Read Well-Deserved Praise About Art by Artist Members
This article was published in 2022.
It is extremely rewarding for an artist to receive praise for their art. It informs them their art resonates with others in a positive and meaningful way. The experience creates a very special human bond between them and the viewer. As the American abstract artist Mark Rothko exclaimed, “The fact that people break down and cry when confronted with my pictures shows that I can communicate those basic human emotions… the people who weep before my pictures are having the same religious experience I had when painting them.”
Manhattan Arts International asked all artist members to answer the question: “What is one of your favorite and most favorable comments you’ve ever received about your art?” We also asked them to provide the source (such as a collector or arts writer) and asked for 100 words or less. We are delighted to present “Artist Members Share Praise They Received for Their Art”.
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Contact the artists directly if you are interested in purchasing their artwork.
Banner image: Painting by Leanne Fink
Artist Members Share Praise They Received for Their Art
Peter N. Van Giesen
“I have to tell you, there is something very wholesome about your heart. You perceive nature with your inner being. Many painters show the surface or reflect their ideology unto their paintings therefore creating a mirage. But your paintings have depth. They tell me that the lens through which you behold creation is very clear.” ~ A Collector
Nancy Calef
“When I first saw Nancy Calef’s paintings I thought, ‘Now here’s an original idea.’ As a traditional, old workhorse, I don’t have much use for and don’t believe in classifying contemporary art. I do think a picture should say something and Nancy’s subject matter and palette express a view of the world beyond her years.” ~ Jack Levine, Painter, Former President, American Academy of Arts & Letters
Paula Borsetti
“This monoprint connected me with my son through art… When I first brought this print home my son, who was 10 at the time, said he would like to have it when he grew up. Though I, too, am an artist and we own a lot of diverse artwork, this was his first and only strong response toward artwork. When we moved last fall to be closer to our kids I brought this artwork and gifted it to my now-adult son. He was so pleased that I had heard him back then, remembered, and shared your beautiful work with him.” ~ A Collector
Joe Stavec
“Taking after the Continental avant-garde movement of the last century, painter Joe Stavec channels the best elements of the movement without merely imitating them; rather, he reinterprets surrealism in light of his own lived experience. Stavec calls on his audience to cast off the sleep of received wisdom and unexamined syllogism, and think anew with irony and radicalism. Yet Stavec’s work is not scolding, but conversational. His imagery is striking, but possessed of a degree of ambiguity, compelling an open-minded examination, the way a child engages with a strange new toy that will be treasured for years to come.” ~ Joseph Clark, Art Critic
Sandra Belitza-Vazquez
One of my favorite and most touching comments about my artwork comes from Yvonne Neal, a former Adult Education Principal at the NYC Department of Education and a fan who wrote this about my close-up photograph of a white peony. “Sandra’s work is truly healing! It’s like she has the camera there when the right moment arrives – helping us to understand the world around us! My favorites are her pictures of creatures great and small; but I love the flowers so much! Whether she’s photographing the wide-open prairie or a beautiful sunset beyond a mountain, she sees like no one else!”
Nanette Fluhr
(An excerpt from a longer quotation) “The people of Long Island have a little known ‘jewel in their midst.’ Nanette Fluhr’s uncompromising classic style is unrivaled in both technique and composition. I am no novice to the art community. Having a 40 year collection, as well as, being the recipient of two Smithsonian Awards in 1967 and 1969 I feel completely confident in stating that Nanette Fluhr is one of the finest Portrait Artists in the world. In 1998 Mrs. Fluhr completed a life size portrait of my wife, Cher. Few times in life does one’s purchase have such a lasting sense of joy and beauty.” ~ Bob Podesta, A Collector
Leanne Fink
My favorite comment was written by a gallery owner: “The art of Leanne Fink depicts scenes that provide the viewer with an augmented experience. It draws us in for a closer look the way sunsets make most of us believe there is a higher power at work. Her powerful artistry makes the art transcendent, exceptional and truly original.”
Sandra Duran Wilson
“How does one put into words the extent of Sandra Duran Wilson’s work? The overall direction is abstraction, but the attention is on formal aspects of making art: dividing the surface into interesting forms, playing with new materials, keeping the emphasis on the fact that the creation is not so much about something seen in nature as a work devoted to the creating of it, the process of achieving a work of art.” ~ Mary Carroll Nelson, Arts Writer
Christine Ilewski
Jerry Saltz, the famed art critic, juried a mixed media piece of mine, “Frogtown”, into an Art St. Louis exhibit and at the opening he stood in front of it and said “This artist has a deeply private and complex inner life”.
