The Artist Space Gallery is pleased to announce the opening of the third Open online Art Exhibition. Along with the selected artists, the jury selected award winners in the following art categories: painting, sculpture and mixed media. The show displayed a variety of artistic styles and mediums: acrylic, steel, collage, photography, graphite, watercolor, oil. Out of all submissions received 37 artworks were selected to be included in the exhibition.
Best of Show
Eldon Ward
Short Biography and Statement
Bachelor of Fine Arts, Colorado State University, 1975. Grew up in rural eastern Colorado; 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; Also received various design and water conservation awards. Exhibitions and Recognition: Over 40 juried shows in Arizona and Colorado since 2008; Numerous awards including two for "First Place / Best of Show" and an "Excellence in Art". The primary goal of both artist and viewer should be to experience the joy of the creative process. My search to find that joy and refine my own visual voice produces art with an interplay between nature and structure: an intersection of curiosity and tranquility; moving more toward the non-objective end of the “representational – to - abstract” spectrum. I use strong colors of water-based media: typically, acrylics and wood stain. For environmental and practical reasons, I fabricate my panels from recycled/repurposed building materials. This has the added benefit of freeing me from being locked into rectilinear forms. I approach artwork as a problem-solving process (although I usually invent the aesthetic problems), 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.
Painting Prize
Cher Pruys
Short Biography and Statement
Cher Pruys, ASAA SCA, IGOR, AAPL, CSAA, AMS, LMS, OSA, MAA, CFA, NOAPS, PSOA, AWA., AAOA. "To take my inner visions with my hands and create a work of art for you the viewer .... That is the ultimate in self expression." Cher Pruys was born in Regina. Over the years she lived in many places including Saskatoon, Calgary, Edmonton, Ottawa, Fort Frances, settling into her present home in Devlin, on the banks of the Rainy River with her husband Mark, and pets. By age three, Cher was seldom found without a drawing tool in hand. She worked in pencil, charcoal and ink over the years, picking up a paintbrush at the age of 35. Beginning with oil paints, she found her chosen mediums in acrylic, watercolor and gouache, and her passion for hyperrealism. Although self-taught, her dedication and talent has seen her work juried into 943 International exhibits. She has acquired 1436 awards for her work in the International Juried Exhibits. Her work has graced the covers of 3 books, 43 magazines, including The Best Of Acrylic Fall 2021, cover of the May 2022 Arabella Magazine, #20 Hyperrealism Magazine with “Girls Girls Girls”, & #21 with “The Young Cowboy”, Artists & Illustrators March 2024 Artistonish 2024 July edition, Observica Elite 2024,Art Closeup Magazine#26 Jan. 2025, The back cover of Novum Artis #007, 2025, & Hyperrealism Magazine Special Edition 2025, The Amazing World Of Cher Pruys. She has been featured in over 850 International publications. Cher's works have found a permanent home in private and public collections worldwide.
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, Terre Haute, IN, and 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.
Mixed Media Prize
Kenneth Ricci
Short Biography and Statement
kentricci@gmail.com
I work in a sort of literary/philosophical framework so within that context my reference points are the parables of Kafka and the aphorisms of Kierkegaard. Because elements determine content, the process of creation is both constrained and liberated by the available elements at any given time and it is the improvised procedure of choice, assembly and judgment that settles the argument". K.G. Ricci is a self-taught NYC artist who has been creating collages for the past seven years. In that time his work has evolved from the larger 24x48 panels to 7x10 books and most recently to a series of 11x14 collages on cardboard titled Incongruities. His work has been in gallery exhibitions throughout the country, and he has appeared in numerous on-line exhibitions. Many of Ken’s most recent “visual stories” have been featured in several literary magazines.
Winners