CALL for ENTRIES: Cover Art

Posted on May 28, 2019May 28, 2019 by R.L. Gibson

a HUNGRY summer

I’ve had my head down working and planning and growing. How about you? Spring always makes me take a second look at my process, while summer makes me kick into production mode. What are you doing to support your work? I am contemplating meal kits and taking a day off from the studio. I know that doesn’t make a lot of sense at first glance. But lunch is the bane of my daily schedule. Just when I hit a creative stride, it is time for some sort of meal prep for lunch. I live in a house with folks with dietary restrictions, and everyone eats lunch at home. So, I’ve been exploring options. Take out takes just as much time to pick up, and delivery is cost prohibitive. A lot of meal kits are labor intensive despite arriving with pre-prepped foods, and many of them are the wrong quantity or, again, cost-prohibitive. I’ve found one (Hungryroot & no, this is not sponsored) I think I am going to give a try. The ingredients look good, the sizing is right, the cost is manageable. I am excited about getting lunch off my plate, so to speak.

One of the other big stumbling blocks for me is juggling my boring-but-necessary household tasks with my work schedule. Finding time. I find it hard to work creatively when I am encumbered with a list of non-creative tasks to do at home. My husband more than carries his half of the burden, but someone still has to do my half, ha. So, I’ve been practicing taking one day off from the studio and trying to cram all of the household tasks I can into that day –laundry, appointments, meal planning, grocery shopping. It is a work in progress. I’ll be sure to give you an update before summer’s end. In the meantime, I’ve had two acceptances for publication in two different magazines, and I am inspired by the positive attention it has drawn to my work and added to my social media reach. So, I am offering a few publication calls this week. I am running close on deadlines, so don’t delay in submitting your work.

Check out this Call for Entries from New England Review (Print & Digital Publication) for Cover Art. There is an additional call for artwork for use on their website on the same page. This is a reputable publication option, with artist payment (albeit tiny) and little to no risk. Is this a good fit for you?

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CALL for ENTRIES:
Cover Art
from New England Review

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ELIGIBILITY: Open to all artists 18+

MEDIA: Open to any genre (painting, photo, sculpture, etc.) that will reproduce well as cover art. “We strongly favor abstraction.”

DEADLINE: May 31, 2019

NOTIFICATION: Within 12 weeks, if possible.

ENTRY FEE: $2-$3 for writing submissions, but cover art submissions appear to be no charge. Fees are waived for current subscribers.

AWARD: $100 for cover art, plus two copies of the issue in which the work appears and a one-year subscription. The cover will be printed in full-color, full bleed, with the magazine’s logo in overprint and will be reproduced on the magazine’s website and electronic publications. The size of the printed cover is 6.75 inches wide by 9.75 inches tall, so the image may need to be adjusted to fit the trim size.

For complete details, Read the Full Call!

CALL for ENTRIES: Opulent Mobility 2019

Posted on May 6, 2019May 5, 2019 by R.L. Gibson

practice what you PEACH

I reject the notion that extravagant dishes require exotic foods. I find that the simplest foods, treated extravagantly, remain my favorites. Have you ever had a vanilla-poached peach? Top it with freshly whipped cream and a drizzle of raw honey, and it makes for the the most opulent dessert (or breakfast) you could ever want. I’ve spent many a year unimpressed by this simple stone fruit to only to realize it was my own lack of imagination at fault.

This next Call addresses mobility devices and their common ground the the common peach — a need for re-imagining. Each year when this Call is announced, I revel in the notion of opulent mobility. You need look no further than the work of curator A. Laura Brody as inspiration. At its core, this show suggests that not only are we enough, but that we should celebrate our enough-ness. That we deserve to move through our lives, through this world with a personal sense of opulence, with purposeful, extravagant creativity. Sit with the notion of this Call and see where it takes you.

Check out this Call for Entries from curator A. Laura Brody for Opulent Mobility 2019. This year the exhibit will be at the Dora Stern Gallery in New Jersey. $20 Entry, 40% commission & a unique curatorial theme. Stretch your creative muscles with this Call!

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CALL for ENTRIES:
Opulent Mobility 2019

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“I challenge you to imagine a world where mobility, disability, and access can be opulent. I challenge you to approach the work with thoughtfulness, humor, creativity, and care. Because if we do not imagine a better world, we can’t make one happen.” — A. Laura Brody

ELIGIBILITY: Open to all artists 18+

MEDIA: Open to all 2 & 3-D work, film, videos of performance art & music.

