Bauhaus Prairie Art Gallery

Celebrating the modernity of creative contemporary and traditional art through online art competition

March 2019 - Text & Images


Text & Images 2019

Text & Images 2018, is a new exhibition category for Bauhaus Prairie Art Gallery. It was implemented to provide a venue for artists who create art from the information society we live in. Some artist choose to represent it as they see it, others combined graphic images to send social messages while others use technology elements to create non-objective or abstract compositions.

Margaret Gaeddert was selected to jury this show based on her expertise as a graphic designer as well as being a Certified Adobe Trainer. These experiences allowed her to look at the art utilizing standard art and design concepts as well as to determine and appreciate the levels of mastery of digital art.

She closely examined each submission both visually and digitally to select the show. She was pleased with the range of creative designs and technical skill in the submissions.

Gaeddert selected the images she felt would make a good cohesive exhibition. She then narrowed her selection to what she deemed the top 20 and from there she laboriously narrowed the field to the top five awards plus 8 honorable mention. Below are the notes from this jury process. Gaeddert has not seen the text sent by the top winners to be published with their art.

Juror’s Notes

“Adrenalize”, Best of Show by Laurie Rosenberg, leaps out of the picture plane. It is a powerful piece about an adrenaline, gear-head speed junkie with a twist. One usually associates this subject with the male element but Rosenberg gaps the stereotype by making the car enthusiast female. Motor parts become an elaborate hair upsweep but make no mistake this female is ready to seriously compete. The composition of black and white utilizes diagonal elements to increase the dynamic tension while the red elements are a statement of speed. The collage is seamlessly executed to make it look as if the camera lens caught this moment in time.

Don Bergland’s, “Axiom,” receives the First Place Award. It is pure surrealism in design leaving the viewer to construct its meaning. It is hard to determine what the figures represent but united they either proclaim “GOD” or simple hold up the word for discussion. It has a feeling of classicism with a renaissance like background of trees and clouds but is ambiguous because it seems to be an interior scene in nature. The leg and feet elements are highly expressive in different stances on a rolling plank that stylistically hints at an illustration in a children’s book. The blocks resemble childhood building blocks but are not the expected wooden block but instead have a soft velvet texture. The mystery is complete when one tries to grasp the meaning of the headpieces on top of the blocks. The total composition is an enigma and draws in the viewer for interpretation.

“FullFillment,” the oil painting by Tobi Held was awarded Second Place in this exhibition. Held plays with individual letter to create an interesting composition in which the letters transform into objects rather than a message. The artist uses a descending color pallet from warm to cool drawing the eye from top to bottom or from bottom to top depending on the viewer (cup half empty or half full.) The artist inserts unexpected sub text, still life, and landscape as well as undulating patterns throughout to create visual movement that ties all elements together in a highly creating painting.

Gaylord Mink captures an amazing photo of a window with the word “CLOSe” and is the Third Place winner. There is so much more to this photo than a word in a window. The use of upper case letters and then the late addition of a lower case “e” create a mystery. The image becomes a self- portrait because the photographer is clearly reflected under the filmy plastic on which the word is written. Beyond the self-portrait layer is a world out of focus creating mystical depth of field for the viewer to contemplate.

Fourth Place honors go to “We Were Seeds” by Marin Burnett. The subject of this pastel and ink drawing immediately draws in the viewer. The little girl is floating in space with clouds and flower seeds drifting by. The artist uses monochromatic colors to incorporate the girl into the environment but her eyes speak softly but confidently to an unknown entity outside the picture plane. Burnett increases the need to understand what is before the viewer’s eye with the phrase: “When they buried us they didn’t know we were the seeds.” This could be a simple child’s story and yet it hints of some esoteric knowledge or communication between her eyes and that which lies beyond.

The Honorable Mention Awards were picked because they powerfully called to the juror. Take time to closely examine each of them and they will draw you in too. Text is a strong element in each of these pieces. “Home” by Kody Christiansen uses strong diagonal for emphasis to make the word “Home “ look like a protected space while Carrie Gary’s “Life in Text” elicits humor and a statement about our addiction to texting. “Endurance” by Mary-Ellen Latino is perfect word juxtaposed on top of a redwood giant that has stood the test of time. “Rocky Runners” by Lisa McGovern demonstrate the human desire to achieve against overwhelming odds. Undulating text and colors are used to create and amazing work, “Culture Clash” by Christine L. Satory. It’s hard to say the title of Les Schmidt’s photograph “Hello Tokyo” with out stringing the words out “HelloooooooooooooooTokyo,” reminiscent of Good Morning Viet Nam. Tina Ybarrow captures truth for today’s teachers in “Old School and the Entitled New.” Profound and sad, enough said! All three of Camile Zainos pieces in this exhibition demonstrate mastery of design theory using text as subject (her other pieces are in the noteworthy section.)

