The top five artists in each category were given awards in the 6th Annual Colors international online art exhibition. Below are the biographies and/or artist’s statements along with the artist’s websites or emails.
To contact these artists directly for purchase inquiries or to see more of their work, please visit the 6th Annual Colors Art Exhibition page for contact information.
Congratulations again to all the winners and thank you for sharing your talent with us.
Best in Show (Traditional) – Jana F. Jaros – “Colours” – acrylic on canvas
Artist Biography: Jana Jaros graduated from the Ontario College of Art and Design University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada in Interdisciplinary Art. Following her graduation Jana became a scenic painter/artist for theatre & film sets as well as commercial and heritage. She excelled in these fields because of her love for them. She recently put her skills to use in the restoration of outdoor mural work. She continues to be supportive of the arts in her area by providing an online arts hub ARTSCOVSA. The group has grown since its inception in 2019 involving many disciplines of the arts and culture.
Artist Statement: Is the story getting through? I am a figurative painter. While structure is important to me in technique, it is not what drives me to choose my subject matter. Each of my paintings is derived from a story, experience or an idea. I want to reach and connect to the emotional impact of them. During the hours and days, I work, there is a narrative going through my head and I become completely invested and connected to my canvas. It is why I chose macro focus, carefully considered angular perspective and the title of my work. It guides my brush across the canvas creating a description of smooth or moody atmosphere that supports the tale behind it.
To see more of Jana’s work, please visit her website.
Best in Show (Photography & Digital) – Judy Belleci – “Originally Iris …” – photography
Judy is FootePrint Art … By definition a footprint is a mark left behind; an impression of the ‘sole’ of a person; a vestige … Thus is FootePrint Art. Judy creates and presents her art as an outward expression of her passions and character. Her style is clean simplicity … Judy is first an artist — her heart, her soul, and her eyes. With photography Judy prefers the quick and uncomplicated ability to create something with the click of the shutter. However, that is only the beginning for her. She then launches into her creative process in which she finds so much joy and elation. And then there are the results…. Zen – that contemplation of one’s essential nature to the exclusion of all else. Judy’s heart and creativity are her way of expressing harmony and a sense of the divine order of our universe.
You can see Judy’s work on Facebook, her website, and most of the highlights of her work on Viewbug.
Best in Show (3 Dimensional) – Robert Obier – “Dynamo XL” – sculpture – mixed media
A strict and systematic organization of components define the work and reveal a discipline that is unmistakably architectural. At first glance, the geometric forms seem strangely familiar as if seen somewhere before – but where – when? Upon closer examination – perhaps the designs are remnants of some distant and secrete civilization or even an, as of yet, unknown and mysterious future. The forms are intentionally abstract – giving shape to a brief moment of design inspiration. Schematic concepts emerge as built objects without the practical or functional restrictions that necessarily accompany the development of an architectural or industrial product.
The final sculpted artwork derives from an initial “thumbnail” sketch. The preliminary shapes are explored and refined through multiple iterations as 3-d computer models. These varied iterations may serve to refine the idea or may be individually produced as a limited series of sculptural works. The work combines the “tried and true” techniques of old-fashioned craftsmanship with today’s most advanced rapid prototyping technologies such as CAD modeling, 3-D printing, and CNC fabrication.
Particular finish applications such as weathering and rust recall an ‘earlier life’ in the story of certain pieces. The work has a timeless quality – seeming to exist in the past, the present and the future – simultaneously.
To see more of Robert’s work, please visit his website.
2nd Place (Traditional) – Linda McCord – “Two of a Kind” – acrylic on paper
I am a self-taught artist that works in a wide variety of mediums and subject matter. I love light and shadow, reflections and shapes. I prefer using unusual compositions. I use many layers of transparent color instead of direct application.
To see more of Linda’s work, please visit her website.
2nd Place (Photography & Digital) – Barbara Mierau-Klein – “Cathedral Lighting” – digital photo collage
Barbara Mierau-Klein is a digital artist recognized for her multi-layered, imaginative and colorful fine art images. A native of Germany, Barbara lives in the Washington, D.C. area but often travels the world as a passionate landscape and nature photographer since her teenage years.
