Bauhaus Prairie Art Gallery

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

July/August No Walls, Just Great Art


No Walls, Just Great Art

Juror’s Notes

The artists submitting work to jury for “No Walls, Just Great Art,” interpreted the suggested show theme in a variety of ways. This show is an open category exhibition but included a challenge for artists to create art with social meaning reflecting observations of country and globe in crisis. Four of the five top winners accepted the challenge. Other artists decided to submit some of their best work to be considered for this open exhibition.

The Best of Show painting montage by Cyndy Baran, “The Journey Migration,” says more with less about the decision to migrate to the unknown. She represented the travelers using an impressionist style as they travel through a barren landscape towards what waits ahead. The unknown destination is simply indicated by squares of color vanishing into the distance. She added a collage element of simple statements that ask the viewers to not only have empathy for the situation but to rally support for action and change to improve the human condition.

Don Bergland’s digital composition, “Belief,” received the First Place award. This piece has a sinister feeling to it. The stark expressionless organized sheep supporting the strange “ark” are too rigid to indicate that the sheep willing believe the doctrine of what they are carrying. They are closely packed together and move forward as one because they are afraid not to follow what is contained in the ark. The ark itself is impenetrable with its small windows and rounded corners showing unmistakably who is in charge of the sheep. Bergland adds the telltale element the reveals everything about what is happening in the picture with a protruding rat’s tail. I interpret “Belief” as a metaphor about government and the way people will support doctrine as the truth even if clearly there is a rat in power. Others may see this work differently but we all evaluated what we see through our basic life experiences.

Second Place was awarded to Hannah Apps for her intriguing painting, “Plagued by You.” In the 1600’s in Europe doctors wore masks to protect themselves from being infected by the plague called the “Dark Death.” It was commonly believed that the disease was airborne so a dark bird like mask, it was thought, would protect them as they visited the sick and dying. The artist discards this ancient belief by showing the reverse of what the doctor’s mask was in the past. Her dark figure is hiding the plague behind a white mask. Again, she leaves the meaning of her painting to the interpretation of the viewer and their own intrinsic biases and beliefs. I read it as a statement about the leadership in America and its negative effect on the supreme law of the land, the American Constitution.

Cory Graham, “Reflection,” Third Place, does not infer meaning but rather uses an image of an international tragedy to make an overt social statement. The image is of a man and his child found dead on a riverbank as they tried to swim across the Rio Grande River to seek American freedom. Graham juxtaposes the father and child against the background of the Washington Monument and the White House. I feel the artist clearly made a social statement about the connection between the two images.

“Waiting,” the Fourth Place winner by Dorothy Brooks, is a modern surrealistic take on an invisible element of society. The subject is a waiter simply waiting. The figure is invisible but visible in the café. The figure stands still, prepared for what is to come. Looking beyond that you realize there is no one in the room to serve. She is isolated and alone. On careful examination of the stasis figure you see that a plate and cup on her right arm are in the process of falling from her arm. She does not react. She has been trained to be invisible and be alone for what comes ahead and a little disruption of falling dishes will never cause her to leave her post or her quest. She is there for future. She is determined.

The eight piece selected to receive Honorable Mention are excellent eclectic representation of the quality work found in No Walls, Just Great Art. It is my suggestion that the viewer take the time to really “look” at this show, click on each piece to enlarge and really look at each image. Ask yourself question what is the artist saying. Some may have a message for you to consider while others may present renderings of subject that show the mastery of subject and/ medium.

Everything in our society speaks to speed and immediate gratification. This concept should never be part of art. Slow down, saver the experience and give each piece of art your undivided attention and appreciation.

Caryl Morgan – Juror



Best Of Show

Cyndy Baran

"The Journey - Migration"

Acrylic on Canvas , 30" x 40"

Sale Price $795

Art Statement

 

“The Journey – Migration” is the second painting in a series titled “The Human Condition”. People typically fear those they do not know or cannot identify with culturally. Thus, we see (im)migration as a threat to our ourselves and our country. However, the migration of people has taken place for centuries. From as early as the Jewish Diaspora (550 BC), to the Irish Potato famine (1849), to today; people have been forced to migrate to escape persecution, violence, and famine.

Because we are a nation of immigrants, it is incumbent upon us to act with compassion towards those who are fleeing to freedom and a better life.

 

Artist Statement/Bio

 

One inch…One simple, little inch can change your life.

“If it weren’t for that one little inch between me and that out-of-control city bus careening towards my car, I would have been trapped in that tangled pile of metal under the belly of the bus. Instead, the lives of two young men were snatched away in an instant, and I walked away alive.  It was in that moment I decided that if I ever wanted to find my creative self, I had better get to it!”

Subsequently, Cyndy left her day job and enrolled at Watkins College of Art & Design in Nashville TN, graduating with an AFA in 2002. She has been making art ever since.

