Editors Letter

Kendra Gimblet - Executive Editor

alkingBlind Art & Literature Magazine brings you a Year End Review, thats right issue five contains the awesome past, brilliant present, and a sneak peak to our future. This is a great reflection on all of the wonderful things that have been done in and for the magazine, and not only is our line up of new artists here to boggle your mind with some great art but they also have websites where you can purchase posters, calendars and more. This issue is a giant hodgepodge of fun that you cannot miss out on. In the Editors Letter I usually extend thanks to my team and the people who trusted us with their precious work, this time I get to thank everyone for playing their part in watering WalkingBlind and helping us grow. We will be taking your helpful comments and using them as fuel and make ourselves better.
WalkingBlind Issue 4 vol. 1 About the front cover.
On our front cover is Milk Cheeks by Daniela Uhlig. We ran across fun creature and just new it had to announce our years end issue. He or she is just brimming to capacity with exictement for this months issue To find out more about this outstandind artist turn to page 21

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Layout and Editorial Executive Editor- Kendra Gimblet Assitant Editor- Glen L. Puchlerz Graphics Director- Glen L. Puchlerz Layout Director - Glen L. Puchlerz Business

WalkingBlind Magazine started out as a delightful thought that ambled into my cranium on a silver laced speck of modern surrealism. As an expert dreamer trained at the knee of both famous and upcoming non-fiction books to live in the land of free thinkers I was resigned to the fact that this would remain a pleasant dream. Upon explaining my random idea to a close friend of mine who just so happened to be a graphic designer, professional photographer and a confident businessman he convinced me to materialize my dream and now here we are many months later, a realist and a surrealist bringing you an international art magazine every month for your pleasure and for the goal of promoting art awareness. My optimism tells me that this will go far and that one day the magazine will have a bigger team, with better offices, larger readership and a running tab at our local Starbucks. Until then dont be shy in pushing the donate button everything you see here costs money so anytime you can help out we will really appreciate it. It has been our privilege to work with great artists from around the world who shared a piece of themselves with us through their art. We have been amazed and honored at the quality of work that we are able to show, making each page seem like the window to a famous art exhibition, and you all got to experience something that would have cost you thousands in airtime and tickets for free. Next year WalkingBlind will be working just as hard if not harder, if you thought a RSS Feed and forum were enough you werent thinking big, when we said we were aiming to open minds we were talking wide open. Consider the time you spend here to be artistic brain surgery with bookmarks, we are your incredibly ambidextrous doctors, and the soothing ambiance you feel slowly taking hold of your conscience mind as you read interviews and gape unabashedly at stunning art is your anesthesia, happy travels.

WalkingBlind Art and Literature Magazine is a publication of NevaehVision. For advertising or submision queries contact: kgimblet@nevaehvision.com www.nevaehvision.com

WalkingBlind WalkingBlind
Digital Art Traditional Art

Features
December 2010 Volume 1 Number 5
9 - Rafael Sarmento 21- Daniela Uhlig

27- Shaun w. Kerr 35- Michael Shapcott

Year In Review
43- Year in review pages

Poetry & Prose

71- Amanda Utzman 74- Tarek El-Hamawi

Photography
81- Mustafa Dedeoglu 93- Aleksandar Nedic

Articles
101- Artists interview

Departments
WalkingBlind Art and literature Magazine is a publication of the Nevaehvision co. Content is protected under U.S. and International copyright laws. Any duplication without the express written authorization of Walkingblind Magazine and its subsidiaries is strictly prohibited. Artistist creative works and/or intellectual properties are under license to WalkingBlind Magazine and remain the sole properties of the artists. For further information contact WalkingBlind Art and Literature Magazine at: http//www.nevaehvision.com or email: info@nevaehvision.com WalkingBlind Art and Literature Magazine is a monthly publication with offices in Florida and Massachusetts CopyrightNevaehvision.com, 2010. All rights Reserved.

Digital Art

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The world is full of people with big ideas and for the most part they are ideas that deal with merchandise or health or the furthering of technology; when someone has a really big idea about art however it, for the most part, goes unseen and overlooked even though it would stand to enrich us culturally, socially,

and mentally . This months featured digital artist uses really big ideas as an artistic tool, as the main element in his arsenal for the creative process and we did not want those ideas to go overlooked at all. So here in the first full exclusive magazine feature of his career is the creative genius of Rafael Sarmento.

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began drawing... at an early age. The fact is that this is the most common back-story that you hear from artists all around the world, and even most of the people that didn't get to be artists also drew as kids. I guess that drawing is just something inherent to the human condition when we are learning about the world and its mysteries when we are children - it's our way of capturing all the information and turning it into something more "understandable" for our young minds, transforming the world according to our own visual language. But the turning point to whether someone will be an artist or not, is very early in our lives and this is what generally separates the artists from the others: some of us just keep drawing.
In my case, it was a little different; despite the fact that I've been drawing for my entire life, I never really considered taking it seriously until just three years ago, can you believe it? Just this year I've been doing this full time, I guess that I only realized the possibilities of my potentials late, but I'm working hard to compensate for that! The good thing is that I had most of the technique "ready" from my previous experimentations, so to get from there to here was a lot easier. I think that there are artists whose works and methods I simply relate to my own artistic self. For example, I think that Sam Weber's way of deconstructing reality and rebuilding it at his own way is something that inspires me, even if I don't intend to copy him. It's the way he works that inspires me, not just the results. Thinking of the creative mechanisms 11
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that leads to such results is what inspires the most, to know that you can give rea your own identity. Sam Weber is the man, there are a lot of folks that are just endle blowing my mind: the "pope" James Jean compatriots Joo Ruas and Kako, painter Kanevsky, designer Krzysztof Domarad among many, many others.

I think that I feel really inspired by art (and other creatives in general) who can ger that part of my mind where the ideas created - the spot on my brain that I call " Source", the portal to my underworld, wh reality is rearranged and becomes my o The thing is, that there are inspirational gers that can just help me to maintain c nected to the "Source" when I have an i and from this point, I just need to channe idea out into the paper.

I think that the process alw starts when the idea "hits" when it gets alive inside my h and urges to get out. But get the right idea is the challeng could just sit down and d wherever idea crosses my m literally... but my goal is to the pot of gold - those ideas th just feel they have the right c position of elements that make them worth working on I usually take a certain amoun time making my illustration need to be really sure whether its worth effort.

