Archives: Artists

François “Fanch” Ledan’s artistic journey began in Paris in 1968 while he was studying at the Ecole Superieure des Sciences Commerciales. When his artwork was accepted by several galleries and major European exhibitions, he left commercial design to pursue painting full-time. In 1972 he entered the MBA program at Sacramento State University and began displaying his original acrylic paintings in California and New York galleries. His talent earned recognition from critics abroad, and his work was accepted by two prestigious European exhibitions: the Salons des Artistes Francaises and the Salon des Peintres temoins de leur temps.

Fanch became involved with printmaking in 1973 when he learned lithography in Paris, and later serigraphy, which became his preferred technique for creating original prints. His first lithography edition was published by Tallandier in Paris in 1975. He is noted for delightful scenes of his native Brittany and locales from around the world, executed in a colorful primitive or naïve style. Over the years, he has worked in respected printing studios in San Francisco, London, New York, Melbourne, Los Angeles, Paris, and Tel-Aviv.

Fanch creates imaginary scenes ranging from exotic destinations to intimate interiors called “interiorscapes,” which often feature paintings by artists he admires. Represented by Park West Gallery, his work appears in collections including those of Armand Hammer, Jacques Cousteau, and Prince Albert.

Hua Chen was born in 1952 in Shanghai, China, where he grew up during the Cultural Revolution of 1966–1976. His father was a renowned sculptor whose work remains on display in China today. Despite the political climate that limited exposure to Western art, Chen pursued formal training at Anhui Teacher’s University from 1973 to 1976, earning a bachelor’s degree in fine art. He later received a master of fine arts degree in sketching, watercolor, and oil painting from the Central Institute of the Fine Arts in Beijing.

Chen immigrated to the United States in the late 1990s, where his career flourished. He is best known for capturing the timeless beauty of music and the female form in his signature ethereal style, painting delicate figures that float within layers of calming pastels. His work draws inspiration from memories of the Chinese countryside, his travels, and Western masters like Degas and de Kooning, while still reflecting elements of his Asian heritage.

For more than a decade, Chen has been represented by Park West Gallery, where he has built meaningful relationships with collectors worldwide. He finds special joy in hearing how his paintings resonate with people, particularly when his female figures remind collectors of women in their own lives.

Rob Kaz is a self-trained artist celebrated for his lush, story-driven paintings that draw deeply from his background in animation. Growing up in New Jersey, Kaz earned a degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Central Florida, but when a government hiring freeze derailed his plans, fate led him to the animation industry. He worked alongside exceptionally talented artists at small Central Florida studios, many of whom had come from Disney’s recently closed Florida-based animation division. Their influence proved invaluable in shaping his artistic vision.

Kaz went on to work as a character artist for Electronic Arts Sports Tiburon, creating human likenesses for top-selling video game franchises including Madden NFL Football and NCAA Football. His experience with character creation, environments, and lighting heavily influenced his painting style. When he transitioned to fine art, Kaz focused on creating work that makes people smile while showcasing technical mastery in lighting, composition, and color.

Today, Kaz is represented by Park West Gallery and is one of only a few artists licensed to paint Disney films as a Legacy artist with Disney Fine Art. His paintings often feature his recurring character Beauregard the frog, whom fans delight in finding hidden within each new work. Kaz’s art reflects places he would rather be and friends along the way, themes that resonate throughout his body of work found in galleries and private collections worldwide.

Simon Bull discovered his artistic gift early, winning his first competition at age six. Born the second of four children, he continued earning recognition throughout his youth, including a national painting prize while at college. His childhood was marked by contrasts—attending boarding school in northern England while spending holidays with his family in South America, where hummingbirds and fruit bats populated their colonial home near the rainforest.

During his teenage years in Hong Kong, Bull encountered Eastern art traditions that profoundly shaped his vision. The economy and energy of Chinese brushwork left a lasting influence on his developing style. He held his first solo exhibition there at eighteen, launching what would become a lifelong career. While completing his education in London, he immersed himself in the city’s renowned galleries and exhibitions.

