ArtPrize 2012, Top 25 Short List

ArtPrize 2012 is in full swing, and Round 1 Voting closes this Saturday, September 29th at 11:59pm. The Top 10 finalists will be announced Sunday, 1:00pm, at Rosa Parks Circle in downtown Grand Rapids. Round 2 Voting will then commence, and close on Thursday, October 4th.



I'm very excited to be counted among the public vote's Top 25 at this stage of the competition. My own experience of ArtPrize 2012 has been wonderful so far, and the opportunity to exhibit at the GRAM alongside so many great works has been a true honor. Seeing so many viewers visit and interact with my work up close these last few weeks has touched me on so many levels. There's no greater feeling than seeing others connect with work that you've created from your soul; not to mention, how great it is seeing people and their city, as a whole, immersing and engaging in art and culture on such a grand scale. It's an amazing thing to be part of.

If you haven't already, be sure to check out GRAM's website specifically created for our ArtPrize exhibition Transformation. There, you'll find a great series of one-minute artist movies GRAM has produced, documenting it's exhibiting ArtPrize artists.

View the list of GRAM ArtPrize artists here, click on a name, and hit the "Video" button: http://www.artmuseumgr.org/uploads/assets/artprize/index.html

Also be sure to check out Sojourn included in some recent noteworthy press:

MLive // Joseph Becherer: GRAM's ArtPrize exhibition is 'transformational'

MLive // ArtPrize 2012 public Top 25 short list

Hyperallergic // Slimming Down the Short Lists: A Look at 10 ArtPrize Finalists

ArtPrize 2012

ArtPrize 2012 opens TODAY, September 19th! I am participating in it again for the first time since 2009, and am very happy to announce that  Sojourn has been selected to be displayed at the Grand Rapids Art Museum (GRAM), as part of it's ArtPrize exhibition, Transformation.  

VOTE for Sojourn -- Code: 52168
Text 52168 to 808080 or
Visit artprize.org/andrea-kowch/2012/sojourn

For those not familiar with the competition, it is the world's largest art prize, held in Grand Rapids, Michigan USA, and is open to artists worldwide. The top award, $200,000 is decided by public vote.

Here are the official Rules via ArtPrize.org:

  

The Public Vote

Anyone over the age of 16 can register to vote. Votes are cast on artprize.org, via text message and mobile application.

• Round 1 (Sept. 19 – Sept. 29): 11 days to explore ArtPrize and vote for the entries you think should win.

• Round 2 (Sept. 30 – Oct. 4): 5 days to cast one vote for your favorite of the Top 10 entries.

The Juried Awards

New for ArtPrize 2012, is a $100,000 Juried Grand Prize, on par with the world’s major juried art competitions. ArtPrize also awards five additional $20,000 Juried Awards in the following categories: 2-D, 3-D, Urban Space, Time/Performance and Venue.

The Result

ArtPrize 2012: 162 venues will host 1517 artist entries.
Combining $360,000 awarded by Public Vote and a total of $200,000 in Juried Awards brings a new tension to ArtPrize. Will the juried awards stand apart from the public vote, or will the two cross paths to award a single artist an unprecedented $320,000?

If you plan on attending the event, please view Transformation at the GRAM, located at 101 Monroe Center, Grand Rapids, MI 49503. Sojourn is located on the 2nd Floor Balcony. 

It's a wonderful exhibition, and I had the pleasure of attending the Opening Preview Party on September 13th:

Looking forward to seeing all the other great stuff ArtPrize 2012 has to offer! Be sure to check it out if you are in Michigan!

Visit GRAM's official ArtPrize Profile to see all the other great entries that are showing there as well: artprize.org/grand-rapids-art-museum

"Metamorphosis of Mood" Solo Exhibition

 

Another show, another year; my third solo exhibition, Metamorphosis of Mood, which opened on August 25th, 2012, just wrapped. As always, I had the most fabulous time, and am grateful to everyone involved who helped make it the highlight of my year once again. My heartfelt thanks goes out to my gallery, collectors, and fans. None of it would be possible without you.

 

 

The road leading up to this year's show had its challenges, and through it I feel I have grown even more as an artist. Constantly seeking to push new boundaries with each new painting, a block I experienced earlier in the year nearly cost me my show deadline, and the weeks and final days leading up to the opening became one huge frenzied, sleepless blur. The last painting I completed was The Cape, a complex 5' x 7' ft. piece that had me painting up to the last minute--literally--I had to fly to New York the next morning. 

 

The Cape. 60" x 84". Acrylic on canvas. 2012.

 

It was crated and shipped overnight, arriving in New York within minutes of my own arrival. Once there, I completed final touches, varnished it, and up it went on the wall the morning of the opening. The pressure and adrenaline surge that carried me for so many days throughout it all is something I won't forget anytime soon. But I couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of it all. Everything turned out perfect in the end, and I owe it all to the incredible teamwork involved--my gallery for always being so supportive and doing their part, and my brother, Roman, who saved the day by constructing the crate and helping me get the work shipped on time:

 

 

 

It was a great show, my brief vacation is over, and I'm gearing up for the fall season, ArtPrize 2012, and new ideas for my next paintings. Be sure to check out photos from the show on RJD Gallery's website, and on Flickr. All new 2012 work can also be viewed here and on my website. More in-depth posts about the paintings and detail shots to follow shortly. 

