Dennis Chernov - White Raven Photoworks, The Woodlands
He’s a man of few words. But Dennis Chernov expresses himself through art, and his creative journey began in the heart of his homeland, Siberia. He first connected with drawing and painting. Then he transitioned to photography with all of its artistic options.
“I could do realistic genres, I could do surrealistic, mystic,” says Chernov. “I could combine styles or use an original image to build on, and see where creativity would take me, and start over if I am not satisfied with the result.”
These days, Chernov also uses photography to create concepts for his drawings. And he leans into altering the visible world and expressing mood, saying, “Creating art is a form of traveling between different dimensions. I express what I cannot describe with words through images.”
From Eurasia to the U.S.
Chernov worked as a translator for volunteer teams who arrived from Texas to work in Siberian orphanages. Before immigrating to the U.S. and making Houston his home, he did commission paintings. Then after his arrival, he offered designs, drawings, photography, and custom commissioned works of art.
Heavily involved in design and photography since becoming a U.S. citizen, Chernov has created city portfolios such as stock photos that cities used for travel promotion. He has also done everything from custom accent walls to custom library designs, from promotional portraits to city portfolios that were featured in travel magazines, and from custom chalk art walls to paintings and custom furniture.
On top of it all, Chernov supports the Houston area’s vibrant arts community and encourages the public, saying “Go out and visit galleries. See people’s art. You might get inspired to do something amazing.”
Chernov’s art portfolios may be found on social media platforms. Find White Raven Photoworks on Instagram and Facebook.
Marlo Saucedo - Visual Art Narrative, The Woodlands
Marlo Saucedo spent many childhood days as a maker and writer. She fashioned dinosaurs out of modeling clay, and she wrote and illustrated little miniature books about animals she researched. At age 11, she was thrilled when she won a scholarship based on an outdoor sketching competition. Saucedo’s prize was an art class for three summers, and through the experience, she learned various mediums that ranged from paper mache to pastels.
Handwritten Art
These days, Saucedo’s art is taking flight in new directions. Viewers may literally read her art. That’s because she uses handwritten words to tell stories in visual art narrative form. Known as micography, the form has been around since the 9th century.
“My art is handwritten, where words become form, in any language,” says Saucedo. “These words might form a skyline, trees, a portrait, or a sparrow.”
Saucedo’s pieces lend themselves to commissions for a family or company, where memories and goals or values may be recorded in unique and permanent pieces of art. Hers is a deep understanding of collective storytelling and its powers.
She also creates unique community art, of which she says, “Everyone signs or writes on the piece, and I finish it out to become a recognizable silhouette. My work may also be created as a way for every individual in a group to have representation in one single work of art. This kind of piece is created to represent many people as one group, or become a unique memento of an event and everyone who attended.”
Saucedo’s career portfolio includes working with nonprofits, with New York City artist management, and writing music articles for periodicals. She also spent time in the legal tech world.
“I think any artist would tell you that we walk through the world filing away ideas for later,” Saucedo says. These days, her sweet spot comes with seeing, “a collector’s face when the piece we imagined together is finally complete and hanging in its home, and knowing that the artwork—its form, its words—means something special to that person, family, or business is the most fulfilling part of what I do.”
Saucedo’s work is displayed all around Houston in places like Google Cloud, HPD Mounted Patrol, Boulevard Realty, UTHealth Houston, and St. Luke’s Methodist Church. She also illustrated the American Story concert season with five original works. She also teamed up with an artist and a poet for a project connected to George Bush Intercontinental Airport’s (IAH) Terminal redevelopment.
Look for more of Saucedo’s upcoming airport-related projects with the Houston Airport System’s IAH, Hobby, and Ellington Field. To learn more, head to MarloSaucedo.com.
Lorrie Parise - Texas Singer-Songwriter, Folk Guitarist, Author
As a small child, Lorrie Parise fell in love with the guitar. She even gave it a special name, “Den-tin,” because to her, that’s the sound guitars made.
“I did not know the word ‘guitar,’” says Parise. “My parents didn’t understand at first, until one day I pointed out exactly what I meant.”
When she was age 10, her parents bought her first guitar, promising that if she kept playing, they would eventually invest in a better model. By age 15, she had her second guitar, and she’s been playing ever since.
A Love of Words
“Alongside music, I discovered how much I loved writing songs and stories,” says Parise. “Singing came naturally, and folk music became my focus because of its honesty and storytelling spirit. For me, the guitar, songwriting, and folk singing have always been intertwined with my love of words, and the joy of sharing them.”
With an understanding of Hispanic and American cultures, Parise says music comes from the heart and is shaped by real experiences and emotions. Her life, family, friends—and their stories, struggles, and joys—inform her work, and it’s in music where her creativity truly flows.
“Music is a cathartic experience that allows me to express emotions that might otherwise remain unspoken,” says Parise. “When I write a song, I feel as though I am capturing a moment in time, turning it into something that can be shared and remembered. Performing brings those words and melodies to life.”
Pen in Hand
Parise is also a writer. Her first book, Biography of an Everyday Couple, tells the true story of her parents and explores family loss. Her second book, 25902, is on tap to be released this spring, and she hopes it will give her grandchildren an understanding of their family’s history and encourage them to carry forward the family legacy.
Look for her new songs, including Three Beautiful Souls, as well as her first The Woodlands City Lifestyle magazine article in March. Learn more about Parise and find out where she’s performing next at LorrieParise.com.
“I think any artist would tell you that we walk through the world filing away ideas for later.” - Marlo Saucedo