Blue

Our third Art competition “Blue” started in July 2023 and concluded on August 17, 2023. Art Room Gallery received entries from many countries around the world: USA, China, Norway, Canada, France, Poland, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Australia, Spain and South Korea. The Blue theme in this competition included a diversity in types, styles and mediums (oil on canvas, acrylic, watercolor, pastel, alcohol ink, 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 122 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:

My recent work interprets the past as a personal, cultural, and archetypal artifact. The human body, architectural unit, and surrounding landscape become metaphors in my work. Trained as a traditional printmaker, I am intrigued by the richness and variety inherent in varied techniques. Storytelling is at the core of my work, with the collaged surface used as a mode of telling stories, expressing feelings, and sharing imagery. Through my work the familiar reappears in unfamiliar configurations; a new sense of significance is imparted to an otherwise everyday object.Fecho is a multi-media printmaker/surface designer with an M.F.A. from East Carolina University as well as postgraduate studies from various institutions including; Jan Van Eyck Academie, Humboldt Field Research Institute, Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, Northern Illinois University and Penland School of Crafts. She has exhibited regionally, nationally and internationally - and has received numerous awards, grants and residencies.

Statement:

Dynamic light and shadow treatments are prominent in my paintings. By emphasizing lighting and value change I hope to create powerfully expressive and bold compositions. Monochromatic color schemes are perfect for this technique. I design my work around mathematical concepts rather than emotion. The most important part of any artwork to me is composition. My art is an expression of an inner need to escape and find a place where I can go on a creative journey whether it is to become a different person, to see beauty in my surroundings. or to travel to a different place. Creating art is fun and sometimes frustrating, addictive but never, never boring. I love being an artist.

Statement:

Madeleine Wories was born in the Netherlands, raised in Costa Rica and Australia, studied and worked as an architect in Montreal, Canada, and now makes her home in Southern California. Her abstracts evolve through an ongoing dialogue with the painting, acting and reacting to the process intuitively. In the spirit of abstract expressionism, through colour, shape, line, texture, marks, gesture and movement, she strives to find a balance between control and spontaneity where intention and unpredictability converge. The paintings start with loose ideas, which then evolve until they take on a life of their own. She is more interested in the emotional response to the painting with the aim to evoke rather than to depict. She works on paper, canvas, wood panels, creates collages, and wall installations of reclaimed wood and other materials. She often draws inspiration from the environment: landforms, geology, textures, seas, skies, wind and weather, as well as from current events. She has exhibited in the US and internationally, and her work can be found in several corporate, institutional and private collections.