Old waters, acrylic, 16 x 16" (40 x 40 cm)

Grand Prize

Grand Prize is a four-page editorial feature in American Art Collector magazine

Shohreh Abdolrahimi California, USA

Dreams and Duality
A self-taught artist with a passion for art throughout her entire life, Iran-born Shohreh Abdolrahimi’s artwork is a direct reflection of her dreams. “My paintings start from a dream image formed in the state of hypnagogic or hypnopompic at a subconscious level. However, as I start working on a piece, I have an active conversation with it,” she says. “Not using words, [but rather] I read the life of the canvas, and the painting takes a life of its own and develops as I pour my heart into the painting...The resulting painting usually carries the same emotion experienced at the dream image, though it is a different image moving along the border between abstract and expressionism/impressionism.”

Abdolrahimi, who has a Ph.D. in theoretical physics, describes her work as both expressionist and impressionist. “Normally, the two art forms are diametric opposites,” she says, “a modernist yin and yang. However, as seen in quantum theory and the wave-particle dualities, the opposites can merge into one form, at times.”

Using a combination of brushes, knives, spray and paper in thick, impasto application, Abdolrahimi strives to capture the relationship between man and nature through a more contemporary perspective, in which the power of nature influences us to look inward at our comparative powerlessness. “Yet, I believe that the relation of man with nature is dual, we are one speck in the big picture, a drop in the ocean, but also the ocean in a drop, the entire picture in one speck,” she adds. “Through this dual relation, each individual is sculpted and transformed through their life spiritually, emotionally and physically.” She is continuously inspired by the complex nature of the physical and metaphysical world, something she says is made even stronger through her education in the sciences. Ultimately, Abdolrahimi strives to capture the innate beauty of the earth, viewing herself as a sculpture steadily growing and transforming through her personal experiences. 

Abdolrahimi is represented by The Grace Galleries and Laguna Art Gallery in California; Art Number 23 Gallery in Athens, Greece; and Plogix Gallery.

My Inspiration
My art explores the transformations each individual experiences through their life and the connection each of us has to nature and the past. I view myself as a sculpture, where life experiences and my connection to nature gradually transformed my shape into who I am today. I am also in awe of the complexity and beauty of our universe enhanced by my physics education. I wish to recreate this beauty and to bring the healing energy of the universe, its passion, and love, with the perception of the interconnectedness of all things into our personal lives through my artwork. 

Old waters explores the formation of life on earth. By connecting with the cosmic flows of transformations I perceive the interconnectedness of all things and reflect on myself and the changes I am making in my own life, every single day. 

My Design Strategy
The minute I see an image of a painting in my head in the state of hypnagogic or hypnopompic I begin focusing on composition and balance of colors. I begin to finish my painting in the back of my mind. In my mind, I go through the whole process of creation even before I sit in front of the canvas. I go through the selection process of medium and elements such as fibers, gold leaves or anything that helps me deliver layers of complex emotions I experience by connecting further to the image. However, at times when I sit in front of the canvas, I read the life of the canvas and the painting develops as I pour my heart and immerse myself into it like a ritual. 

My Working Process
Old waters was born out of such a hypnagogic image, illustrating the stirring of the life energy as life began forming. I started searching my mother’s closets for the elements that would reflect this life energy and flow. I came upon a bag of Sermeh that was left for 30 years in the closet from my youth when I was learning from my mother Persian Sermeh embroidery on Termeh. It instantly got connected to the image in my mind. 

I began the painting with a layer of Venetian plaster and gradually I mixed acrylic colors with it. At this stage, consistency is very important to avoid bubbles or cracks. Then, I started to immerse the fiber and Sermeh in the mixture of plaster and color. The whole process of coloring and placing the texture according to the composition had to be done in one step, as touching the painting afterward when the plaster is dried up would destroy the texture of the fiber and Sermeh and thus the feeling of movement created by them. 

Contact Details
Email: abdolrah@ualberta.ca
Website: www.shohreh-art.com

Enchantment, acrylic, 47 x 47" (120 x 120 cm)

Second Prize

Second Prize is a two-page editorial feature in American Art Collector magazine

Arlin Sukarlin Marlborough, New Zealand

My Inspiration
I’m inspired by the world around me. As a fisherman I’ve seen the most amazing sunrises reflected in the ocean, and this combined with my Indonesian heritage gives me my unique view of the world. There are so many colors, textures and shapes out there and I want my art to be a celebration of all these. I’m happiest when I’m expressing my creativity on the canvas. My inspiration comes from the natural world and life itself. There is so much beauty and joy that stems from the very act of existing. I want to replicate and capture this joy, excitement and passion in the works I create.

My Design Strategy
The nature of my design strategy is extremely abstract and experimental. I often let the colors and my mood lead the painting process rather than sticking to any strict structures, habits or procedures. I am fearless in my approach and happy to go wherever the artwork dictates. I think of myself as more of a vessel rather than a creator because I don’t plan anything out and just let the image flow from me onto the canvas where it can find its own life. I enjoy being creative and trying new techniques and application methods. This means that each artwork is a unique representation of myself during a specific moment in time.

