Artists

I’m an Iraq War (and other operations) Veteran using drawing to process what war leaves behind — in the body, the mind, and spirit. Working primarily in pencil, pen, and charcoal, I use mark-making to process personal and referred trauma. I also experiment with mixed media by layering traditional drawing over AI-generated imagery, allowing emotion, energy, and instinct to shape the outcome. My work isn’t polished or resolved; it’s an ongoing act of making sense and trying to let go. I draw not to explain, but to uncover. Themes of trauma, identity, fragmentation, and recovery run through the work — though sometimes, it’s just about breathing through the next line.

My service started at the end of 1975 in The Womans Army Corp, transitioning in 1978 to regular Army and retiring in 1998. I served a total of 22 years active duty.

Laurel Cyrene is a U.S. Army Veteran and the mother of five that has been creating Art for over forty years. She majored in Art Illustration but later graduated from Kansas State University with a B.S. degree in Education and a minor in Art In 1989. She taught Art in the public school districts in Texas. She has taught adults and children private lessons and classes. She has won numerous awards for her Paintings, prints, and drawings. She uses different media’s and enjoys depicting animals, landscapes and people. Member of San Antonio Art League, River Art Group, Friendship Art Club, Gaga and San Antonio Artist Collective. WWW.laurelcyreneart.com *Members Art Show River Art Gallery 2024 *Distinguished Veteran Artist Dougherty Art Center Oct-Dec 2024 *Friendship Art Club Best of Show 1st and 2nd place 2024/1st place & 2nd Place 2023/Best of Show 2022 *Veterans Artist Nationals 2021/2022/2023/2024 *Showing The Bee Hive Bee Cave Texas Distinguished Veteran Artist Oct 2021-March 2022/ *Showed San Antonio Art League Members Gallery and with GaGa group show 2022 *Showing at the Nave Art Museum in Victoria TX on Nov 21 through Jan with GAGA Group Show. 2022 *Honoring Women Show with GAGA Group show at OLLU in San Antonio now to Optometrist School San Antonio 2022 *First Place Oil and Acrylic Painting Hondo Art Fair 2019/Peoples Choice Hondo Art Fairl 2019 and 2018/First Place Acrylic Painting Hondo Art Fair 2018 *Second Place Dry media 2018 Website : https://www.laurelcyreneart.com/ https://www.friendshipartclub.org https://store.gallerysa.com/product-category/artist/laurel-cyrene/?woof_parse_query=1 https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/2-laurel-cyrene

I have been drawing ever since I can remember but I stopped when I enlisted in the Air Force. After my enlistment, my family encouraged me to start drawing again as a form of therapy. Since picking up a pencil again in 2010, I eventually started painting in watercolor, acrylic, and oils. Lately I’ve been creating more acrylics paintings and charcoal drawings and I’ve even sold some work. I’m currently a student at the University of South Carolina in the School of Visual Arts and Design with a concentration in painting. After graduation, I’m hoping to work as a conservator while selling my own work.

Biography

I'm a Pennsylvania, Poconos native. Got the photography bug in Vietnam and decided to make a career of it. Worked for big corporations, e.g., Mack Trucks, big government, e.g., US Dept. of Transportation, freelance, exhibitions, etc. BS degree from Kutztown State University, PA.

My art is for me, but if it strikes you it can be for you too. I work in many mediums. As I post works you will notice how much they vary. As a self taught artist my work is rather primitive.

I have always been interested in nature. I love Gods creations and their unique attributes. Learning how the ecosystems of the world support life and regenerate. I enlisted into the United States Airforce in 1979. My main wartime duties were Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Warfare Defense. My peacetime duties were to prepare for my wartime duties, and support the Environmental Health of the military base and surrounding community. I served 20 years in that carrier field. During that time my appreciation of and for life has only increased. I try to find the beauty in life and show it through my eyes lens. My lens filters are the all the experiences of my life. If my any of my artwork spurs your thoughts or imagination, then I have been successful.

I am a retired Engineer that has worked for Boeing, Cessna, Learjet and Bell Helicopter. I am also an artist. I have always loved doing art and has made it a goal to perfect my ability.