All artists in this show deserve congratulations for their creativity and vision.



Best Of Show

Laurie Rosenberg

"Adrenalize"

Collage , 9" x 12.5"

Sale Price $POR

Artist Statement About Adrenalize

Many of my collages are inspired by words. Adrenalize immediately made a connection with my love of cars, especially fast cars. This work is all about the feeling you get when you are ready for action, ready to achieve your goals. Super charge your brain and get to work!

 

Artist Resume

 

Degree in Textiles and Clothing with a minor in art from Arizona State University, classes including painting, pottery, drawing, photography.

Art/classroom teacher elementary school

Memberships

Herzliya Artists Organization

Daylighted Artist

Exhibitions

Showing online and in galleries in Israel and USA since 2015, more than 25 shows in all.

Upcoming shows:

February 2019: Brooklyn Art Library, Canvas Project, USA

March 2019: Women, ZOA House, Tel Aviv, Israel

March-May 2019: Gallery Hotel, Haifa, Israel

May-June 2019: Listen to your Art, ZOA House, Tel Aviv, Israel

Awards

January 2019: Excellence Award, “Festival Girl”, “Steam Punk Who Are you?” Circle Foundation of the Arts

November 2018: 4th place, “Steam Punk Who Are You? Faces and Figures, Fusion art Gallery, Palm Springs

April 2018: 2nd place artist of the month, TheArtList

February 2018: 1st place, mixed media, “Roadster” Contemporary Art Gallery Online

January 2017: Special Recognition “Mad Star”, Light Space and Time Gallery

February 2017: 3rd place, A Recent Indiscretion”, International Gallery of the Arts

2016: Special Recognition, “Temptation”, Light Space and Time Gallery

2015-2018         Various Honorable Mentions and Noteworthy awards

 

Published         March- April 2019   Spotlight Magazine

February 2019, The Visual Dictionary, Brooklyn Art Library

May 2017, Exquisite Arts Magazine

 

Contact        https://www.lauriespaintings.com/

Instagram: @lauriespaintings

Facebook:   LaurieARTandPAINTINGS/

 



First Place

Don Bergland

"Axiom"

Digital Pigment Print , 24" x 30"

Sale Price $675

Artist Statement About the Work

“Axiom” is an alchemical adventure into the mysteries of belief which create the stories upon which our own personal mythologies rest. Here, we encounter a major psychological archetype robed in hints of youth, the first attempts at word-based expression, and the beginnings of the endless search for meaning. Mental inquiry always lies at the heart of each image constructed by Don Bergland. He attempts to arrange the elements in his images in a way that connects pivotal objects with association, symbolism, and metaphor. For Don, the enclosed space of the visual image is a cerebral theater populated by realistic sets, objects, and figures which when combined with intention, offer challenging enigmas. It is left to viewers to examine the symbolic interactions and connections within the objects populating this theatrical set and build their own narrative interpretations of these connections based on their own personal histories.

Artist Resume

Don Bergland is an Associate Professor Emeritus of Art Education at the University of Victoria as well as an elected member of the Society of Canadian Artists (SCA). He has been an active exhibiting artist for over 50 years, during which time, he has mastered a variety of professional media, from oil on canvas to his current studio use of digital tools and techniques. Throughout his career, he has enjoyed professional relationships with major galleries in Canada and the United States. He maintains an active international exhibiting career and has featured his artwork in over 200 major exhibitions throughout the world, winning over 70 creative & professional awards in the process. He has published a variety of books dealing with art and creative activity as well as many articles in scholarly and academic journals. His studio practice is focused on using 3D modeling environments to create surrealistic imagery for international exhibitions. He currently lives and works in Victoria, BC, Canada.


