Archives: Artists

Michael Judge is an acclaimed artist and photographer who considers Washington, D.C., his native home, though his life has taken him across the globe. He has lived in Spain, Poland, Montana, and California before ultimately settling in Arizona. This diverse experience informs his work, which has earned placement in prestigious museums, galleries, and private collections worldwide.

Judge’s published memoir, Captured Horizons, explores themes of reinvention and personal transformation. Throughout the book, he reveals himself as a complex individual unafraid of change, sharing his internal journey alongside a vast majority of his portfolio. The memoir aims to expand readers’ horizons through the remarkable range and diversity of his photographic subjects.

The artist approaches his craft with unwavering dedication. He believes his art demands absolute commitment to integrity, explaining that his hands are controlled by passion and purpose. His directive is to chronicle his self-awareness, insight, and vision for other observers. This honest, introspective approach defines his artistic practice and connects deeply with viewers. Michael Judge is represented by Park West Gallery, bringing his powerful photographic vision to collectors who appreciate both technical excellence and emotional depth.

Urbain Huchet was born in Rennes, France on April 28, 1930. After studying law and running a textile factory for four years, he made a bold decision in 1960 to dedicate himself entirely to painting. He spent his first three years as an artist in Pont-Aven, following in the footsteps of Post-Impressionist Paul Gauguin and Symbolist Emile Bernard, both of whom greatly influenced his work.

In 1963, Huchet moved to Paris and began traveling extensively throughout Europe and the Middle East. His journeys took him to Indian markets, Peru, Mexico, Egypt, and numerous other countries, each providing fresh inspiration. He painted the scenery of each locale and documented his experiences in a book.

His works are immediately recognizable for their fluid, gestural approach to both form and color. An accomplished artist working in multiple mediums, Huchet is adept at painting on canvas and watercolor, and is skilled as a lithographer. While his subjects are diverse, they primarily reflect the landscape of the Brittany region, for which he holds a profound love, especially the coast.

Huchet has been an exhibiting artist since 1960, with shows in New York, London, New Orleans, Egypt, Paris, Tokyo, Houston, and many other cities worldwide. He is represented by Park West Gallery. Notable achievements include the 1961 Select Price Othon Friesz in Paris, the 1981 limited edition of 100 “Impressions of Egypt,” and his 1983 portfolio of 12 lithographs “Impressions of Houston.”

Born in Madrid in 1960, Fabio Hurtado has become one of Spain’s leading modern painters. His works are collected by patrons around the world, and the Spanish government has honored him by featuring six of his paintings in an edition of postage stamps.

Hurtado keeps an element of mystery in his paintings, allowing viewers to relate their own stories and memories to each work. By constructing scenes that resemble cinematic stills, he leaves the narrative open for interpretation, providing only a backdrop for the viewer’s own life experiences. This feeling is especially heightened when he paints women peering into binoculars or looking into the distance, where the viewer cannot see what they see.

His works have been exhibited at galleries and museums worldwide, including Albert Gallery in Madrid, Albemarle Gallery in London, and Accademia d’Arts Moderna in Rome. He has received numerous awards and honors for his work. Hurtado is represented by Park West Gallery, where collectors continue to discover his evocative and thought-provoking paintings.

Gino Hollander was born in New Jersey in 1924 and attended Rutgers University and Hobart and William Smith College. Before discovering his calling as a painter, he served in the U.S. Army’s Mountain Division Ski Troop and later became an award-winning director and documentary filmmaker. In 1960, he demonstrated his artistic versatility by taking up painting, and from 1960 to 1962, he ran his first Hollander Gallery on Bleeker Street in Greenwich Village, New York.

Hollander’s powerfully abstract paintings reflect a life filled with extraordinary experiences. At thirteen, he embarked on a 1,000 mile bicycle trip, and he ran with the bulls annually in Pamplona. During World War II, he fought in Italy, where part of his knee was shot off. He mingled with Jackson Pollock, raced Steve McQueen in his ’57 Chevy, and was requested by Norman Rockwell to paint for a presidential commission. He even rescued Jacqueline Kennedy from paparazzi in Pamplona on horseback and later hosted her, along with author James Michener and opera star Luciano Pavarotti, in his studio.

