serious_shelved_opener

Gimme Shelter by Thea Vos

Welcome and thank you for visiting Are You Serious? , the ArtisTTable's 38th online exhibition. It is what has become our annual women's show. We asked with your title and theme, 'Are you serious?' Without being snarky, we wanted to pose the question in such a way to pose the consideration for what it is that you are serious about. Is it painting, or is a movement, is it civil rights? As we found participants are serious about a variety of things. Of course, we said.

From time to time we juror our own shows, because of the female involvement, the ArtisTTable's very own Tali Farchi was our juror.

It is always a tremendous undertaking to have to review the submissions so critically. Thank you Tali for taking this task on.

Juror's Notes:

This show is a celebration of colors, ideas, countries, and techniques from all over the world. This was truly very satisfying to look at all of the entries, to know that out there in the world other women continue to be creative and are so talented. This show, titled " Are You Serious?" refers to how we (woman artists) are serious about our artwork. This exhibition answers the question affirmatively and proved it in every entry submitted. Thank you all for trusting us and sending your art, which is literal parts of you, to our yearly woman show. This is truly a delight to be having you all here with such a wide range of creativity, talent openness, and meaningful art. -Tali Farchi

First Place:

Gimme Shelter - Thea Vos,

The painter, Thea Vos ends her artist's statement with these words: "The work must always meet the criterion that it is “real”. Only then is the work completed." I really felt that as I saw this painting. It felt complete...the brushstrokes that stopped and started again give the satisfaction of storytelling. The title of this piece is taken from the song of the Rolling Stones "Gimme Shelter" Vos is showing us that very disturbing story that tells us, "War, children, it's just a shot away." I can identify with the ghosts and reality of fear looking straight at me.

"Ooh, a storm is threatening

My very life today

If I don't get some shelter

Ooh yeah, I'm gonna fade away"

I found that artwork truly fascinating with its content and the way Vos treated the subject in her artistic painterly way.

Second Place:

Fried Eggs - Day 6 - Kateryna Ivonina

This painting made me smile, and made me want to eat those eggs. I can smell them, I can taste them. I can also feel like I could pop the yoke with my fork and let the yellow leak onto my plate. But on the other hand.. those delicious paintings are actually quite abstract. They are a composition of shapes colors painted with broad confidence strokes. I love that red corner of the table or stove that brings up the rest of the yellow with more emphasis. A great painting that makes us all use all the senses.

Third Place:

MAYA - Tal Moskovich

This painting brings up the atmosphere of a "home" that singular moment of relaxation. The non-chalant way of Maya's seated position clearly shows us a woman in her element.

The unspoken story might suggest, this is my place, but I'm not here right now is show as we see Maya sucked into the world of her smartphone. Yet, at the same time, she is the child with bubblegum that may blow up on her face in any second. That bubble really speaks to the one that dreamy digital world that she is in. Tal definitely manages to paint her own world that surrounds her and brings it to us most so expressively. I love the colors and the paint treatment.

Honorable Mentions:

Autumn - Michal Avrech

This is a happy painting. I can feel the sun and the breeze. I can smell the flowers of the Carmel mountain. Michal manages to show us pieces from her world and local landscape, and takes us with her to a walk on the hill on an autumn morning.

Marigold Man Has the Spring Clean Blues - Rosie Burns

Without the blue glove, this monotype would be a beautiful figure drawing monotype. It is interesting and well-done artistically as well as a very good print. But Rosie wanted to show us more than just a male figure. Her agenda as she describes it in her statement "Marigold Men and Sirens – challenging depictions of gender". Immediately, the eye is drawn to that blue glove and I want to know more. After reading her motivation for this series everything makes more sense. Please read her statement.

Abstracted Wood Grain - Brooke Kanas

This is a very large soft pastel artwork. This is a difficult and challenging that technique, and to draw it on this large scale is so impressive. I loved seeing Brooke's shapes and textures and the way she used them, like the pleasing shapes of huge mushrooms growing on the stem of the tree. She still gives us plenty room for our own interpretation and imagination.

Winter Into Spring - Mary Jo Drueke

Found myself wondering again, how does she do it?

Every pastel artist has their own technique of working, but Mary Jo manages to handle her medium with the texture of oil paint and the apparent transparency and looseness of watercolor in her very strong composition.

Striding in Purses - Hava Gal-On

I can't, NOT be intrigued by this. The colors and the shape of that shoe that are held in the transparent handbag shaped container make this piece so unique. It all fits, like the glass shoe of Cinderella on her own foot.

Bloom - Diana Fernandez

When I saw Diana's work I had the urge to touch it and move my fingers around and in between, to feel the difference in the surface of the bronze. The flow and movement, the sensibilities and directions not only make that piece attractive but it makes you open up.

Staff Pick Award:

"A DREAM IS NOT A DREAM, IT IS A DESTINATION"

Collaboration is a wonderful way of working. As we always say "Better the two than the one" but a collaboration between two sisters is a true connection, closeness, and the result we can all see in FLY. Not only that the two sisters worked together to create it, but they both were also pushing their own edges. Creating special ink to draw, or drawing in the not dominant hand, that as we know uses the other side of the brain. The book is composed of 49 exceptional characters that reminds us of what is so powerful in our own humanity. The ArtisTTable staff found that the project, not just meaningful and inspired but it is presented in a unique and creative way.

Royce's Choice:

Growth, Fire, Growth - Sara Segev

I found the message in this triptych to be so powerful and well executed. Represent real acts of terrorism and the in the same piece focusing on the regrowth and recovery that says life continues to march on.–Royce

Space People's Choice Award:

We hope that you will all take the time to vote in the People's Choice Award for this special exhibition. Your vote will in fact help to determine the winner of this award. It's one more way that you can be part of the art.

We would like to announce that Inbal Kristin is the winner of the People's Choice Award for our previous show, "SPACE". You can see Alon's winning entry, Restriction by clicking Here.

The artwork chosen to represent this exhibition is by the First Place winner, Thea Vos, titled, Gimme Shelter.

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 truly appreciate all the women in the show and and the great work they do.

Now please Click Here and go enjoy "Are You Serious" now.