Cyndy has worked in a variety of mediums and genres including figure, landscape, still life, and abstraction.

“As an Empath, I frequently combine contemporary social issues with bold colors and thought-provoking compositions. I believe the body intuitively knows what it needs. If you create calm among the chaos of life and listen to your voice, it will allow you to hear the voices of those around you. From there, your creativity will begin to flow.”

 

Juried Competitions & Awards

  • 2019 Bauhaus Prairie Art Gallery, “No Walls-Just Great” Art July Best of Show (July)
  • 2019 Plymouth “Water Works”, Plymouth Art Center, WI (May)
  • 2019 Re:Vision Gallery, Kenosha WI (April)
  • 2019 League of Milwaukee Artists “For the Love of Arts”, Oconomowoc WI Honorable Mention (April)
  • 2019 Bauhaus Prairie Art Gallery, “Open a New Year” Honorable Mention Award (January)
  • 2019 Waukesha City Hall Solo Show, Waukesha WI (January)
  • 2019 Light Space Time “All Women Art Exhibition” Award of Special Merit (January)
  • 2018 Bauhaus Prairie Art Gallery, Award of Honorable Mention “Abstraction: Theoretical, Conceptual, Intellectual”, (December)
  • 2018 Freeport Art Museum, Freeport, IL (November)
  • 2018 WCAL Wisconsin Regional Art State Award Winner (June)
  • 2018 Waukesha Public Library Solo Show (May 2018)
  • 2018 Burlington Wisconsin Regional Art Show – Honorable Mention (April)

 

 

 



First Place

Don Bergland

"Belief"

Pigment Print , 16" x 20"

Sale Price $875

ARTIST STATEMENT

Don Bergland’s surrealistic art is an alchemical adventure into the mysteries of his own philosophy, beliefs, and values. Each of his artworks features a theatrical set defined by a stage with actors, props, and a backdrop. He consciously places symbolic interactions and connections within the objects populating his theatrical sets, and encourages viewers to build their own narrative interpretations of these connections. In this piece called, “Belief,” we may be able to perceive the closure of exploration, trapping consciousness in a net of ordered illusion. Through the process of ritualized repetition, we seek to strengthen established beliefs and transmute them to the status of eternal faith.

 

ARTIST BIO

Don Bergland is an Associate Professor Emeritus of Art Education at the University of Victoria and has been an active exhibiting artist for over 50 years. During that time, he has worked through a variety of professional media, from oil on canvas to his current studio use of digital tools and techniques. He maintains an active international exhibiting career and has featured his artwork in over 170 major exhibitions throughout the world. Don has won over 80 creative & professional awards for his work which is represented in major corporate and private collections such as the Gulf Oil Corporate Collection (Alberta), the Madrona Centre Permanent Collection (B.C.), the Canadian Utilities Corporate Collection (Alberta), the Timothy Eaton Foundation Collection (Canada), the Chevron Standard Corporate Collection (Alberta), as well as in private collections in Canada, the United States, and Europe. He has published 8 books dealing with art and creative activity, as well as published dozens of articles in scholarly and academic journals. His current studio focus is in using 3D modeling environments to create surrealistic imagery for international exhibitions. He currently lives and works in Victoria, BC, Canada.



Second Place

Hannah Apps

"Plagued by You"

Oil on canvas , 24" x 18"

Sale Price $600

 

 

Art Statement

 

Physicians wore plague masks centuries ago when battled bubonic plague. The beaked masks look inhuman. The painting is done using a Velazquez technique. It is on a handmade rough linen herringbone canvas that had a pinkish red ground. The color scheme is predominately black and white. Scumbles, paint layers, and heavy impasto are used to create depth and mystery. The herringbone catches the paint layers which again creates depth. In parts of the mask, the reds of the ground show through.

 

Artist Biography

 

Hannah Apps painted her first landscape in oil at age 12 and has continued to make art ever since. She has always loved color and texture and transitioned from painting to quilting in her 20’s to satisfy this love. But by the time she hit 50, she was dying fabric and painting her quilts. After painting the Mackinac Bridge on a wall quilt, she decided it was time to paint on canvas and panel instead. Now, she works primarily in oils, acrylics, and pastels. She typically makes her own panels and canvases (it must be the quilt maker in her). She often does underpaintings and then use a series of glazes to give depth and richness to the colors. Lately she has been experimenting with imprimatura layers and thick and thin paint. Her work comments on the human condition. She wants to make a viewer laugh, cry, or question what they are seeing. Her art has been juried into shows throughout the Midwest and in several national and international online shows. In addition, she has won awards in several shows.

