BTDesign Art Gallery

The Best Artist of the Year - 2006 Edition

Our international panel of judges

Roberto Thomas Arruda Roberto Thomas Arruda was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on July 29, 1943. His researches in Contemporary Art started in the early 60's in the University of São Paulo Contemporary Art Museum, in courses coordinated by Prof. Dr. Walter Zanini. Roberto was one of the founders and original members of the New Concrete Group of Minas Gerais, one of the most important introducers of the concrete art movements in Brazil. He's a painter, pictorial photographer and fractal artist. His artwork has been positively appraised by the experts, by means of several awards granted in dozens of national and international art salons and concourses. He was Guest Artist of the Month, April 2004 and will evaluate Painters and Digital Artists for the Master of 2005. ::: Website ::: :::Interview:::.
Lucia Cartoni Lucia Cartoni is the winner of the 2004 Best Photography award. She was born in Orbetello, Tuscany in 1978 where she got her diploma at the Technical High School. At age 18 she started to be interested in photography after her parents presented her with her first reflex, a Nikon FM10. In 2000 she moved to Grosseto where she became a member of two local photoclubs, "Fotoclub Grosseto Immagine" and "photodigitalgrosseto". She is a member of FIAF and FIAP and has participated their national photo contests where she won many awards. She regularly participates national and international group exhibitions. She had her one-woman shows in Orbetello (GR), Grosseto, S. Vincenzo (LI), Bologna and Guardiagrele (CH). Some of her photos were published on Italian dedicated magazines like "Fotocomputer" and "Il Fotografo". Other works can be found in the FIAF and UIF 2002-2003 yearbooks. She was Guest Artist of the Month, July 2004 and will evaluate Photographers for the Master of 2005. ::: Website ::: :::Interview:::.
Ignacio Fusilier Ignacio Fusilier was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1967; he is an architect since 1991 and has been painting since he was a young boy. He has attended workshops for over ten years with a few local masters such as Néstor Arona, Ariel Olivetti, Ignacio Noé and Jorge García. As a painter he has been in solo and group exhibitions, and as an illustrator and graphic designer his work includes web sites, album covers, posters and flyers. He has recently devoted himself to the development of digital art and photography. He was Guest Artist of the Month, November 2004 and will evaluate Digital Artists for the Master of 2005. ::: Website ::: :::Interview:::.
Dolores Valenza NYC based Dolores Valenza is the winner of the 2004 Best Sculpture award. Dolores encountered art in about 1960, when she and husband Larry already had 2 of their 4 children. Her first teacher and mentor was Pascal Rocco, a Gallery owner and framer who also a very well trained and talented artist. Dolores studied at Pratt Institute, Brooklyn Museum Art School, Fordham University and on private workshops with Rocio Heredia and Valentin Yotkov among others. She works a variety of media from painting to sculpture, porcelain and jewelry. Dolores works have been exhibited in many successful shows and can be found in private and corporate collections. She was Guest Artist of the Month, September 2004 and will evaluate Sculptors for the Master of 2005. ::: Website ::: :::Interview:::.
Miguel Martino Miguel Juan Martino Davies was born in Entre Ríos, Argentina on May 10, 1950 and he has been naturalized Mexican. He studied at the National Fine Arts Academy in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He has lived in his native country and also in Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico and El Salvador. He has been a member of the Mexican´s Fine Arts Saloon since 1989. He spent many years educating students in drawing language and sculpture and practising in his own studio. He works wood in a very peculiar way, assembling sculptures with different pieces that were just picked up and never cut off. Every single piece of wood is carefully chosen to become part of a very peculiar creation. He was Guest Artist of the Month, October 2004 and will evaluate Sculptors for the Master of 2005. ::: Website ::: :::Interview:::.
Sebastijan Petrovic Sebastijan Petrovic was born in 1970 in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He has been painting ever since he can remember, possibly because his father was a painter too. Initially, however, Sebastijan chose a different path for himself. He became a musician at the age of ten and started playing drums professionally when he turned thirteen. He landed a contract with two different groups and recorded two albums with them. While on a tour, in 1989, he saw a painting by French artist Claude, and this painting changed his life forever. He realized that painting was all he wanted to do. He abandoned drums and retreated into himself for several years. In 1992, following the outbreak of war in Bosnia Sebastijan found himself wandering around the major capitals of Europe. He finally settled down in London with his wife Irena, who provided moral and financial support. He was Guest Artist of the Month, November 2004 and will evaluate Painters for the Master of 2005. ::: Website ::: :::Interview:::.
Christina Neofotistou Christina is the winner of the 2004 Best Digital Art award. She is 24 years old, lives in Greece and is studying Medicine. She paints in Photoshop with a graphics tablet but she also used to paint in oil. Eugene Trivizas, a famous greek writer of children's stories asked her to illustrate two of his books which she is working on right now. Christina likes the Pre-Raphaelites and the Surrealists a lot, but is also intrigued by any clever use of color and light, no matter which art movement it belongs to. She was Guest Artist of the Month, October 2004 and will evaluate Digital Artists for the Master of 2005. ::: Website ::: :::Interview:::.
Barbara Tampieri Your webmistress. I was born in Genova in 1960 and now live in Faenza (Ravenna, Italy). My father Giuseppe gifted me with the love for fine arts. I studied music at the Conservatory of Genova and worked as a freelance translator and interpreter for many years. I graduated in Experimental Psychology in 1997 with a thesis on Psychohistory. For those who are scratching their heads on what Psychohistory is, well it is a branch of Psychology trying to explain historical events and prominent persons using the psychological method of interpretation. I worked as a graphic designer specializing in photo retouch and as web developer. My hobbies include photography, watching movies, traveling, pets (I have a Zebra Finch) and cooking. I started developing my personal website in 1999 and launched my award program and BTDesign Art Gallery in 2000.
Silvestro Rugolo Silvestro Rugolo was born in Catania, Italy in 1971. He has always loved computers and art and he tries to combine both disciplines in his multimedia projects. He likes to mix Internet and photography, music with design and graphics. He gathered all the images he shot in recent years in collections in his website, which was built with the aim of maintaining a high dinamic level in web design. The site presents the various galleries but is also a design project. "Photographing helps me keeping my mind fresh and full of "clean energy" and so I try to do it as often as I can". He was Guest Artist of the Month, December 2002 and has been evaluating Photographers for the Master award since 2003. ::: Website ::: :::Interview:::.
Ludovico D'Elia Ludovico was born in Naples in 1974. He lives and works in Torre del Greco (NA). A most eclectic artist, he is active in various techniques from sculpture to coral engraving to Cad/Cam design and Web Design. After he completed his regular studies and graduated as goldsmith at the Art School he attended the metalsmithing courses at T.A.M., including a sculpture and goldmithing design course with the famous Italian master Arnaldo Pomodoro. Ludovico is also an expert in computer technologies applied to goldsmithing and cameo and coral engraving. He exhibited his works and won many prizes in various exhibitions as follows: "Dalla Mimosa alla Ginestra" in Villa Campolieto, Ercolano(NA), national prize "Premio Nazionale Citta' Di Torre Del Greco" where he won the first prize with metal and coral sculptures, exhibition at the Feltrinelli Bookstore Naples, group exhibitions in Torre del Greco and Naples next to the famous S.Chiara Monastery and another group exhibition "Torre In Arte" in 2002 and 2003 where he exhibited one of his sculptures. He maintains an online art gallery featuring also the works of other artists. He has been evaluating Sculptors for the Master award since 2003. ::: Website :::.