan B Borgersen
- Mary Kandalian-Aslanian
- Chelsey Clammer
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Olivia-Patricia Terrel O’Neal
Each work of art by Olivia-Patricia Terrell O’Neal feels like a journey between metaphors. Her paintings are realistic and truthful, yet they resonate with archetypal power. The mother, the daughter, departure and uprooting are canvases filled with symbols.
In Olivia-Patricia’s artistic production, the subject of travel loses its elements of pleasure and takes on mysterious connotations. A metaphysical silence hovers over the canvases. The paintings capture the viewer emotionally: mother and daughter separate in an intimate and painful embrace. A family departs, projected into an unknown future, leaving shadows of a hazy past in the background. Diverse faces of immigrants tell of individual suffering, like different stories intersecting in the same compressed space. Olivia-Patricia delineates powerful scenes. It feels like watching the frame of a film projection. They are paintings that are open to stories. We do not know what happened before or after, but we can imagine it.
Olivia-Patricia’s figurative narratives open up questions about the destinies of her subjects. Where are the immigrants headed with their bulky bags and suitcases? And where is the family leaving from? Or where is the prodigal daughter going, a famous biblical reference morphed into the feminine? The destinations are journeys into the unknown. We perceive the emotional aspects: the weight of distance, separation, and future expectations.
The emotional element gains even more value through the skillful use of colours. The painter uses a limited colour palette of dark tones: ultramarine blue deep, burnt umber, white, and possibly yellow ochre, enlivened by symbolic touches of colour. The painter’s technique is also a creative process open to intuition.
Her motifs take shape in different steps, changing from brushstroke to brushstroke. Olivia-Patricia creates her paintings from various charcoal sketches, capturing the magic of inspiration thanks to this rapid technique. From this starting point, she continues to elaborate, letting the flow dictated by the painting guide her. Her creative process is itself a journey of imaginative discovery.
The intuitive aspect is primary in the painter’s practice, so much so that among her most relevant references is the experimental painting of the 1960s, capable of radiating a spiritual force. Foremost among them is painter Jay De Feo, whose vast and rough surfaces reveal celestial connections. Olivia-Patricia is a figurative painter, not an abstract artist like Jay De Feo. Still, her works are multi-layered with meaning and embodied energy from the mere canvas.
Raised in Tennessee, Olivia-Patricia Terrell O’Neal graduated with an MFA degree from the New York Academy. She works in the United States, Mexico and France, where her works are part of a permanent collection at Chateau St. Philippe. She has collaborations with solid international galleries to her credit and 14 solo exhibitions, and she doesn’t stop: the journey is a foundational component of her subjects and artistic process.
Olivia-Patricia Terrel O’Neal is the Gold Artist of the ArtAscent Journey call for artists. To see the full body of work and profile, get a copy of the ArtAscent Art & Literature Journal Journey issue.
www.pterrelloneal.com
Christopher O’Meara
Hush Hush
“Oslo, Rotterdam, Madrid,” the detective says, “you’ve had me on quite the road trip, I must say.”
I meet Detective Dawson’s gaze and can tell he’s exhausted. His lids are heavy, their flesh the colour of bruised fruit. He’s overweight by more than a few stone and could be easily outrun. But running would be suspicious. Running would get me caught…
Imagine an escape across Europe and a secret to hide. The story by Christopher O’Meara is a cat-and-mouse chase in which the protagonists follow, hide, and lose track of each other, only to find themselves, finally, in an anonymous café.
The journey traced by Christopher has the connotations of a detective story, revealing clues through hermetic dialogues. The plot unravels little by little, gradually dissolving the mystery. It comes to mind that the journey is not only undertaken by the characters in their chase across Europe but also by readers, who slowly connect the pieces of the tale. By joining the dots, they reach the solution, the final destination of their literary journey.
Hush Hush is a story to be read in one breath but paying attention to revealing details. The plot is simple: a detective pursues a suspect on an exhausting road trip from Norway to Spain. The journey connects distant corners of the continent, but the story focuses on the final part of this ride. The two protagonists meet for a showdown in an unidentified café: the fugitive is trapped. However, the conversation, setting, and characters are deliberately vague. Who is the narrator thief? Why is detective Lawson looking so desperately for him? Who has he abducted?
In Christopher’s story, the abducted go beyond a typical narrative framework and seem especially alive, embodied in a unique reality. The girl is wrapped in a quilt, and her haunting gaze is mesmerizing, shining like her pearlescent earring. The second kidnapped character almost makes a noise: his scream is more penetrating than most.