My Working Process

I use layers of paint, sometimes thick, sometimes thin, which I manipulate with various tools. These include palette knives, brushes, trowels, sticks, hair dryers and hands. Using mostly acrylic paint means I work quickly on each layer, letting the work dry well before building up another. This allows the painting to evolve slowly until the time comes when I am satisfied with the final result. Some paintings have only a few layers whilst others have more than I care to keep track of. It all depends on what level of depth and dimension the artwork asks of me. I often find myself working on more than one piece at a time and I’m happy to paint over artworks I no longer connect with.

Contact Details
Email: arlinsukarlin@icloud.com

Ruby with Flower, acrylic, 6½ x 9½" (16 x 24 cm)

Third Prize

Third Prize is a one-page editorial feature in American Art Collector magazine

Daniel Driggs Indiana, USA

My Inspiration
I started under an Italian master oil painter when I was 16 years old. For many years, I painted what I saw, but I felt something was missing. My work was technically fine but lacked creativity. I realized that most people are so distracted by the chaos of the world around them that they miss the simple beauty of individual objects from nature—flowers, animals, birds or insects. Since I believe God created everything out of chaos, I began to imitate the process by starting with an abstract chaotic background. When the paint is dry, I look at it from different directions to determine what animal or figure fits into the painting. This hummingbird flying in my garden was one of these beauties.

My Design Strategy
When I paint any of my Out of Chaos pieces, I try to invite the viewer to join me in what I believe to be a mentally interactive process of discovering the interplay between the abstract background and the focal point of the piece. In the process, I look for balance between the negative space and color to draw the viewer into the central subject. Although the background is purely abstract, the viewer is encouraged to finish the piece with their imagination based on personal experiences. In this piece, the red orange blob becomes a flower for the hummingbird, surrounded by green leaves.

My Working Process
My first Out of Chaos painting started with an accident with a piece of Yupo paper and some leftover acrylic paint. I was ready to clean my brush but decided to throw some paint at the paper. Like a child looking at a cloud and seeing a duck, I thought I saw a turtle! Over and over, I tried again and again and saw nothing. The small voice of the Holy Spirit told me to look at the abstract dried paint as a background and determine what is not there. In this painting, I immediately saw the flower and decided to paint the hummingbird as the red in the neck was a counterbalance to the red in the flower.

Contact Details
Email: daniel.driggs@sbcglobal.net
Website: www.danieldriggs.com

Finalists

Each receives an Award Certificate and a one-year subscription to International Artist magazine PLUS having their work seen worldwide by international galleries looking for new talent.

Saturday’s Colors, pastel, 12 x 9" (30 x 22 cm)

Sherry Fields Texas, USA

My Inspiration
I paint abstracts because of the mystery they hold. I have a vision, an image in mind, but the viewer brings their own ideas and experiences, often seeing things I didn’t plan and don’t see.

I dream in colors. Closing my eyes and listening to a symphony I see only colors. One Saturday morning I was feeling euphoric, free to express myself in color, shape and design. I began to paint and created Saturday’s Colors.

My Design Strategy
Color holds the most importance in my work, however other design elements are essential, especially in an abstract work. The eye should travel throughout the painting for it to hold interest, but there must be a center of interest as well, a focus. The work can’t be too static or too frenetic. All of these elements plus color harmony come into play when I create a painting. 

My Working Process
Abstracts are different, I don’t start with a photograph, a model, or a scene; I start with what is in my mind, frequently a feeling or mood. I have a mental image when I begin, but the painting will change. The largest area comes first and is usually the focus. I then add colors and shapes. The painting evolves. Frequently I leave the painting, returning later to see what changes or additions it might need. 

Contact Details
Email: skfields@austin.rr.com
Website: www.sherryfields.com

Electric Brae, oil, 31½ x 31½" (80 x 80 cm)

Martin Banks Hessia, Germany

My Inspiration
“Brae” is an old Scottish word for the side of a hill. When I was young I used to visit my cousins on the west coast of Scotland. There is a hill there which has the name, “the electric brae” because due to some strange geological wonder, if you stop your car on the hill with the brakes off, the car will appear to roll “up” the hill. It is, in fact, an optical illusion. 

My Design Strategy
I work on a roughly square painted area set within a square canvas. The objective is always to bring the shapes, colors and tones into perfect harmony and balance. I love landscape painting, and I also use aerial views of towns and cities as stimulus for my work as well as the grid-like pattern found in Scottish tartan. My aim with these works was to produce something truly original and truly mine.

My Working Process
I start by painting a roughly square area in the middle of the canvas with a tonally different border around it. I then apply a series of criss cross lines of thick acrylic paint of different lengths and tones covering the entire inner painted area. I then begin to work into the spaces between the lines, developing color and tonal ideas and shapes which connect to townscapes seen from above.

