The top five artists in each category were given awards in the 6th Annual Waterscapes 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 Waterscapes Exhibition page for contact information.
Congratulations again to all the winners and thank you for sharing your talent with us.
Best in Show (Traditional) – Joseph A. Miller – “After II” – oil on paper on panel
I have always been inclined to pursue art in a manner, which emphasizes drawing and a concern for naturalism. I focus primarily on the human figure depicted in environments that create a context for psychologically charged, open-ended narratives. Many of these narratives explore ideas about power and vulnerability.
Images of figures or figures in landscapes, in groups or in isolation, share a common feeling of significance. Wholly absorbed within themselves or the dialogue shared between one another, they wait for the unfolding of their private story.
To see more of Joseph’s work, visit his website.
Best in Show (Photography & Digital) – Jeremy Janus – “Waterfalls and Canyon Walls” – metal infused digital photography print
I grew up living the city life in southern California. When I moved to Colorado at 18, I dealt with depression, anxiety, and suicide contemplation. It was during this period that I found nature and art, which intertwined to help heal my soul during the darkest years of my life. In 2016, I decided to purchase my first dSLR camera and have been shooting and sharing my adventures in nature since then. My aspiration is to be an inspiration for others to follow, a light in the darkness, and show people the beauty of this world. I have been fortunate to exhibit in over 40 galleries, museums, and exhibits since the latter part of 2019.
To see more of Jeremy’s work, visit his website.
Best in Show (3 Dimensional) – Susan Amorde – “Deconstructed Justice” – mixed media
Susan Amorde is a Los Angeles based sculptor, born in Washington, D.C., with BFA from California State University, Long Beach. Through her art, she connects personal experiences to the underlying beliefs and values driving our culture. Amorde looks at the emotional significance, as well as defining concepts, and then translates them into a visual commentary through material, media and methods. She is interested in metaphorically representing human emotions and present-day issues— both literally and conceptually.
Susan is meticulous about her materials and carefully considers all aspects of the elements that comprise her artworks. Nothing is arbitrary or left to chance. Every choice from gesture to texture to genre is driven by its inherent meaning; visual, historical and conceptual significance and contribution to the message of each piece.
These works are conceptual sculptures that are part of a larger series on universal, political and personal Baggage. They are made with carefully chosen vintage suitcases and antique brass portholes, as well as water and mixed media that invites the viewer to peer into the soul of issues related to water, societal and personal baggage in a womb like atmosphere. Water is one of our most valuable resources. We must not squander time; drown that knowledge or justice for our nation and planet.
Contemporary culture, with all its foibles and triumphs, provides the foundation for her examination, critique, documentation, and celebration of life. Susan Amorde’s work is driven by optimism for what we can be, juxtaposed with the ideas and events that shape our lives.
To see more of Susan’s work, visit her website.
2nd Place (Traditional) – Daisy Dai – “Pathway to the Pier” – watercolor
Daisy Dai was born in 1984 in mainland China and currently living in Hong Kong. Since childhood, she has found her passion in all kind of arts, drawing, painting, crafting, etc. When she was 6 years old, she started to learn basic drawing skills in local Children Palace, which is a place for young learners who love arts. When she became a teenager, she continued her art-learning journey from a figure artist.
Daisy studied at University of Ottawa and graduated with a bachelor degree in Commence, and shortly followed by a master degree in Financial Risk Management in Simon Fraser University. After graduation, she took job in Vancouver first and then move to Hong Kong to settle down. Although Daisy was working in a financial industry, art has always been a part of her life that she couldn’t live without. She has never stopped drawing or painting in spare time. She’s been doing illustrations for educational organizations and published a picture book as both an illustrator and a writer. She’s been also teaching drawing for children aged 4-10.
Daisy rediscovered her love of painting after serval years of working. Now she has her own studio and she spent most of her time in watercolor painting. To herself, watercolor is an amazing medium, which shows a transparent view of painting. She always loves the feeling when she mix the transparent colored water and fill in the paper. Her art works that are inspired by beautiful natures and feelings.
To see more of Daisy’s work, please visit her Instagram.
2nd Place (Photography & Digital) – Mark Weller – “Fort Meyers Beach” – photography
Mark Weller is nearly surrounded by water. Lake Superior to the north, Lake Michigan to the east, the Mississippi River to the west and over 15,000 Wisconsin lakes in between. “I think I have sweet water in my veins,” says Weller. He grew up playing in the sands of Lake Michigan, which left an indelible impression he carries with him through today. “Water is life. Without it, all life dies.”
