The 2022 Art2Life International Juried Art Exhibition

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THE 2022 EXHIBITION

Art2Life is proud to present our fourth International Juried Art Exhibition. Our juror, Jack Fischer selected 93 pieces of art out of nearly 1,700 entries. He also selected the first, second, third place winners and four honorable mention award winners. We hope you will take the time to read Jack’s Juror Statement about the work he selected. All work with a price listed is for sale directly from the artist and the artist retains 100% of the sale proceeds. If you see a piece you are interested in, please click on the image and you will find the artist’s contact information, price of the piece, and their website or social media account(s). Last year, eleven pieces of art were sold through our exhibition. We thank you for visiting our exhibition! Enjoy!

Juror - Jack Fischer

“Approximately 20 years ago, I decided that I wanted to open a gallery that showed both so-called ‘outsider’ artists alongside the ‘insider’ artists. The former being artists with some ‘disability’ that would keep them from the usual art school route; ‘insiders’ being art school graduates. My favorite exhibitions are when I can pair up an ‘outsider’ with an ‘insider’ in a two or three person show without making a distinction. My hope is that none is needed, that the work speaks for itself. 

I have been very lucky in that I have been able to work with non-profit centers that provide a safe environment and materials to these members of our community. Centers such as Creativity Explored, NIAD, Creative Growth, and other centers in other parts of the globe. I have also been fortunate to work with a varied group of artists in various stages of their careers.”

~ Jack Fischer, Owner

Jack Fischer Gallery

About the Exhibition

“Jurying shows is one of the best parts of my life as a dealer.  You never know what marvelous distinct voices you will be honored to see. The best part of this experience was finding those artists who have their own unapologetic voice and are more than happy to share it. 

Of most importance to me, is the unabashed voice that is not interested in producing  just another pretty picture. I want to be moved, annoyed, confronted, engaged and taken on a tour of another’s thoughts and ideas of the world.  I want to be forced to even question my own beliefs and prejudices. I want to be provoked into learning a new way of seeing, especially when it’s something I don’t know anything about or agree with.

I most of all want to see an idea – a personal idea.

On another note, when I am looking at work I try to consider the process of how the artist got to this piece. What I am trying to say is that process is what happens over time, as the artist realizes that with every new piece they are building a body of work, and within that body of work and that building of it, there will be sign posts they will leave behind as touchstones which will inform the next piece and the next piece. All the while the work is becoming stronger.”  ~ Jack Fischer

Awards

JUROR JACK FISCHER AWARDS

1st Place – Ric Ambrose
$2,500

2nd Place – Heidi Brueckner
$2,000

3rd Place – José Delhart Gonzalez
$1,500

Honorable Mention 1 – Rebecca Velde
$500

Honorable Mention 2 – Marjorie Thompson
$500

Honorable Mention 3 – Jay Constantine
$500

Honorable Mention 4 – Tracy Thomson
$500

1st Place Winner

Ric Ambrose
"State of Perpetual Indulgence"
26" x 90" - Graphite on Arches paper
The patchwork of urban elements in my immediate surroundings holds tremendous fascination for me. I am particularly struck by the ironies and paradoxes found in both the micro and macro world that surrounds us. Moving to the Bay Area in 2007, after twenty-five plus years in the museum profession, rejuvenated my desire to re-draw my personal world. My panoramic drawings are a compilation of disparate images drawn from my journeys throughout the Bay Area, stitched together and interwoven into an introspective tableaux, reconstructing partial memories or recollected experiences. The extended drawing format is derived in part from traditional Chinese landscape scrolls. It provided me the ideal vehicle for the depiction of a multitude of disparate elements within a rhythmic spatial context. This movement establishes a visual paradox, where one simultaneously digests the pictorial grandeur (macro) and opulent details (micro) throughout the work. To me, a tonal drawing is a more suggestive or evocative form of color. Using the most basic mark making tools - - a pencil and an eraser - - allows me to recreate a colorless yet colorful world that captures a timeless sense of my life experiences.
2_Brunch at Abbott Kinney_29x92_2021