THEME: Radical re-imagining of the mobility of disability

DEADLINE: June 30, 2019, 5pm PST

NOTIFICATION: by August 1, 2019

ENTRY FEE: $20 flat fee

CURATORS: A. Laura Brody is a professional costume maker and designer who developed Opulent Mobility as a series of artworks, then built it into a juried group exhibit. Anthony Tusler is a photographer & disability arts activist. His photographs of the 1977 disability occupation of the San Francisco Federal Building are on his site: aboutdisability.com. Celene Ryan, Director of Artist Development for Arts Unbound has more than twelve years of experience as an arts management professional in NYC, working directly with many self-taught artists, most with special needs.

AWARD: This year, Opulent Mobility 2019 will be hosted by Arts Unbound. If accepted, artists’ work will be included in the physical exhibit at the Dora Stern Gallery in New Jersey.

SALES: 40% commission taken on sales.

For complete details, Read the Full Call!

CALL for ENTRIES: Unique Abstractions

Posted on May 5, 2019February 19, 2020 by R.L. Gibson

abstractly DRINKING SPEAKING

The notion of eating healthy is an abstract one. Even putting ethical concerns aside, there are health benefits (and disadvantages) to embracing vegetarianism, veganism and even raw diets. Sugar is the devil, but artificial sweetners are differently malicious. An excessively fatty diet can lead to heart disease but when coupled with an near absence of carbohydrates puts the body in ketosis that effectively treats diabetes in many. Chocolate and red wine and coffee and kale, all abstractions of a healthy diet.

In art, abstraction takes a lot of forms. At it’s broadest, abstraction is work that is non-representational. But, that begs the question, non-representational of what? From that we get non-figurative & non-linear styles that are often included in surrealism, dadaism, cubism, fauvism, suprematism, art informel, neo-plasticism, de stijl & others. This next Call wants to see all of your abstract creations. My heart lies with abstraction, although I find reactions to it frustrating. What’s your experience? Are you insulated enough not to hear the voices of those that would dismiss the non-representational? My mantra is ‘process not product’. Excerise your muscle memory. Lose yourself in process. It works for me. What works for you?

Check out this Call for Entries from the Las Laguna Gallery (Laguna Beach, CA) for Unique Abstractions, a show of abstract work in a wide range of media. $35 entry & 35% commission. Don’t miss this opportunity…

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CALL for ENTRIES:
Unique Abstractions
from Las Laguna Gallery

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ELIGIBILITY: Open to all artists

THEME: Abstraction. “True abstract art not only utilizes flexibility and freedom; it also employs bold uses of color, line, pattern, form, process and composition.” — laslagunagallery.com

MEDIA: Open to acrylic, airbrush, assemblage, charcoal, color pencil, collage, digital art, drawings, encaustic, fiber art, araphite, illustration, mixed media, new media, oil, painting, pastel, photography & watercolor.

DEADLINE: June 7, 2019

NOTIFICATION: June 12, 2019. If accepted, delivery of work is June 26th to July 2nd.

ENTRY FEE: $35 for up to 3

SALES: The gallery will retain 35% commission on all sales.

For complete details, Read the Full Call!

AOTD: Kellee Mayfield

Posted on April 14, 2019April 13, 2019 by R.L. Gibson

No 7 completed in residence at Chateau d'Orquevaux by Kellee Mayfield! — *No 7 (oil on canvas) completed in residence at Chateau d’Orquevaux by Kellee Mayfield*

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“What are you doing this weekend?” — Kellee Mayfield

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I am having a tough day, not horrible, not life-altering, just tough. My mind is elsewhere, and I’m kinda wishing my body were too. Because it is a quiet day in the studio (code for I’m too tired & unmotivated to work), I decided to do a little paperwork, jot down some notes about some ideas that I can’t shake & scroll through Instagram hoping not to lose a half a day.

I came across today’s Artist of the Day, Kellee Mayfield‘s Insta feed, and almost every post that I clicked said, “What are you doing this weekend?”. I found somewhere else to be, Chateau d’Orquevaux, a French artist residency, to be precise. Mayfield spent some time there in the Fall and completed this series of work that transported me. There’s a food to her Insta feed with which many AAAD will appreciate as well. So, consider this my invitation to share… what are YOU doing this week?

While I always want to visit an artist’s website, I am sending you to her Insta feed @deltamoxie to give you the same glimpse that gave me the boost my weekend needed.

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Thanks to AAAD Artist of the Day, Kellee Mayfield for the trip to Chateau d’Orquevaux!