In 1962, Hollander moved his family to Spain, initially bartering his canvases to survive before achieving international success. In 1982, he and his wife opened Museo Hollander in Spain, which welcomed more than 50,000 visitors before they donated it to the Spanish government in 1990. His collectors include Jacqueline Kennedy, Steve McQueen, Queen Sophia of Spain, and Calvin Klein. With more than 11,000 original paintings worldwide, his work appears in over forty museum and public collections, including the Museo de Belles Artes in Spain, Andrew D. White Museum in Ithaca, Greenville County Museum of Art, Churchill College in Cambridge, Aspen Art Museum, Vincent Price Art Museum, and Carnegie Hall. Gino Hollander is represented by Park West Gallery.

Born in Australia, Jo Anne Hook dreamed from childhood of illustrating children’s books. She began by sketching horses and steadily developed her painting techniques, consistently winning prizes at local art shows. Hook studied drawing, graphic design, printmaking, pottery, and photography at Shepparton College and Swinburne College in Melbourne. She held her first exhibition in 1974 at age 22 and later studied printmaking at Prahan Technical College. She traveled to Europe to exhibit her work in various galleries and worked as a freelance illustrator for national publications including Women’s Weekly, Reader’s Digest, and Women’s Day. In 1980, her poster commissioned by the Sydney Royal Easter Show won a prestigious award.

Hook sometimes works with colored inks but usually creates her paintings with a combination of acrylics and gouache, achieving a glowing, vibrant, almost three-dimensional effect. As an accomplished graphic artist, she has created interpretations of her imagery in various original graphic media and personally supervises the creation of every lithograph or serigraph she makes. As her reputation has grown, Hook has received commissions from international hotels, Australian Airlines, and IBM Japan. Due to the demanding techniques she employs, she is only able to create about 50 paintings per year, keeping demand for her works in all media very high. Jo Anne Hook is represented by Park West Gallery.

Sharie Hatchett Bohlmann is a veteran of the collectible art world whose romantic scenes draw inspiration from her extensive world travels. She deliberately leaves people out of her compositions, inviting viewers to step into the painting themselves and become part of the moment. By incorporating elements like plantation shutters or architectural columns in the foreground, she creates an engaging portal that draws collectors into each romantic scene.

Beyond her signature style, Bohlmann also creates works in a colorful, naïve approach under the pseudonym “Roxy.” Her art has been reproduced worldwide in numerous formats including original art, lithographs, serigraphs, hand-embellished giclées, puzzles, book covers, calendars, wine labels, note cards, and even a line of designer clothing.

Bohlmann’s distinguished collectors include the families of Bob Hope, Frank Sinatra, Diana Ross, Julio Iglesias, Donald Trump, Larry King, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Quincy Jones. President Reagan commissioned her to paint “Easter at the White House” for the permanent White House collection, while President Bill Clinton requested “Holidays at the White House” for the Clinton family Christmas card. Art renderings of both presidential works were donated to the Smithsonian Institution. Her works have graced the White House walls since President Lyndon and Ladybird Johnson’s residency, and she has been collected by every presidential family since. Bohlmann is represented by Park West Gallery.

Douglas Hofmann was born in Baltimore in 1945 and took an unconventional path to becoming an artist. After a brief stint in business school, he found his calling working as a window trimmer in a department store, where he learned about design and color theory. This experience inspired him to pursue fine art seriously, leading him to enroll at MICA, the Maryland College Institute of Art, where he earned his BFA before moving to the International Fine Art Gallery in Washington, D.C.

In 1977, Hofmann began exhibiting with Circle Fine Art Gallery throughout the United States and Canada. Working with Jack Solomon’s galleries introduced him to lithography, a completely new medium that required him to collaborate closely with printers rather than work alone as he was accustomed. He eventually mastered the technique and was recognized by the Society of American Graphic Artists.