Second Place

Tobi Held

" FulFillment"

Oil Mixed Media , 60" x 48

Sale Price $POR

Artist Statement

 

Tobi Held is a passionate artist who puts a bit of herself into each painting, unleashing her emotions with each brush stroke. Working with oil paints and mixed media, Tobi presents what is at times an amalgamation of still life and abstraction. What shines through is an obsession with the process itself. Her work exhibits a refined palette on a variety of subjects. Rather than exhausting one particular subject, Tobi chooses to challenge herself and broaden her technical skills with this myriad of subject matter. Despite her paintings ' exploration of various themes, each piece has unmistakablefeeling, showing off her genuine love for art. As a child, Tobi dreamed of becoming an artist. She has trained since then with art classes, graduating from Boston University, School of Fine Arts with a degree in graphic design and art history.

 

www.tobiheld.com
www.myartsinspire.com



Third Place

Gaylord Mink

"CLOSe"

Photography , 6000 x 3376

Sale Price $POR

Artist Biography

 

Gaylord Mink began his “artistic” life as a photographer when he retired after 40 years as a research scientist. He began this afterlife as a free-lance wildlife videographer where he concentrated on the movement and behavior of the wild subjects. Later he expanded to digital still photography where he now attempts to tell visual stories about the subject’s behavior. Recently he is focusing on incorporating light and texture as principle subjects in his work, most of which still centers around wildlife and natural things.



Fourth Place

Marin Burnett

"We Were Seeds"

Soft Pastels & Ink , 12"x 16"

Sale Price $400

Artist statement

“We Were Seeds…” is the first of a series of fantasy portraits dedicated to depicting both a likeness and the inspiration for the fantastical element. A Mexican Proverb reads, “When they buried us, they didn’t know we were seeds.” In today’s society, the assault on bodies of color is palpable and real. Our society has always known the meaning of this proverb, but its prescience is shameful. This portrait represents hope.

The wind blows through the little girls kinky hair and seeds blow from her like a dandelion. She is the representation of that proverb. She is the hope that keeps the seeds from springing up, even from being pushed into the soil. One cannot separate her from the words that inspired her.

Artist Bio

Marin Burnett, a native of New York and transplant to the Pacific Northwest, is a self-taught artist specializing in the human face and form.

Marin starting painting just after college as a form of escape and catharsis. What started as a casual hobby quickly became a passion and something that she dedicates her free time to on a daily basis. Marin works mainly in soft pastels and charcoal and works with bespoke handmade surfaces to ensure that the uniqueness of the individual and their story should be honored by the surface that holds their likeness.

Marin’s work has been featured at the Amber Tree Gallery in Washington, DC, the State House of Representatives in Maryland as well as the Hillman City Collaboratory in Seattle, WA. When she is not a consultant in her new Seattle home, or spending time with her husband and son, she is in her home studio working on prints or commissions to keep her sanity

www.marinalexisart.com



Honorable Mention

Facebook.com/kodychristiansen

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cschule11@gmail.com

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www.highinfiberart.com

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www.lisadesignsart.myportfolio.com

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csatory@bsu.edu

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lesschmidtphotography.com

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tybarra23.wix.com/tinaybarra-artshow

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zdesign711@aol.com

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Noteworthy

terryberk@verizon.net

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terryberk@verizon.net

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terryberk@verizon.net

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donbergland.com/

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www.marinalexisart.com

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www.marinalexisart.com

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www.ratgoofy.com/

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www.ratgoofy.com/

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www.ratgoofy.com/

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Facebook.com/kodychristiansen

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Facebook.com/kodychristiansen

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cschule11@gmail.com

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davidgregorystudio.com

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www.tobiheld.com

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www.eclecticimagesart.com

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www.eclecticimagesart.com

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SusanCLarkin.com

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www.highinfiberart.com

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www.lisadesignsart.myportfolio.com

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cecmartinez201@gmail.com

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cecmartinez201@gmail.com

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www.lenabethe.com

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gmink@charter.net

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gmink@charter.net

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gmink@charter.net

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keddywumpus@yahoo.com

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www.lauriespaintings.com/

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www.lauriespaintings.com/

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csatory@bsu.edu

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csatory@bsu.edu

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www.lesschmidtphotography.com

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www.lesschmidtphotography.com

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stephaniestreeter10@gmail.com

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tybarra23.wix.com/tinaybarra-artshow

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tybarra23.wix.com/tinaybarra-artshow

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zdesign711@aol.com

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zdesign711@aol.com

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