Shaun Smith is a traditional artist based in Northern Maine. Shaun spent 10 years as a Army Medic serving with the 1st Armored Division, Meddac, The Old Guard and served a combat tour in Afghanistan with the 10th Mountain Division. Shaun graduated from the Academy of Art University of San Francisco with a BFA. His areas of interest are landscapes, wildlife and peaceful moments.

At a very early age I enjoyed drawing. I went to school in NY at the HSofAND and PRATT. Concentrated in fashion illustration and design working in watercolor. Trained in Avionics and continued with MBA and life without much time for artistic expression. After losing all early works I began rebuilding my portfolio.

Michael E. Ramos is a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps. During his time in service, he fulfilled his duties as an Electrical Equipment Repair Specialist (MOS 1142). Around the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Michael became more active in arts and crafts while helping his children with homeschooling. As an amateur artist, his artwork normally takes the form of painting, penciling, wreath-making, or dioramas. Moreover, his political activism on occasion influences his artwork. Michael currently resides with his wife and children in Melbourne, Australia. \nHe is a member of the Marine Corps League (Detachment 607), The American Legion (Post AU01), AMVETS (Post 145), the VFW Auxiliary (Post 8890), American Latino Veterans Association, Mexican American Veterans Association (Chapter 4), and a volunteer with Blue Star Families, Secure Families Initiative, and more. Michael is a service-connected disabled veteran recognized through the Department of Veterans Affairs, and is currently a veteran service officer-in-training.

I am 2D visual artist who creates in carious styles. My choice of mediums: acrylic, oil and gilding leaf sheets with frequent use of modeling paste for background development.

I was born in a little town Steubenville, Ohio and raised in the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia called Weirton. Twenty minutes from Pittsburgh, PA. The Steel Valley! Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Sports town and big rivalries was our claim to fame and our diversity, our steel mills and most of all what I call the 19. Nineteen professional, baseball, football and basketball players that came from one street in a town where sports was integrated in 1956. Amazing! The Street was Weir Avenue or “CALICO HILL” where every nationality lived and worked together.

I am a retired Army MSG with 25 years service. I started wood carving in 1995 and have experimented with many forms from caricature carving to relief carving and even chainsaw carving. I have used several mediums including bass wood cypress knees and ostrich eggs. I am a cancer survivor. I was diagnosed with Mantle Cell Lymphoma an incurable Non-Hodgkins lymphoma in 2015. Carving has become not only a form of artistic expression but an important therapy throughout my cancer journey. I hope you enjoy.

As a Christian artist, I enjoy creating representations of The Lords creations, so people can bring them into their homes.

I am a self taught woodcarver I first started in the round carving in 1982. I had been a woodworker most of my life from building homes, boats and clocks cabinets so it only made sense to do something with the scrap wood I had leftover from projects, as a child I had enjoy drawing later in life I did some pen and ink drawings that I enjoyed doing but I was away was drawn back to woodcarving.

I’m basically a self-taught artist, my style is influenced by my experiences and everyday life. I strive for enough detail so that my audience can easily perceive the story I’m am trying to convey. I have been painting and sculpting for more than 20 years, with experience as an Illustrator, Art Director, and Graphic Designer. I consider myself a representational artist, with an emphasis on wildlife and portraiture. I am now turning my attention solely to Watercolors in all its disguises.

From a young age, Kena discovered her innate calling to create. A versatile artist, she exhibits mastery in charcoal, graphite, acrylics, oils, and digital art. Pursuing a BFA at the University of Cincinnati’s DAAP (Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning) program, she seamlessly transitioned from 2D to 3D art, showcasing her proficiency in welding and woodworking to create mesmerizing sculptures. Kena's artistic expression spans from the familiar to the beautifully bizarre, culminating in a distinctive and captivating portfolio.

From Carteret County, NC

As a young boy I often played outdoors and made things out of dirt and sticks. I struggled sitting behind a desk at school. I knew very early that to survive spiritually I had to keep creating with my hands. My love for pottery stems from my deep connection with the earth and the satisfaction of using my hands to create shapes from clay. While I experience joy and satisfaction in a finished product, I value the process even more. For me, the process of making an object is both calming and exhilarating at the same time. Each phase, from centering a ball of clay onto the wheel, maneuvering it into a specific shape, trimming and placing my carvings onto that shape and then glazing it is an adventurous challenge from which I derive great pleasure.