Christopher specializes in stories set in the past, approaching with Hush Hush contemporary storytelling and crime. He often recreates a working environment that stimulates him to bring his characters to life: music, candles, and the subdued atmosphere help him outline mysterious scenarios. Tight and ambiguous dialogues that create suspense characterize his style, which is very close to the best-selling thriller novels by journalist Paula Hawkins. Like Hawkins, Christopher adds a psychological component in delineating his protagonists, which subtly seduces the reader.
Christopher O’Meara is a freelance writer from New England with a nonfiction education and a degree in journalism from Suffolk University. His stories combine the faces of iconic works of art and the trajectories of the two protagonists in a physical and mental road trip. Artworks in Christopher O’Meara’s writing become activators of inspiration, a visual stimulus that leads to imagining ever-changing stories. And we readers follow him on this journey, discovering how art and literature may intertwine on a written page.
Christopher O’Meara is the Gold Writer of the ArtAscent Journey call for writers. To see the full body of work and profile, get a copy of the ArtAscent Art & Literature Journal Journey issue.
www.christopheromeara.com
Cassie Shao
Cassie Shao’s art engages with different perceptions, peering around the corner into circles of fog that guide and disappear into a future of new understandings. Cassie strangely and wonderfully creates entrances that let us dig deeper into our personal imagination and life experience.
Her work Explosion Water, On the Train and Volcano Under Hood throws the audience into a utopian field of reality. The unexpected imagery creates the opportunity to look closer and discover unseen moments and mirrors of self. Cassie’s images are marked by human and otherworld characters, guiding us deeper into the artwork (On the Train). At other times, framing and centring nature’s spectacle (Volcano Under Hood), or allowing us to turn, twist and levitate over familiar but unknown landscapes (Explosion Water).
Cassie’s artworks feel like falling into a daydream of conscious inspiration. Thoughts and images flood our eyes and show the way to an effortless walk around nature surrounded by soft daylight and the freedom to let thoughts and memories travel along. They inspire us to think further and sense new ways of approaching and living our daily life. With each step, we can increasingly fly and reflect on past happenings, present emotions and future aspirations.
Immersing ourselves in Cassie’s art form exploration echoes visiting a complete exhibit. Her designs open doors and paths to various ways of perceiving concepts. These works of art have an aura of unbridled playtime, and they evoke the free-fall ideas only a child’s or forever young’s mind can have.
Cassie brings graphic design, 2D animation, 3D motion design and mixed media skillset to her art. Cassie’s way of merging digital and analogue material tricks us into looking outside our common perspectives. She enjoys creating unexpected forms of wonder and new concepts of doing and seeing art. Her mutely coloured images sparkle brightly, yet they bring a profound stillness, allowing us to celebrate our united uniqueness and respect each decision—precious to every life path.
Cassie Shao is an animation director currently based in Los Angeles. She graduated from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the School of Cinematic Arts at USC. She works in independent films, music videos, explainer videos, experiential installations and advertisements.
Cassie Shao is the Silver Artist of the ArtAscent Journey call for artists. To see the full body of work and profile, get a copy of the ArtAscent Art & Literature Journal Journey issue.
www.karasucassie.com
Anna Belleforte
One may be surprised to find among the submissions for the Journey issue artwork dedicated to architecture. We’re so used to thinking of a journey as a process that we forget it actually has a destination. And Anna Belleforte reminds us of that.
The very concept of journey is connected with movement and dynamism. Overused by coaches of all sorts (“life is a journey”), it became almost an equivalent of flow and fluidity. It isn’t easy to think of something more opposite to this notion than the solidity and stasis of architecture. Anna suggests a different view, perceiving architecture as a means to “reach” (that is where some travelling metaphors are showing up) the image of the desired world.
The “paper architecture” resonates the most with the idea of (re)constructing the inner dimensions of our personalities and the cultural contexts in which we live. “Paper architecture” is the term coined for visionary, idealistic building projects, the improbability of which limits their existence only to sketches and designs. Anna uses the overpainted paper strips from old maps and books as the material for her pieces, making this wordplay even more pointful. The coherency of images disintegrates as we approach them closer and start to see the collage surfaces of the compositions.
The architectural subject and patchwork-like technique fuse the creative approaches of two artists. Firstly, Christopher Pratt, with his attention to a place in the fullness of its ordinary existence, and secondly, Chuck Close, with his optical tricks.
Anna creates an equal balance between literal and surreal, with a notably isolated atmosphere. This secluded feel is no surprise since she made these pieces in response to the realities of social distancing during COVID. Indeed, it was when, restricted in our possibility of moving around, we all had to limit our social connections with those already entangled in the places we lived. And though travel restrictions have been loosened, the pandemic has only amplified the tendency that defines the contemporary mode of life as we set off on lone virtual journeys.
