LINDA ABADJIAN immigrated to America to escape the Lebanese Civil War and returned to visit after an absence of 20 years. Abadjian states: “Upon returning, it seemed natural to draw and paint with my left and opposite hand as a means of exploring fear and lack of control. This manner of working is symbolic of the unsettling environment of war. The combination of Sharpie ink and acrylic on paper forces me to work and rework layers of images. Every mark counts, whether good or bad. The persistence of the Sharpie lines, showing through the layers of paint, mimics the emergence of those insistent memories. My art is a personal examination of the aftermath of war…I propose to paint peace. No one should ever learn to become accustomed to war.”

DAWOUD BEY's career began in 1975 with a series of photographs, “Harlem, USA” that were later shown in his first one-person exhibition at the Studio Museum in Harlem in 1979. He has since had numerous exhibitions of his work worldwide. Bey’s portraits probe the relationship between photographer and sitter, and his frequent use of multiple panels are meant to convey fleeting changes in expression, gestures, and mood. Since 1992, Bey’s main subject has been teenagers, as his images attempt to portray essential social, emotional, physical, and psychological aspects, and present complex visual descriptions. His most recent work also includes texts by his subjects that create an added layer of meaning.

JUNE BISANTZ-EVANS created a series of life-sized self-portraits constructed of photos of her collaged into vintage magazine images. Bisantz states, “As a child I adored looking at photographs and illustrations of women in fashion magazines. These images defined femininity for me as pretty, dressed up and almost hysterically happy, sending a clear message that the way to perfect bliss was through marriage, home and family. I remember thinking these women were very unlike me – both in their appearance and their willingness – even eagerness – to serve. I obviously had much work to do if I was to fit into these narrow, yet somehow irresistible roles. Although from an early age, I knew I would never grow up to be the perfect housewife, I longed to be one of those beautiful magazine women – to be happily cleaning my floor in high heels and a crisply ironed, tight-wasted dress, absolutely sure of myself as a well groomed, highly desirable and most of all, good woman.” Bisantz’s self-portraits parody the media connection between identity and gender and serve as a commentary on the mass media’s role in manipulating appearances.

BEVERLY STROM BLUTH attended the Festival Opera in Wexford, Ireland, in 2004 as part of an ongoing exploration of Irish identity. “Amidst the buzz of this annual 18-day event,” Bluth states, “I was drawn to the heart and soul of Wexford – its people. I randomly photographed my subjects going about their daily routines while wandering along the shop fronts and cobbled alleys of this busy little city…Working from my photographs, I created a visual narrative for each subject.” Bluth’s works parody the traditional connection between identity and profession and reveal elements of her personal experiences and impressions of Wexford along with providing an identity for the subject that extends beyond profession to include civic pride, national heritage and even religious affiliation.

MARGARET ZOX BROWN, like the traditional portraitist, is inspired by the intrinsic nature of the human spirit but has broken with portraiture’s traditional conventions of representation. Her figures remain anonymous, and yet, through formal manipulations of pose, surface and color, the spirit of each is palpable. Brown states: “Loose black and white sketches are the bases for all my paintings. I copy them onto each canvas as a template from which the painting will emerge. With a thorough, thoughtful, daring and intense exploration of color, I take my initial ideas, deconstruct them and add to them over and over until they come together as whatever it is I am feeling and then expressing. Ultimately, I try to choreograph a harmoniously graceful dance between all elements; color, emotion, line, shape, paint application, light, depth, subject and mood.”

MARIE COSINDAS is a renowned photographer and teacher whose career took a crucial turning-point in 1962, when she was one of a small number of artists invited by Dr. Edwin Land, inventor of Polaroid technology, to test his new instant-developing color film. For decades she has been mining the possibilities of color photography, manipulating facets of the process to produce her preferred warm tones and focusing on her images, since she is freed from the technical aspects of creating color prints. Cosindas has created an array of portraits of famous people and regular folks.

FRITZ DRURY's portraits engage in original ways with the traditional genre of portraiture by making reference not so much to portraiture itself but to portraiture as it has been viewed by painters throughout Western art history. Drury state: “My idea of portraiture...requires the creation of an affecting image of individual humanity: the subject’s unique characteristics tied to a socio-cultural archetype through the originality of the artist’s interpretation.” Drury does not seem interested in self-conscious parody or deconstruction of the traditional genre of portraiture. Nor are his references so clear-cut as to be obvious homages to past masters and masterpieces. Instead his paintings appear to function more as distant echoes of this traditional genre.