The top five artists in each category were given awards in the 7th Annual Colorful Abstractions 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 7th Annual Colorful Abstractions Exhibition page for contact information.
Congratulations again to all the winners and thank you for sharing your talent with us.
Best in Show (Traditional) – George Casprowitz – “Alter Ego” – acrylic on paper collage
Artist George Casprowitz has been a working artist for over fifty years. His quiet demeanor is a contrast to his art in which throughout the many different phases of his work uses vibrant colors, shapes and abstracts to draw in the viewer’s eyes.
George was born in 1940 in Hollywood, California. His first major employment was in the movie industry doing a variety of jobs on the production side of film making. A film is produced in a rectangular format like most paintings. It tells a story using visual stimuli and depending on its viewer to supply a lot of their experience to complete its story.
Much of George’s work depends on the viewer to relate its lines, circles and open spaces to ideas beyond the physical objects. George’s next occupation after graduation from the University of Oregon was as an architect in New York and Philadelphia. Good architecture is more than walls, doors and hardware. Good architecture needs to function well, but should also be good aesthetic experience. George tries to do this in his art. His paintings use lines and solid forms as a format but the remaining space is of equal importance. And then there is colour and texture. Color is the constant through all the various forms his paintings, prints and sculptures since his first one-person show in 1970 in Vancouver.
Since that first show, George has done one-man shows in Toronto, New York, London, Seattle, Portland, Calgary, Victoria, and Philadelphia in private and public art galleries. His work is in many public, corporate and private collections. George has also enjoyed teaching art at different times in his career.
He currently lives and works in South Surrey, British Columbia, Canada.
George’s website is www.casprowitz.com
Best in Show (Photography & Digital) – Gabriele Gracine – “Travel On” – digital
I am a self-taught digital artist. I create art for the pure joy of the experience and in an effort to bring the power of beauty to the world. My process is a proprietary technique I continuously explore and refine. The digital medium provides me with the magical tools to actualize my visions. My art is primarily the result of a conversation between my inner and external influences. When I approach the creative process, I’m seeking spontaneous expressions of direct feeling that emphasize the energies of essential form, movement, light, color and texture. I intend, with each realized conception to capture the viewer’s wonder and imagination with an image of visual poetry that is unique, deeply personal and extends an offer to contemplate the possibility of entering a new reality through the extraordinary digital world.
Gabriele’s website is http://abstractgaby.strikingly.com
Best in Show (3 Dimensional) – Brian Mark – “Byron” – alabaster
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.
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.
Brian’s website is www.brianmarksculptor.com
2nd Place (Traditional) – Michael Kwong – “Balance and Order” – acrylic on canvas
Professor Michael Kwong was born in Hong Kong in 1972, studied in Columbus College of Art & Design and worked as an illustrator in United State after graduation. In 2002, he finally moved back to Hong Kong to continue his artistic career.
Prof. Kwong has taught in different universities included Shantou University, Xiamen University and Savannah College of Art and Design. At the same time, he has been working as a pop art and abstract expressionist painter creating art pieces that combining eastern culture characteristic and western painting technique together.
Michael’s website is http://michael6137.wix.com/artworks
2nd Place (Photography & Digital) – Elise Grindle – “BettaBlot#2” – digital print on metal
Elise Grindle is a Southern California-born and raised collage artist whose art focuses on spiritual abstractions. Elise’s art is inspired by life, the human soul, and humanity’s expansion through our relationship with: ourselves, source, the earth, the cosmos, and all things that exist in the universe.
Elise can be reached via her Email.
2nd Place (3 Dimensional) – Ed Whitmore – “Rustic Tree” – oxidized bronze metal effects paint on wood
Artist Biography: Themes of decay and loss permeate Ed’s art and are reflected in his choice of medium, the evocative buildup of patina that develops as a result of the oxidation of iron copper and bronze metal effects paint.
Both of Ed’s parents were born in Poland and survived the complete destruction of their way of life. Ed was born in the Bronx and spent his formative years living in Paterson, New Jersey, an industrial city that was home to past triumphs but now a place of gloom and hopelessness. He often incorporates materials that evoke a lost past in his paintings and sculpture such as reclaimed barn wood, vintage wrought iron and letterpress trays.
Mark Rothko’s large color field paintings have been a big influence on Ed’s art. Ed tries in his own work to capture some of that sublime sense of awe that Rothko’s work evokes.
Artist Statement: I work with metal effects paints (iron, copper, bronze) which change color as they oxidize, creating patina in subtle shades of brown, green and blue which evokes the passage of time, suggests loss and decay and reflects my fascination with lost civilizations.
I often incorporate vintage objects into my work such as using 75+ year old letterpress trays and creating sculptures atop the bases of vintage wrought iron candelabras. I sometimes painstakingly hand chisel wood planks prior to painting which gives the work a 3D effect.
I collect and tumble semi-precious stones which I sometimes use to ornament my paintings and sculptures. The lovely hues of agate, garnet and jasper enhance the colors of the oxidized metal effects paint and provide even the casual viewer a way to approach and appreciate the art work. For those attuned to the spiritual and metaphysical properties of minerals, the pieces exude positive calming energy.
