Prior to attending the Hartford Art School, Gowen-Segovia attended Northwest Community college and her creations were primarily figure drawings and oil paintings. It was at the Hartford Art School,  where she received a BFA in Visual Communications Design, that she decided that graphic design would be the focus of her education, as well as her career. “I was always interested [in Graphic Design] but tried different outputs for my creativity.” She confesses “When I went back to school 2 years ago,  I realized I loved graphic design the most.”

So far, the most fulfilling experience for Gowen-Segovia as a designer has been her participation in an educational campaign with the creative think-tank Design for Global change, at the Hartford Art School during her senior year. The campaign entitled Water for India (designglobalchange.org), worked to “promote the values of respect, sanitation and sharing of resources while encouraging visual learning at a rural girls’ school” in a village located in the Northern Indian village of Abheypur. The experience had a big impact on the way Gowen-Segovia now approaches her designs, as well as the cultural and societal effects they can have.

Gowen-Segovia explains: “I liked being put out of my comfort zone and focusing on effective communication design, for real people in a different culture. It was a great challenge.” Gowen-Segovia continues to work with the organization which has expanded further throughout India, into Kenya and hopes to develop a project in the Hartford area.

In the years to come, Constanza Gown-Segovia would like to continue to work with organizations such as Design for Global Change, and to help strengthen and engage in the local creative community through her involvement with entities such as the Connecticut Art Directors Club and the local chapter of the American Institute for Graphic Arts. As part of her current position, she is helping to create Design is Love (designislove.com),  an online community for people to come together in support of their craft and non-profit organizations.

Constanza Gown-Segovia hopes to have a career in which she can affect a multitude of  people and mediums with her designs. For now, she is happy to focus exclusively on the work at hand, and take advantage of the variety and challenges that make her craft so exciting. “…I’d just rather work on whatever the best solution is to the ‘problem’ at hand. Sometimes it’s not a physical thing, which brings me to why I love design so much — options.”

Website: www.constanzasegovia.com

He recalls that as a young boy he, like many elementary school students, spent much of his class time covering his school work with scribbles and cartoons.  However, unlike most of his fellow classmates, his doodling was a hobby, that later became a passion.

In May 2009,  Horak graduated from the University of Hartford’s Hartford School of Art with a degree in Illustration. Prior to attending the Hartford School of Art, Doug had very little formal training. Entering Art School was a difficult period of adjustment for the artist, but it wasn’t long before he found his stride.

During college, Horak was able to gain experience with unfamiliar mediums such as watercolor, and styles including portraiture and still life. During this time which Horak refers to as the “academic” period of his life, he gained an education in, and appreciation for traditional techniques and it’s founding masters.

Horak now works primarily with oil paint and digital photography and employs a wide range of subjects and styles in his art. “It’s nice to enjoy a large scope of subject matter and styles,” however, he admits there are possible drawbacks to the range of approaches he uses, “but it can also be a challenge marketing yourself to a specific field with a portfolio that’s so eclectic.” The styles he uses range from photorealism to gestural abstract shapes, while subjects range from traditional portraiture to Science Fiction and Fantasy.

It is the latter subject that seems to provide Horak with the most inspiration, and comes from a life long love of the fantastical and extraordinary, “As a child I had a wild imagination and grew up watching Star Wars and playing video games…” he explains, “I think the love of fantasy art stems directly from my childhood.” From hazy otherworldly environments, to machine based creatures, Horak has applied these ideas to some of his favorite and most treasured works.

For most recent art school grads, the process of breaking into the art world is a intimidating and perhaps even frightening experience. It is a challenge that Horak fully acknowledges, and has committed to making a career out of his passion “wherever and however possible.”

Although there are challenges to be faced, Doug B. Horak sees a future for himself in art. Even though the “academic” period of his life may be over, his art education continues . “…no matter how many hours you spend studying it and drawing it over and over, there’s always more to learn and room to improve.”

Website: www.dbhorak.com

A year later, Hope Gallery Tattoo added Phil Young and Tim Harris to their staff of artists. “In both artists, we found young and vibrant individuals who are the best at what they do,” Capobianco adds. “Both bring a uniqueness, and topnotch quality to their art and tattooing.”

Most of the art in the gallery’s permanent collection is a collaboration of the artists on staff. Some of the art also comes from the staff’s personal collections. The rest of the pieces were obtained from art shows staffers attended and shows that took place at the Hope Gallery. The Gallery holds shows several times a year and receives work from tattoo artists across the nation and the world. The gallery, however, is not just restricted to tattooists; many other artists show display their work as well.

Hope Galley Tattoo not only offers a place to view tattoo art, but clients can also receive tattoos on site. Due to popularity and the artists’ hectic schedules, an appointment is needed.

Recently, Hope Gallery Tattoo moved from its original location in downtown New Haven to 835 Woodward Ave. in East Haven. The new location better accommodates their clientele and supplies staffers with an environment that’s more conducive to creativity. Capobianco explains, “…the space Hope occupied needed to change for us to grow as artists, and open up to a new group of clients just getting to know us”.

With the new move, Joe Capobianco assures that there are new and exciting things to come in Hope Gallery Tattoo’s future, “There’s always something brewing at Hope…I want the first show/our grand re-opening to really turn heads, so keep an eye peeled.”

Website: www.hopegallerytattoo.com
Joe Capobianco’s website: www.joecapobianco.com

Lloyd went on to attend Kean University and graduated with a degree in Fine Arts. After graduation she began teaching and created a series of album/CD art. When she realized teaching wasn’t her calling, she turned her other passion of Copy Writing and Public Relations into a career, by creating her own Public Relations Agency. In this position she still felt creatively satisfied, “…it was like painting with words”, she explains, “and fulfilled that need in me to create something.”

After running her PR Company for a number of years, she turned her focus exclusively to the creation of art. The mediums she primarily uses are Acrylics, Mixed Media, Collage, Assemblages, as well as Digital Art and Photography.

Now residing in Danbury, CT and working as a full-time artist,  Lloyd finds inspiration in the ordinary, mundane and elusive. For B.J. these concepts “…strike a chord in my subconscious and stubbornly stick there until I pry them out with paint, a camera or another tool.” For example, she once used the imagery of debris she viewed from a minor auto accident to create one of her pieces.

B.J. Lloyd’s work has been exhibited in parts of New England, Ohio, Florida, California and even the United Kingdom. Her artwork is available to a number of professional needs including those of art collectors and galleries, publishers and designers. Along the way she has garnered a number of  awards and honors such as four “Special Recognition” Awards from Upstream People Gallery Juried Exhibitions and received second place in the Art Buzz Graphics Competition.

However, for Barbara “B.J” Lloyd true success is not measured by awards, honors or fame. It is measured in what the viewer gains from observing a piece of art.  As she explains in her artist’s statement, “If my art engages the viewer in satisfying dialogue, I consider it a success.”
Website: www.BJLloyd.MosaicGlobe.com