When I'm thinking of an idea, I connect part of my mind to whatever is inspiring so that inspiration helps me to maintain "connection" to the source of the idea, an I focus on the creation of it. What really dr me to create an image, first of all, is the fee that the idea evokes for myself. If I bel that the idea has worth, if I feel it can something (even if subjectively) for other

s me ality , but essly n, my Alex dzki,

tists trigs are "The here own. trigconidea, el the

ways me, head tting ge. I draw mind, find hat I comcan n. As nt of ns, I h the
Fiend By Rafael Sarmento

that me, n the nd so rives eling lieve say peo-

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then I begin to work. My is quite average - I use a and monitor that can huge files... I just use a tuos 3 tablet and I'm working with Photoshop must say, my primary e the moleskins and oth books - they are the key develop my ideas, my ar tions and my experimen

Since I'm just starting work out, I havent rea any recognition award

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Breaking the Seal By Rafael Sarmento

The Search By Rafael Sarmento

ple, or if it can just work as a communicative vehicle, then I'll draw it. But in the end, what really makes all of this makes sense, is the effect that my art will cause on other people. Its their feedback, feelings and interpretations that I want to interact with. It's all about communication. There are some ideas for illustrations that I just feel they can communicate interesting or powerful ideas, and when those ideas pop out, I simply know that this is it, and
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y equipment a random PC handle the a Wacom Inm currently p CS5. But I equipment is her sketchy element to rtistic intenntations.

dream!) with the exception of a few web gallery awards and features. My first international publication will be the upcoming Exotique 6 by Ballistic Publishing, which makes me really happy for the exposure! I just hope I'll be able to be featured more in the future (and I'm incredibly honored by this feature on WalkingBlind, the first full feature on me!!!!). I do not have a formal art education - I'm totally self-taught. For me it's just a matter of having the right sensibility to keep learning and develop-

g to put my ally received ds (what a

ing my work. As I've been drawing my whole my life, I know most of the "rules" by instinct because I already learned them by experience, by trial and error. But nowadays it is so much easier, as now I have a pretty conscious direction of my developing process - just need to get a pencil and let the ideas come out, the techniques are of little consequence and just a part of the process, but the ideas are what really matters. Creativity is the key! It doesn't matter where did your study, if you went into college or

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Death Waits By Rafael Sarmento

not - what will always really speak for yourself is your art. Your identity can't be taught by others, it comes from the inside. It's just my humble opinion of course, don't take me too seriously! I'm just talking about the things that work for me, and about the way I understand my own creativity. Every illustration I make all start in the sketchbooks, my eternal companions. Some of these ideas are scanned directly from the sketchbook pages, for others I just use the original idea for inspiration, and starts directly on Photoshop. "The search" was one of those ideas that kept haunting me, begging to become alive... I drew the first ideas for it on paper, then I scanned it and passed on to digital. The first step for me is always to pursue the right composition - it's the hardest part, specially when it must pull the attention of the viewer out of the ordinary. I worked on the idea to exhaustion, until I was satisfied with the result. I wanted the image's atmosphere to speak for itself, with
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the adventurers supposedly looking out f something in the mist, led by the arch-a chemist and his "Alchemical Heart" (an ima inary device of the story in my head, that h the power to give life to inanimate things an creatures). I drew all the characters an started to set up the values. The focal poi was the shiny device (the heart), so I had keep in mind that everything would be a fected by it's lightning. I set up the values an the general atmosphere, the "photography" the ambient, and for this (when I'm workin on digital pieces), I tend to use a lot of the la ers effects and resources, such as overla and other filters, to get the mid tones rig where I want them, to enhance the atmo phere. And then I get to the exciting part rendering the details. I didn't want to ove work things, so I just painted it more loosel but detailed enough to express the ideas th I wanted to jump out to the viewer's eyes. Th key here was the suggestion of forms an spaces, but articulated and composed in way that could make every detail work t

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for alaghas nd nd int to afnd of ng ayays ght osof erly, hat he nd n a to-

Solitude By Rafael Sarmento

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gether to achieve the goal of telling a story in a impressionistic way. Quite possibly the most exciting part for me right now is realizing what will be the form of my artistic future from now on. I'm in the process of discovering who I really am as an artist, what is it that drives me, and this has to do with this personal research inside my head, pursuing the before mentioned "Source" of my ideas and to understand how they are forged. In my personal journey through the digital art world, I think my sensibility about what really inspires and drives me to make my work was severely changed, but in a very good way. I started to pursue what makes my art really "mine", what is my artistic identity... and when I first got to open my "Source" in a pretty conscious way, I found out that the things that really talks about me and about who I am as an artist, are the things that I simply put down on paper. The connection between my creative fountain and the pencil just speaks so much louder about me - it's all in the subtleties, the little mistakes and textures that makes the art look more like what I imagine, than getting to work directly on digital. So, I guess that I'm now fully inclined to work more traditionally, even if I get some of these ideas from the paper to the digital realm. Working traditionally speaks so much more abut who I am, and now I'm completely addicted to this idea. So, I think that the future of my art lies in the more traditionally crafted works, and I confess that I dream so hard of getting some of the traditional into the gallery scene someday... Of course I'll always paint digitally, specially by the infinite array of possibilities that the digital world offers (besides it's what makes the profes-

sional works get done faster and easier), but even so, most of my works will start primarily on paper or canvas, before getting into the digital. Besides my artistic drives, I just hope I'll be able to get my art noticed, and that my work will bring me opportunities for jobs! After working in a illustration studio scheme for almost three years, now I'm getting into the freelancing world - which is very exciting and scary at the same time! That is it, my greatest dream is to get my work somewhere, and that I can really make a living out of it - to be able to "live the dream", get to know places, travel, study, work... Oh, and I REALLY hope I'll be able to get into the gallery scene someday with my traditional works - that would be the ultimate bliss for me. And trust me, I'll work harder than I can possibly imagine to get the chance for it.

If you would like to see more outstanding works from this artist then please visit Rafael at the following websites; http://rafa-insane.deviantart.com/ and http://www.pictonauta.com.br/

get my work somewhere, and that I can really make a living out of it - to be able to live the dream.

