HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Today marks a New Year for ArtAndArtDeadlines.com! I think it fits nicely between the traditionally recognized New Year Celebration (December 31st), and I love Chinese New Year (February 3rd this year)!  Of course, I always appreciate an excuse to eat Chinese food. 

This is the day we name the
Artist of the Year for 2010.

When this blog began in September of 2009, I was determined to cover not only art deadlines but also really good art.  And, I chose a few artists here and there.  I quickly realized that the Featured Artist program needed structure, or it would never really get done on any sort of regular basis.  The $2 Art Contest was born.

By the end of the year, I began to realize that the Featured Artist Page was getting crowded and adding more artists would lessen the impact of being Featured.  I knew I had to start archiving artists by the year.  And the idea of the Artist of the Year was born.  I gave all of the Featured Artists notice that on January 15th at midnight EST, the Artist of the Year would be determined by the number of comments on their individual Featured Artist blog posts.

Right out of the gate, three artists’ fans came out strong: James Melcher, Amy Kollar Anderson and Catherine Roach.  And after a month of voting, the final count was very close… only 12 votes separated Anderson and Roach.

Congratulations to
Catherine Roach
AAAD’s 2010 Artist of the Year

I have enjoyed watching her expand her horizons this year.  It feels to me like she grew along with AAAD.  Catherine graduated from New England Institue of Art, got engaged, moved, started a music blog and began her job as a Graphic Designer at Grouper Design and has continued to produce amazing work.

Get to know Catherine Roach:

ArtAndArtDeadlines.com
Twitter
Flickr
Music

Do you want to be the 2011 Artist of the Year?
It all starts with the $2 Art Contest.

Stay tuned tomorrw as we unveil 2011′s first Featured Artist
as well as changes to the 2010 Featured Artist Page!

2010 ARTIST of the YEAR: Catherine Roach originally appeared on Art and Art Deadlines.com on January 16, 2011. If you are reading it on any other site, it has been stolen from Art and Art Deadlines.com.

What is the $2 Art Contest?

First…Please know that I am not a big fan of online exhibits.  I enter one occasionally, but usually they just seem like scams to get my entry fee.  Now, how is it that I am supposed to not be a “starving artist” when I am throwing $35 after $50 toward meaningless shows with no history, no academic recognition, and no shot of selling my work? 

Show me tangible benefits please.

Second…ArtAndArtDeadlines.com has always been intended to be a FREE resource, and that isn’t changing.  But, I made the decision to remove Google Ads from this site by our one-year anniversary (September 2010) and replace them with well-placed, aesthetically pleasing, non-flash ads for artists and art resources that my readers will find helpful and valuable to them. 

Yes…I’m coming to the point…

Third…I receive a good number of submissions to be a FEATURED ARTIST on ArtAndArtDeadlines.com, and I usually write a feature post every couple of months.  Take a look at our Recently Featured Artists Catherine Roach, Celine Eimann, Shane Watt, and Kris Wlodarski.  These posts do really well for MONTHS after they are posted because people want to see good art.

Finally…
Best of Show…
All of the meandering above was leading to this point… 

Each month I will feature an artist of the month from submissions received the previous month. 

There will be a fee of $2 to enter–payable by PayPal to submitart@artandartdeadlines.com . 

You can’t buy your way onto ArtAndArtDeadlines.com, but here are the tangible benefits to you for your $2 if you are chosen for a feature post.

Benefits of Entering the $2 Art Contest:

• The distinct honor of being a FEATURED ARTIST of the MONTH on ArtAndArtDeadlines.com .  
• A permanent inbound link from the post to multiple pages on your website (if you have one) from this site which has a Google Page Rank of 4 (as of 07/01/2010) which helps your website’s visibility on the web.
• Additional permanent inbound links from a new Featured Artist page to your website (if you have one) from this site which has a Google Page Rank of 4 (as of 07/01/2010) which helps your website’s visibility on the web.
• A 300×300 pixel ad (created by me) for occasional use in other blog posts throughout the month in which you are featured (and beyond–at my discretion)

I hope you agree…It could be the best $2 you ever spend.

Why $2?  I’m not trying to get rich off the artwork of my readers by producing ArtAndArtDeadlines.com, but it would be nice to pay the hosting fees and software occasionally.  $2 is a ridiculously low fee FOR ANYTHING.  You see a benefit, and ArtAndArtDeadlines.com gets to promote great art and great artists.  Simple.

The $2 Art Contest Guidelines are easy:

FEE:  Send $2 to submitart@artandartdeadlines.com via PayPal.com and record the transaction # when you’re finished.  Don’t worry…it is part of the confirmation email they send you.

