Current Exhibition

Our third Art competition “Trees & Fields” started in November 2023 and concluded on December 14, 2023. Art Room Gallery received entries from many countries around the world: USA, Finland, China, Canada, Taiwan, Australia, Netherlands, Spain, Germany and Italy. The Portrait theme in this competition included a diversity in types, styles and mediums (oil on canvas, acrylic, pastel, graphite, bronze, collage, digital painting, photography). The following evaluation criteria has been used for judging the artwork: creativity, interpretation of the theme, originality and quality of art, overall design, demonstration of artistic ability, and usage of medium. Jury decided to select 35 artworks for inclusion in the exhibition. Aside from First, Second, and Third place Jury also presented Merit awards and Honorable Mention awards.

Thank you, and enjoy the exhibition!

First place

Phil Davis

Portrait Study - Marko Chakalovic

(oil and acrylic on canvas)

Phil Davis - Portrait Study - Marko Chakalovic

(oil and acrylic on canvas)

60 x 42 cm

phildavisfineartist.com

Statement:

Phil Davis produces landscapes and figurative subjects that use a combination of rich and vivid colours with additional features of the subjects incorporated using hand made stencils. This style is a constant blending and morphing of two processes, a combination that produces dynamic and emotionally heightened images where creative instinct and the fine detail of his chosen subjects are portrayed and juxtaposed alongside each other. The bold colours and dynamic ways they are applied convey the emotional intensity around the subject, whereas the stark graphical tones and fine attention to detail convey a sense of the bold physicality. He uses the combination of these two processes to present his own interpretation of the physicality of life but seen through the eyes of pure emotion. His style enables him to work with instinct and emotion, as well as being meticulous. The painting process begins by focusing on colour and mood, applying paint to the canvas in an expressive and free flowing way. Moving on to the composition itself, he creates stencils of the relevant subject matter before printing the results onto the canvas, thereby pushing boundaries with traditional compositional processes in painting. As he experiments with different ways of applying stencils to canvas, his style seeks to blur the distinctions between traditional painting and print making to create new and interesting ways of applying colour, texture, composition, and form to suggest a more subjective view of his subjects.

Statement:

Barry works proficiently in both oils and watercolor; his work is reminiscent of 19th century painting. Influenced by the Hudson River School, the Pre-Raphaelite's and the American Impressionists. As with Thomas Cole in the mid-1800's, Mr. DeBaun is continuing the legacy of traditional painting in the Catskills and beyond. Poetic landscapes, sensitive figures, realistically rendered still life and moody seascapes, place him as a true American Romanticist. Artist Statement: My inspiration comes from my love of nature. I choose to paint poetic landscapes, sensitive figures, realistically rendered still life, and moody seascapes. I work in a traditional style, seeking to capture the beauty of nature, an essence of peace, and subjects that speak to the soul. That my paintings would reflect the glory of God's creation.