2nd Place Winner

Heidi Brueckner
"Big Beatty Board Boss Brent"
78.5" x 48" - Oil and Yarn on Recycled Amazon Mailers
Inherently, we are interested in observing others as a way of understanding ourselves and our species. My work is inspired by this desire to understand, and allows the viewer to be a part of the observation. Being human is a combination of external and internal factors such as personality, appearance, actions and interactions. I use both archetypes and portraits as a way to study human nature and its relationship to storytelling. I consider these portraits to be individualistic narratives which explore personage through self-presentation, facial expressions, and gesture. The work often inspects the under-revered, and appreciates the subject’s presence and dignity, giving pause to honor the person. I have an assertive aesthetic, and I’ve discovered that the color seems to be used as a kind of “equalizer” in terms of how people are depicted. Because the color is divorced from naturalism, skin color is therefore eliminated, which for me is metaphorical for the hope that society aspires to and achieves equality among races and other kinds of human differences as well. The work is meant to honor the entirety of humanity—not just one section of the population or kind of person.

3rd Place Winner

José Delhart Gonzalez
"El Santo Y El Ovni"
37" x 27" - Acrylic paint, paint markers, ball point pen, acrylic gems, lace ribbon on recycled pizza box
In my art, I seek to embrace the sacred and grotesque. I find inspiration in the unknown, and the spiritual realm. Grasping at everyday materials and recycled mediums, I create a world of mystery and forlorn imagery, in hopes of connecting with others.

Honorable Mention 1

Rebecca Velde
"Self Portrait"
24" x 36" - Oil on linen

Honorable Mention 2

Marjorie Thompson
"Rustle"
48" x 24" - Acrylic
My work has always been inspired by nature: organic forms, currents, flow, cycles, seasons, land, water, sky, and the living things that dwell in those spaces. The work is about color, line, texture, nature and seeing the world from a different perspective. Whether micro or macro, my intention is to provide an opportunity to be part of a dialog with nature and the flora and fauna that surround us. The landscapes in my paintings are imaginary yet solidly grounded to my local surroundings. I call on the experiences and images from the archives of my visual diary. The images for these paintings weave and intermingle in my mind and present themselves as a mélange of overlapping histories. They are inner landscapes inspired by outer landscapes. By taking away the 'realness' of a place, the essence of it begins to surface. Inspirations from daily walks and hikes come together in my studio as a finished painting. I invite this constant conversation with nature which allows my art process to change and grow in order to keep the conversation alive.

Honorable Mention 3

Jay Constantine
"A Brief History of Plastic"
42" x 58" - Alkyd Oil on Shaped Panel
Since 2015 my work has concerned itself with historical and biographical subject matter. Researching history helps to anchor my work in nonfiction and often provides some of the most interesting stories. There is a long tradition of narrative painting in art history and I would like to think that I add my own unique approach to that tradition. My art might be characterized as a kind of history painting with an emphasis on stylized realism. I reference many visual sources such as graphic novels and narrative art in general. However, the most consistent visual devices I have used has been the multiple and shaped picture plane. In addition, structure, pattern and repetition are often employed in my compositions as a way of unifying the many diverse components in my work. In conclusion, identity is baked into History which is always written from someone’s point of view. New information and research can change our understanding and artists have also created new narratives by using historical fiction or alternate histories. The creative possibilities are endless, and I have only scratched the surface.

Honorable Mention 4

Tracy Thomson
"The Mycorrhizal Network"
72" x 36" - Mixed Media/Collage on Wood Panel (Oil/Acrylic/Paper/Charcoal)
I struggle with writing about my art. I see it as one language and writing as another. The world of art is one of the last remaining places where one can and should be honest. I'm uncertain as to where my ideas actually come from and how I translate the ideas visually, is a mystery! I've had the need to tell visual stories from an early age. My childhood pencil drawings were Intricate depictions of life as I saw and imagined it…complete with biomorphic creatures and humans going about regular life in fantastic ways. Fast forward to my formative 3 yrs of Fine Art figurative painting and drawing at OCAD, I gradually became fixated on the negative space surrounding the figure. What was in that space that I couldn’t see? The ‘in betweens’. I wanted to delve into the darkness and explore the abyss. So, I switched to Experimental Art for my 4th year , working large abstracts that seemed to come forth out of nowhere. I began to appreciate that ‘nowhere’ is perhaps that special ‘somewhere’ that I was obsessed with. It was then I realized, my role in ’making’ was only part of the creative process and that the really great stuff occurred when I let loose the reins. My job is to simply facilitate the voice of my personal visual language.