My greatest dream is to

Sorrow For A Gods EndBy Rafael Sarmento

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Variety Is The Slice of Life

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The Artistry of Daniela Uhlig

One of the things I like to do is let the artist talk for themselves, though I enjoy spilling my joy over their work and gushing with excitement as I view artistic techniques there is nothing better than hearing about passion from the creators. So I shall step out of the way and become an observer as Daniela Uhlig of Germany tells us about her art and its background so lend her your ear! I havent studied anything in the artistic field, but I drew and painted all my life, on ordinary paper and canvas, in nearly all traditional techniques and because of my job, I had to learn how to paint digitally. I was placed in front of a PC with Photoshop running and was told to go and learn how to handle it. Thats what Ive been doing for the last 7 years: learn, paint, and every day! draw

I think the first big influences I got to know in my school time were old masters like Alfons Mucha, Michelangelo, Dali... and yeah the stunning John William Waterhouse, also the fantastic comic artist Michael Turner. Later when I started to paint digital, the biggest influences came from all kind of art communities. There I found so many amazing painters, already popular artists and some unknown. That inflamed my ambition to become a better digital painter. Also there I found a lot of help, directly from some artists and from tutorials. Today my list of inspiration or influence is so long that I just can give some examples like Jon Foster, Aly Fell, Izzy Medrano, Barbucci and Canepa, Gris Grimly, Gil Elvgren and many more.
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I was in school for 13 years and my graduation is the higher education entrance qualification (called abitur) after my school graduation I wanted to study, but things come how they come and I had to do a 3 years vocational education at first. I never wanted to work in this job I learned... so after this I wanted to think about if I should study now, but again it comes how it comes, I needed money and I started to work in a huge company in the marketing department. I had a lot of luck, later in the same company I started to work in the graphic section. I painted logos for mobile phones, created small 10-framesanimations and also some character designs; that was the beginning of my current occupation. At the moment I work for a lovely game company, which makes social games. My job is it to cre ate all characters. I think Funfair has the most direct background. One day in my lunch time I was sitting together with a red haired friend in a park and we ate ice cream. Some days before I saw in the tv a report about a special cane toad. Add up a red haired, freckled girl, a report about toads and a looooong boring meeting. I love it to paint; it gives me the biggest satisfaction. So for sure I want to stick to the painting field for the

My motivation is mostly a result of a concrete idea or when I see a great technique or fantastic image motif of other artists. In any way I need to be inspired of my environment, movies, friends, artists or just from something beautiful or ugly. But also a motivation to make an image is the fact that I have to live from it. My equipment in the digital way: pc, wacom intuos 3 and photoshop , traditional: pencils, color pencils, oil colors and crayon. In my last company I created a very popular character, this character also made a cd. and for this Ive got... I think it was a platinum CD... hehe so no, not really an award.

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rest of my life but if that will be my job for just as long, I really cant say. Not so long ago I stared to make tattoos and maybe, if all works well and I get used to this technique, I will work as tattoo artist as well, who knows... Ill see. There you guys have it! I amazed at her talent and willingness to jump into so many artistic roles. Her work is wonderfully varied and superb in quality and emotion. I know you want to know where you can find this artist, though she is all over the internet with accounts on art communities she also has a great website specifically for her work which you can find here: www.du-artwork.de

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Traditional Art

S haun William Kerr

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I didnt as such get into the arts, it was always there, beginning of a love affair with drums and everything somewhere locked away for years gnawing at me to else that accompanies the rock n roll lifestyle! a path explore my untapped source while confidence, situaI followed for many years after as at the age of 18 I tions and life experiences dragged me down. As a kid dropped out of College after only 5 months. This evenI had a fairly average family upbringing except for the tually led me to relocate to London where 10 years were seven various schools I had to attend due to my parto pass by in this hectic and sometimes stressful lifestyle ents incessant relocation habits, from city to countryas a van courier and Logistics Coordinator, learning side life. Enjoying the family camping trips around business & management strategies whilst continuing Scotland helped me appreciate the tranquillity of my music dream recording and gigging, before relocatbeautiful scenery at an early age. I loved the Art and ing (again) back to my home town in Dundee and take Craft classes in school on a job as a security but more or less hated guard. As for art within in everything else. If I this period I cant say that wasnt out playing I I done much other than a was more at home in few pen and ink graphic my own element happosters, record cover and pily passing the time some drawings of my rock away either reading or heroes of the time, as it drawing, colouring and was only a rare little painting the many kids hobby. I have always been colouring books, model visually stimulated by implanes and boats kits agery. Throughout my life that I had and trying to I had a deep admiration get my head around for, but in those earlier those tricky little deyears not truly appreciattails in paint by numing, the Great Victorian bers packs (and artists such as John wondering how my finWilliam Waterhouse, Herished art looked nothbert Draper, Sir Lawrence ing like the cover it Alma Tadema, Lord came in!) In retrospect Leighton and of course the those paint by numbers Pre-Raphaelite Brothergave me my first taste Monroes Retreat (d1) by Shaun Kerr hood who had themselves of close up detail and that soothing smell of linseed influenced a secondary generation of likewise artists. oil. The reveries of youth were soon to be wasted on Over the years, posters and prints adorned my walls of me as those formative and wayward years took its these aesthetically beautiful works of art. I was in awe toll. I managed to get into College to study basic Art of their fantastic skills and vision, dreaming and aspirand Design and although I was classically trained pering one day to become like them but never believing I cussionist at school and had a love of Classical music, could match or be compared to their immense talents, Punk and Heavy Metal took their hold and I chose to (considering Id never painted a real picture before eibe a rock musician instead of an artist which was the ther until 2004). Before it began to fizzle out I was a

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Finnans Path by Shaun Kerr

huge comic, sci-fi and fantasy illustration fan, wide eyed and engrossed in books, magazines, films, tattoos, movies and comic art. British publications such as 2000 AD, Judge Dredd and Starlord were with me from the age of 12. I had read Lord of the Rings 4 times before I was 16 and over the years became mesmerized by album and book covers featuring the likes of Frank Frazetta, Boris Vallejo, Brian Froud, John Howe and Alan Lee including comic art by Massimo Belardinelli, Glen Fabry, Simon Bisley and obviously anything relating to Tolkien whilst conjuring surreal images in my head from reading Clive Barkers novels... all before the digital age had crept in. There were times I would wander in to Art supply stores just to look at the cornucopia of materials within these Aladdin caves not knowing what half the stuff was for or Id spend hours in Forbidden Planet and other book and music stores browsing and analysing the covers, posters, art and paraphernalia before getting kicked out because I couldnt actually afford to buy anything at the time. 10 years ago now, within the

College library (as a mature student); I discovered the American Society of Illustrators tutorials and Annuals. I was overwhelmed by the quality and many various artistic talents within the pages. I loaned the books out repeatedly, soaking up the images and discovering the wonders of Donato Giancola and James Gurney, Dean Morrisey , Alan Ayers, Kazuhiko Sano, as well as Douglas Hoffman and the new emerging digital artists, in awe and constantly saying wow.how the .no way thats amazing! Wondering how the heck they do that? This was frustrating as they did not teach anything like this within the educational establishment.My head is full of a myriad of images wistfully floating around my consciousness and I am at times deep in thought musing on a story that I wish to paint. Inspiration can come from a wide source such as surroundings, architecture, nature, personal emotions, a movie, literature, photography and elements within stock photography and I am constantly in awe of my researches into other

artistic talents and their creative visions. As I progress and push the boundaries of my recently found skills up another level within my own creative limits, I am veering towards more romantic classical fantasy themes, (recently with a Scottish inflection), and I am constantly, seeking to craft pictures that are emotionally thought provoking and will make the viewer ask questions as to what the story is within the painting, to perceive it as they wish. In 1999 I enrolled to college where I gained an HND in Illustration and Graphic Design. Although this was a steppingstone in the right direction I felt somewhat deflated from the minimum techniques taught and their lack of passion for traditional masterpieces which I aspired to, it felt like I was just a number to fill seats not truly knowing how to create beguiling imagery. This lack of encouragement was followed by a variety of yet again mundane and non creative employment. Undeterred over the following years by unsuccessful applications into Art College Fine Art I had to go on a journey of self discovery. Local