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CALL for ENTRIES: Meltdown

Posted on April 12, 2019April 13, 2019 by R.L. Gibson

lost in TRANSLATION

It is no secret that I’m a little, well, let’s call it cheese “focused”. But we all have our priorities. After being seperated by an ocean for 4 weeks, my husband and I stopped by a local dairy farm less than 24 hours after reunited… to buy cheese. Priorities. Cheese glorious cheese. A few days later, I made summer squash au gratin also known as “squash makes all the melted cheese a legitimate choice”, au gratin for short. Melted cheese means I’m home, ha. Think of it as my oven’s welcome mat. It is the best kind of meltdown.

I have been known to indulge in an epic meltdown of a personal nature on occasion. The last U.S. presidential election put me in an ugly place for weeks. Every insuing attack on civil rights, environmental regulations, access to health insurance & the ability to govern the workings of my own body have warranted their own meltdowns. My work has changed. My life has changed. I worry about becoming numb to the suffering of others, to the loss of agency, to the restrictions on the ability to speak freely. Where is this planet’s population headed? While I was in Scotland recently, I was regularly engaged by locals about American politics. People want to understand what is going on in the United States. I couldn’t explain. I can’t explain. So, I just keep working. Right now, THAT is what I can do.

This next Call in interested wants to see how your work reflects a sense of meltdown, whatever your interpretation. What do you have to say? Could this be the place for you to say it? Check out this Call for Entries from Slow Art Productions for Meltdown at the Limner Gallery (Hudson, NY). $35 entry, 35% commission, open to all media and all artists. Take a look…

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CALL for ENTRIES:
Meltdown
at the Limner Gallery

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This exhibition will be held June 14 – July 13, 2019.

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ELIGIBILITY: Open to all artists 18+

MEDIA: Open to all media forms

THEME: “We are living in an age of global crisis – of catastrophic MELTDOWN, a crisis the proportions of which, sadly, needs no description. Historically artists have foreseen, described and been inspired by crisis. The subject of this exhibition is every aspect of the MELTDOWN crisis, be it global, personal, environmental, financial, psychological, scientific and/or spiritual.” — Limner Gallery

DEADLINE: April 30, 2019

NOTIFICATION: May 31, 2019

ENTRY FEE: $35 for up to 4, $5 ea. add’l

SALES: SlowArt Productions will retain 35% commission on sales. Prices set by the artist.

For complete details, Read the Full Call!

ARTIST of the DAY: Alice Wellinger

Posted on April 9, 2019April 9, 2019 by R.L. Gibson

The Envelope by AAAD Artist of the Day Alice Wellington! — *“The Envelope” (acrylic on canvas, 40cm x 40cm) by Alice Wellington*

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“Kunst ist schön, macht aber viel Arbeit” — Karl Valentin

“Art is beautiful, but it does a lot of work.” — Karl Valentin

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I was on a flight from Chicago to Atlanta recently when the pilot announced it was going to be a very bumpy ride. I’m not a bad flyer, but it doesn’t stop me from white-knuckling the armrest everytime we drop a few feet. But sharing my flight was a 3-year-old girl, traveling with her father, all full of energy & curiousity. Everytime we would hit turbulence and drop a little, she would giggle & laugh & hold her stomach. For me, turbulence is a chance I’m going to die, for her, it is a stomach drop in the elevator or over the top hill of a rollercoaster. I will never experience airplane turbulence the same way. Perspective.

When asked (frequently BTW) about my favorite artist or style of art, my immediate reaction is to reject being backed into a corner by that sort of reductivism, but eventually my answer boils down to “perspective”. I want to be shown a different way to see, feel or be with something in the world, or not in the world as the case may be. I’ll take irony, sarcasm, absurdism, realism, surrealism or any other work that makes me better, or worse, for the experience. The wit of Austrian-based artist & illustrator, Alice Wellinger, today’s AAAD Artist of the Day, drew me in immediately. Take the time to click any of the links in this feature to explore more of her work. “Beneath her editorial work she develops her personal art, which is surreal,ironic, dealing with the troubles of daily life and childhood memories.” You won’t be dissapointed.

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Gain a new perspective with the work of today’s AAAD Artist of the Day, Alice Wellinger!

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CALL for ENTRIES: Content Matters

Posted on April 8, 2019April 9, 2019 by R.L. Gibson

SPRING greens

It is time for my seasonal obsession with ginger. I love ginger all of the time; however, about 4 to 6 weeks at the beginning of Spring, I am obsessed. I find ways to work it into every salad, entree & dessert. My family just smiles & nods, knowing that the ship will right itself soon. I think it happens because the weather has just warmed up enought to inspire thoughts of light and fresh fare, but our local harvest hasn’t quite made it to summertime bounty yet. High-quality ginger is available year ’round, and content matters.