SUBMISSION:  Email me the PayPal transaction #, a handful of pics, a bio and whatever you think I need to form an accurate opinion of your work.  If all of the information I need is on your website, just send me the link to the site.  There are no restrictions…You can win EVERY month, so just keep entering.

DEADLINE:  The deadline is the last day of each month.  The artist chosen will be notified by the 7th of each month, and the FEATURED ARTIST of the MONTH blog will be posted by the 15th of each month.

DISCLAIMERS:  ArtAndArtDeadlines.com reserves the right to publish work of artists whose work we love–entry fee or not; however, a winner will be chosen each month from paid entries.  Additional posts are at my discretion. P.S.  Don’t expect to get a ribbon in the mail.

The permanent $2 Art Contest Page is accessible through the top and side navigation areas so that you can find it again and again.

Email me if you have any questions.

FEATURED: $2 Art Contest originally appeared on Art and Art Deadlines.com on July 1, 2010. If you are reading it on any other site, it has been stolen from Art and Art Deadlines.com.

“Proof of Myself” is a start-up art zine featuring applied art that aims to address the self-titled debate.

In December of 2009, we featured the artwork of Catherine Roach.  Roach is currently attending The New England Art Institute in Boston for Graphic Design, and approaching her final semester.  She has decided to start an art zine featuring applied art.  

Here’s the call…

PROOF OF MYSELF is a new zine/photobook/art collaborative.

“Proof of Myself for me,” says Roach, “means anything that you have done what reflects you. Your identity, your love, your passion, your favorite color, your home, your town, whatever.

“As long as your work reflects something that is you. Something that is a piece of you, something that proves you exist.”

Roach would prefer hand-made pieces.

For instance, if you want to submit a writing piece, make it handwritten and mailed (or scanned).

If you want to submit art, scan pieces that are tangible. Mixed media with some digital aspects are cool too, as long as they have a “hand-made” feel. 

Please don’t mail original artwork unless you do not want it returned. 

Just scan and email your artwork to Catherine Roach.

Remember, I always suggest you research your juror, curator, gallery director or editor.  Take a look at Roach’s Featured Artist post from December 2009 to get a better idea of who she is and what might make the cut.

Want to contribute? Email Catherine Roach: proofofmyself.zine@gmail.com

ART PUBLICATION: Applied Art Zine originally appeared on Art and Art Deadlines.com on June 8, 2010. If you are reading it on any other site, it has been stolen from Art and Art Deadlines.com.

I have a treat for you today…

the work of Catherine Roach. 

I love art.  My home and office are filled to the brim with the work of artists that I love.  And, while I have a significant appreciation for the talent it takes to produce realism, I prefer not to own it. 

I want the artwork I own to inspire me to dream of what can be, not what already is.  Admittedly, that is my personal choice.

I am a fan of modern Romanticism in art and artists.  I own work that leads with the heart and confronts it in a cerebral way.  I like the idea of the gifted hero following inspired creativity and knowledge to produce genuinely special work that defies norms and expectations.

The work of Catherine Roach took me by surprise. 

I researched every piece of her work that I could find electronically.  By the time I had viewed it all, I felt like I had an intimate experience. 

Roach’s work makes me sad a little, but I find myself smiling at the wit with which it is packaged.  I am aesthetically drawn to Roach’s frenzied sense of composition and use of color and then smacked by its raw, personal commentary. 

When I asked about her process, it all became a little clearer. Roach says, “I begin a piece by reading over the scribbled down sea of words from that day, and placing images for these statements in my head at first, jotting down ideas as I go. I work rapidly without restraint, not holding anything back, to some extent of a free write. I use a large variety of media when creating, from pens to watercolor, and acrylic to digital. Knowing I don’t ever have a limit, creating for myself and no one else is what drives me to a finish.”

I often ask artists what their favorite food is because I’m a foodie…and I am nosey that way.  This is a food-themed art blog–loosely speaking, but I rarely publish artists’ answers. 

This time, I have to expose Catherine for what she is…a goldfish eater.  The comfort of cheese all wrapped up in a glowing, albeit tiny, smiling package.  Very telling, Ms. Roach, very telling.

Catherine Roach is currently attending The New England Art Institute in Boston for Graphic Design, and approaching her final semester in January. And I must admit that I am concerned that she will always keep her work to herself like her own private little treasure.  I am bothered because I want to own the work of Catherine Roach.  And, I believe that is the highest compliment any viewer can give any artist. 

I am a fan of taking medicine with a spoonful of sugar. Catherine, thank you for the sweet surprise.  Thank you for letting me publish just a little glimpse.  

I am inspired.

FEATURED ARTIST: Catherine Roach originally appeared on Art and Art Deadlines.com on December 6, 2009. If you are reading it on any other site, it has been stolen from Art and Art Deadlines.com.