Throughout his career, Hofmann has received numerous honors, including first prize at the Peale Museum in Baltimore, Best Painting in the Traditional Manner from the Baltimore Museum of Art, Best in Show at both the Washington County Museum in Hagerstown, Maryland and the Center Club in Baltimore, and the John F. and Ann Lee Stacey Scholarship Fund Grant. He is represented by Park West Gallery.

Jean-Baptiste Armand Guillaumin was born in Paris in 1841 to a working-class family from Moulins. While working for his uncle’s lingerie shop and later for the French government on the railroad and highways, he attended drawing classes at night to pursue his passion for art.

In 1861, Guillaumin enrolled at the Académie Suisse, where he met Paul Cézanne and Camille Pissarro. These friendships would last his entire life, with the three artists constantly influencing each other’s styles and subjects. Cézanne even based his first etchings on paintings by Guillaumin. Throughout the 1870s, Guillaumin traveled with Pissarro to Pontoise, soon followed by Cézanne.

As a dedicated Impressionist, Guillaumin exhibited at six of the eight Impressionist exhibitions, plus the Salon des Refusés in 1863. His work was sold by Theo van Gogh, brother of Vincent van Gogh. After winning 100,000 francs in the French lottery in 1891, Guillaumin could focus entirely on painting. He became known for his French landscapes, particularly of the village of Crozant, earning him the nickname leader of the Crozant School. In the 1890s, his colors grew brighter and more subjective, anticipating the Fauves.

Guillaumin died in 1927 just outside Paris as the last surviving member of the Impressionist group. His paintings are exhibited in prestigious institutions worldwide and represented by Park West Gallery.

John Hammond was born in 1961 and graduated from Bath Academy of Art at age 22 after earning a degree from Wimbledon Art College. While he initially focused on watercolor painting early in his career, he later evolved to working in acrylics and has successfully interpreted his exacting imagery into serigraphy. Hammond paints landscapes, seascapes, and cityscapes, responding to his environment with genuine enthusiasm.

He is celebrated for the remarkable luminosity in his work, which comes from his use of rich glazes and the building up of the painting surface through a technique known as impasto. His work is grounded in realism and demonstrates exceptional skill as a draftsman, yet his imagery presents a remarkable mood and powerful sense of drama that allows viewers to marvel at his interpretation of beautiful scenes. His works have been described as painterly celebrations of luminosity and color.

Working from his Wiltshire-based studio, Hammond travels widely for inspiration. He has been featured in numerous exhibitions and publications over the years, building a significant presence in private and corporate collections. His exhibitions include showings with the Bath Society of Artists and the Royal Institute of Oil Painters at Mall Galleries in London. Notable achievements include winning first prize for water-based medium at the 1997 Otter Valley Open Exhibition. Hammond is represented by Park West Gallery.

Nicole Gourdon was born in 1947 in Saint Cyr L’école in the Yvelines region of France. A self-taught artist, she has devoted more than 30 years to her painting practice, developing a distinctive style that celebrates the beauty of rural landscapes bathed in natural light. Her canvases capture gardens alive with shimmering colors that seem to vibrate with energy, transforming her imagination into luminous reality through oil paint.

Gourdon’s artistic achievements have earned her significant recognition. In 1999, she received the prestigious Medal of Commander of the Order of “Etoile de l’Europe,” and from 1995 to 1999, she was honored with “The Painters Cotation.” Her work has found homes in private collections around the world.

Throughout her career, she has exhibited extensively in France and beyond. Her exhibitions include the Exhibition of Indépendants in Paris, the Lucie Faure Exhibition at the Assemblée Nationale in Paris, and shows at galleries such as Gallery of Nesle in Paris, Gallery Le Conti in L’Isle Adam, and Gallery Le Fleuron in Honfleur. She has also shown her work at venues including “Les Beaux-Arts” Exhibition of Beaumont sur Oise, the Printemps of Exhibition with the National French Artists Association in Vincennes, and Les Ateliers d’Artistes in Deauville, Normandy. Nicole Gourdon is represented by Park West Gallery.