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Category: Abstract Art

CALL for ENTRIES: Abstractions

Learn more about the Abstractions exhibit from Las Laguna Gallery!comfort, hold the BREAD

Peanut butter & jam used to be my go-to comfort food, back before wheat allergies took my family down with a thud.  So I’ve been trying out abstractions of the PB&J.  Peanuts & raisins, dried cranberries & sunflower seeds, and my favorite, pumpkin seeds and raspberries.  It is the same comfort, but without the structure.  I’m a fan.  This next Call wants to test your comfort with abstraction.  Take a look…

Check out this Call for Entries from the Las Laguna Gallery (Laguna Beach, CA) for Abstractions. Sales commission is only 25%. Don’t miss this opportunity…

Learn more about the Abstractions exhibit from Las Laguna Gallery!CALL for ENTRIES:
Abstractions
from Las Laguna Gallery

ELIGIBILITY: Open to all artists

MEDIA: Open to many media, including acrylic, airbrush, assemblage, charcoal, color pencil, collage, digital art, drawings, encaustic, fiber art, graphite, illustration, mixed media, new media, oil, painting, pastel, photography & watercolor.

THEME:  Abstraction “Las Laguna Gallery is seeking unique abstract works in a variety of mediums.” — from laslagunagallery.com

DEADLINE:  April 2, 2017

NOTIFICATION:  April 7, 2017

ENTRY FEE: $35 for 1, $2 ea. add’l

SALES: The gallery will retain 25% commission on all sales

For complete details, Read the Full Call!

Learn more from Las Laguna Gallery!

ARTIST of the DAY: Mel Prest

"Off Screen" (acrylic & phosphorescent acrylic on panel) 2014 by Mel Prest
“Off Screen” (acrylic & phosphorescent acrylic on panel, 2014) by Mel Prest

“My work shifts and changes in response to light and proximity. I layer conflicting personal references, such as fog colors, music, fabric and thought patterns, to create a new shape-space. I want spontaneity and chance to influence the outcome and direction of each piece.” Mel Prest

As Winter shifts into Spring, I find my creative inspiration also seems to shift in focus and tone, both physical and metaphorical.  I was intrigued to read about the work of today’s AAAD Artist of the Day Mel Prest and her awakening to the influence of the difference of the quality of light from San Francisco and Brooklyn.  I’m facing a move of nearly 2300 miles; will my work change too?  Does your work change depending on your geographical location?

Let your mind wander to warmer climes with the work of
AAAD Artist of the Day, painter Mel Prest!

ARTIST of the DAY: Karen Jacobs

Penumbra by Karen Jacobs
Penumbra by Karen Jacobs

There is, perhaps, a seed of an idea when I begin but I am quickly directed by the work, answering the needs, sorting the puzzles and discovering solutions.” Karen Jacobs

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Each day on my way to work, I fall into a rabbit hole. Some days the rabbit hole leads me down a productive path, but the odds are pretty even.   The method of today’s AAAD Artist of the Day, painter Karen Jacobs, seems to replicate my rabbit-hole wayfinding with gorgeous resolve.  Enjoy.

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Navigate your way through the work of today’s
AAAD Artist of the Day, painter Karen Jacobs!

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ARTIST of the DAY: Mark Castator

cooling OFF

My brain spins. And my mouth usually keeps up. I turned to my husband recently & asked, “Are your ears tired? I can’t seem to shut up.”  I struggle to quiet my mind, hence twenty years of insomnia. Some days I require a sole project or a single object upon which to focus to have a more solitary soundtrack in my head. I find the work of today’s AAAD Artist of the Day, Mark Castator, requires me to concentrate on the forms within the form which is oddly calming. (continues below)

Learn more about AAAD Artist of the Day sculptor Mark Castator!
Leda: Moons of Jupiter by sculptor Mark Castator

“Engage the eye. Quiet the mind. Open the heart.” Mark Castator

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Calm your mind with the work of
ArtAndArtDeadlines.com
Artist of the Mark Castator!