This next Call has a deadline just around the corner (sorry for that), and it meets my resume criteria for this year (museums, publicly-funded galleries, collections or libraries). But the theme of “Content Matters” is what really pushed me to want to enter — achingly relevant. I am finishing a piece now that I think would be perfect, but, you know… jurors. We’ll see. If you are interested in a museum show and have work to offer, take a look at the details.

Check out this Call for Entries from Marin Museum of Contemporary Art (Novato, CA) for Content Matters. $35 entry, 40% commission. Delivery is nearly a month after notification, making shipping easier. Take a look…

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CALL for ENTRIES:
Content Matters from
Marin MoCA

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ELIGIBILITY: Open to all U.S. resident artists 18+

MEDIA: Open to all media

THEMES: Content Matters ” ‘Content’ is the meaning conveyed by a piece of artwork – a message portrayed through images, symbols, marks, or stylistic treatment. Content communicates the artist’s point of view, their thoughts, beliefs and experiences, and it creates a response on the part of the viewer. “ MarinMOCA

DEADLINE: April 18, 2019 (PST)

NOTIFICATION: May 1, 2019 (posted on website)

ENTRY FEE: $35 for up to 3; $50 for 4-5 ($30/$45 for members)

JUROR: This exhibit will be juried by well-known San Francisco gallerist Jack Fischer, who has been exhibiting artists for over 15 years. According to Mr. Fischer, “The work I exhibit is from the heart and the gut.” Jack Fischer Gallery shows work from a diverse group of artists working in many genres including contemporary, visionary, self-taught, and intuitive.

AWARDS: 1st Place $500, 2nd Place $300 & 3rd Place $100.

SALES: Marin MOCA will retain 40% commission (30% for members) on sales.

For complete details, Read the Full Call!

ARTIST of the DAY: Sophia Gunkel

Posted on April 2, 2019April 2, 2019 by R.L. Gibson

"Breathe" (mixed media on canvas) by AAAD Artist of the Day, painter Sophia Gunkel — *“Breathe” (mixed media on canvas) by AAAD Artist of the Day, painter Sophia Gunkel*

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“Freedom, that’s what I feel when I paint…
the freedom to explore the unknown parts of myself & our perplexing world as I see & experience it.” —Sophia Gunkel

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Why do you create? Do you have a physical response, or is the reaction solely an emotional or cerebal experience? I have the tendency to drag my feet when I should be in the studio –somedays for a lack of purpose or an unclear direction or fear of failure. But, I have learned how to put on foot in front of the other and get to IN the studio. I resoundingly feel the same way every time I get there and paint. Freedom. Every time. The work of today’s AAAD Artist of the Day, Sophia Gunkel, speaks to me and it seems we share that same sense of freedom. Please explore more of Sophia’s work. (And check out her Facebook feed for time lapse video!)

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Find a sense of freedom with the work of today’s
AAAD Artist of the Day, painter Sophia Gunkel!

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CALL for ENTRIES: Loss, Redemption & Grace

Posted on March 19, 2019March 17, 2019 by R.L. Gibson

I’ll take the PIE to go

There are a lot of customs surrounding death & food. Most people are familiar with people trying to feed the living by bringing the ubiquitous casserole to the living, but I’ve recently learned that many cultures feed the dead by leaving food on graves, from leaving a pie on the gravestone at Easter to pouring wine on the burial site. I don’t have a real understanding of the symbolism (if you do, LMK) behind the traditions, but I love the love it takes to want to feed someone pie and wine, even after death. THAT is devotion.

My work has centered around human bones for a while now. Bones indicate a pattern for me, both for the living and the lost. I prowl cemeteries with a sense of joy, not mourning. Gravestones are monuments for the living of the best in those no longer able to create new memories. They are, without doubt, often erected out of obligation, but even in obligation, they document a lifespan as an accomplishment, no matter how brief. If they include additional details, they are rare ugly, even if the truth is ugly. This next Call speaks to me because if offers the opportunity to react to loss from a place of truth, not obligation or memorialization. I am also excited about an open opportunity in Atlanta, a rarity.

Check out this Call for Entries from EBD4 (Atlanta, GA) for Loss, Grace & Redemption. $40 Entry & 50% commission. The jurors are researchable, and this venue offers a rare Atlanta opportunity. Take a look…

CALL for ENTRIES:
Loss, Redemption & Grace
from EBD4

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“a platform to examine edgy, daring and thought-provoking contemporary artwork, which traditionally may not be available in a commercial setting”

ELIGIBILITY: Open to American artists 18+

MEDIA: Open to all media.

THEME: What is your response to grief? Have you spoken to loss through artistic expression? Have you been inspired to answer injustice with the energy of creation? Share your interpretation & response to loss, redemption & grace.

