Dearborn Artists
October 2020
distance challenge
Grayscale
First Place # 15 - Jan Dale
Second Place # 3 - Tom Livo
Third Place 3-way tie
#1 - Donna Gonzalez,
#13 - David Gorden,
#20 - Danny Rebb
1.
Donna Gonzales
"Athena Tamaskan"
Graphite and white pencil on tan toned Strathmore paper.
9x12"
"...Athena is my daughter Olivia's Tamaskan and I especially loved drawing the eyes as they capture the essence and the personality of the animal. Olivia was very happy how it came out and from it I ended up getting a pet portrait commission from another Tamaskan owner which I just shipped out this week! I think I will continue doing pet portraits of Tamaskans! "
Sylvia Bandyke
2.
"Detroit, 1973"
Photo collage
12 x 12”
"...The collage comprised of shots taken by my dad in downtown Detroit in 1973. My sister just found the roll of film containing these images; I had it developed and discovered a few shots I wanted to work with. We think it’s a wonderful memory of dad and his interest in photography that he shared with me when I was just a kid."
3.
Tom Livo
"The Bias Cut"
48 x 60" oil on canvas
"...This is my grandma ready to go shopping in the early 1970's. Whenever I'd stay over for stretches of time, I'd go shopping with her. My step grandfather would always gladly drive. It was as if she really was in full bloom when she was heading out to Hudson's. She made the dress and explained to me how it was cut on the bias, i. e. the way the fabric stretches. I love how her shades echo the garage windows. i love the high summer pictured in black and white , as well as the clash of patterns in this image. I loved her."
4.
Barbara Caudillo
"Alaska in February 2019"
Photo
16x20"
"...The photo was taken on the frozen shore of Skilak Lake, Kenai, Alaska in February 2019. I was hiking different lake paths. The rocky shoreline with the snow made a beautiful subject."
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5.
Sawsan Chehab
"The Beauty"
18x24" charcoal on paper.
6.
Theresa Lannen
"Studio View"
Photo
"...I was submitting this as a photo, although the primary sculpture, “Jessica” is white terra-cotta, about 18 inches tall.
When I photographed it, I just thought it looked better with the background as a composition."
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7.
James Rodriguez
"All Souls Cafe"
16 x 20"
Oil on Canvas
"...I thought it appropriate for the season. Have you ever wondered where we go for our last drink? This is one surrealist interpretation."
8.
Sharlene Welton
"The Change"
8"x8" Acrylic Painting
"...The change from autumn to winter is difficult for me. Freezing temperatures and putting away the patio decor are simply not my thing. But trees are! So I am embracing this grayscale challenge (it is a challenge since I love vivid colors) by using my palette knife to create evergreens for the first time. If you look closely, there are even a few snowflakes in the air."
9.
Elena Adam
"Rain"
16x20"
Oil on canvas
"... Once I saw the rain falling just from one particular cloud and I thought it would be nice to paint it. So I did. The goal was to go from blackest black to whitest white using only palette knife and the soft cloth."
10.
Janet Kondziela
"Covid Portrait"
16x20"
Graphite on Bristol board
"...Since I miss working from the model because of the pandemic, I decided to work from a model that I always have available - myself. I'm a huge believer in doing self portraits. They're a great way to try out new techniques, new media, new colors and I don't have to worry about flattering someone like you do with a commissioned portrait. Bonus! :)"
11.
"Cityscape"
16x23" photo
"...This is a close-up/detail of the towers of the Renaissance Center. I like the reflections in the windows of the towers. It captures the essence of a grayscale challenge with shades ranging from dark blacks to very pale grays."
Christine Panyard
12.
Paul Zonca
"Tres Peras"
9x12" pencils and white charcoal on gray paper
"... a still life of three pears atop a bamboo cutting board, on a kitchen table."
13.
David Gorden
"Village"
8.5 x 11"
Ink on paper
"...Portion of a village in Italy with church steeple. My wife's cousin's son went to Italy to see the Pope. While there he also took some scenery photos. I did some sketches some time ago of a few of them that I liked. The result is taken from my sketchy sketches."
14.
Lance Rosol
“Starry, Starry Drive.”
Photography, 12” x 16” print size.
"..Basically when I was outside working around my house not too long ago I noticed a rust stain on my driveway. After looking at it for a bit longer, I thought the shape kind of reminded me of a comet…and then I tried to imagine the scene in negative exposure to create a night-like scene.
So I took a photo and worked in photoshop to invert the exposure, and was really happy with the result!
Just goes to show you that you truly can find art anywhere you look! :-)"
15.
Jan Dale
"Peachy-Value Check"
36" x 24"
Oil on gallery-wrap canvas + Photography+ digital
"...This was originally done in color. Then a friend challenged me to check for values by taking a photo of one of my paintings and de-saturating digitally until only black, grey, and white were left. I did this with several paintings, and while I feel that this one turned out great, there are others that showed me where I need to improve. Quite a 'value'-able exercise!"
16.
"Pow!"
Photo
25"x17"
"...Extreme closeup photo of a flower that has gone to seed — and treated in a painterly way using Photoshop."
Theresa Deeter
17.
Victoria Shepherd
"Things Past"
10x13"
Digitally Altered Photograph
"...Originally a muted color photograph altered as black and white, one of a series exploring BW, color and hue, and monotone."
18.
Robert Plonka
"Out for a Walk"
15" x 21"
Photography
"...Shot on the streets of Detroit.
I noticed this man and his dog and had an idea a photo would present itself if I just waited for it.
When it did happen you only have a couple of seconds to get the shot, there is no thinking, just raise the camera and push the button no time for anything else."
19.
“Sun Seeker”
9x12"
Oil
"...This is an oil painting of my beloved black cat. She likes to groom herself in the late afternoon sun that comes in the west window on sunny days. Her fur is black but it takes on a silverly luster in the intense light. Getting the values right turned out to be just as challenging as getting the right color. And doing a black cat didn’t make it any easier!"
Gail Churchill
20.
Danny Rebb
"God's Country".
Black and White Infrared Photography.
"...This image was photographed somewhere in Michigan's Thumb on my way back from Port Austin the weekend I travelled there to shoot the comet Neowise this past Summer. Regarding the title of the image, Gott is the German word for God."
21.
Joan Smykowski
"Steampunk Squatty Robot Bowl"
Height: 7/8 inch/2.2 cm; Diameter: 7 1/2 inches/19 cm
Clay Body Used: Stoneware
"...The graphic was painted with underglazes. Additionally, decals were incorporated in the design.
Background Information: The world of steampunk art fascinates me. The steampunk aesthetic combines imagery from the industrial era—machine parts like cogs and rivets, clockwork, and laboratory equipment—with Victorian art and design and futuristic concepts such as robotics."
Guest Entry
Vasundhara Tolia
"Covid Blurred Time"
Mixed media.
12x16”
"...I created this with an ancient clock concept to show how people felt that time has stood still since the onset of pandemic, as days blurred into weeks, into months and time kept ticking."