Weller photographs water in all its forms: liquid, ice, and clouds. “There is a beauty to moving water. Looking and understanding flow, currents, rain, ice… water is intoxicating to me. Even when I travel, it’s usually to a spot that is defined by water.” From a dewdrop in the northern boreal forest, trickling on the woodland floor, collecting in a creek, thundering over a waterfall, cascading to the Great Lakes and ultimately to the oceans. Weller has photographed and celebrated this unending circle of life. Water is one of his feted and signature subjects.
Weller is a Wisconsin native and started his early professional career making films in Alaska. In 1980, he moved to Madison, Wisconsin as PBS Wisconsin’s senior producer for News and Public Affairs creating documentaries for statewide and national audiences winning numerous national and statewide awards. He then accepted a position at a telecommunications firm and retired as President and CEO in 2019. Gallery Marzen say Mark’s “propensity for capturing movement and its relationship to his camera sets him far apart from other photographers.” As a lecturer and innovator, he was recently honored with an “M” award from Madison Magazine.
To see more of Mark’s work, please visit his website.
2nd Place (3 Dimensional) – Joel Douek – “Big Wave” – oxidized copper & gold leaf
Originally from London, Joel Douek is a functional artist and sculptor currently based in Los Angeles. Through solo and group exhibitions, his international presence continues to grow in both corporate and private sectors. Recent commissions include large-format wall pieces and art furniture for the legendary Jim Henson Studio Lot in Hollywood, and his latest solo show in Los Angeles – “MetalMorphosis” – drew a resoundingly positive public response, with praise from LA Times art critic Liesl Bradner.
Joel works principally with raw metals and recovered woods, using a variety of oxidation techniques to harness the striking natural colors and textures of these materials. He explores themes of change and impermanence, often contrasted against the enduring permanence of gold in the form of gold leaf.
Joel’s life as an artist and sculptor has happened in tandem with his successful career as an award-winning music composer, scoring many of the documentaries of British naturalist Sir David Attenborough, along with feature films and hundreds of television episodes. An industry pioneer in spatial audio and immersive music for Virtual Reality and location-based experiences, Joel has created numerous social impact pieces as well and 360º musical soundscapes alongside artists such as Justin Timberlake and Avicii.
Joel’s career has been one of organic, experiential, and elemental creation throughout. His threads of art and music are closely intertwined, adding ever-evolving dimension and color to each other.
To see more of Joel’s work, please visit his website.
3rd Place (Traditional) – Cangying Hu – “Visitors from Afar – Noon” – oil on linen
Cangying is an award-winning Chinese artist. He studied oil painting at Central Academy of Fine Arts, which is art academy managed by the Ministry of Education of China. He has won numerous awards and participated in exhibitions both nationally and internationally.
To see more of Cangying’s work, please email him directly.
3rd Place (Photography & Digital) – Kevin Wunder – “Ocean Sunset” – digital photography
Kevin Wunder is a self-taught digital photographer residing in Camarillo, California. His interest in photography began in high school when he received a film camera as a gift and would spend his free time exploring the family farm and taking pictures. He then transitioned to digital photography and enjoys the gratification of sharing his images.
Kevin’s photographic interests focus on nature, landscape, pets, and wildlife in both color and black/white formats. His work is inspired by the photographic work and techniques of Thomas Mangelsen, Art Wolfe, Frans Lanting, and Marc Muench. Kevin strives to show the beauty of the world and to engage the emotions of the viewer through his photography.
Kevin enjoys traveling and capturing the beauty of California and the western United States through his camera lens. His images have been accepted into numerous local competitions as well as being published in the travel industry.
To see more of Kevin’s work, please email him directly.
3rd Place (3 Dimensional) – Brian Mark – “Waterfall” – alabaster
Biography: Born in Schenectady, New York, raised in Washington, D.C., I have been intrigued by art of all kinds for most of my life. By the time, I entered college I, not knowing what I wanted to do, thought, and quickly abandoned, dentistry. Literature appealed to me and ultimately, I earned a PhD in English and taught English literature at university. While I was doing scholarly work on English literature, I began to feel a tug toward doing, not just intellectualizing about art.
My first artistic foray was in woodworking. After a while, I could not shake the impact Dylan Thomas’ poem, “In My Craft or Sullen Art” had on me. I kept feeling I was doing craft, not art, and I wanted more. A friend urged me to look seriously at stone sculpture as my art focus. I eventually went to his sculpting class, and as soon as I set foot in the studio and looked at the work the students were doing, I was hooked. That was 20 years ago. I have been joyfully doing stone sculpting from that date to now. Sculpting is something I simply cannot NOT do. It is a passion.
I create abstract sculptures. I do not strive to make statements with my art. Rather, I try to bring beauty into this world, and at the same time soothe my soul by fulfilling the creative process. I have been in several shows and look forward to continuing my love/work in stone.
Artist Statement: 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.
