Robert Hinkelman
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obert Hinkelman constructs breathtaking landscape paintings of vibrant, majestic, natural vistas. These spacious, breathing landscapes show nature in all its wonderful splendor. Haunting, rocky shorelines, burning deserts, snow filled mountains, everglade jungles, glorious sunsets, and barren seascapes.
Hinkelman's painting career began as a creative outlet and partial cure for cabin fever. "From the beginning, I have been drawn to nature's infinite moods and displays. Look at the ocean and feel its relentless energy. Contrast that to the gentle flow of a stream and the serene, colorful autumn forests and mountains. Feel the bite of the winter wind over the snow. Then, when light creates breathtaking effects, the brush moves effortlessly."
Hinkelman has analyzed the painting masters to gleam their inspirations. "Landscapes, seascapes, skyscapes, birds of prey—how best to bring the right form, light and color to canvas jumpstarts and sustains my creativity. A memory returns of a warm, misty early morning as the sun rises to light the sky." Expressive form, vibrant color chock full of personality, and stoic temperament abound.
Vincenzo Maiello
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he abstract works of Vincenzo Maiello serve as emblematic forms to express his personal heritage and the study of his beloved Italy. Maiello's work is rich and tactile, done with sweeping gestures and the expert movements of his palette knife. His imagery is not fashioned with complete abstraction, insofar as they relay a distinct impression of his subject. For instance, a series of works completed in reference to the explosion of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD, that destroyed Hercu-laneum and Pompeii, contain overt references to billowing smoke and the flowing of molten lava. The exquisitely painted "Venetian Canal" is an impressionistic scene fashioned to capture the aura of Venice rather than to relate its specific details. "I use layered textures and color to convey my message," Maiello states, "while evoking the viewer's own visual interpretation." Other Italian icons and scenes have been influential to the major works in his oeuvre, including pizza, gondolas, Venetian Glass, and Tuscan vistas.
Maiello is a lifelong artist who spent time painting and studying in Venice and Florence, then returned to the United States to further explore the possibilities of his style through multi-media and collage. Maiello is a member of the International Society of Acrylic Artists and President of Kudzu Art Zone. He lives and works in Nor-cross, Georgia.