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Firestorm by Matthew Jackson

Welcome to Fire - The ArtisTTable's 32nd exhibition! First off we want to thank not only the artists that have submitted their art to this show. It may not be the largest show we have ever had but we nevertheless, are impressed by the depth and variety of interpretation of this show's theme.

Fire continues to go down in history as one of those early innovations that has improved life on this planet for us humans. We can't really call it an invention. For sure it was a discovery that certainly struck both awe and fear in the hearts of those that discovered it. It was the first fire keeper we thank that was finally able to harness and control the fire enough that it didn't kill the one doing the keeping, and everyone in the village, while at the same time figuring out how to save the flame from going out.

Since that time the reference to fire has been used in so many ways to describe not only heat, but passion, drive, ambition, inspiration, and even peace and comfort. It is with all of these connotations and more that we didn't think of that we set the theme for this exhibition.

So now we present to you this exhibition wherein you will get a glimpse of some of the many relations and interactions these artists that submitted to this show have with this powerful force. There is art in many different mediums, some very expected, like paintings, photography, and sculpture.

Juror's Notes:

For this show we turned the jurying process over to the ArtisTTable Staff and trust them to review the work submitted with such an eye that reflects that artistic nature that we have come to know as ArtisTTable.

And we especially want to thank all those that submitted work to this exhibition. We really appreciate all the work that goes into creating art for such a show. We also want to congratulate those that were chosen to receive the recognitions and awards in the show.

1st place: Nancy Wolitzer- Night Fire

A lot can be said about the work of Nancy Wolitzer. This particular piece encapsulates wonderfully just about all the things there are to love about her work. Nancy is adept at scratchboard and has such a sensitive hand when it comes to rendering the nuanced subjects of fur or feathers, and here we see her style is really suited to explaining fire.

2nd place: Mike Edington- Fire and Stone

This pastel is a power exclamation of the ferocious strength and energy that is expelled as fire is unleashed from the earth. After looking on this painting it is humbling to think that we can actually walk on the surface of this planet when we realize that in many places this is bubbling and lurking just below the surface.

3rd place: Michael Hassig- Embers to Stars

Who hasn't sat around a campfire transfixed by the flames and simply fascinated by the way the tiny sparks are carried away on the waves of heat from the fire into the night sky only to become a part of the blanket of stars over head until they eventually fade away as the cool off in the dark night air.

Honorable Mentions:

Elie Kacen- Fire, Soul

This piece shows us the mystic nature of the fire that is in each of our souls. It is wonderful to consider this idea as we come in contact with everyone that we meet.

Soul Sunrise - Smadar Dahan

This collage truly accomplishes what a collage ought to do, especially when using materials that initially were images created for an entirely different purpose. Smadar has managed to orchestrate a composition of colors and textures that create a whole new fantasy realm that has altered everything that we think we might recognize into something else that is every bit as expressive if not more so than the fragment's origin.

Shirley Ach- Bird of Fire

If you were ever to refer to fire as refreshing, you might reference this expressive painting by Shirlel Ach. Because it is just that, refreshing! It is just lovely to see the colors, textures come together is this activated composition.

Guiseppe Monti- Caos 13

The series that Guiseppe submitted here titled Caos share a mix of caos and extreme structure presented by the strong grids of black that were formed with some aspect of controlled caos. This painting as well as the entire series is as pleasing as it is because of this combination of caos and structure.

Anna Tessitore- Spinal Cord

In Anna's artist statement she says that she believes that her work is very different than others. And as we have spent some time with her work, and really looking at how she has used this fluid acrylic pouring technique, we are in agreement that she has taken this way of working to a new level that exhibits control and sensitivity.

Omer Wissman- Flight

Flight conjures up jurassic recollections of bits of DNA encased in amber. Mr. Wissman's art shows us the work of a free-thinker. Like all conceptual art there is a decent chance that there just might be something lost in translation. But in the end, if we are brave enough we will make the effort to suss out what our own interpretation might be.

Tali's Choice Award: Persephone - Paul Pinzarrone

Persephone was the daughter of Zeus and the Queen of the Underworld. She was a beautiful specimen that attracted the attention of many of the Greek gods. Paul has given us a reclining Persephone that is just revelling or or perhaps simply relaxing in the super heated atmosphere of her underworld realm after a long day of entertaining gods wherever they may have come from.

Royce's Choice Award: The Color of Hope - Barbara Freund

Where there is smoke there is fire and there is plenty of smoke here to understand that somewhere down there is more than enough fire for everyone. This painterly image of this plane dropping flame red fire suppressing chemicals onto the destructive 2018 fires in California shows us both the fear of destruction and the relief of knowing someone is doing there best to save lives while putting their own lives very much on the line.

Fire People's Choice Award:

This is really where you as a viewer come into the equation and become part of the process. Please take the time to vote because your vote really will determine who will win this award for this exhibition. Voting will be open until 05 July 2019.

We would like to announce that Carol Jackson is the winner of the People's Choice Award for our previous show, Fire. You can see Carol's winning entry, Glass Lovebirds and Scented Candles by clicking Here.

The artwork chosen to represent this exhibition is Firestorm by Matthew Jackson.

If you read this far, we thank you very much, we appreciate your interest and engagement in the arts and in particular the work that has taken to put this show together. We appreciate all the artists in the show and now we can see how many ways there could be to heat things up as fire is want to do.

Now please Click Here and go enjoy Fire now.

Fire Exhibition Artists: