2022 Marking Our Marks - 8th Member Only Online Exhibition
Between the Dark and the Daylight - First Place
Roberta Dyer I have discovered a fascination with painting vessels. My work is intuitive and expressive and I am working to bring that energy to this new series of paintings. I have decided that in order to make my paintings different from others in this genre I need to do something more that using just paint, and am trying to create interesting surfaces before I even begin painting. For this piece, I have used charcoal, crayon, brown packing paper, tissue paper, plus fiber paste and pumice as well as acrylic paint. I want the marks and paint and surface to mimic the surfaces of the vessels themselves and maybe, just perhaps, create a painting that truly reflects the actual properties of the subject matter. Mixed Media 30" x 30" x 1.5" $1,499.00
At A Crossroads - Second Place
Daniele Piasecki Primarily a photographer, I used this self-portrait in a street mirror as a center piece to explore my own soul; it exactly reflected where I felt I was in my life: at a crossroads! The metaphor, so powerful & significant, triggered an urge to present this image in a mixed-media context that would infuse a deeper meaning to it, beyond what photography alone could achieve. This was a first in my artistic life! I painted on a rugged paper mounted on a wood panel to create a rough surface to draw on; graffiti-looking calligraphy & uneven, prickly letters are to convey the “bumpy ride” of someone embracing changes in life and express the diversity of feelings, emotions and states of mind that come along. I chose to write the words in circle around the image to evoke the sensation of being caught in a vortex, similar to what one may experience in circumstances of transition. The enlarged cut out of the mirror is mounted in a way that slightly projects from the background for a 3D effect. Mixed Media including Photography, Painting, Calligraphy. 24" x 36" x 2" $3,000.00
Kimberly Gill I had this canvas, with its layers upon layers of acrylic paint, for a very long time. It was one of those unfinished pieces that I was never quite sure what to do with. So I decided to experiment with a vertical format not typical of my work. My portraits, especially, are usually set in a square or horizontal format. Putting the subject’s face at the top of the canvas, right in the middle, was another thing I played with knowing it may not be the best design decision. Once the face was partially in, I continued to experiment. I decided to not reveal the entire head of my subject but to leave it up to the viewer’s imagination to fill in. Since I love the sense of movement and mystery in my work, I began to apply gesso to the painting wiping out some areas to give a sweeping motion effect diagonally across the canvas. I hope that I accomplished that feeling of movement and from the subject’s face, a sense of mystery. Acrylic and Pastel 48" x 36" x 2" $1,500.00
Magpie's Treasure - Fourth Place
Linda Perry My artwork is non objective and I use various tools such as paper, rags, twigs, sponges, leaves, pine needles, bubble wrap, to name a few, to paint with. I do a lot of mark making with graphite, charcoal, oil base markers, water base markers, crayons, pens, and pencils. I use sprayers with water and sandpaper to add and subtract marks and colors to get various textures and depth. My paintings consist of layer upon layer of marks and paint , thus experimenting with various textures, colors and marks to create a compelling abstract composition. Mixed media 24" x 36" x 2" $1,750.00
Cellular Bonfire - Juror Award
Laura Whitesides Host Printing Monotype "Paintings" is always an experimental process. One creates on a plexi plate- brushing and brayering on the plate . I then like to cut out shapes on Yupo paper and ink those separately to place on the plate after the initial inking. The delight is, once the plate and paper have gone through the printing press, the moment of discovery is the thrill of the experiment ! Printing is a backwards process so what one first creates is changed in the final process of going through the press. Monotype with Akua Intaglio Ink 30" x 38" x 1" $700.00
Ann Greene Creating abstract art is always an experiment; the outcome is an unknown. Abstract art requires being spontaneous, open to the unexpected, pushing the limits, responding to the changes happening and reaching a resolution. Since there is no reference to reality, I rely on the concepts of design to create a painting. Creativity requires a willingness to fail and courage to explore, play, and experiment. This mindset allows me to move into a space where surprises (and art) happen. I do whatever it takes- collage, glue, glitter, and persistence. Mixed media and collage on paper 15" x 21" x 0.1" $900.00
Kim Arntzen I started this piece by experimenting with 16 gauge steel wire to create a cloud sculpture. I added glass beads to generate interest. I further experimented by photographing the piece in snow. I enhanced the colors of the shadows using Photoshop until I was satisfied with the effect. Mixed media photo print using wire & glass in snow 16" x 36" x 1" $0.00
Kimberly Santini Moss is part of a series where I am relinquishing control, much like what's played out in the real world during the past couple of years. I choose an animal, based on what has shown up in my life multiple times during the recent past - dreams, readings, actual experiences, conversations, etc - and then wove them into the natural world, again leaning on things I am experiencing in real time and being significantly moved by. I set forth an intention based on those two things, and then allow intuition to steer the course. I also embrace at least one new to me process, technique or tool within each piece (sticking to mixed media watersolubles). The end result is an encapsulation of my passions during the paintings' progress and a jumping off point for the next painting. acrylic mixed media 60" x 48" x 1.5" $6,400.00
Chicken and Dumplings - Merit Award
Susan Tregay Something about this worn kitchen chair made me carry parts of it around through three moves. Suddenly “Chicken and Dumplings” NEEDED that chair. This is a wonderful, simple recipe from Rosa Parks’. Acrylic with vintage chair top 27" x 24" x 1.5" $1,200.00
Linda Vroegindewey I am a clay artist on a journey of discovery guided by a sense of childlike wonder. I am serious about my art, but my art is not serious. I feel every time I do a new piece of work in clay, it is all experimental. By nature, clay shrinks and moves. Dancing Bear was made in several pieces and the assembly of those pieces had to fit perfectly, especially the head to the brass neck ring to the body. The combination of the static body of the bear with the metal clockworks, was to give the feeling of movement. Ceramic -Mixed Media 7" x 6" x 8" $345.00
Ingrid Albrecht "A TAPESTRY in PAPER" is a work of art formed with absolutely no brushstrokes used anywhere in the work. It measures 30" x 48" and was intuitively created with 65 free style monotype prints that were printed using color, texture, and value that were needed for the abstract design. These then were torn into shapes that were used to make the overall design work together. The free style monotype printing process is a process that I developed many years back to achieve an unusually exciting end result on paper, producing images very difficult to produce with a brush. It was this process, the 65 prints that I printed from this process, that were used to complete "A TAPESTRY in PAPER" Fluid Acrylic Free Style Printing 30" x 48" x 2" $5,000.00
Ron Andrews This work started with an older watercolor painting that needed to be "repurposed" . I am a landscape artist so the goal was an abstracted landscape. My approach was to use a recent interest in collage as well as exploiting all available water media. I used a variety of fabric with different textures/patterns (all basically rectilinear) to contrast with the more organic/ natural patterns of the underlying tinted rice paper creases - all to suggest a variety of rock types/strata/texture. The focal interest is a waterfall illuminated by sunset light inspired by the annual event observed in Yosemite Valley. Oil pastel was used to create texture on the waterfall. The dominant cool blue-grey rock (fabric plus underlying WC painting) is contrasted with the warm waterfall and cascade on the foot of the falls which is enhanced with a hint of iridescent acrylic. All of this a first for me! Mixed Media -mixed water media & collage 22" x 15" x 1" $250.00
Sandra Applegate My Odyssey series of paintings start with only a vague notion of my growth and change as an artist. I let the loose watercolor application suggest where the image will start. I use ink to start defining shapes and let my stream of conscious take over to complete the painting, adding lines and circles as I go. Nothing is planned in advance and I am always thrilled with where I end up. Watercolor, ink + colored pencil 14" x 20" x 0" $475.00
Eileen Arnold I experimented with a random mosaic collage of mostly red hues. Then I created a Square Cat to place in this fantasy environment. The interplay between the collage and the paint is very interesting, especially when it seems as though Square Cat is made of bricks. I made the cat three dimensional while leaving the background flat. Acrylic over paper collage on mat board 14" x 11" x 1" $200.00
Jeanie Auseon In my restlessness during the early 2020 covid lock down, I was searching for [new to me] forms of artistic expression. Explorations with cold wax, oil paints, and a kitchen silicone squeegee enabled me to make marks that fascinated me with their spontaneity! Not using paintbrushes, pencils, chalk, or other traditional utensils for mark-making, I discovered that twisting, dragging, sliding, rotating, and various motions of my hand as I held the squeegee were creating expressive, engaging marks on the surface of the paper. I then experimented with layers of transparent, opaque, and semi-transparent paints over the marks creating unexpected hues and implied textures. It seemed the number of layers was not limited, leading to the ability to scratch or carve into the multi-layered surface - exposing marks, creating areas of interest within the composition. Thus, evolved "Persistency", an experiment in new media, and a "centering" thought for an unprecedented time in my life. Cold Wax, Oil Paints on Paper 9" x 9" x 1" $200.00
