Waters

Our second Art competition “Waters” started in October 2021 and concluded on November 11, 2021. Art Room Gallery received entries from many countries around the world: USA, Malaysia, Australia, Canada, Spain, Germany, Sweden, Taiwan, Slovenia, Portugal, United Kingdom, Costa Rica and Israel. The Waters theme in this competition included a diversity in types, styles and mediums (oil on canvas, acrylic, watercolor, pastel, colored pencil, gouache, photography, digital, copper, stainles steel, fused glas, graphite on paper). 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 102 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:

I have always loved the scenery of the great outdoors and living on a relatively small but beautiful Island is truly inspirational. Of course, being surrounded by the sea is wonderful, with a 360-degree array of coastal views, harbours and the ever-changing mood of sea and sky. We Islanders are blessed with a huge diversity of landscape from ancient woodland and chalk down-land to salt marsh and everything in between. I endeavour to portray the natural world to the best of my ability hoping to give the viewer a sense of the beauty as I see it, both here on my Island home and in the world at large. I first saw John Constable’s ‘Haywain’ when I was just 11 years old, the majesty of this beautiful painting, the portrayal of trees and sky in paint was awe inspiring for me and have loved both the landscape and landscape paintings ever since. I work mostly in oils as with this medium I seem to be able to convey at least a small amount of the affinity I have with the natural world, whether it be landscape or seascape I am happiest and enthralled when creating at my easel.

Statement:

Allison is a visual artist who lives and works in New York. Before studying painting, Allison ran a graphic design firm, Alleycat Design, Inc., specializing in book design. For the past ten years, she has been focusing on learning a variety of art genres, including painting, pottery, and digital photography. Allison holds a B.S. from Carnegie Mellon University in Graphic Communications Management and has continued her art studies through courses at Wet Paint! Art Studio adult program and Stanford University Continuing Studies. She is an avid art enthusiast with a deep commitment to cultural access for everyone and sits on the Board of Directors at both the Children’s Museum of the Arts (Vice-Chair) and Public Art Fund. I avidly snap photos. I recall being told that I should leave my camera behind and experience moments in real-time. However, I prefer to focus in and crop a scene so that I can document the memory from my perspective. This is the goal of my painting. I want to capture a singular moment in time, usually of something fleeting that others may find unremarkable. Yet to me, these are some of the memories I savor the most: sunlight on the morning waves, my dad resting with his walker, a quiet walk surrounded by the color green. The passing of time, even when mundane, can generate emotion. I intend for my viewers to feel connected to simple and beautiful life moments.