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ARTIST of the DAY: Jylian Gustlin

abstract math PORTRAIT

I have a well-known soft spot for portraiture.  A significant part of my own work has revolved around facial expression, but abstract art calls to me.  I buy abstract work.  I find that my interpretation and feelings about this work evolves as my time with it increases.  I am always delighted to find a marriage of the abstract and the figurative. Today’s AAAD Artist of the Day, Jylian Gustlin gives me just that marriage. (continues below)

Hera 3 (left) and Zues 1 (right) by Jylian Gustlin
Hera 3 (left) & Zeus 1 (right) by Jylian Gustlin

“I knew that if I finished [a degree in computer science & mathematics], I would never make art.” Jylian Gustlin

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Delight in the math with the work of the
ArtAndArtDeadlines.com
Artist of the Jylian Gustlin!

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ARTIST of the DAY: Adam Flynn

doing the MATH

In a house with a Music major & an English major, you’d be surprised how of the words “let’s do the math” are uttered.  It is actually a reference to time.  Because our performing careers require extensive preparation & travel, we “do the math” backwards to calculate leave times, load-in times, travel times.  Language is defined by the user.  Sometimes it joins us; sometimes it divides us.  When teaching branding, I like to remind people that art is inclusive but labels like illustration & graphic design are often consider exclusive. Creativity boxed. Today’s AAAD Artist of the Day, Adam Flynn invites you to do the math and appreciate creativity in all its many boxes. (continues below)

from the Glitched series by Adam Flynn

“Colourful pixels are distorted through pixel sorting algorithms to create a unique effect.” —Adam Flynn

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Discover more from
ArtAndArtDeadlines.com
Artist of the Day Adam Flynn!

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FEATURED ARTIST: Rachel Goldsmith

Learn more about AAAD Featured Artist Rachel Goldsmith!HOT stuff

I like it spicy.  My favorite Indian restaurant offers mild, medium & hot levels of spice.  But, those with the inside track also know they offer the Indian version of mild, medium & hot.  I am pretty good with Indian medium.  On braver days I can handle Indian hot.  But, the actual heat this summer is wearing me out.  I’m not normally a heat whiner–until now.  Every degree over 90 results in my doing everything just a little slower–as though my shoes are melted to the ground.  But then, I received this fantastic Featured Artist contest entry that allowed me to shift focus and enjoy the beauty and brightness of summer–without all the hot sauce.

Painting with plastic by Featured Artist Rachel GoldsmithThis month’s artist offers us an evolving view of process and how it informs content.   Her work explores the contrast between organic forms and the plasticity of production.  Artandartdeadlines.com is proud to claim Rachel Goldsmith as this month’s Featured Artist.  This work is intricate and soft, yet hard and industrial.  It is beautiful and thoughtful and puzzling.  And then there’s the dumplings and cereal…and hot sauce.

FEATURED ARTIST:
Rachel Goldsmith

 

Rachel Goldsmith is a NY-based artist who works primarily with PLA plastic, water-based paints on canvas & permanent ink on paper.  She received her Bachelor of Arts & Fine Arts Degrees from Univ. of Michigan & her Masters of Art & Design Education Degree from Pratt Institute.  Rachel taught middle school Visual Arts in NYC from 2007-2012.  In addition to several “Best in Show” awards, Goldsmith was commissioned by the inventors of the 3Doodler to create a piece for MoMA Design Store.  Her work, including her Fabergé Big Egg, is included in various private collections.

Learn more about Featured Artist Rachel Goldsmith!Has the 3-D pen been a trial & error process or have you had instruction from another artist, creator, or school?  “The 3Doodler has been 100% self-taught.  I received the pen in March 2014 –early in their production, a few weeks after completing Ova Obsessive for the Faberge Big Egg Hunt. I had been drawing 12-20 hours a day for 6 weeks.  I was done with drawing for a little while, so the timing was fortuitous.  I immediately used the 3Doodler on canvas—that is what seemed natural to me. And I was instantly obsessed with the possibilities.  The more I used it, the more I loved it – and still, to this day, I am discovering new techniques and developing new ideas for its use.

Textiles by Featured Artist Rachel Goldsmith--detail“I struggle with the term “trial and error”, as it has such a negative connotation. (*Noted and appreciated.  Words have meanings.)  I prefer to think of my work with the 3Doodler as experimenting…

…happy accidents
or Beautiful Oops.

 

“I love having to react to the material – to adjust what I’m doing based on what the material does. Any pieces that feel like “errors” just have to be worked further or in a different way – scissors, heat gun, iron, spray paint, wire, and/or more plastic. I titled one piece Frankenstein because of how many times it was cut apart and put back together in a different form.”

