The Artist Space Gallery is pleased to announce the opening of the fifth Abstract online Art Exhibition. Along with the selected artists, the jury selected award winners in the following art categories: painting, photography and sculpture. The show displayed a variety of artistic styles and mediums: acrylic, steel, bronze, photography, watercolor, ink, oil, paper collage, charcoal. Out of all submissions received 70 artworks were selected to be included in the exhibition.
Best of Show
Brigitte Radecki
Short Biography and Statement
I've always loved making and viewing abstract painting—above all, the simplicity, the clarity and the calmness of Geometric Abstraction. In my practice and the subsequent experience of the viewer, its important to me to enable psychological and historical meaning that people can engage with. That is, I'm not interested in pure formalism and rely on the viewer's participation and interpretation to give meaning to abstract painting. Since 2018, I've been starting with haphazardly folded, colored paper, which I then photograph, crop and copy onto panels and canvases. While working with painted surfaces and materials, I became very interested in the history of painting in the 20th Century, especially Minimalism but also became quite discouraged as to my place in this history and the widely held notion that painting is dead. My attempt since then has been to extend the conversation and not shy away from categories such as interior decoration, ornament and the beautiful. I was encouraged in this idea while reading about the early works of Modernist artists such as Anni Albers and Sophie Taeuber -Arp. As well, I wanted my paintings to be integrated into their environments so created backgrounds in commercial wall paints to match one of the tones in each painting. That is, not individual paintings on white walls but colored wall sections that seem to absorb part of the painting or as in Ellsworth Kelly’s paintings to be influenced by the architecture surrounding them.
Painting Prize
Eldon Ward
Short Biography and Statement
Bachelor of Fine Arts Colorado State University 1975. Studied Graphic Design, Interior Design, Civil Engineering, Urban Design, and Construction Management at CSU, in addition to Fine Arts. Owned and operated a successful Urban Design and Landscape Architecture consulting firm for over 25 years. Was named Fort Collins “Entrepreneur of the Year” in 1994; Received various design and water conservation awards. Exhibitions: Over 50 juried shows and 10 solo/duo exhibitions in Arizona and Colorado since 2008. Multiple awards including an Award of Excellence and four Best of Show / First Place awards. Artist Statement The primary goal of the artist and the viewer should be to experience the joy of the creative process. I’m at the intersection of curiosity and tranquility: moving more toward the non-objective end of the spectrum. I use strong colors of water-based media. I fabricate my panels from recycled/repurposed building materials. This frees me from being locked into rectilinear forms. I approach artwork as a problem-solving process and I believe in evaluation using the criteria of craftsmanship, composition, and creativity - following an initial emotional response. Every painting is a book; and each one is judged by its cover.
Sculpture Prize
Gregory Steel
Short Biography and Statement
Gregory Steel (b. 1954, Art Center Hospital, Detroit, MI.) focuses on transitional states and contemplative possibilities of Being. Steel's work explores tentative relationships with the modern world; his sculptures provide a respite from the onslaught of the media and the pressures to conform. Steel earned his B.F.A. from the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, Michigan, and his M.F.A. from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Steel also holds a Ph. D in philosophy, aesthetics, and critical theory from the Institute for Doctoral Studies in Visual Arts, Portland, ME. Peter Frank has selected his work for inclusion in the October International show at Amory Art Center, West Palm Beach, FL. Steel's work has also been seen at After the Pedestal, Sculpture Center, Cleveland, Ohio; Art Expo New York, Pier 94, New York, NY; KaatsBaan Cultural Center, Tivoli, NY; the Woodstock Byrdcliffe Guild Art Center; outdoor sculpture exhibit. Also, sculptural work has recently been exhibited at the Swope Museum, 79th Wabash Valley Exhibition, Terra Haute, IN, the Museum of Greater Lafayette, Indiana Now Exhibition, Lafayette, IN. Steel's solo shows include Galerie Penumbra in Indianapolis, IN, Barcelona, Spain, and Bay City, Michigan. His work has also been presented in China, Berlin, Basel, Switzerland, Venice, Italy, Shanghai, and Japan. Steel currently lives and works in Kokomo, Indiana.
Photography Prize
Ronald Stoecker
Short Biography and Statement
SKD.graphics@t-online.de
Ronald Stoecker born 1954 in Essen, initially graduated as PhD in Biochemistry, after retirement lives and works now as artist in Essen, Germany using digital and analogue photography as well as scanning- and print techniques and mixed media formats, between 2015-2021 studied at HBK, Essen, in photography and media – graduated as master student in 2021 CV 2026 Exhibition “Dreams&Nightmares”, Boomer Gallery, Tower Bridge London, UK 2026 Merit Award, Portrait Contest 2026, GCG , Houston, Texas US 2025 Selected Photography Art Award 2026, LensCulture, Amsterdam, NL 2025 Selected 3rd Winner, Abstract Art Competition, Grey Cube Gallery, Houston, Texas, US 2025 Merit Award, Still Life Contest, Grey Cube Gallery, Houston, Texas, US 2025 Participation in Mail-Art Project „Lebens.Mittel“ , KB Tübingen 2025 Exhibition „Stilllife – Vom Tausch der Dinge“, ZfW Essen 2024 Exhibition „Nichts ist ohne Raum ist Nichts“, KM76plus im kleinen Theater Essen 2024 Exhibition „Einsicht“, Forum Kunst und Architektur, Essen 2023 invitation to Event VestArt 23/2 in Waltrop 2023 Exhibition Werkschau 23, HBK, Essen 2021 Exhibition „Degree Show“ of graduated students - Crew 21 – HBK Essen 2020 Exhibition „Fullstop“ im Kunsthaus Mettmann 2018 Exhibition „Integrated Matter“ im Kunsthaus Mettmann 2015 Beginn Studium Fotografie und Medien, Freie Akademie der bildenden Künste (fadbk / HBK) Essen I do understand my photography is an artistic exploration of abstraction, boundary-pushing, and experimental art. My work aims to emphasize the autonomy of the image and utilize all imaging techniques - whether through camera, scanner, or other methods - to explore new visual forms of expression. In my photographic practice, the focus is on transcending traditional boundaries of photography and exploring new avenues of image creation. I employ various abstraction techniques to transform what is seen into a new form, inviting the viewer to think beyond the familiar.
Winners