♥     José de Sousa Saramago   :

José Saramago

[16 November 1922 / Azinhaga, Santarém, Portugal – 18 June 2010/(aged 87) / Tías, Lanzarote Island, Spain]
 

Was a Portuguese novelist, poet, playwright, journalist and recipient of the 1998 Nobel Prize in Literature. His works, some of which can be seen as allegories, commonly present subversive perspectives on historic events, emphasizing the human factor. Harold Bloom has described Saramago as "a permanent part of the Western canon".
Awarded the 1998 Nobel Prize in Literature, more than two million copies of Saramago's books have been sold in Portugal alone and his work has been translated into 25 languages. He founded the National Front for the Defence of Culture (Lisbon, 1992) with Freitas-Magalhães and others. A proponent of libertarian communism, Saramago came into conflict with some groups, such as the Catholic Church. Saramago was an atheist who defended love as an instrument to improve the human condition.
In 1992, the Portuguese government, under Prime Minister Aníbal Cavaco Silva, ordered the removal of The Gospel According to Jesus Christ from the European Literary Prize's shortlist, claiming the work was religiously offensive. Disheartened by this political censorship of his work, Saramago went into exile on the Spanish island of Lanzarote, upon which he resided until his death in 2010.
At the time of his death, Saramago was married to Spanish journalist Pilar del Rio, and had a daughter from a previous marriage. The European Writers’ Parliament came about as a result of a joint proposal by Saramago and Orhan Pamuk; Saramago was expected to speak as the guest of honour at the EWP however he died before its opening ceremony in 2010.

♥ continued . . . . . . .

♥        Fine Artist  -  Leslie Marcus  :





Born and raised in New York, Leslie Marcus continues to take her artwork to greater heights with enormous passion and sensitivity. An Ojai, California resident for over 18 years. Leslie paints in her home studio, and teaches Fine Art Painting.
Riding New York City’s subways at the age of 14, Marcus studied watercolor painting at The Arts Students League. With a A.A from The California College of Arts & Crafts and B.F.A from The Academy of Art College in S.F. Marcus then immersed herself in the highly competitive Fashion World of Los Angeles, creating exclusive, original and exotic Textile Designs for Apparel and Home Furnishings.
As an Art Educator, Leslie has taught High School and Elementary School Art Courses, and continues to offer Private & Group Painting Classes in Watercolors and Oils to youth, teens, and the elderly. Her mentoring focuses on the students’ individuality and intuitive abilities.
Leslie has won numerous Fine Art Achievemnt Awards; she has been selected to participate in The Healing Arts Fine Art Program and permanent collection at Santa Barbara Cottage Hosipital & Goleta Health Care Systems in California. Marcus' work has been reproduced for: Wine Labels, Greeting Cards, and Exclusive, One-Of-A-Kind, Hand Signed, Hand Embellished Fine Art Giclees. Collectors of Marcus’ works reside throughout the United States, Europe and Asia.

♥ EDUCATION
B.F.A. Design/Industry, Academy of Art College, S.F., CA.
A.A. Illustration/Design, California College of Arts and Crafts, Oakland, CA.
Design, Painting, Color Concepts, Illustration San Francisco State University

♥ WORK HISTORY
1993- 2012 Freelance Textile Print Designer
FINELINES OJAI, CA
LOP LOP STUDIO VALLEY VILLAGE, CA
PALOMA DESIGNS SEATTLE, WA
Designing Textile Prints for Apparel & Home Furnishing Manufacturers.
Clients include: Quicksilver, Nike, Eddie Bauer, Guess, Pacific Sunwear, Patagonia, Big Dog Sportswear, Speedo, Rip Curl, Mervyns’s, Mossimo, May Co., Nordstrom’s, Bill-A- Bong, Club Sportswear, Rusty, Red Sands, Tori Richards, Montage, Jamaican Swimwear

1993-1995 Textile Print Designer, Big Dog Sportswear, Santa Barbara, CA
Designer: Hand Painting & Designing Textile Apparel Prints from Concept to Completion.
Stylist~ Print Designer: Color Forecasting, Line Development, Trend Reports, Style Board Presentations, Trade Shows, Technical Repeats and Colorways

1992-1994 Textile Print Designer, Lambs and Ivy Bedtime Originals, L.A., CA
Designing Infant Bedding and Accessories from Concept to Completion.
Painting & Drawing: Design Development; Color & Layout of Designs.
Preparation of Final Art & Design for Production

1987-1992 Textile Print Designer- Studio Coordinator, Fashion In Prints, L.A. CA

♥ Professional Colorist. Designer: Hand Painting & Designing Textile Apparel Prints from Concept to Completion. Stylist~ Print Designer and Coordinator: Color Forecasting, Line Development, Trend Reports, Style Board Presentations, Trade Shows, Technical Repeats and Colorways.