Much of Barbara’s work is highly stylized and focuses on beautiful moments and evocative moods across a wide range of subjects. The inspiration for her images comes from many sources, often her own nature photography, but also books, song lyrics, movies, and works of other artists, old masters as well as contemporary digital artists.
Barbara’s work has been exhibited in a number of galleries in the US and Europe and has received numerous awards. Her images also appear regularly in international art magazines. Barbara is represented locally by Waverly Street Gallery in Bethesda, MD.
To see more of Barbara’s work, please visit her website.
2nd Place (3 Dimensional) – Brian Mark – “Keats” – green marble
Nature is raw. Art is practiced. Each stone has its own language and I work to understand that language. Some of the learning comes from striving to listen to what each stone is saying. Each has a color, a shape, and a hidden beauty. While valuing that uniqueness, I strive to let my imagination fly free, in order build upon nature’s creation: blending raw nature with understanding the language of this stone.
And, so begins the conversation between stone and sculptor. When a stone selects me, I cannot know what striations, hues, density, faults, lie under the surface. As I begin chiseling and grinding, the stone talks to me, saying, “I have this special colored line running through me: preserve it.” Or, “slightly shift the angle of this or that curve.” Or, “work with me: together we can bring forth that special surprise, that new beauty never before seen.”
The conversation continues until nature’s stone and my imagination marry and together say, “stop – our work is done.” For me that conversation must lead to a sculpture that has movement, movement, movement. That movement is stone brought to life in a way never before seen.
To see more of Brian’s work, please visit his website.
3rd Place (Traditional) – Cher Pruys – “Swim Ring” – acrylic on 300 lb. hot press
Cher Pruys was born in Regina. Over the years she lived in many places including Saskatoon, Calgary, Edmonton, Ottawa, Fort Frances, settling into her present home in Devlin, on the banks of the Rainy River with her husband Mark, 4 dogs and 2 cats.
By age three, Cher was seldom found without a drawing tool in hand. She worked in pencil, charcoal and ink over the years, until, she picked up a paintbrush at the age of 35. Beginning with oil paints, she found her chosen mediums in acrylic, water color and gouache.
Although self-taught, her dedication and talent has seen her work juried into 99 International exhibits, as well as exhibits in numerous non juried shows. She has won 75 awards for her work at the International Juried Exhibits.
To see more of Cher’s work, please visit her website.
3rd Place (Photography & Digital) – Peter Lemiska – “A Clash of Colors” – photography on metal
Clutter is a photographer’s worst nightmare. By simplifying an image – selecting just the right elements of a cluttered scene – a photo can tell a story, evoke curiosity or some emotion, or simply be aesthetically appealing. Twentieth-century photographer, Elliott Erwitt, expressed it best. He saw photography as an art of observation: “It’s about finding something interesting in an ordinary place… it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them.”
That’s the challenge that every photographer faces – to look at the world from a different perspective and create visual impact from the ordinary things that surround us. It’s the composition of a photo that helps distinguish it from a snapshot.
The images of this this self-taught photographer have been displayed throughout the country, including juried exhibitions at the San Diego County Fair, the Cape Cod Art Association, and the Blue Ridge Mountains Arts Association. Closer to home, his work has been shown at the Hopkinton Historical Society, the Massabesic Audubon Center, and the prestigious Levy Gallery in New Hampshire. Several have been acquired for permanent display in the Merrimack County Courthouse in New Hampshire.
His photos were also among the winning entries in 2017 Merrimack County Bank photo contest, and he was awarded First Place in the 2008 Shaker Village Photo Contest in New Hampshire. He was awarded an Honorable Mention in the 2004 San Diego County Fair Exhibition.
To see more of Peter’s work, he can be reached via his Email.
3rd Place (3 Dimensional) – Alison Galvan – “The Yoga Class” – mixed media mobile sculpture
Alison Galvan is a Bachelor of fine arts graduate of Parsons School of Design from New York & Paris, France, an award-winning restauranteur & sculptor of over 25 years. For Galvan the combination of Covid lockdowns, the negative impact upon her restaurant business, & turning 50 was a perfect storm & stress was draining the life out of her. So, she took up meditation.