Why PLA over ABS plastic?  “Since day one I have preferred PLA.  It is corn-based as opposed to petroleum based, so it doesn’t smell noxious.  That’s my main reason.  Additionally, I find the PLA easier to work with because it sticks to itself very easily and it hardens a bit slower then the ABS, so you have a moment to adjust the extrusion with your fingers or other tools.”

Squares 1, 2 & 3 by Featured Artist Rachel Goldsmith!

Talk to me about the 3-D printing pen.  Does form inspire content or does content require that you figure out how to make the pen conform?  Again my answer is both–it depends. When 3Doodler asked me to create a lamp for their MoMA Design Store display, I had to figure out how to make the plastic into a lamp – before that, I’d been working on canvas or other flat surfaces – balance and strength were the key factors that I had to work around.  Most of the time however, my work is material driven. I gain inspiration from my environment – especially the contrasts between natural and man-made – and I often allow the materials drive my creating.

Painting with plastic by Featured Artist Rachel Goldsmith!I am fascinated by the contrast between the control I have over the materials and what the materials do on their own.  Again, this creates a situation for me to react and respond to my work. I think this is another reason that I fell in love with the original 3Doodler. The pen has a little bit of a mind of it’s own – so I constantly have to react to how the pen extrudes the plastics, even if it is not exactly what I thought I wanted it to do.  New possibilities of what I can do with plastics keep popping into my head and keep driving my creations – adding wire, or using an iron or using the heat-gun or layering like I’m weaving or painting or drawing on the plastic or moving very slowly or fast.  It is endless.  I need another set of hands to keep up with my brain.

Tell me about the contrast between organic forms and synthetic materials.  “Contrasts, in general, fascinate to me.  I think it is a coincidence that I’m using plastic to create organic forms – though I love that a viewer can find meaning in my work based on this contrast. Or perhaps subconsciously I love the 3Doodler because of that contrast. I will point out though, that the PLA is corn-based.  Is it still considered synthetic? (*I think it is fair to call it synthesized, at least.)  Again, my work is hugely inspired by the contrasts between man-made and nature – working with plastic to create organic forms seems like a perfect way to represent that contrast.”

Painting with plastic by Featured Artist Rachel Goldsmith!Most artists have something to say—something they are trying to get across to viewers. I am fascinated by the contrast of the playful versus an almost robotic feel.  “I’ve discussed this a lot lately, with slight discomfort. For me the process of creating the work is the reason for creating the work.  The movement of my hand hypnotizes me, acting as a focus point for meditation–I use the same movements in drawing, 3Doodling and Painting. Also, the necessary reaction to the media engages me with ongoing challenges.  In the end I want the pieces to appeal to my aesthetic senses.  I want people to enjoy looking at the work as much as I do.  If the viewer sees a statement about contrasts, great; if the viewer sees a statement about the environment, great.  But, I’m not creating nor exhibiting with any agenda in mind.”  *Refreshingly, and shockingly honest. Bravo.

Talk to me about the two artists (one living, one dead) that have most influenced your work and why.  “Sorry, you are getting 3.  Dale Chihuly is my favorite contemporary artist. I am nearly obsessed with watching videos of him at work.  I am captivated by his process and inspired by his use of color and material, both glass and paint.  The forms he creates are direct results of the motion of his hand, arm and wrist, a motion over which he has impressive control.  His blown glass and drawings look as if they have grown from the ocean and are still suspended in the currents of the water.

Painting with plastic by Featured Artist Rachel Goldsmith!“Bill Komoski is one of many abstract painters that I could list as a favorite. He creates works that are just about looking. Like many of my pieces, his paintings are map-like—organized yet chaotic.  Similar to Chihuly, his work evokes a feeling of fluidity and weightlessness.  And, I draw a tremendous amount of inspiration from Ernst Haeckel.  His ‘Artforms in Nature’ documents my obsession with organic forms.  It illustrates the scientifically stringent aspects of nature that ordinarily seem disorganized and random.”

What is your favorite food addiction?  It IS a food-themed blog after all.  “Hot sauce–especially Cholula.  I am addicted to and allergic to cheese. I miss it everyday that I don’t make myself sick from it.  And I LOVE veggie dumplings, yum!  But, I will always choose sweet over savory.”  *Allergic to cheese would be the death of me. Truly.