Piscenia by Shaun Kerr

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libraries and the inexhaustible internet proved extremely resourceful in the wealth of knowledge I could glean. I had experimented with a variety of mediums but it was the gift of W&N water mixable oil paints wow, just like what real artists use, I said, that encouraged me to utilise my bouts of unemployment and spare time to channel my own attempts to determine what I was capable of and so began an artistic journey to try to emulate the real artists who paint with oils and brushes. Resolute, I continued to research and teach myself creative painting techniques and have actually learned more through studying library
Codie at the bride of Centauria by Shaun Kerr

books, tutorials and videos, my very own trial and error of application as well as the in-depth scrutiny of other peoples work. One of my first attempts can be seen as Codie, at the Bridge of Centauria from 2004. I have never actually won an award as such unless you include the praise, comments and 3 daily deviations I received from the devaintArt site, but I was very surprised to be invited last year to submit work to the Scottish Contemporary Art Auctions in Glasgow. After a previously unsuccessful local exhibition in 2007, this proved highly profitable and rewarding for me as my work was becoming highly sought after as I instantly sold all 5 of my most recent artwork at these auctions whilst older work was being snapped up privately. {This also set up funds for my recent immigration to Texas. Munroes Retreat - I was initially inspired for this piece after browsing the many wonderful stock images within D.A. I saw an epic magical yet sombre scene full of emotion come to life within my head. Who is the man with the sword, what message did he bring as the lady in red receives bad news, has her maid fallen in love? After fermenting my tacit thoughts I sketched onto paper using graphite pencil, paper tortillons for blending/smudging and the invaluable putty rubber. Reworking the clothing and facial expressions and using further reference for the Celtic knot work on the table, everything else will be made up at the painting stage. My drawings are then photocopied and scaled proportionally onto tracing paper. I use panel board cut to size, lightly sanded and painted with three coats of gesso. I then layout and retrace onto the panel the character elements using pastel (usually sanguine or sepia colour). I deliberate over the drawing to envisage how the painting may look, then add other rough sketch elements onto the panel with pastel. This is fixed with fixative and acrylic washes to give a mid tone, keeping a pale green wash for underlying skin tones. After that I take a 'see what happens next approach, basically what Im saying is ...the painting just evolves and come to life, so to speak! Its never predefined but always a revelation to see unfold, an alluring journey with a few mishaps along the way as what was

An Aupsicious Corner by Shaun Kerr

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in my mind is transposed into reality. Through a hit and miss process I paint in the background sky, foliage and waterfall working towards the characters and foreground elements. I love to add little extra details within my pictures, an aesthetic trade mark of my work. As I work, I prefer to have an ambient and distraction free environment, with soothing classical, chill out or even sometimes laid back rock music in the background. The title came after it was completed and as I like playing with words I try to give double meanings to each title to encourage the viewers sensitivity to the artwork. Munroes are mountain regions in Scotland as well a clan surname, retreat can be place of rest or withdrawal from a situation.

Monroes Retreat (d2) by Shaun Kerr

For more about this artist and his work please visit: www.swkerr.com

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http://www.nevaehvision.com/forum

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here arent many times when I observe a piece of art and my writing hand yearns for a # 2 pencil and scrap paper, and its even rarer for my mind to agree with the hand and begin to form stanzas almost immediately. The traditional art of Michael Shapcott not only inspires poetry but excites the imagination with his colorful textured artwork. There are a lot of things about his work that can I call to your attention like the nicely toned hair, emotion filled eyes, or the way each of his pieces show strength in their own unique way. I always find myself in awe of various types of artistic styles by artists who have taken the time to really delve into their craft with a hungry vigor. What I see

toons to show my friends. I continued to draw casually over the years but growing up my main passion was music. I taught myself how to play the guitar, played in a few bands, and learned all I could about creating and recording songs. It wasnt until junior year of high school that I started to fall in love again with drawing and painting. I was encouraged by my teachers,

I had into it. The band split up and I went back to school. I did really well, my passion and appreciation for art expanded and grew, and I ended up graduating at the top of my class. I only started to figure out who I was as an artist after graduation. I took the skills I learned and experimented to create my own style and its continued to grow and develop from there. My influences and admiration continue to change and expand over time. When I was younger, I was really inspired by the power and drama of Frank Frazetta, the detail and intelligence of M.C. Escher, and the eccentricity of Dali. In college, my teacher, friend and fellow artist, Nathan Lewis, had a large influ-

when I look at this is years of hard work: learning how to draw, studying the medium, becoming comfortable and satisfied with the predicted or abstract outcome, these things did not come easy. I am glad to say that Michael himself has given us some background to the life of his art and we are so thrilled to share them with you, so that you might understand his art a bit better. So without further stalling I present Michael Shapcott to the WalkingBlind audience. Ive always been a creative person. I remember when I was about 7 years old not being able to sleep because my imagination would run wild. I would stay up really late drawing and copying comic books or making up funny car-

Opal by Michael Shapcott

family and friends and decided to go to an art college after graduation. In my first years at college, my focus was split between music and painting. I struggled with that for a while and ended up leaving school for a year to get my head together. During that time, I realized that although music would always be in my life, if I was going to paint, I really had to invest everything

ence in my development as an artist. Nowadays, I enjoy and admire many artists work. Jenny Saville, John William Waterhouse, Maxfield Parrish, Jan van Eyck, Tamara Muller, and Andrew Hem are among my favorites. I need to paint. It is so much a part of me that if I dont draw or paint for a few days, I tend to get restless and depressed. I think that the biggest thing that drives me, however, is my desire to progress as an artist. Late in his life, Michelangelo is quoted as saying Ancora Imparo which translates to I am still learning. I want to continue to deepen my artistic knowledge, skill, and unique style for as long as I am able. One of my favorite mediums is graphite. I love every-

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Aurburn by Michael Shapcott

There is nothing more difficult for a truly creative

painter than to paint a rose, because before he can

do so he has first to forget all the roses that were

ever painted.