The 2022 Art2Life International Juried Art Exhibition

Click on the images below for pricing and artist contact information.

Ric Ambrose - "State of Perpetual Indulgence"
Heidi Brueckner - "Big Beatty Board Boss Brent"
Jose Delhart Gonzalez - "El Santo Y El Ovni "
Rebecca Velde - "Self Portrait"
Marjorie Thompson - "Rustle"
Jay Constantine - "A Brief History of Plastic"
Tracy Thomson - "The Mycorrhizal Network"
Marianne Kolb - "Willow"
Natalie Penna - "Deep In The Heart of Texas"
Alyson Khan - "Shrine to Future Ancestors"
Janet Smedley - "She Seeks"
Stevie Love - "Magical Thinking"
Darryl Erdmann - "Choosing Memories"
Carole Bleistein - "Asian Divide"
Edwin Stoop - "X"
Janet Graham - "Hill of Warriors"
Vicki Morgan - "Untitled #3"
Charlotte Wensley - "The Sub Way"
Joseph C. Randall - "Toni (Morrison)"
Lynne Swift - "Lull"
Michele Benzamin-Miki - "Ascending"
Elaine Weiner-Reed - "Stop Injustice (Community Matters)"
Terry Tsu - "Reunion 5"
Kay Bingner - "Apples, Oranges, & Peaches"
Amy Brakeman Livezey - "Graceful Pauses"
Nell Tilton - “Out of Commission"
Candace Knapp - "Bright Morning"
Rachel Davis - "That’s The Goddess"
Anna Carll - "Urban Colllage #104"
Laurie Jiobu - "Carl"
Gordon Studer - "Awaken"
Libby George - "Horizon Sounds X"
Miré Albornoz - "Yesterday"
Stephanie Thwaites - "Escaping the Firmament"
Carrie Cheshire - "SF to Here"
Susan Canuteson - "Memories of Marks & Symbols #3"
Judith Rohrer - "Aloha Sunset"
Rosalyn Raymont - "Wilderness"
Gail Butters Cohen - "In Her Words"
Susan Graseck - "Almost Spring"
Rebecca Horan - "Beyond Time"
Elaine Daily-Birnbaum - "Resting on Laurels"
Bree Deverill - "When Mom Goes to Work"
Jackie Cheetham - "In The Mist"
Belinda Ross - "Odyssey"
Rachel Furze - "Ju-Ju"
Liza Hirst - "Number 1"
Marion Evamy - "Hot Pants"
Susan Ciufo - "Solace"
Judy Williamson - "Secrets from Mother Earth"
Carla Cohen - "St. Germain"
Jane Buttery - "Verging on Fowl"
Helen McKenna-Menges - "Jeremie"
Mary Koziol - "Collapsed Dream State"
Gloria Gelo - "In the News III"
Darrell A Peterson - "Landscape"
Kathleen Finney - "Polyphony Series #5"
Janine Scrivens - "Morning Sigh"
Zoe Cromwell - "Two of Us"
Kitty Kaupp - "Clouds Hills"
Julia Chance - "River 2"
Preeti Sarathi - "Confront your Fears"
Libby Skamfer - "Bebop"
Leila Selvi - The Presence
Mary GrandPre' - "The Backstory"
Janet Taylor - "We Made Plans"
Erin Whitten Crysdale - "Morning Walk"
Christa Brandenburg - "Mother"
Ricky Pass - "Bye Bye Blackbird"
Jacqueline Joosen - "Sacred Ground"
Maryam Afnan - "Views Over The Hudson"
Charise Folnovic - "Quarantea"
Christie Marks - "Signs of Life, Documented"
Braudis Pegram - "Genesis"
Bernadette Boundy - "Gratitude"
Anna Vargas - "Fleeting Rumination"
Susan L Hart - "The Right Focus"
Laurie Christensen - "River of Laman"
Gayle Payne - "Gill & Genie"
Karen Z Haynes - "Remnants"
Claudia Hershman - "Picnic"
AJ Johnson - "Between"
Chris Brandell - "Graffiti on Concrete #3"
Michael F. Young - "Brainwashing Deprogramming"
Andrea Morgan - "Red Earth Hoops #2"
Dianna Fritzler - "Throwing My Hat in the Ring"
Jeff Danzik - "Debris"
Michael Toti - "Blue Book Abstract"
Margit Burmeister - "Full Ruby"