“Dynamic, engaging and well orchestrated compositions in harmony with the artist’s handling of color, contrast and values… This sets the stage for creating strong impressions and expressions of mood and atmosphere that arrest and capture the viewer’s attention immediately… The strength of Wendy’s work is beyond and beneath the surface, regardless of the subject matter, and for each person this is a unique and enlightening personal path of questions and discovery.” ~ George Rivera, Former Director and Senior Curator Triton Museum of Art
Rajul Shah
I recently finished a commissioned painting that was a gift for a surgeon recovering from a COVID-induced stroke. It has left him temporarily unable to practice as a surgeon; albeit he is still a doctor. In his thank you note to his former patient who gave him this present he wrote “I have hung this art in my bedroom so that I can appreciate the beauty on awakening and push myself daily on my recovery journey”. My art utilizes the Japanese Art of Kintsugi and its philosophy to promote healing. It was an honor, and humble attribution for my artwork.
Lisa Freidus
This is a comment from Phillip Natale, a buyer. He said, “I am so happy with the watercolor painting ‘Country Walk’ (shown above) I purchased from Lisa. I loved it when I viewed it online, but when I received it, it was even better. It was spectacular! I shared that sentiment with Lisa, and she said she’d enhanced it before shipping it to me. She ‘punched it up’, to use her artist’s lingo. She in fact, made the colors stronger, adding depth and presence to the watercolors, and to the painting. Where it had looked really great, it now pops! Lisa is dedicated to making her customers happy.”
Barbara Brown
From one of my collectors: “As I gazed at your Cathedral painting, I felt a rush of feeling throughout my body I have come to call an integrated feeling of the sacred magical and connected sense of myself as an integral holy (wholey) part of the Universe. Wow!” “I just want to be there…. inside these beautiful paintings…. feel the magic, breathe in the freshness…”
Andrea Robinson
One of the most heart-warming and touching moments for me was when I received a video from a client showing his wife opening her commissioned artwork. The commission was an open brief, so it allowed me the freedom to paint something expressive around the things I had been told she liked. It wasn’t what was said, but rather the tears of joy, and positive exclamations and praise for the work that struck me. That video is etched in my memory, and still to this day uplifts me, and inspires me to push myself in what I paint every day.
Karen Melton
I have had a lot of wonderful comments about my paintings. Most people say my work makes them happy or makes them feel at peace. However, my favorite response was not a comment. It was a reaction. Almost instantly upon viewing some of my paintings, a woman began to cry. To this person my work was visceral and resonated with her allowing for self-reflection. This has been my goal and my proudest moment.
Barbara Rachko
This comment was received from Cheryll Chew and John Frye who own four of Barbara’s pastel paintings: “We walked into her studio in 1994 and saw “In Reality the Frogs Were Men” (shown above).That instant on that day, my consuming passion with Rachko’s work began. We had absolutely no resources to buy “Frogs.” Without a doubt one day we would have her work, no matter what it took to get it. We are deeply grateful that her work is in our home. Not long ago, we read an article about Nan Goldin. In the article was a phrase that says precisely what Barbara Rachko’s work does for us… all of the pleasure circuits are deeply fulfilled by looking…”
Anne Morrison Rabe
I am always thrilled when my work is juried into a show. However, one of my proudest moments was when my brother, an internationally renowned architect based in New York City, complimented my “eye” and told me my work was terrific. Coming from an absolute minimalist, this was incredibly high praise.
Ruth Soller
“I would like very much to see your new studio and Ruth would like to meet you as well. Everything went perfectly for our Yellowstone wedding and Ruth loves your painting of the falls. The park road to lower falls was closed the morning before our wedding due to weather but it cleared up and we were able to pull it off on schedule at sunrise on the 17th of May. We’ll tell you all about it when we meet again.” ~ A Collector
Yvonne Welman
“Knowing that the work of Yvonne Welman is driven by her personal passion to a subject, I hesitated to ask her to perform by assignment. And what a great result! She pulled different aspects together and mixed them with classical themes of art as well as satellites of a new world. I appreciate her creativity highly”. ~ Paul Meijers, Director of Erbe, Netherlands.
These are so special. Thank you for posting them.
Thank you Renee! (And also for correcting my typo…..I realized right after I clicked on “submit!”) What wonderful praise for all of these incredible artists. Certainly inspiring..
You’re welcome. I appreciate your submission and can relate. Receiving praise from a respected sibling is a treasure. 🙂
What beautiful comments these artists have received. How these artworks have touched their viewers makes the often arduous task of creation so worthwhile. We make a difference in people’s lives with our art. This is so heartwarming to hear.
Sandra, thank for participating in this article and for your comment. One obvious reason for this article is to bring the attention to potential buyers the artist members’ art brings meaning and value to viewers, art professionals and art collectors. The other, equally important reason, is to give the artist an opportunity to spend time in self-reflection and self-appreciation for their creative efforts and to see their art and praise in plain sight. Often, artists stare so long at the imperfections of their art that they don’t see their art objectively. I hope this article changes that.
Thank you Renee! How wonderful to read all the positive comments about various pieces of art and the artists themselves. Truly uplifting and motivating. Thank you for your continued encouragement.
Andrea, Thank you very much for participating in this article and sharing how your art brought tears of joy to one of your art buyers. I’m sure she is one of many whose hearts you have profoundly touched.