--Henri

Matisse

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Onawa by Michael Shapcott

thing from the smell of it, to the feel of it between my fingers, to the way it allows me to create the simplest or most detailed of worlds. I paint over my graphite drawings with a technique I developed using acrylic and oils. Depending on what Im creating, I draw and paint on paper and wood but mostly canvas. I havent entered any competitions since then, but in high school I won the Pilot Pen Tennis T-shirt Design Contest two years in a row. That was pretty cool, although I was a nervous wreck when I had to accept the award in front of the whole Pilot

Pen audience! With the help of that scholarship and a few other art scholarships, I attended Paier College of Art. While there, I was recognized with various awards for excellence in Fine Art. There were many things I hoped to express, portray, and symbolize when creating The Girl and the Owl. The owl is a symbol of the feminine, the moon, grace, wisdom, mystery, and the night - symbols women have also been long associated with. The barn owl in particular has a heart-shaped face which reflects the ability to link the heart and the mind, another realm women can be identified with. I wanted to create a piece where the girl and the owl mirrored one another, both sharing the same spirit in two different bodies. I placed them in a V of

two branches of a tree because many owls lay their eggs in the forks of trees with the yellow flowers symbolizing a nest-like atmosphere, strengthening the feminine symbols of birth, life, mystery, and death.Thank you Michael for letting us into your artistic bubble for a little while, we wish you the best with the projects that you are engaged in and any other endeavors that you might be thinking about. While were on the subject of

Kaya by Michael Shapcott

projects if you wish to buy some mind blowing gifts Mr. Shapcott has a Zazzle where you can purchase your holiday presents: http://www.zazzle.com/michaels hapcott also to check this artist out further his art, videos, and blog can be found at his main website: http://michael-shapcott.com/

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ver two years ago I was a recording musician running a recording studio, after releasing 2 CDs I had given up, for the most part, my career 25+ years as a photographer/graphic artist and settled in to the music business but I had over 40,000 negatives laying around and was not doing anything with them. One night my daughter, also a graphic designer, recommended I sign up for a DeviantArt account and as a way of relaxing from time to time put a few of my images on that service and the rest of the world see my work. I am usually a very solitary creature and dont talk to people much spending long hours behind a recording consol and a guitar so when I signed up I really was not looking to chat and not at all wanting to get re-involved in the art scene to which I thought I had nothing left to give. To make a long story short while posting one of my images late one evening on December 4th of 2008 I met, online, one of the most charming, culturally minded art enthusiasts on the face of the planet. Her personality and drive for the all mediums of art was infectious and we became fast friends. A writer by trade she enjoyed the cultural diversity of the world and considered herself a global citizen as I myself do, so we found it easy to do small projects together online. Fast forward to today and you will find us both hard at work but the small projects have grown and today this incredible young woman who called herself Walkingblind in the online world is my business partner and closest friend. Originally we founded the Nevaehvision Co. which was to be a globally minded stock photography, Yes she easily rekindled my passion for art, anyway somewhere in the development stage while attempting to come up with advertising medium for Nevaehvision the idea to promote art, art that was not yet in the mainstream, was birthed and our current periodical was the result, you just never know where and small Idea tossed back and forth will take you. At first it seemed like an impossible task as neither one of us had ever been on the full business end of running a magazine before as I stated she was a writer and I a photographer, however with enough passion and determination you can make just about anything possible and we did. As you may have guessed the name for the magazine was selected from her screen pen name and to find out where she got that name you will have to go back and read the first issue of

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Walkingblind and shame on you if you havent already. As the concept developed into a reality we began contacting our first artists many said no and that is understandable as we were new and had no experience but many more did in fact say yes, I remember my excitement as I realized we had completed the layouts for 15 artists but then the reality set in were do we put the finished product. Not wanting to get lost in a sea of other periodicals we decided to build a custom website to house the magazine and since we already had a domain for Nevaehvision we used it! We wanted a look that was not cookie cutter, something a little mysterious and edgy with a touch of modern grunge mixed in so I got started making mockup of a website for Walkingblind magazine and the third mockup was the charm, I remember Kendra seeing it and just loving the look and that is the site you see here today. Some have bashed us for not using a canned web but who wants a diet of canned anything all the time, For as many who have not liked the website there have been thousands more who love it and we like their opinion the best but I guess we are a little biased. We released the first issue in August of 2010 after a years worth of planning and the response was incredible, the web stats just kept climbing currently 287,000 people online read walkingblind Art and Literature Magazine each month. We have had some amazing artists, writers and photographers this past year issue after issue we have enjoyed working with them all. What this is really all about is art awareness, getting art back into the mainstream public eye and out of stuffy backrooms and basements the world is full of outstanding art and artists but sadly in a world so desensitized to really good art most never get seen, well we want to change that one issue at a time. I you have marveled at our artist and were attracted by our non-conformist website and unique name, if you enjoyed art then we have effectily done what we set out to do. In the following pages we will recap a few of the artists and writers from the last years issues but this only scratches the surface, there is so much more out there waiting to be discovered so sit back and enjoy but dont get too comfortable because in the coming year, as my co-editor is fond of saying we are turning up the HEAT! - Glen Puchlerz, Co executive editor/senior graphic artist for WalkingBlind Magazine.
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Lois Van Baarle Freelance Illustrator/animator Currently resides in the Netherlands http:loish.net/

Cover lines were used to were removed for a clea

Anton Semenov Illustrator/Designer Currently residing in Siberia http://gloom82.deviantart.com

After a year in the planning w 1st 2010 after being awake 4 meet deadline. A one point we to happen with server issues, so that could not be with us due language barrier that we relis surmount if this bird was goin subsided we stood back and ma perfect but as dang close as hu

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Guangjian Huang Illustrator/Digital artist Currently resides in China http://www.hgjart.com

o introduce the first issue but aner look in subsequent issues.

we released the first issue on August 48 hours working stright through to we were not sure if is was really going oftware malfunctions and a few artists e their busiy schedules changing or a sed in future issues we would have to ng to fly. But after the dust and chaos arvled - we had a finished product, not umanly possible!

Berk Ozturk Freelance Traditional Artist Currently residing in Turkey http://berkozturk.deviantart.com

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Walkingblind Magazine features two or three indepth articles each month on various art topics, this particular article delt with the state of the graphics industiy which is a must read article By Samantha Puchlerz a freelance graphic artist and illustrator currently residing in the United States.

Gabe Farnsworth Photographer Currently Residing in the USA http://500px.com/coulombic

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Denis Grzetic Photographer Residing in Croatia

http://denis2.devianart.com

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Patipat Asavasena Freelance artist Currently residing in Thailand http://www.asuka111.net

Shingo Matsunuma Artist/Illustrator Currently residing in Japan http

This amazing cover art by a inspiring and compelling it Out of the six images from v as possible covers this one a unnanimous vote from th expressed that this was and to date.