ArtHamptons 2012

It's that summer time of year again! My newest work will be present at the 2012 ArtHamptons International Fine Art Fair this weekend in Bridgehampton, NY. Please be sure to visit RJD Fine Arts Gallery in Booth #16!

Once again, the big 3-day event will house art from over 70 US and international galleries, and this year's key events will include the honoring of Cheech Marin, and Ed Moses with the 2012 Arts Patron of the Year Award and 2012 Lifetime Achievement Award, respectively.

if you' re in the area, don't miss it! Please visit the ArtHamptons official site for a list of exhibiting galleries, special events, show and ticket information, and more:

http://www.arthamptons.com/

ArtHamptons
July 12-15, 2012
July 12, Opening Preview
Sculpture Fields of Nova's Ark, 60 Millstone Road
Bridgehampton, NY 11932

Feature Article in American Art Collector #81 -- Out Now!

I'm very excited to be featured in the current July issue of American Art Collector. The issue is out now wherever books and magazines are sold, so be sure to grab a copy and check out the ad and article discussing my latest body of work that is to be presented at my upcoming solo exhibition, Metamorphosis of Mood, opening this August at RJD Fine Arts Gallery. 

Please visit American Art Collector online, http://www.americanartcollector.com/ to browse and order the current issue. 

A little less than a month left until showtime, folks; more to come, as I bury myself in the studio to complete the final stretch of work on this show's final piece...another large one measuring 5' x 7' ft! Stay tuned, new works will be posted soon!

"Crow's Song" wins People's Choice Award at MMA 84th Regional Exhibition!

 

I am pleased and honored to announce that Crow's Song was selected to be part of the 84th Regional Exhibition at the Muskegon Museum of Art where it took home the People's Choice Award! Open to the entire state of Michigan for the first time, 217 out of 633 submitted works were selected for the show, which opened May 31st, and will run until August 8th.

Thank You to everyone who visited the exhibition and gave me their vote! Please visit the link below for more information, including special dates and the official list of exhibiting artists, and be sure to visit the MMA to see the show!

Muskegon Museum of Art 84th Regional Exhibition, May 31-August 8, 2012

"Opaque Traveler" Out Now!

Earlier this year, I've had the distinct pleasure of teaming up again with author/poet Brian Tracy for his latest and greatest work, Opaque Traveler: A Dream Sequence in Verse. Always a fun collaboration (many of you may remember our past projects, Blackbird Ballads and The Distance Between Shores) I supplied all of the illustrations, both cover and interior, for this book. Please visit Brian's website at www.midnightteapoetry.com to learn more, and Tebot Bach to order a copy. It's a beautiful read!

The official book launch and live reading performance "An Evening of Dreams" was held on March 9th at Beyond Baroque in Venice, CA. Brian will also be doing a reading presented by Tebot Bach Series on Friday, June 29th. Be sure to check it out: http://tebotbach.org/readings.html#features

Thanks again to Brian and the rest of the team I've had the pleasure of working with again for another enjoyable collaboration!

Happy June!

Happy June, everybody, I hope everyone's summer is off to a great start! Paintings are in full progress as I near the finish line for my next show, opening this August at RJD Fine Arts Gallery (details to follow). Excited to unveil new stuff in the coming weeks!

Amazing that June is already here. All is well here inside the AK studio, despite a few brief experiences of artist's 'block' since my last post on here, which, consequently, left me in a bit of a depressed state for awhile. For the first time in almost three years, I felt myself at a crossroads in my creative process, where I began questioning everything from concept to technique, and how to take it all to the next level; the struggle to maintain the all-important, but ever so fragile 'flow' that has carried my work to where it presently is, in the quest to reach that ultimate satisfaction and level of perfection that I aspire to achieve in my work. These blocks happen, and when they happen, they're not fun, as I'm sure many of you great fellow painters know, especially when there are important deadlines looming on the horizon. It becomes a frenzied push-pull between the need to step back and the need to push through, resulting in one frustrated, exhausted artist standing in its wake.

I'm happy to say that I feel I'm off that rollercoaster at the moment, as the two works currently underway are steadily progressing and the familiar excitement I used to feel in the core of my being is BACK. The road to this particular show has been quite the little journey to say the least, but I have never been more excited, and am looking forward to sharing it and seeing you all out East at the opening very soon.

That said, I am a bit late in posting several exciting announcements I've been meaning to share, so bear with me as I catch up. For those of you who didn't catch the news via my Facebook page back in March, the outcome of my participation in SCOPE NYC's Artists Wanted: Year in Review competition resulted in being named one of the world's Top 100 emerging artists. Thank you again to all the jurors for the great honor.

Check out all the winners here: Selected Artists of "Year In Review" 2011

Also be sure to check out my March feature about SCOPE in Hamptons Art Hub, as well as get a peek at the new diptych that will be included in my upcoming show:

Hamptons Art Hub // Andrea Kowch SCOPE Art Fair Winner

VOTE! "Year in Review" People's Choice

My work is currently in the running for Year in Review People's Choice! Artists Wanted: A Year In Review is an "international, all-medium-encompassing open call for art with the mission of presenting a range of technique, style and narrative that captures the best emerging artists of the year". I would appreciate your votes! To participate, just follow the link, and get your vote in by Noon EST this Tuesday, February 7th. Thank you all in advance!

VOTE: http://akowch.artistswanted.org/yr2011