After marrying his childhood sweetheart Joanna, Bull worked extensively in printmaking during the late 1970s and early 1980s, selling editions to prestigious London galleries. He traveled widely, painting throughout the Himalayas, Mediterranean, and England’s Lake District. Over time, his work evolved from depicting the visible world to expressing inner emotional and spiritual landscapes. His vibrant, transportive style gained international recognition, particularly after a major seventy-six-painting exhibition at Harrods. Bull moved to Carmel, California in 2003 and is represented by Park West Gallery. He was named official artist for the 2019 National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington.

Thomas Tunney is a self-taught oil painter who has earned widespread recognition for his expressive use of color and light in intricately detailed works. After high school, he began painting under the inspiration of Rembrandt van Rijn, though his musical aspirations initially took priority. Years later, following a successful career as a realtor, Tunney returned to his artistic passion and entered Park West Gallery’s 2017 MI Great Artist competition, which sought emerging artists from Southeastern Michigan.

Tunney advanced to become one of five finalists, and the competition culminated in a gallery show at Park West Gallery—the first time he had ever publicly exhibited his artwork. The judges, including Park West’s Albert Scaglione, named him the 2017 winner. His prizes included a solo exhibition at Park West Gallery, which Tunney found both amazing and humbling.

Influenced by Rembrandt’s technique of impasto and glazes, Tunney paints in oils on panel. His style blends Impressionism and realism, featuring warm colors and quick brush strokes with detailed emphasis on the hands and faces of his subjects. He finds inspiration in fleeting moments of everyday life, believing oil paint brings more life to a scene than any other medium. Tunney is represented by Park West Gallery.

Marko Mavrovich, a California-raised painter of Croatian descent, captures the tranquil beauty of the sea through his luminous seascapes and coastal scenes. Born to Croatian parents in California, he spent much of his youth on the island of Unjie off the Croatian coast, where he developed a deep love for sea life. His father, a watercolor artist, encouraged his artistic talents, and as a teenager Mavrovich sold drawings to German and Italian tourists during Croatian summers.

After his father’s illness prevented planned father-son exhibitions in Germany and Italy in the late 1970s, Mavrovich enrolled in Navigation School to become a sea captain and support his family. Following his father’s death in 1985, he returned to California and worked as a commercial diver for three years until a near-fatal accident with a propeller convinced him to pursue art full-time. Despite the close call, his love for the sea remained central to his work.

Mavrovich gained recognition in local galleries before traveling to Japan, where he painted for six-month periods. In 2005, he joined Park West Gallery, where his travels and relationships with collectors continue to inspire his art. Known for painting water and boats in warm California-inspired shades of red and gold, he also depicts old cars, cityscapes, and other subjects using darker tones. Influenced by Winslow Homer, John Singer Sargent, and California Impressionists like Edgar Payne, Mavrovich creates art that evokes serenity and optimism.

Pierre-Auguste Renoir was a renowned French painter whose luminous works remain among the most beloved and frequently reproduced images in art history. Born in Limoges on February 25, 1841, he once declared, “Why shouldn’t art be pretty? There are enough unpleasant things in the world.” His paintings deliver exactly that—a vision of sparkling color and light that transports viewers to a forgotten world of beauty.

At 13, Renoir apprenticed in a Paris porcelain painter’s workshop, where he developed his distinctive brush technique and mastery of color. He later studied at the École des Beaux-Arts and formed lasting friendships with Cezanne, Pissarro, Sisley, and Monet. In 1874, Renoir helped found The Society of Painters, Engravers and Sculptors, witnessing the birth of Impressionism firsthand.

Renoir didn’t begin printmaking until age 50, starting with soft-ground etchings after his painting The Rustic Ball. In 1892, he created his first lithograph, a portrait of his son Pierre. Working with publisher Ambroise Vollard, who also championed Cezanne’s prints, Renoir produced notable lithographs including The Pinned Hat and Twelve Lithographs (The Vollard Suite), plus portraits of Cezanne, Wagner, and Rodin. Severe rheumatism eventually forced him to tie brushes to his hands, yet he continued painting until his death at Cagnes-sur-Mer on December 17, 1919. Renoir is represented by Park West Gallery.