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Annie Stegg Traditional artist Currently residing in the USA http://www.anniestegg.com

artist Shingo Matsunuma was so set the tone for the entire issue. various artists we were looking at hands down was the winner with he Walkingblind staff! Many have d is their favorite issue and artist

Rob Rey Traditional artist Currently residing in USA http://www.robreyart.com

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A talented up and coming writer who uses the pen name Indigo Reid joind our team early on it has been a pleasure to preview her articles before publication each month and we look forward to many many more. Currently in the process of moving to Europe she is working as a freelance writer/journalist.

Two great photographers from our second issue were, Mind Cage from the Germany http://www.mindcage-fotodesign.de and Andrey Alekseev a talanted young photographic artist from Russia. http://dosimeter.deviantart.com

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Kristina Gehrmann Digital artist Currently residing in Germany http://www.ssj-songoku.de/wordpress

Steve Argyle Digital artist Currently residing in USA http://www.steveargyle.com

It was the outstanding use attention for this issues cov simply amazing and the m the more you want to kno creates. This was definate and over again.

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Leszek Kostuj Traditional artist Currently residing in Poland http://frodok.deviantart.com

e color and texture that caught our ver. This artist, Leszek Kostuj, was more you dig in to his gallery online ow about the incredable worlds he ely a fun cover and we seeing it over

Grzegorz Wrobel Watercolor artist Currently residing in Poland http://grzegorz-wrobel.com

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Every now and then we get submissions of articles form non-staff members this particular on came from Jenene Packard also know as Lady Lincoln. Jenene is a poet and writer extrodinar and it was a great assett to have her write an article for this issue.

Katarzyna Wojdak Photographer Currently residing in Poland http://wilithin.deviantart.com

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Igor Nieto Joly Photographer Currently residing in Mexico http://gorgoro.deviant.com

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Jonas De Ro Digital artist and Ketchup Ninja Currently residing in Belgium http://jenova-art.deviantart.com

Marianna Stelmach Digital artist Currently residing in Poland http://vuzel.deviantart.com

Christian Vleugels is one make everything she pai looking at a photograph chose for our november c iniscent of a Maxfield Par level of detail were unsurp so as you can see we did!

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Natalia Pierandrei Traditional artist Currently residing in Italy http://www.nati-art.com

of those artists the has the ability to nts come alive as though you were and not a canvas. This image we cover was over the top and very remrish print, the choice of color and the passed and it just screamed pick me, !

Christiane Vleugels Traditional artist Currently residing in Belgium http:raipun.deviantart.com

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Although we present a lot of great visual art we are also all about the art of Literature and many of our articles have dealt with writing. This outstanding article is no exception. Written by erotic literature writer Morgan Hawke it deals with the proper way to structure paragraphs within the context of any literary work. This one was a wealth of extremely valuable knowledge and you owe it to yourself to read it if you are a writer.

Danielle Miner Photographer Currently residing in Australia http://punkdiva.deviantart.com

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Michel Rajkovic Photographer Currently residing in France http://www.michelrajkovic.fr

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To the Vyehrad, Prague

I left a sliver of myself adrift on the Vltava, the mother river. Not a piece of my heart, nonothing so yielding or moveable as that. A curve of rib perhaps, or the third digit of my left little finger, the largest vertebrae or the deep roots of my wisdom teeth. I shed a bone-it slipped out from beneath my skin in the late afternoon, when the sun on the new, smooth headstones covered my eyes with blindfolds white and gold; it fell into the foreign trailing arbutus without a sound. When the rain came, later, it rolled with the black grave garden dirt into the river and settled, cleaned and smoothed by the stones at the bottom. I was already in a different country, so I didn't feel it then. And the color of scoured bones is like good marble, so who can blame them for drawing that piece of me from the water, thinking it had slid from a statue, or a church, or a castle, or the white columns of the St. Wenceslas vineyard? There was a high ringing in my ear, the void sound of wind through hollowed pipes, but I was already whispering apple wine and nothings into Germany's ear, so I didn't hear it then. I heard it later, gathering above the static of jet engines: a clattering, a harsh breath whistling through the emptied space, through the sudden sense of loss. It echoed along veins, shivered through muscle until all my bones were humming, jumpinguntil my ribs and spine unfurled, pulled away from my oblivious heart toward that little bit I left behind, attached now to one of a hundred city spires.
By: Amanda Utzman

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The Cult of Personality

and Its Consequences
People are drawn into and out of our lives like lingering, rattly, open-mouthed jeers that chill our teeth as they pass, like the dull-burning itch of molting which fades in time. Out of the shadow of a crow flying in the corner of your eye floats the body of our kindergarten teacher: her dark skin, her long, dark hands, the gold glinting beneath the cuffs of her cream jacket and you remember momentarily how she changed you into something a little more like what you are now: the collection of wrongs that have made you boastful and the rights that have made you worse. People are drawn into and out of our lives like carrion in the mouths of crows from each we take a sun-cracked strip of flesh that we consume, digest, use to nourish ourselves until our skin no longer dries, until our tongues no longer swell, until hydrated, full, we wipe our beaks clean of the red-yellow evidence of thievery and move on. How many parts of myself have been fed by the fat of faces Ive forgotten?

By: Amanda Utzman

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Amanda Utzman
Amanda Utzmanage 22 is defined most easily by the places she has lived. Born and raised in downtown Los Angeles, she imbibed the big city attitude for years before packing up to give country life a shot. She spent long stretches of time in rural Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic, countries whose colorful and engaging cultures inform and impact her poetry even now. When money ran out (as it inevitably does), Amanda settled in southern Utah and began to study writing in earnest, producing collections of poems and short stories. As of 2010, she is pursuing a Masters of Fine Arts degree in creative writing at the University of Notre Dame. Although these pieces were written fairly close together in time, they arose out of two completely different drives. "The Cult of Personality" is part of a much longer collection of poems about the people who have had profound impacts on my life. This particular poem is addressed to an old friend. We share a memory of our kindergarten teacher, who died young from cancer. Neither of us have ever been able to forget her, and so she has become a part of us, fed us. "To the Vysehrad" was a much simpler concept: while I was in the Czech Republic, I visited Prague and fell unexpectedly in love with the city. When I had to leave it, I wrote this poem as an almost alarmed farewell, recognizing after the fact how intensely I had felt about the place. This poet can be found at: http://tsume-yamagata.deviantart.com/