4th Place (Traditional) – Ji Ma – “Anchang, a water town in South China” – gouache
Ji Ma is an award-winning Chinese artist and writer. In 2006, he graduated from the China Academy of Art with a bachelor’s degree in mural painting, and his graduation work “Century Landscape” was shortlisted for the 2006 Luo Zhongli Scholarship. In 2021, he earned a Master’s Degree, also from the China Academy of Art. He has participated in and won awards in numerous exhibitions.
To see more of Ji Ma’s work, please email him directly.
4th Place (Photography & Digital) – Todd Dieringer – “Waterfall” – digital photography
Art has always been a part of Mr. Dieringer’s life. At a young age, he picked up a camera and never stopped capturing images. Todd works in other media, including acrylic painting, scenic design for live theatre, and costume jewelry design.
Often, Todd’s artistic endeavors cross media and influence each other. His interest in nature and landscape photography has been informing and inspiring his abstract painting practice, while his painting practice has led to abstract manipulations of photographs. Todd challenges himself to look at things differently and re-imagine realities.
He is an award-winning artist in several disciplines and his work has been displayed across the United States and internationally. Most recently, he received the Director’s Choice Award for his image entitled “Castle” in the juried group exhibition: The Abstract Image at Praxis Photo Arts Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His photography and painting work has also been included in exhibitions with Fusion Art, PH 21 Gallery, View Arts, Upstream Gallery, Light Space & Time, Grey Cube Gallery, and ArtBox Project.
To see more of Todd’s work, please visit his website.
4th Place (3 Dimensional) – Shelly Gayring – “High End Low Country” – mixed media
Shelly Gayring lived most of her life far away from the Ocean in Central New York but always dreamed of it. Her first recollection of visiting the Ocean was on a cross-country family vacation when she was around 8 years old. They were short visits to the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans but memorable to the senses. She recalls the feel of the foamy waves and gritty sand, wind on the beach, smell of the salty air and sounds of the birds and people. Over the years trips to the Ocean were more of a dream than a reality taking only a few vacations to the Outer Banks.
In 2018, Shelly and her family moved to Oriental, North Carolina. Making trips to the Atlantic Ocean a short ferry ride. Once living in North Carolina, she was drawn to modern coastal décor. The shops in the area featured items from local artists each one inspiring and ignited her own creativity and intrigue. She found that working with resin to create Ocean pieces was calming and fulfilled the desire to create. She continue to grow as an artist and recently became a resident artist at ArtWorks Oriental.
To see more of Shelly’s work, please visit her website.
5th Place (Traditional) – Sylvia Audet – “Marais de nénuphars” – acrylique
A native of Lac-Mégantic and now a resident of Victoriaville in Quebec, Sylvia has always lived surrounded by landscapes of water and mountains. From an early age, drawing and painting forged her interest in the arts. This passion was illustrated at university and then throughout her artistic career devoted to the arts and teaching at all school levels. She therefore practiced different techniques such as oil, watercolor, screen printing, etching, lost wax casting, batik on canvas, sculpture and finally, acrylic.
Her figurative painting is part of a contemporary art context. She has won numerous awards and recognitions in Quebec, Canada, France, Spain, the Vatican, Belgium, Italy and the United States at Fusion Art.
Each painting becomes an apprenticeship, a motivation, an experiment in order to express the beauty of the environment and the hope of its sustainability. The subject itself becomes secondary, because it is imaged from the emotions and atmospheres suggested by the observation.
Her works thus testify to her concerns: “Indeed, I am influenced by the natural environment in which water and its vapors, whether mist, ice, snow or clouds, bathe my paintings. This choice comes from the environment in which I live, my passions and the respect I have for nature. Drawing inspiration from nature offers limitless figurative and abstract subjects “.
To see more or Sylvia’s work, please visit her website.
5th Place (Photography & Digital) – Garret Demarest – “Windy Passage” – digital photography
These photographic images were developed by Garret Demarest of Palm Springs, CA. Garret’s work has evolved over time from landscapes, seascapes, objects of interest, creative scenes, and spontaneous portraiture. The manipulation of original photographs into images resembling paintings of the “Color Field School” of artists in New York during the mid-20th Century has become his signature work. His viewing of the 1978 Retrospective of Mark Rothko at the Guggenheim, provided an enduring inspiration. Using photographic manipulative tools, he transforms original photographs into digital works of abstract impressionism, thus creatively blurring the lines between photography and painting. His technique allows for creating any type of image from an original photograph including enhancing representational images. His all-encompassing body of work, including original photos, has been enhanced through his career that included global travel. Light, color, patterns, textures, and reflections are about seeing the world in new ways, allowing an emotional transformative process. These photos, several taken from his travels, are about the power of the human soul to see and respond whether through the experience of reality or the abstract.
To see more or Garret’s work, please visit his website.