Contact Details
Email: martinbanks@gmx.de
Website: www.martinbanksart.com

Untitled, acrylic, 30 x 20" (76 x 50 cm)

Amy Ilic Volpe Florida, USA

My Inspiration
My work stems from a deep appreciation and need for adventure, experimentation and process. I have been influenced and educated by travel and consider myself a student of experience. I have worked in travel, education and youth programming. The experiences I have collected in my career are the motivating energy behind my art and art-making work. 

My Design Strategy
My biggest influence is always the child’s perspective. Like a child’s process, I move freely and quickly when creating. I am often attempting to see my process-driven work through the excitement and vitality of young eyes. I work intuitively. I am intrigued by mark-making and fluid applications of color and shape. I let my instinct during application unearth the design. 

My Working Process
I allow my mediums to speak to me and I engage with them in free and loose movement. I don’t typically plan pieces beyond maybe a palette, rather, I allow the spirit of art-making to speak through me, oftentimes allowing the process of art-making to be the true representation of art. The true beauty is in the experience. The artwork evolves as a visceral and emotional practice.

Contact Details
Email: amy@amyilicvolpe.com
Website: www.amyilicvolpe.com

Fire and Ice, acrylic, 48 x 36" (121 x 91 cm)

Timothy Pittenger Illinois, USA

My Inspiration
I believe that, as an artist, it is my task and my privilege to search for beauty and to celebrate and share it with others. All of my artworks are inspired and enabled by music.  One day while working in my studio, I found myself whistling along to Beethoven’s Ode to Joy and envisioned paintings with a sense of excitement, hope and joy.  I hope that my paintings achieve that.

My Design Strategy
My abstract paintings are really all about improvisation. They are not paintings of a subject—they are the subject. I use line, form, value, texture and, of course, color, along with a lot of meditation. I try to create something exciting and fresh. I want to make every inch of the painting interesting. It should be unique and beautiful and always a pleasure to look at.

My Working Process
The first step is to lay down an underlying grid work. Although it will become hidden, it helps me establish balance, emphasis and continuity. Next comes intense gestural painting with brushes, sponges, palette knives, etc. Every area of the painting must sing its own part but keep in harmony with the whole. The final crystallizing work is to adjust values, texture and color to create a balance in often asymmetrical paintings.  Everything must work together.

Contact Details
Email: tim@tpittengerstudios.com
Website: www.tpittengerstudios.com

Puzzling Pandemic, acrylic, 20 x 20" (50 x 50 cm)

Sukhvinder Saggu ACT, Australia

My Inspiration
The inspiration for this piece was the Covid-19 virus changing its colors with each mutation and creating life, health and economic destruction around the globe. Each individual is fighting one way or another. This artwork is my reaction to the current “puzzling” situation we’re all experiencing together, expressing my inner turmoil through art that helps soothe the restlessness of lockdowns and social isolation.

My Design Strategy
As an artist I use my art to reflect my experiences and feelings—like this piece, my response to the pandemic. In order to effectively articulate my emotions during this time I have used an abstract format and reworked an old piece, as it was not reflective of my current state. Abstract format allows for freedom of expression without restricting myself to a planned outcome, resulting in some beautiful surprises. 

My Working Process
I started off by pouring diluted pure primary colors onto a primed stretched canvas, giving the colors space to merge and mingle. I then added some secondary colors to the canvas to create some movement and shapes and left the paints to dry. As the canvas dried, I focused on the feelings, emotions and thoughts it provoked within me. I came back to the piece and added shapes and symbols that were reflective of my response to the colors, shapes and the pandemic. Noting that the use of bright colors represents beauty and hope for life as we come out of the worst of the pandemic.

Contact Details
Email: sagguartist@gmail.com
Website: www.sagguartist.com

Evolve, acrylic, 48 x 36" (121 x 91 cm)

Edith LeFebvre California, USA

My Inspiration
This painting was inspired by music and wanting to try something new. Initially, the pulsing music playing had me dancing in the studio, then dancing with a brush to canvas like a lover’s smooth glide across the floor—with passion and rhythm.  While laying color on canvas, I switched to painting knives. The composition developed while working. The result reflected my sense of evolving as an artist while embracing a new dancing partner.  

My Design Strategy
The design is vertical, and the size of the piece allowed for broad strokes and lush color. Last year’s lockdown had me feeling caged, and like other pieces painted during this time, I wanted a composition that accentuated calmness, beauty in color and open spaces. The paint applied by my palette knife floats over the ground color and appears like a series of light airy clouds. I wanted the image to feel strong, using color and shape to manifest resilience.

My Working Process
I paint with the canvas flat on the table I built. Large brushwork seems facilitated by this method. Next, colors were selected along with a vertical composition. I start applying color to canvas, and this approach inevitably leads to a design emerging intuitively, which is then shaped and sculpted to completion. Prior to lockdown, pieces were often busy with images; I’ve recognized my need for calm and that was the guiding idea that shaped this piece. 

Contact Details
Email: eetl@csus.edu
Website: www.artfromdre.com