Our first Art competition “Shades of Grey” started in June 2021 and concluded on July 22, 2021. Art Room Gallery received entries from many countries around the world: USA, Australia, Poland, India, Taiwan, China, Russia, Spain, Germany, Brazil, France, Lithuania, Latvia, Israel, Portugal, Ukraine and Chezh Republic. The Shades of Grey theme in this competition included a diversity in types, styles and mediums (oil on canvas, acrylic, photography, pastel, watercolor, graphite, pencil, digital, scratchboard, charcoal). 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 134 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!
Statement:
Dan was born in Montana, grew up in Washington State and now lives in California. With virtually no formal art training, Dan has been drawing since childhood. His internationally award-winning charcoal drawings has been exhibited in gallery shows in Palm Springs, Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, Hollywood, Santa Ana, Pasadena, Long Beach, New York, Provincetown and West Hollywood. Dan is also now represented in Europe and travels there yearly for live shows. With his client base extending as far away as Malaysia and Australia his work is becoming known worldwide. Dan’s work is permanently installed in the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas, as part of their impressive commercial art collection and he participated in the epic Art Takes Times Square event in New York City. His drawings have also been published in numerous art magazines & books, both domestically and internationally. Working exclusively in charcoal, Dan uses a realistic style that mimics photography to the point that his drawings are often mistaken for photos. He loves shadows, contrast, anonymity and using negative space in his compositions. Dan’s gifted eye catches timeless fragments of life in his work---whether it’s the intricate lines of the human hand, the delicate folds of a garment, or a tarnished piece of silver, they are drawn in detailed simplicity. Dan’s work celebrates his relentless enthusiasm for detail, through a vast collection of subject matter. From muscular figures, to distressed objects from the past, he continues to challenge perfection.
Cesar Garay - Don't Lose Face
(graphite and chalk)
18'' x 48''
Statement:
Born in Tyler, Texas, Cesar Garay is a first-generation Mexican American artist. He currently lives and works in the DFW metroplex. Life can leave us with many questions. Sometimes we can feel isolated and alone as if no one can understand. Within my work, I create images that discuss these melancholy thoughts along with other subjects of the human condition. Most of my work is minimal and vast of negative space. I create my work by selecting a subject of the human condition, such as growth, emotion, or conflict just to name a few. I create that as my focus by rendering in a figure with body parts disconnected from the body. Most of my works are drawings with common dry media such as graphite and charcoal but recently I have been applying ink to some of the works as well. I would describe my process to be a bit more traditional, but I will sometimes use digital tools to help develop ideas more efficiently. The inspiration comes from experiences of friends, family and sometimes strangers. The role that I seem to play in people’s lives seems to be that I am a “walking talking diary”. They are willing to share things that trouble them and seek for my advice. So, I sometimes channel their experiences through the work. However, the work will not be so revealing and easily identifiable, so it respects their privacy. My goal is to provide a place of reflection for the viewer and to let them know that they are not alone. That the things they experience, whether glorious or tragic, are just part of life.
Susan Morrison - Steel Rose
(steel, fiber, wire mesh)
40" x 70" x 24"
Statement:
As a Northern California native, her use of bold color, shape and line create an eclectic style. Earning degrees on the East Coast - a BFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art and an MFA from Pennsylvania State University - her immersion in the great museum collections of New York and Washington DC inspire the breadth and depth in her work. She continues to show in New York City in exhibitions selected by major museum curators. My art is an intrinsic statement of the constant flux of motion, emotion and pounding resonance of existence. The line leaps, grabs and descends pulling at the tangled pile of unspoken thoughts that emerge and submerge. A work becomes a melody with each specific note a critical turning point in the flow of sound. Sometimes, the silence invades like a fog, softening, dampening until a new image appears. Through the layers of time, the substance of thought is grounded. Color and form dance, rage and discover a new place. In that place, the work begins to speak, a visual dialogue. In this dialogue, passion and pain become a singular understanding.