What is your favorite snack food obsession?  “Cinnamon Toast Crunch with almond milk or soy milk and non-ice cream–stupid allergies force me to stick to sorbet, popsicles & non-dairy frozen treats.”

Painting with plastic by Featured Artist Rachel Goldsmith!What’s coming up next for you?  “I would like to learn more about textiles, as so much of what I’m creating looks like it is made from fabric not plastic. Also, I hope to create some mobiles as I love the shadows produced by the plastics and I love how light looks shining through the plastics – mobiles might be the perfect way to display this kind of work.  I’ve only just begun researching mobiles.  I can feel myself teetering on the edge of something amazing.  It is a really strange feeling because I’m not sure what’s coming down the pipeline, but I’m certain something big is going to burst out really soon.  It is exciting, bizarre, and a little embarrassing to admit. I think it involves mixing media. We will see.”

“I’ve never felt like this before.”

 

Rachel, don’t you dare be embarrassed.  Your honesty and openness have made my heart smile.  I sift through a lot of stock answers and standard bios and stagnant art-speak statements.  You have renewed my faith that I can still have exciting, insightful conversations about art.  Thank you for that–and the work…

Learn more about Rachel Goldsmith!

Learn more about Featured Artist Rachel Goldsmith! Are you Featured Artist material?  LET US KNOW!

CALL for ENTRIES: In the Abstract

Learn more about the In the Abstract exhbit from the Kiernan Gallery!don’t make me
bring the

MIXER

I am no longer fascinated by deconstructed food.  I’ll admit that for a while there, it seemed like an art to be served a deconstructed Caesar salad, but I’m over it.  If I wanted deconstructed food, couldn’t I just partially create dishes at home and save myself both the extra preparation of making the completed meal and save the trip to the restaurant?  I am just uncertain that abstraction has a place in my diet.  So, let’s keep abstraction on the wall like in this next Call, okay?  Take a look…

Check out this Call for Entries for In the Abstract from the Kiernan Gallery (Lexington, VA). The entry fee is ALWAYS reasonable at this gallery, and you know how I LOVE this gallery…

*Editor’s Note: If you have read the personal portion of this post, CALL for ENTRIES: In the Abstract, anywhere other than by email subscription or on www.ArtAndArtDeadlines.com,it has been published without permission and is considered theft.

Learn more from the Kiernan Gallery!

CALL for ENTRIES:
In the Abstract

 

Abstract photography explores color, movement, form, and other intangibles that are not dependent on a recognizable subject. The medium of photography has a unique ability to reproduce with precision and clarity, the world as we see it.  Abstract photography deconstructs our world, resulting in new and surprising interpretations.  Graphic elements without context, long exposures, blurred subjects, and extreme close-ups are a few of the ways that photographers manipulate their subjects in an abstract manner.  These works are limited only by imagination.

Learn more about the In the Abstract exhbit from the Kiernan Gallery!ELIGIBILITY: Open to all artists

MEDIA: Non-representational Photography

DEADLINE:
March 21, 2014

NOTIFICATION:
Approx. 8 days later

ENTRY FEE:
5 for $25, each add’l $5

JUROR: Susan Spiritus is the Owner of Susan Spiritus Gallery in Newport Beach, California. Founded in 1976, the gallery was Orange County’s first commercial venue dedicated exclusively to contemporary fine art photography. For its first 20 years the gallery mounted monthly solo exhibitions and summer thematic group shows. In 1996 the gallery moved and elected to function as a private dealer and consultant. the Susan Spiritus Gallery remains focused to its commitment to feature and support the works of mid career and emerging artists.

Learn more from The Kiernan Gallery!AWARDS: All images will be reproduced in an exhibition catalogue available for purchase. A Juror’s Choice and Director’s Choice will also be announced and both winners will receive a free copy of the catalogue.

SALES: Kiernan Gallery no longer takes commission on sold works.  The Kiernan Gallery DOES have incentive to sell your work. They believe that if artists are paying a submission fee, the gallery should not also take a portion of the sale.  They do reserve the right to negotiate 20% in order to make a sale.

For complete details, Read the Full Call!

Read the full call from The Kiernan Gallery website!

