Preview the November/December 2025 issue of Fine Art Connoisseur magazine, including the cover artist, feature articles, and other highlights.
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Fine Art Connoisseur Magazine November/December 2025
“The Ancients Stole All Our Great Ideas”
From the Fine Art Connoisseur November/December 2025 Editor’s Note:
“The Ancients Stole All Our Great Ideas. And I want them back, thank you very much.”
Mark Twain wrote these words long ago, yet their perversity still has the power to amuse us, and to give us pause. Rather than throwing in the towel, regretting that it’s all been done before, we must draw from Twain’s quip the courage to carry on. We would be fools to think no one has ever before felt exactly as we do, or pondered the same thoughts. Yet each individual is unique in the history of the world, casting their eye backward and forward in a completely distinctive way. 
The benefits of such back-and-forth-ing are borne out by a range of articles in this issue, which have got me thinking about how crucial it is to bring living artists, and contemporary artworks, into proximity with historical ones. Our Three to Watch section highlights a trio of young, emerging talents — Gabrielle Castle, Katya Dennison, and Gaby Nighan. All three women declare their reverence for various aspects of art history, and this awareness certainly shows in their artworks, fresh and individual as they are. Considerably older — and equally attuned to art of the past — are three acclaimed painters: Eric Fischl, James Foot, and Barry Oretsky. Each richly deserves his own feature article, and I am delighted that we could make that happen here.
These six artists’ accounts of what they glean from the past reminds me that I have
never met a living artist — no matter how “edgy” — who does not stumble into something thrilling while walking through a museum display of Old Master or 19th-century art. There one soul recognizes another, across the centuries; their methods and markets may be different, but that inner drive is fundamentally the same. Artists ask each other not just “how did you do that?” but “why did you do that?’
Now more than ever, we need more people asking more questions of each other, even of those who have already departed this world. Mark Twain could see that, and those of us who love visual art should help make that happen as often as we can.
What are your thoughts? Share your letter to the Editor below in the comments.
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Featured Artwork: Bonnie Zahn Griffith
Bonnie Zahn Griffith: “Rabbit Brush”, pastel on paper, captivates the viewer with its harmonious tones and impressionistic style. Inspired by the beauty of the western landscape and the colors of fall, Griffith renders her vision in oils and pastels, inviting viewers to step into the scene and craft their own story. Her work showcases the timeless allure of nature through her mastery of light and texture. Griffith works both en plein air and in the studio.
Bonnie has work represented in several galleries across the west, teaches workshops and mentors aspiring artists.
To see more of Bonnie’s work, visit:
Featured Artwork: Karen Ann Hitt
Karen Ann Hitt: ‘As an Artist the passion is to reflect light, life, land, expressions as genuinely experienced “at that moment”’ Awarded and Nationally Exhibited Artist.
–Karen Ann Hitt An Original Hitt
To see more of Karen’s work, visit:
Instagram
Featured Artwork: Barbara Hack
Barbara Hack: Barbara’s work is an ongoing reflection on people—their emotions, their stories, and the quiet, powerful ways they inhabit the world. “Unveiling” is a series of six that explores how women navigate and respond to shifts in their societal environment. The series portrays different stages of this journey, reflecting both internal and external struggles. To capture individuals caught in moments of stillness, reflection, or quiet strength. I seek to understand these transient moments and to offer a glimpse into that same understanding—a shared human experience made visible through paint and gesture.
To see more of Barbara’s work, visit:
Featured Artwork: Barbara Jaenicke
Barbara Jaenicke: Barbara captures a dynamic combination of painterly light and movement in a collection of eight landscape oil paintings featured in her upcoming show titled The Mountains to the Coast at Cole Gallery, Edmonds, WA. The show runs 12/3/25 – 1/6/26. Work featured includes Pacific Northwest landscapes that span from the mountainous high desert to her most recent works from the coast.
To see more of Barbara’s work, visit:
Instagram
Featured Artwork: Marcia Holmes
Marcia Holmes: Painting is a personal performance space for improvisation where color synthesis and vibrations occur naturally, intuitively, reactively. A transcendence of imagery appears solidifying the compositional groundwork, followed by rhythmic movement and optical color mixing whether painting in oil, pastel or mixed media. In retrospection, my gestures become archived to a gratifying completion in an array of subjects and genre presented here that I love to paint, waterscapes, floral impressions, and abstract explorations. Private Commission bookings are available.
To see more of Marcia’s work, visit:
Instagram
Website
Featured Artwork: Julie Davis
Julie Davis: When Julie Davis paints outdoors, she seeks subjects that draw an emotional response from her. “The land has a story to tell, and there is beauty in that. I try to understand the story within every subject I paint.” In “Tethered to the Land,” part of the upcoming Oil Painters of America Virtuosos show, opening November 7 at Ballard’s Fine Art in Sheridan, WY, Davis highlights the interrelationship between flora, agricultural producers, and the land.
To see more of Julie’s work, visit:
Featured Artwork: Matthew Bird
Matthew Bird: Matthew Bird’s vibrant still life paintings bringing ordinary object to life with stunning clarity. Following in the tradition of the Dutch and Flemish masters, he uses dramatic lighting to reveal the beautiful textures and rich colors on display. Everyday elements, with a touch of nostalgia, are transformed into exquisitely observed objects that demand contemplation.
To see more of Matthew’s work, visit:
Website
Virtual Gallery Walk for October 31st, 2025
As part of our effort to continue to help artists and art galleries thrive, we’re proud to bring you this week’s “Virtual Gallery Walk.” Browse the artwork below and click the image itself to learn more about it, including how to contact the gallery.
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Want to see your gallery featured in an upcoming Virtual Gallery Walk? Contact us at [email protected] to advertise today. Don’t delay, as spaces are first come, first served, and availability is limited.