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I Like Trains
I jostled my way through the crowd, hundreds of elbows, arms and shoulders, all eager to have their final way, to nudge me one more time, hungry for the last laugh. A large clock hung on the wall above our heads, its proud hands running smoothly, gleaming with the reflected light of endless rows of fluorescent tubes. The tall Roman numeral stood in the shadows of the hands and I managed to remain stationary, while my mind deciphered the time. 6:25. I was still early. As I waded through the sprawl of peak hour subway traffic, the sights once again amazed me. The various hair styles, designs and colours, coupled with the ridiculous outfits some wore, was enough to quicken my pace to the relative sanctuary of a wall. After one final effort, I burst through the human jungle into the tiny space left unoccupied only because of the strange pile of misshapen, random pieces of clothing on the floor. Hi Dave I proclaimed, already reaching into my pockets for the customary spare change. While he only grumbled meaningless sounds back, the look in his eyes was enough for me. Now all that was left for me was to wait. At exactly 6:32, the 6:15 train could be heard rumbling down the tracks through the tunnels. I counted the screeches as it wade its way around the bends in the track necessary to reach the platform. The sharp sound of metal grinding on metal was melodious to my ears, calming my brain, my body swaying to the changes in pitch. The welcoming rush of air pushed along by the massive, metal train blew across my face and my slowly intensifying frown loosened. soon I thought. My eyes closed and the familiar knot began to build up in my stomach. I could no longer feel the various elbows, arms and shoulders. Only the sounds of the approaching train, my sanctuary, filled my mind. As the trains brakes began to deploy, the sweet melody of the wheels screeching surrounded me and the anticipation of bliss expounded. I opened my eyes to the familiar slowing blur of metal and Perspex. The ripples of shaped steel flashed before my eyes luring me into a trance. At once all the idling bodies on the platform began moving in the same direction, all towards the slowing train. I forced my way through the masses giving everyone in my path a good taste of my shoulders and elbows, always accompanied by a quivering excuse me. ccontinues on next page

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I Like Trains
As the seconds counted down my ever-closer reward, my throat tightened and my teeth chattered, the adrenaline was taking hold and I stopped to breath the underground air deeply, filling my lungs with the nostalgic aromas of coffee, hot food and smoke. Some people liked to breath huge lungfuls of country air and feel mighty but only because theyve never breathed this before. Every breath I took brought me closer to the carriage doors. My mind calculating exactly when the train would stop, when it would rest long enough for the masses to enter its sanctum. As the wheels gave one final shriek, the hissing of the carriage doors reached my ears and penetrated my muscles. My calves tightened as I began shoving my way through the final throngs of faceless nobodies. My eyes fixed only on the peace and security the giant metal tube offered and the soft tunes it sang. Nothing else mattered. This was my finest hour. My ultimate efforts paid off my tensing body entered the carriage before all my competition. Beads of swear arose on my forehead, my now vivid blue eyes darted around, excited by the thrill of the hunt. They searched like an eagle, looking for my drug, my sustenance, my payment for every day I was forced to livemy eyes suddenly stopped and focused on my prize! Its radiance almost blinded metears sprang to my eyes as I bounded towards it, ignoring the bewildered glares of the ignorant fools surrounding me and when I finally reached my brain froze in awe a window seat! My excitement almost bubbled over and all my tensions slipped away as soon as I sat in the luxurious throne of window seat. My aching muscles relaxed and I nested my throbbing head on the scratched Perspex and it was heaven. Serenity and elation flowed through my body and I knew I was home.

By: Tarek El- Hamawi

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Tarek El-Hamawi
Im a school leaver currently on my summer break before the start of university. I love reading books, especially the fantasy genre. Writing takes too much energy so I don't write much but I still like it!

Motivation:
To be honest my story wasn't planned or amything. I wrote it on the spot during an english exam and well everyone loved it. I chose a subway setting to match the criteria in the exam. Also Im pretty interested in the oddities of the human mind hence the obsession with the seat. All in all I intended it to be a bit humorous and light hearted and that helped me shape his personality.

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I can live with an image that is less then perfect in clarity if I have succedded in capturing the emotion and atmosphere of the momemt. That you feel whaqt I felt is the desired goal.
- G.L. Puchlerz, Photographer

Photography

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http://www.mustafadedeoglu.com

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We make images oftentimes very spontaneously but to be spontaneous and still be in total control of ones medium, that is truly an art form. The photographer Ansel Adams was famous for his insistence on absolute control of the photographic processes if one was to achieve the vision in their minds eye they had for the finished print before they every tripped the shutter release once we control our medium to this degree we then are allowed the freedom to play to manipulate reality into our envisioned one and so express in our art a bit of our own essence as we see fit.

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Hmm..it happened spontaneously ...before I received a camera as a birthday gift and became infected with the virus of digital imaging I was already involved, quite deeply into drawing and painting, so I already had some habit of speaking trough my images. But after a few shots I fell in digital love immediately...and later when I got a bit familiar with Photoshop it became more like pas95 Walkingblind Magazine

sion ...and so far that passion grows bigger and bigger. I am not sure about all the artistic influences in my life, there are so many visual artist, not just photographers, that I am amazed with, and they are not necessarily all great masters, it's hard to pick just a few names. I can find inspiration in any work that is created with heart...but in general I like a bit more of the dark and fantasy kind of art-

works...I welcome all sorts of digitally processed and manipulated work, sometimes real reality is not expressive enough. I find motivation in the very process of creating a picture. I like to see how everything changes while playing with raw file...I am fascinated with changes you can make in the picture playing with light and shadows, or how everything goes strange if you add just one more object into the picture or remove one ...I like twisted reality or even better I like to make it twisted so it gives us something more than just already known truth or some obvious facts ...that's why I am searching for that mystic atmosphere where is always something else in the air, something unusual. Definitely I do not try to send a certain message through the image or not trying to explain the things, my goal is at least to provoke any kind of emotion, or to open some space for second thoughts... After finishing High-school I spent some time studying painting and drawing at academy of fine Arts. That was my interest since my childhood, and it is still my big passion and partly profession as an illustrator. But, like I said the world of digital photography overtakes it more and more with every day. I started with shooting with canon 350d but, for more than a year now I'm using canon 40d with a few lenses, most often it's sigma 10 -20mm, it goes quite nice with my benevolence toward landscape photography, and now and then I like to play with lenses So far I have won several awards in various contesst, but among the others I

would like to mention the award of the Photodays 2009 in Rovinj, Croatia. I won in two categories: Architecture, and also Generated images. After that, this photography thing, started to roll a bit more active when we speak about exhibitions and publishing. So far I have participated in several group exhibitions in Croatia, Slovenia, Italy and the UK, and just recently I had my first solo exhibition in Zagreb, under the project "Full Circle" a.k.a "Puni krug". Some of my photographs are planned and taken with great forethought, then there is, on the other hand, a number of those that are taken "accidentally" or, at least spontaneously with no expectations what would come out of it. For example, that was the case with the "Housemaid is up". I was spending some time in Norway and like every proper tourist I went to visit the famous the Holmenkollen ski-jumping ramp just up the hill near Oslo. There was an interesting hotel near the ramp, all made of woods, with interesting windows and woodcraft all over the walls. So I took the photo in the very touristy manner, not thinking about the light, not thinking about the angle or anything else...I just pressed the button. For some time that picture laid in the dark part of the hard-disk, totally forgotten by me. And it was, who knows, how long time before some cleaning-of-un-useful-files day happened and when I found it. Soon after I opened it with Photoshop I saw that there is something...but i had to process it quite a bit.As far as my photo-

