2. Bob Byerley
Bob Byerley (1941- ) spent his entire childhood in Kansas City, Missouri. He was an only child. His mother was a
piano teacher and began teaching Bob to play at the age of five: When he was six years old he performed his
first one man concert. Throughout his childhood, he continued his musical education. He also showed a
strong interest in drawing. His musical endeavors were enthusiastically encouraged, his drawing interests,
not.
After high school, Bob decided to enter college, not as a music major, but as a pre-med student. He attended the
University of Missouri at Columbia and in his junior year he was required to take three credit hours of fine
arts for his pre med degree. He signed up for a three hour “Introduction to Art” class and when he walked
into the art building, saw the paintings, and smelled the turpentine, he knew he was home. He loved the art
and after one semester, made the hardest phone call to his parents that he had ever had to make; “Mom,
Dad, I’ve decided not to be a doctor, I’m going to be an artist! Silence----------”.
Bob went on to receive his Bachelors and his Masters Degree in Art from University of Missouri at
Columbia. After graduating he taught painting and drawing at the University and also at Missouri Western
College in St. Joseph, Missouri.
At the age of thirty, Bob quit teaching and began painting full time. His primary focus, for many years
was still-life; still-lives rendered in a very detailed, fool-the-eye realistic style. In the late 1980's he began to
paint children as the center of interest in his work and in that particular genre, he found success. Bob is now
internationally known for his realistic portrayals of children in nostalgic settings; settings that reflect his
own “kinder and gentler” childhood.
He and his wife Alice, have four grown children and seven grandchildren. Alice is their business manager
and a very fine painter in her own right. They now live in Lee’s Summit, Missouri. Bob’s work is represented
in many fine collections and his work can be seen in thousands of galleries throughout the world.
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6. Meet best friends Timba and Lula. Created from
the bits and pieces of an old ladies’ memory
box, these two friends, with a patch of each
other on their bums, have made their way to
North America all the way from South Africa.
Created by Natalie Munro. The books will be
released by Dorling Kindersley.
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11. New modern art and design derived from
stylish tin sculptures with a subtle
African influence. These custom-
designed and intricately detailed décor
pieces have been transformed into
unique designs perfect for housewares
and paper products.
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14. From the drawings and imagination of a
13 year old girl...
Meet Emma, a 13 year old South African
artist whose art will quickly capture the
attention of young girls and 'tweens
everywhere.
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18. Natasha is a very successful and extremely prolific watercolor artist
originally from Russia, now based in California. Painting on silk,
her paintings have a hypnotic effect of liquid dyes moving on
shimmering fibers. From the black and white world of the
senses-dulling Moscow winters, to the glowing stained glass
windows of Prague’s cathedrals, Natasha has found beauty and
mystery wherever she opens her eyes. Her paintings may carry
you back to the street scenes and special corners of cities where
you’ve traveled, or transport the armchair traveler to an
uncharted place. People from all walks of life admire her work.
Natasha’s control of the medium in creating reflections in water
and glass and fine architectural detail is unmatched.