Modern Art has many mediums, from sketches to sculptures; from the simple to the complex. Each is Beautiful and extraordinary in its own way.

I have found many Art Styles that I really appreciate. One Style in particular is that of Modern Art. There are many mediums in Modern Art and I have chosen some of my favorites to tell you about and to show you some examples of.

Hideaki Kawashima trained in Buddhism at Mt.Hiei near Kyoto Japan. Many of Kawashima’s paintings were portraits that characterize the clouded attraction of human nature like this portrait of a woman whose hair stretches out like tentacles.

Yoshitomo Nara was Born in 1959 in Hirosaki, northern Japan, and is one of the best known Japanese pop artists in the world. “The Little Star Dweller” was exhibited at the “A to Z” Exhibition last year, which was Yoshitomo Nara’s personal Exhibit.. This exhibition was held in major cities all around the world, including Bangkok, London, New York, and Seoul. This particular piece of artwork shows its influences from Japanese comic books also known as manga and anime.

Akira Yamaguchi chooses central themes from a wide range of periods; for example in this painting of a horse with a body of a motorcycle. Yamaguchi leads us into a world where the past and the present are entwined.

In Tokyo last year, this acrylic painting was exhibited at Atsushi Fukui’s personal exhibition “the eye of the midnight sun.” Fukui said, “It was painted in such way as to represent remembering the ancient times when people first arrived on the earth.”

Robert Holmes is quickly gaining a well deserved reputation as one of today's best Modern figurative sculptors. His magnificent "Dancer" sculpture combines amazing works of engineering and balance with the grace of his compositional aesthetics to create truly harmonious figures. Holmes is incredible in that he did not begin seriously sculpting until his mid fifties. His clean lines, flowing compositions and rich patinae (a fine coating of oxide on the surface of a metal) work make his bronze sculptures wonderful pieces of stunning artwork.

Mavis McClure is one of the finest Modern figurative artists to come forward in the last decade. She is a self taught bronze artisan. Her sculptures are larger-than-life figures and have exaggerated hands and feet similar to both Cycladic sculpture and those of Picasso's. McClure communicates through gesture in her sculptures while also combining strength of form and primal beauty.

Anne-Marie Paul's life and work have been touched by extraordinary talent. Though essentially self-taught, her sculpture has been nurtured by the tutelage of Aimé Mæght and Joan Miro in Nice, France, where she was born in 1949, then in Paris in the ateliers of Alexander Calder, Georges Mathieu and César. At the early age of 25, Paul received France's most prestigious national art award, "Le Prix de Rome".

William Wareham has remained true to his inner spirit, throughout his distinguished career as a sculptor. His power abstract work captures the viewer's consciousness. Wareham creates works of Art with a strong common thread, like his compatriot Mark di Suvero. He is also conscious of the environment using recycled steel as his primary sculpture material. Be sure to check out his current Solo Show at the PacificHeritageMuseum in San Francisco.

Mavis McClure's "Pablo" in the upscale Fourth Street Shopping District. "Pablo" is the first new public sculpture installation in Berkeley since the 1970's. The installed example is #4 in an edition of 6.

Selected recent examples of public art installations by Archie Held