Anna Belleforte is a visual artist based in Soest, the Netherlands. She received her BA in Art History and Fine Art from the University of Western Ontario, Canada. After that, she continued her training in Architectural History at Queen’s University, Canada, and Architectural Conservation and Heritage Planning at the University of York, England. This educational background has largely shaped her artistic practice. Anna devotes most of her attention to architectural forms and how they can convey stories of human culture and individual psychological impulses. She has exhibited internationally since 2013, with her works on display at shows in Canada, the USA, the Netherlands, Germany, and Hungary.
Anna Belleforte is the Bronze Artist of the ArtAscent Journey call for artists. To see the full body of work and profile, get a copy of the ArtAscent Art & Literature Journal Journey issue.
www.annabelleforte.com
Alexandra Kader Herrera
Distinguished Artist of the ArtAscent Journey call for entry. To see the full body of work, grab a copy of the ArtAscent Art & Literature Journal Journey issue.
Andrew Elsten
Nocturne’s Autumn
a candle flickers silently at the corner of my desk
a pen tip rolls between my fingers
warmed by the flame, quieted in the dark
I keep myself from nodding off
perhaps this time I’ll dream…
Distinguished Writer of the ArtAscent Journey call for entry. To see the full body of work, grab a copy of the ArtAscent Art & Literature Journal Journey issue.
www.andrewelsten.com
Evan Loiterman
Distinguished Artist of the ArtAscent Journey call for entry. To see the full body of work, grab a copy of the ArtAscent Art & Literature Journal Journey issue.
www.loitermanart.com
Louise Eastin
Journey: Tuesday after consultation and on my way to his room
sand flattened by tide
stranded starfish form a line
morning beach is clean
white jars with glass lids
labels too faded to read
worn wooden table…
Distinguished Writer of the ArtAscent Journey call for entry. To see the full body of work, grab a copy of the ArtAscent Art & Literature Journal Journey issue.
www.louisemoses.com
Elia Prado
Distinguished Artist of the ArtAscent Journey call for entry. To see this in print, grab a copy of the ArtAscent Art & Literature Journal Journey issue.
Moti BAZAK
Distinguished Artist of the ArtAscent Journey call for entry. To see the full body of work, grab a copy of the ArtAscent Art & Literature Journal Journey issue.
www.motibazak.com
Susan Nickerson
Mile Markers
MM 10
Daddy is screaming and I wonder which one of the boys is in trouble now. I tiptoe down the stairs staying extra quiet. I listen for the unbuckling of Daddy’s belt. Whatever they’ve done can’t be too bad. No hitting.
“It wasn’t me.”
“I didn’t do it.”…
Distinguished Writer of the ArtAscent Journey call for entry. To see the full body of work, grab a copy of the ArtAscent Art & Literature Journal Journey issue.
David E. Neely, JD, Ph.D
Distinguished Artist of the ArtAscent Journey call for entry. To see this in print, grab a copy of the ArtAscent Art & Literature Journal Journey issue.
Jana F. Jaros
Distinguished Artist of the ArtAscent Journey call for entry. To see this in print, grab a copy of the ArtAscent Art & Literature Journal Journey issue.
www.janafjaros.crevado.com
Geninne M Woods
Butterfly
My predisposed demeanour of alchemy envelops my destiny without choice, this questionable stage of my existence I did not ask for.
No sight of understanding I’ve gained yet on this process of life, but blindly and bravely, I continue to believe in it’s goodness…
Distinguished Writer of the ArtAscent Journey call for entry. To see the full body of work, grab a copy of the ArtAscent Art & Literature Journal Journey issue.
Kohi Liu
Distinguished Artist of the ArtAscent Journey call for entry. To see this in print, grab a copy of the ArtAscent Art & Literature Journal Journey issue.
Stephanie Dobson
Distinguished Artist of the ArtAscent Journey call for entry. To see the full body of work, grab a copy of the ArtAscent Art & Literature Journal Journey issue.
www.stephaniedobson.myportfolio.com
Kesja Dabrowska
Crossroads
The moon is shining so brightly tonight
like the night we first held hands together,
Raising them to cup each other’s faces
wide grins reflecting the whites of our teeth
It was the summer of our senior year…
Distinguished Writer of the ArtAscent Journey call for entry. To see the full body of work, grab a copy of the ArtAscent Art & Literature Journal Journey issue.
Farrah (AKA Jiaqi)
Distinguished Artist of the ArtAscent Journey call for entry. To see this in print, grab a copy of the ArtAscent Art & Literature Journal Journey issue.
www.farrah-jiaqili.com
Yifan Li
Distinguished Artist of the ArtAscent Journey call for entry. To see the full body of work, grab a copy of the ArtAscent Art & Literature Journal Journey issue.
Kelly O’Neal
Distinguished Artist of the ArtAscent Journey call for entry. To see the full body of work, grab a copy of the ArtAscent Art & Literature Journal Journey issue.
www.kellyoneal.com