Lebadang was born in 1921 in Bich-La-Dong, a village along the Huong River in Quang-Tri Province of Hue, Vietnam. He moved to Paris in 1939 and studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Toulouse for six years before his first one-man show in 1950. A versatile artist represented by Park West Gallery, he expressed himself through painting, watercolor, sculpture, jewelry, and graphic works, often combining various media to create sculptural, highly textured artwork.

His creative journey spanned decades of evolving styles. In the 1960s, he created large-scale abstract oil paintings with vivid blues and glowing puddles of orange and red, where faint outlines of boats, bridges, and horses gently emerged. By the late 1970s, human forms appeared more definitively in his work, becoming emotive and highly dramatic with visible faces. His cast paper reliefs from the 1980s featured handmade paper as ornate frames surrounding the paint, while his 1990s works presented aerial scenes of mountains and oceans with topographical textures.

After dozens of successful exhibitions, Lebadang sent money back to Vietnam to rebuild his devastated village. The Vietnamese government honored him with a sponsored Lebadang foundation and museum, the first arts foundation in Vietnam. His work is exhibited in collections including the Cincinnati Museum of Art, Phoenix Art Museum, Rockefeller Collection, and Museum of Arts and Letters in France.

Clare Sykes creates striking artwork characterized by expressive strokes, rich textures, and a deep passion for life’s beauty. Her floral works and seascapes burst with vibrant color while exuding serenity, making her a favorite among collectors worldwide. Born in Farnham, Surrey, England on May 23, 1972, Clare left her native country in 1985 to live in the United States for seven years before returning to the United Kingdom. She moved to the Mediterranean in 2003, living in Spain for a year before relocating to Greece, ultimately returning to the United Kingdom in 2012. During her time in the Mediterranean, Clare felt an overwhelming need to create, and the vibrant colors and atmospheres she encountered became the foundations for her career.

A self-taught artist who is represented by Park West Gallery, Clare uses raw passion and creative energy to fuel her craft. She considers herself an Organic Texturilist, drawing on texture, passion, and expressive free movement for each work. The impasto technique is a defining trait of her artwork, as she applies thick swathes of acrylic paint onto canvas to produce eye-catching textures that capture light and shadow in distinctive ways. Clare worked with the largest publishing agent in the United Kingdom for three years and has regular clients in Dubai, Asia, China, the United States, Canada, Australia, and the Philippines. In April 2017, DuJour Magazine commissioned her to create a cover piece featuring Salma Hayek for its Spring edition.

Fernando de Jesus Oliveira, known worldwide as Ferjo, was born in 1946 in Salvador, Brazil, into a working-class family with seven children. While his brothers played soccer in the streets, young Ferjo discovered his passion for drawing, and by age eight he knew his destiny was to become an artist. Growing up in Salvador, a culturally rich city founded by the Portuguese in 1546, he found inspiration in its diverse tapestry of architecture, art, and music. Unable to afford formal art school, Ferjo taught himself through dedication and natural talent.

In his early twenties, Ferjo enrolled in the Federal Art School of Salvatore to refine his technical skills, supporting himself by painting portraits. A life-changing moment came in 1992 when Jose Vaz Espinheira, President of Partners of America, became his patron and arranged a scholarship to the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art in Philadelphia. After graduating with numerous prestigious awards, Ferjo received a special fellowship to study Europe’s great masters at museums like the Louvre and the Prado.

Ferjo’s unique style blends Magic Realism and Surrealism with Cubist influences and homages to legendary artists like Leonardo Da Vinci, Pablo Picasso, and Rene Magritte. His dreamlike compositions, particularly his fantastical interior spaces featuring masterworks on their walls, have earned him worldwide recognition. Represented by Park West Gallery, his paintings and prints grace countless collections across the United States and Canada.