She has been very lucky throughout her life as she has had so many opportunities to serve her community, teach fantastically talented students at Kalamazoo College, and learn, write, and create. No matter where her life was taking her, art has always been in the forefront. She is a lifelong learner and always wants to try something new. Apps has studied in an atelier setting with Kenneth Freed, a nationally known oil painter. She has also studied with other pastel and oil painters. She is a member of Oil Painters of America, Great Lakes Pastel Society, and American Women Artists. Her website is www.hannahhilesapps.com.   She lives in Kalamazoo Michigan with her husband and two spoiled cats.



Third Place

Cory Graham

"Reflection"

Digital art , 19" x 13"

Sale Price $100

 

 

Art Statement

 

Water is a mirror. Sometimes clean and sparkling, sometimes covered in generations of dust and debris, it shows us not only who we are but where it has been. Our own walls, be they physical, emotional, spiritual or cultural, often shield us from the world outside of our comforts and luxuries. Our walls force out anything which may upset the delicately arranged apple cart of our daily existence. Our walls protect us from the very same punishments they inflict on others.

In the murky waters of a steaming river, we saw no greater reflection of who we are than in the loss of a brave father and child, fighting against impossible forces to breathe free. We built our own walls even taller.

But we must see our reflection. We must face down our own sins. We must shed our walls. What we see in the mirror is our own horror, reflecting in the giant eye of the city perpetuating our crimes. A mirror more famous than perhaps any other in our nation, and in the face of those who need the reflection the most.

 

Artist Biography

 

My home is in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, in Eastern Kentucky. Born in the coalfields of West Virginia, I relocated here many years ago and have found a place and a peace unlike any other within the confines of the hills and the comfort of the culture. To many, we are a stereotype. We exist as backwoods, uneducated swine rooting about in the world’s garden for a morsel of what may fall our way. But to see only that is to overlook the character and culture built on the backs of hundreds of years of life in one of the toughest places in the United States.

Eight of the poorest counties in the nation are my neighbors. The interstates don’t run through our part of the country very well. Our land, our jobs, and our very souls have been bought and sold by robber baron coal and oil barons, torn to shreds and left to die on the vine. Yet, we persist. In the face of adversity, we continue to give birth to art, music, poetry, literature and a world often kept all to ourselves. But we do not fit into one box. We are as varied in viewpoints and experiences as any place in America, and our culture is rich. That is who I am. I am one of many, but the many have undeniably shaped the one.



Fourth Place

Dorothy Brooks

"Waiting"

Oil on canvas , 24" x 30"

Sale Price $1675

 

BIOGRAPHY

I was born in the state of Washington, one of the most beautiful places in the continental United States. Most of my formative years were spent growing up on the east coast, during a time when the diversity of life and culture changed at a very fast pace. I began my fascination with art, at an early age during my first class trip to the National Museum of Art. While standing in the corridor, I was so overwhelmed with a multitude of feelings, right then I decided there was only one thing important enough to be in my life, and that was an artist. I wanted to help others feel what I had when viewing the work. I began drawing in pencil at seven, and at the age of 12 I was working with oils. I have tried other mediums over the years and recognized that oils were my one true love. It is a medium with great flexibility and life that speaks deeply to me.

 

 

 



Honorable Mention

cherylgoodberg.com

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www.susanharmon.org/

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garyjohnsonfineart.com

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christinemeytras.com

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www.artbydperlman.com

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www.SofiaPlater.com

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Lisatrevino.net

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http://www.lizruest.com

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Noteworthy

www.hannahhilesapps.com

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www.hannahhilesapps.com

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www.cyndybaranstudio@gmail.com

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www.cyndybaranstudio@gmail.com

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donbergland.com/

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donbergland.com/

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www.fineartamerica.com/profiles/dorothy-brooks

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eldoncase1922@gmail.com

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eldoncase1922@gmail.com

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eldoncase1922@gmail.com

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louisdegni@gmail.com

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louisdegni@gmail.com

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marydoveart.com

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marydoveart.com

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maxartparis.wixsite.com/maximilian

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cherylgoodberg.com

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www.cory-graham.com

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www.facebook.com/artworkbyaligraves

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stephenharmon1@gmail.com

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stephenharmon1@gmail.com

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www.susanharmon.org/

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www.hharrisphoto.com

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www.hharrisphoto.com

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www.cynthiaharvey.com

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www.cynthiaharvey.com

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www.flowersbycelia.com

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Amir lavon

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Amir lavon

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allisonejaggers.art/work

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www.highinfiberart.com

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www.highinfiberart.com

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diamante-lavendar.pixels.com

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christinemeytras.com

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Raymond Perez Art

rayprez961.artspan.com

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rayprez961.artspan.com

Raymond Perez Art

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www.artbydperlman.com

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www.SofiaPlater.com

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keddywumpus@yahoo.com

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www.lizruest.com

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hilarysaner.com

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auroraboldd@gmail.com

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auroraboldd@gmail.com

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auroraboldd@gmail.com

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Lisatrevino.net

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www.susifilzt.at/english/

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