REMINDER: Emotion and Energy

Enter the Featured Artist Contest today!TASTING
with your eyes

My kitchen is neutral; my art is black and white; but, my food is colorful. The more saturated the color, the tastier the meal–in my experience.  Couldn’t you eat raspberries at absolutely EVERY meal?  Me too. This next Call wants your tastiest morsels of color. Take a look…

Check out this Call for Entries from Art-Competition.net (online) for The Emotion & Energy of Color. This competition helps to support the free drawing and painting lessons website, DrawingAndPaintingLessons.com. If you are looking to increase your web exposure, this one might be for you…

*Editor’s Note: If you have read the personal portion of this post, REMINDER: Emotion and Energy, anywhere other than by email subscription or on ArtAndArtDeadlines.com, it has been published without permission and is considered theft.

Learn more from art-competitions.net!REMINDER:
Emotion and Energy

 

ELIGIBILITY:
All artists age 18+

MEDIA:
Paintings in any medium,
representational to abstract.

The visual narrative of the work should present the artist’s interpretation of the subject expressed in the emotion and energy of color.

Check out this winner from the previous Paintings of Pets competition!
Check out winners from the previous competitions!

How do you as a visual artist interpret the world, your surroundings, your dreams and or emotions. The “self” is all we have to express our world, the human condition, and ourselves.

DEADLINE:
January 24, 2014

NOTIFICATION:
February 4, 2013

ENTRY FEE: 1 Entry: $15, up to 3 Entries: $30, up to 5 Entries: $60

AWARDS:

First Place: $250 in Cash, marketing to over 3,200 art buyers in their email campaign (A value of $1700), an Artist Website Pro website for two years with Tech support (A value of $175).

Second Place: $75 in Cash, an Artist Website Pro website for two years with Tech support (A value of $175).

Third Place, an Artist Website Pro website for one year with Tech support (A value of $125).

All winners‘ art will be featured on Art-Competition.net with links to their individual websites.

For complete details, Read the Full Call!

Learn more from art-competitions dot net! 2

CALL for ENTRIES: Neoteric Abstract

Enter the $5 Art Contest today!PO-TAY-TOH
pa-tah-to

What do you want for dinner?  I hate saying AND hearing this phrase because it is immediately followed by the shuffling of feet and avoidance of eye contact in the attempt to draw out the silence until my husband breaks the silence and makes the decision.  It isn’t that I don’t want to think about it; clearly I think about food ALOT.  However, I find it difficult to translate the abstract notion of what I want for dinner into the concrete dish that would be.  Getting from idea that I want comfort food to identifying that as potato soup with freshly grated Romano is, well, complicated.  I wonder if abstract painters have this same dilemma.  If YOUR work is abstract, check out this next Call…

Check out this Call for Entries from SlowArt Productions for Neoteric Abstract II. The entry fee is reasonable, and the awards include both an exhibit at the Limner Gallery as well as an opportunity to have your work in the nationally-distributed art magazine, Direct Art. Please don’t miss this double-duty art opportunity!

*Editor’s Note: If you have read the personal portion of this post, CALL for ENTRIES: Neoteric Abstract, anywhere other than by email subscription or on ArtAndArtDeadlines.com, it has been published without permission and is considered theft.

Learn more about the Neoteric Abstract II exhibition from the Limner Gallery!CALL for ENTRIES:
Neoteric Abstract II

 

SlowArt Productions presents the second Neoteric Abstract exhibition. The exhibit will be at Limner Gallery, April 10 – May 3, 2014.

ELIGIBILITY:
All artists 18+

MEDIA:  Abstract art in any media. SlowArt will consider the full range of abstraction, from the geometric to the lyrical, from the precise to the raw.

DEADLINE:  January 31, 2014

NOTIFICATION:  February 22, 2014

ENTRY FEE: $35 for up to 4, $5 ea add’l.

Learn more about the Limner Gallery!SALES: All works in the show must be for sale. The gallery will take a 30 % commission on all sales. Sale price is determined by the artist.

AWARDS: Winning artists will be featured in a group exhibition at the Limner Gallery, April 10 – May 3, 2014.  The exhibition will also be displayed on the Limner Gallery web site.  One artist will be awarded a two page display in Direct Art Volume #21, Fall 2014 issue. Two artists will be awarded a single page display. Direct Art is published annually and distributed internationally in online and in print formats.

Click for more information on
Direct Art magazine.

For the full guidelines, Read the Full Call!

Download the Prospectus from SlowArt and the Limner Gallery!