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graphic future I am not sure, I mean, I'm not trying to look too much far ahead. As far as it gives me pleasure(even if it can be frustrating, sometimes) and some kind of inner wealth i will continue to play with pictures. Who knows what will happened along the way. I have no plans, i am afraid it could spoil the joy of it all.

For more great artwork or information on the artist Aleksandar Nedic log-on to: http://www.uzengia.com

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e have a great interview for you all to feast upon with three of our previous artists, Annie Stegg a traditional artist from issue two, Shane Cotier a freeform writer from issue one, and Lois van Baarle a digital artist from issue one as well. Here I am just picking their brains and wanting to know what theyve been up to since the last time we saw their work, dig in readers.

So first things first, has there been any dramatic changes in your life or artistry that would have a major impact on the way you perceive art? Annie Stegg: I was fortunate enough to be able to attend a large convention that
hosted many artists this year. Being surrounded by so many people who all share a common vision, depicted in thousands of styles and mediums was inspiring as well as comforting. Talking and sharing tips helped me to visualize my work as a collective whole, instead of seeing individual pieces. I received feedback that made me see things I didn't see in my own art before. It definitely gave me a greater understanding of myself.

Shane Cotier: There have been a few significant changes in my life that have
definitely affected the subject matter of my writing. The most major is that I'm currently in the most wonderful and stable relationship of my life. I've found that it's sometimes more difficult for me to write about the positive aspects of a relationship than it is to write disjointed tales of woe and heartbreak. So, with the exception of a few "love poems" I've been writing more about things outside my personal emotional frame of reference. I've also been doing a lot of work editing older pieces.

Lois van Baarle: Honestly, I can't say that there have been any enormously dramatic changes in my life that have done this. I think graduating from college and starting work as an animator/illustrator has gradually caused me to change my view of art, especially in understanding its value. The amount of time I take and the budget that I have for drawing have begun to play a larger role in my creative process. But this has been more gradual than dramatic.

Do you have any plans for gallery showings or publications that you are thinking about or starting in the near future?

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Annie: I have been active locally in Atlanta. I have a gallery showing in December
as well as a convention. I would like to continue to take part in such things, and really push myself to go to more events. Next year I would like to start traveling to expand the number of shows I could potentially attend. As far as publications go, I have considered making a tutorial book that would detail step by step processes of several paintings. Also, creating a short illustrated story book is a major long term goal of mine.

Shane: I've actually got a project in the works that I'm pretty excited about. I was
contacted by a friend/supporter over at DeviantART who is putting together an online lit magazine with myself and a few other writers from the site work. Not only will they be featuring our poems, and possibly selling an e-book for each of us through the site, but they're also going to be pairing each of us with a visual artist who is going to create a viral video (to be posted on the site, as well as youtube) of one our poems. The plan is for it to be up and running by January.

Lois: I do want to publish an art book with my work in it and some exclusive artwork plus information on my drawing process. However, I need to find time to make it! Apart from your artistry what do you do in your daily life that you believe has great influence on your art itself? Annie: I try to draw or paint everyday. I also try to be a better observer. I wish I
would carry a sketchbook around more frequently, but I always end up just jotting ideas on napkins.

Shane: The majority of the things I do on life has some influence on my writing. I
am affected by the people I come in contact with, things I read, things I see or hear about, and things I maybe don't do on a daily basis like travel. In fact, I've found some of my most popular pieces to be my "road poems."

Lois: Most of my friends are also working in animation or illustration, as does my

boyfriend, not to mention that I spend a great deal of time each day browsing the internet and checking out new artwork. This definitely is a positive influence on my art, and gives me a lot of motivation and many places for feedback and advice in making my work.

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As an artist, why do you feel that art awareness is so important for those who appreciate art and those who dont? Annie: To gain a better understanding of oneself, it is important to be open to others' perceptions. Art is just another way to express an emotion or ideal; A visual method of communication. It depicts things that words cannot express and connects people through insight.

Shane: I suppose that's a personal thing for everyone, not only people who write or create some other form of art. Some visual artists and writers that I know purposely avoid exposure to certain things, whether it be reading other poets or viewing other artwork, so as to keep outside influence to a bare minimum, but I think most of them have at least a peripheral knowledge of what's going on within certain circles of their artistic peers - even if it's just what's going on DeviantART. Ha. Lois: I think that there is a misconception of "art" being exclusive to art galleries
and created by a so-called 'pretentious elite.' As a commercial artist, I feel like art has a larger influence on most people's lives than they know and it is important for them to embrace it in all forms, and identify it in their daily life.

Do you have any interesting stories about your career as an artist? Annie: It was scary to decide on such a career for myself, but looking back, art was the only thing I've ever wanted to do. I worked commercially for some time, but in my opinion, my first real painting was an acrylic portrait of my grandfather for Christmas. When having it framed, someone saw it and commissioned me on the spot. I think that was the first moment that I felt compelled to pursue painting as a career. That incident gave me the courage and push I needed. Art is truly a fascinating career, and I feel extremely lucky to have been able to involve in my life as I have. I have met many people, made so many close friends, and have been able to grow as a person, because of it. Shane: First, I think I'd need a career as an artist. However, I have been lucky to
have had my poems used in various ways, thanks to exposure from Deviantart. I've been the subject of a few school projects, had my writing published in various webzines, collaborated with a large number of other writers and visual artists, had a poem of mine framed and presented to a class valedictorian, and, in the most touching experience I've ever had do to something I've written, had my poem printed/dis-

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tributed and used as a memorial piece at a funeral. I feel honored to have been made a part of so many people's lives all over the world with my little scribbles, even on amateur level.

Lois: No, honestly up until now my career has been pretty straightforward and not
necessarily interesting.

There you have it, Walkingblind Art and Literature Magazine whishes to say thank you to the artists who to the time to talk a while with us and also to all the artists across our first five issues, we could not do it without you.

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Thank you to all our readers for a great First year.

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