Challenged to quiet her anxious mind, Galvan gravitated towards guided meditations. One evening she was guided to picture her younger, smaller self & to remember a specific moment when she was truly happy. Struggling at first, she deliberately slowed her breath, & after a few beats, envisioned herself when she was all of four or five popping up on the side of a pool wearing her favourite red polka dot bathing suit. On her arms she was rocking Disney floaties. Looking into that little girl’s bucktoothed smiling face, laughter bubbled up unbidden, and struck by a simple truth I stammered out loud, “We never had to take any of it seriously, did we?” To which the little girl in her meditation grinned broadly and suddenly, surprised by her unexpected insight, she felt a thousand times lighter.
And so began Galvan’s quest to come full circle. Through her narrative mobiles she chooses to celebrate that innocent wisdom, & boundless imagination, displaying the poignant moments leading her to remember that… we never had to take any of it seriously, did we?
To see more of Alison’s work, please visit her website.
4th Place (Traditional) – Alexander Lipay – “Red Circle” – oil on canvas
Alexander Lipay is a three time Grammy Award winning artist who works with oil paint to create colorful, large-scale fantasy landscapes and abstract paintings. His art is inspired by planets, galaxies, stars, and all other space objects. He lives and works in Tucson, Arizona.
To see more of Alexander’s work, please visit his website.
4th Place (Photography & Digital) – Elizabeth Kayl – “Bowl of Cherries” – digital photography
I have always been told that I have an “eye” for capturing a good photograph. Driving down the road or walking along a city sidewalk, I am constantly seeking to find that perfect composition or subject to frame in my mind, hoping that my camera is with me. It wasn’t until the pandemic hit that I became serious about sharing my work with a broader audience than just my family and have been pleased with the success I have received in doing so. As a photographer by passion and not trade, I am intrigued by both the ordinary and extraordinary, particularly drawn toward colors, unusual landscapes, birds, and architecture.
To see more of Elizabeth’s work, please visit her website.
5th Place (Traditional) – Helen Lesnick – “Ruth Bader Ginsburg” – pastel
I am an artist/filmmaker currently living in Carlsbad, California. I’ve spent most of my life on the East coast, mostly in New Jersey and New York. I have been drawing and painting since I was a child and had a few exhibits of my work when I was in high school. I graduated with a degree in Literature and Theatre Arts from the University of Pennsylvania. After graduation, I pursued an acting career in NYC appearing in several off-Broadway productions. I studied acting with the renowned acting teacher, Michael Howard. I left acting to pursue rabbinical studies at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York, Los Angeles, and Jerusalem. After the program, I lived for 8 years in Tel Aviv and returned to acting and artwork.
I have always been most interested in the complexities and expressiveness of the human face. I am currently concentrating on oversize portraits. Expressionism has had the biggest impact on me and among my influences are Kirchner, Marc, Beckmann, and Kandinsky. My color choices are based on light and shadow and feeling. After making a preliminary sketch, I always begin with the eyes because as I’m working on the portrait, I want to feel engaged with the person. For the same reason, I almost always chose to have the subject looking directly out at the viewer. My objective is to have the subject directly engage the viewer. My submitted work is of Ruth Bader Ginsburg and it has been an honor to create her portrait.
To see more of Helen’s work, please visit her website.
5th Place (Photography & Digital) – John H Diephouse – “Cracking Under Pressure” – photography
I am a primarily self-taught photographer who migrated from film to digital photography about fifteen years ago. After retiring from a professional management career, I have more actively explored the technical and creative sides of this media.
I am attracted to a wide variety of subjects ranging from natural landscapes, botanicals and wildlife to images that provide either abstract expression or social commentary. I am interested in sharing images that evoke a story of some kind. Images may be simply documentary, reflect a sense of time and place, or resonate on a more abstract level of color, shape or form. Others provoke an indefinable question that does not readily yield answers without further study and reflection.
Most often I am drawn back to images created while wandering through the back roads and small towns of the upper Midwest. These images of architecture, commerce and social life often reflect a mixture of nostalgia and a changing set of forces that shape life in the heartlands.
I have exhibited widely and have earned recognition in local, regional, and national exhibitions. My photographs are also included in several corporate and private collections.
To see more of John’s work, he can be reached via his Email.