Ed’s website is http://edwhitmore.com
3rd Place (Traditional) – Donna Miller Haggerty – “When Moonstone Met Quin Rose” – watercolor
I refer to my art as Eclectic Impressionism; I like to explore different styles, mix various mediums and use an assortment of techniques to produce an artwork that is an expression of myself rather than an exact duplicate of what I see. Once I choose a subject matter I usually create a series of paintings. When I start an abstract piece I often use something in my environment to spark an exploration of color and shapes. As I add layers with color with different mediums, I follow my inner muse transform art piece into an abstraction.
Donna’s website is http://artistgallerydonna.com
3rd Place (Photography & Digital) – Lynne Deutch – “Shades of Light” – photography
The works of Lynne Deutch are studies in spontaneity and spirit. Lynne would consider herself an artist and travel photographer. Her photography focuses on capturing life as it might appear every day; rugged, demanding, and joyful. Her travels have taken her to Kenya, Burma, the Galapagos Islands, and even Antarctica, each trip cementing her love of exploration and fascination with humanity. The adventurous travel that Lynne enjoys leads to images that are often unusual but always fascinating. Her subjects range from personal studies of villagers, vast penguin colonies, and chaotic city life to the abstract compositions of remote sea ice. When photographing people, she captures her subjects in their most natural state; sometimes working, other times playing. When her subjects are not human, Lynne accentuates the most interesting aspects, focusing on texture and composition. Lynne creates images that are unique by portraying her subjects in ways that people might not imagine.
Lynne’s website is www.lynnedeutch.com
3rd Place (3 Dimensional) – Lydia Chadwick – “Hills” – weaving reed, plastic wrap, pattern paper
I am a student at the College of Charleston in South Carolina. My main body of work is conceptual designs based on my perception of life. I find that the only story I can tell through my work is my own. By experimenting with my discomforts and stressors, I can express myself and heal through my work. I am currently working on my senior thesis to be exhibited in a gallery. I’m excited to enter the professional world of art this spring after my graduation in December.
Lydia can be reached via her Email.
4th Place (Traditional) – Jordan Gidley – “Sunset” – mixed media
In my work, I focus on the convergence of energy, emotionality and environment, as well as how these facets affect how we experience life. The abstract pieces I have chosen for this show are part of my TERRA series. This series was inspired by my recent move across the country to Seattle. My partner and I drove much farther west than I had ever been. I had the opportunity to see landscapes that I’d only seen in photos. I visited national parks for the first time in my life, and I felt more connected to the country I lived in and the land I lived on. Feeling the energy of this landscape inspired me to try and capture the essence of these environments through this mixed media series.
Jordan’s website is https://linktr.ee/sublime_currents
4th Place (Photography & Digital) – Roxy McHaffey – “Weaving Wonder” – digital photo manipulation
My work focuses on creating alternate representations of reality using photography as the source material. I take photographs whose sense of space is already ambiguous and create a new reality through digital manipulation and image collage. I turn the photograph into a digital pallet, and use the original source material to construct a new image, world, or reality that blurs the lines between photography, painting and collage.
Roxy’s website is www.roxoutofthebox.com
5th Place (Traditional) – Shaun C. Whiteside – “Fall” – acrylic
Artist Biography: Shaun C. Whiteside graduated with a BA from CNU’s art department in 2007, and received an MFA from Radford University in 2011, where he studied under Doctor Halide Salam. He is currently an adjunct instructor at Radford University. Whiteside has received awards for his art in numerous exhibition, had work published in several periodicals, including twice in the International Painting Annual (INPA), and published by the Manifest creative research gallery and drawing center in Cincinnati, OH. He was also a recipient of a 2011-2012 VMFA Fellowship grant. Whiteside has exhibited from California to New York, as well as in Japan, and his works are in public and private collections from Arizona to New Jersey.
Artist Statement: My work explores the metaphysical or emotional realm through a painting process that employs physical forces. I depict emotional energies such as grief, despair, isolation, and anxiety by utilizing physical energies such as gravity, water erosion, and sedimentation. I use gravity itself as a medium to develop imagery that is dictated by natural law. Water erosion and sedimentation also determine parts of the visual outcome, as pigments are swept away from certain areas, and deposited in others where water accumulates and evaporates. I use the visual forms that develop to depict emotional forces and energies that are unseen but very real powers in the world. My creative process acts as a metaphor for the themes of powerlessness that inspire my work. Moreover, by incorporating natural forces into my drawing and painting process, I am simultaneously exalting natural order while decrying the iniquities created by human order.
Shaun’s website is www.scwhiteside.net
5th Place (Photography & Digital) – John H Diephouse – “Falling from Above” – photography
Mr. Diephouse is a primarily self-taught photographer who began exhibiting his images about fifteen years ago. He seeks to share images with which he has a strong and instinctive personal connection. Images may be simply documentary, invoke a sense of time and place, or resonate as an abstract blend of color, shape or form. Others provoke an indefinable question that does not readily yield answers without further study and reflection.
His creative process follows an intuitive yet patterned path, searching for the combination of elements that produces an instinctive but undeniable connection. Most often the images that provoke the strongest connection are those that do not produce an immediate reaction but provoke a response through repeated contact and consideration over time.
Mr. Diephouse exhibits widely and have earned recognition in local, regional, and national exhibitions. His photographs are also included in several corporate and private collections.
John can be reached via her Email.