Marilyn Bachelor This painting was a failed watercolor painting in greens and yellows. I liked the shapes but the painting had no spark. I was learning to use acrylics so I just applied the new colors to the shapes and added line work. The opacity of acrylic worked to obliterate old colors and enhanced the shapes. acrylic 20" x 16" x 1" $185.00
Janet Baker This piece was experimental for me because it involved a process that merged my love of line and texture with the discoveries to be made through the use of a limited palette and layering. Using the three primaries and black and white, each stage produced surprises I could never have imagined. acrylic 15" x 11" x 1.5" $0.00
Mary Bamborough For this collage, I wanted to experiment not only with my art materials, but also with how I thought about my subject matter and my approach to it. “Single Moody” developed from my thoughts about COVID and my individual response to it. I like to feel as though I am coasting on the surface of life like the swan, but underneath that, the waters are chaotic – just as life is chaotic because of all the extra things we need to do as we attempt to experience some degree of normalcy during the pandemic. I represented the chaotic waters by experimenting with tissue paper, music paper, stencils, pan pastels, and watercolor. From a distance, the collage may seem peaceful. However, as you get closer to the collage and examine it more carefully, the more the waters seem tumultuous. mixed media 11" x 14" x 0" $0.00
Jennifer Bateman I love dots. They mark beginning and end of a line. Dots define my intrigue with Pointillism, and an ellipsis is my way of being a bit flirty without the use of words. Limited words. Unlimited dots to define pointillism. Then there's my love for fiber embellishments... My absolute ‘fav’ is the French Knot, traditionally used as a decorative dot to fill flower centers. But why stop there? Can I limit use to just one embroidery stitch? Will my eyes continue to light up with each dot? Will my fingers love the gentle nudging of dozens of knots into place? Can I lead my eye into the work with a little dot of thread? So I commit. I continue my childhood practice of “painting with thread” while reciting the magical mantra of the French Knot: “wrap the needle once, twice, go back down near the same hole you came up through, hold your left hand along this thread over here, and push the needle down there, and then pull it through to the back”. Then do it again, and again… Fiber 14" x 11" x 1" $300.00
Oksana Baumert Capturing on canvas the experience of viewing the White Sands of New Mexico was an inspiration and a challenge. In this mixed media painting I focussed on expressing the quiet vastness of the dunes, the mountains and the sky. I experimented with using thick cotton cord under handmade papers to accentuate and contrast the graceful wind-shaped contours of the dunes and the jagged edges of the mountains. I added glass bead gel and copper leaf to further emphasize texture and reflected light. The clouds are painted over a layer of gauze and molding paste which gives the piece additional three-dimensional texture and a heightened sense of movement. mixed media, acrylic paint, fabric, paper, cord, copper leaf 36" x 48" x 2"36" $2,300.00
BERYL BAYER This piece was experimental to me because I used fabric as a medium to make a bold and energetic piece that expressed my manic mood at the time. collage 10" x 10" x .8" $300.00
Robin Beckwith I enjoy plein air painting in winter, especially when temperatures drop well below freezing. I brush or spray paint on a wet surface, allowing the pigment and water to mingle and freeze, waiting for nature to create patterns. Since our winters have become warmer, I looked for something which might create similar textures and came across a “recipe,”and decided to experiment with it. I mixed measured Epsom salt with twice the proportion of warm water and stirred until the salt dissolved completely. As I wanted to maintain the vibrancy of color and clarity of texture afforded by working with a synthetic surface, I chose TerraSkin. I brushed the Epsom salt mixture over the surface and dropped, sprayed, and poured diluted watercolor paint on the surface. Some of the color began to react immediately while other areas took a few weeks or longer to fully develop crystals. Though I didn’t have preconceived ideas, my painting seemed to represent a beginning, and I chose Genesis. Watermedia 21" x 30" x 1" $900.00