DEADLINE: March 31, 2019

NOTIFICATION: April 15, 2019

ENTRY FEE: $40 up to 3, $10ea. addl

JUROR: Elyse Defoor, director of EBD4, will serve as curator. Jerry Cullum, Ph.D. & Teresa Bramlette Reeves, Ph.D., will serve as jurors.

AWARD: 3 cash awards totaling $800 –for Best in Show, 1st place & 2nd place.

SALES: EBD4 will retain 50% commission.

For complete details, Read the Full Call!

CALL for SUBMISSIONS: 2019 Annmarie AiR

Posted on March 17, 2019March 16, 2019 by R.L. Gibson

for the love of DAIRY

I did NOT eat haggis in Scotland while in residency. No one offered it to me. It wasn’t on any menu that I saw. No one suggested that I should make or order it –except every person I know in the United States, ha. I did, however, give in to hot tea, drink liter after liter of unhomoginized, “gently pasteurized” local milk and ate a shameful number of all-butter Scottish shortbread biscuits. I ate boatloads of Dutch gouda and an embarrassing amount of brie from the local cheese shop. And the spinach quiche and sun-dried tomato bread from the local bakery was sinful. You do Scotland your way, I did it mine. The biggest news is how I approached my work differently…

I went to another continent, worked 80+ hours a week and came home with three small pieces of completed work. I spent 8 solid hours of work on an area the size of a silver dollar. I could NEVER do that at my home studio uninterrupted. I spent thirty hours over 3 days working & re-working a 2″ x 4″ section of stitching. I could NEVER do that at my home studio without massive frustration. Residency is the hardest thing to do. It is undistracted, unobstructed time to experiment and succeed and fail without excuse (that’s the hard part). Residency time is priceless. THIS residency is a working residency that requires working with the public on a project. If it lights you up, if you can envision the project and can’t wait to get started, please don’t miss this chance. Don’t let doubt or all the things you think you need to be get in the way. Just submit the project. Don’t worry about what happens if they say “yes” or if they say “no”. Take the chance because it could change the course of how you work and of how you approach your work forever.

Check out this Call for Submissions from Annmarie Sculpture Garden & Arts Center (Solomons, MD) for 2019 Summer Residency. There is no entry fee, plus there is a stipend, project funding, housing and more. This is one of those rare opportunities. Please investigate to see if it is the right fit for you…

CALL for ENTRIES:
2019 Summer Residency
from Annmarie

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“The summer residency program provides a serene place on the Western Shore of the Chesapeake Bay for visual, musical, and literary artists to design and produce a community arts project. Most artists run their project through Annmarie’s creative reuse center, called the artLAB, where artists are encouraged to incorporate recycled or repurposed materials into their project. Residencies are meant to focus on community arts projects; those that merge arts and the environment are particularly desirable. ” –from annmariegarden.org

ELIGIBILITY: All artists 18+ living & working in U.S. Professional & emerging visual artists, musicians, and literary artists may apply.

MEDIA: Open to all media

DEADLINE: April 15, 2019

ENTRY FEE: None

JUROR: Selection is made by an internal panel.

AWARDS: A modest stipend or honorarium — typically $225 per week for the summer residency; a modest project budget, typically $500-2000, depending on the project; housing (optional), the artLAB, studios, bicycle, kayak, a beautiful sculpture garden, galleries, program administration & more!

Category: Tips

a HUNGRY summer

CALL for ENTRIES: Cover Art from New England Review

For complete details, Read the Full Call!

practice what you PEACH

CALL for ENTRIES: Opulent Mobility 2019

For complete details, Read the Full Call!

abstractly DRINKING SPEAKING

CALL for ENTRIES: Unique Abstractions from Las Laguna Gallery

For complete details, Read the Full Call!

“What are you doing this weekend?” — Kellee Mayfield

lost in TRANSLATION

CALL for ENTRIES: Meltdown at the Limner Gallery

For complete details, Read the Full Call!

“Kunst ist schön, macht aber viel Arbeit” — Karl Valentin

Gain a new perspective with the work of today’s AAAD Artist of the Day, Alice Wellinger!

SPRING greens

CALL for ENTRIES: Content Matters from Marin MoCA

For complete details, Read the Full Call!

“Freedom, that’s what I feel when I paint… the freedom to explore the unknown parts of myself & our perplexing world as I see & experience it.” —Sophia Gunkel

Find a sense of freedom with the work of today’s AAAD Artist of the Day, painter Sophia Gunkel!

I’ll take the PIE to go

CALL for ENTRIES: Loss, Redemption & Grace from EBD4

For complete details, Read the Full Call!

for the love of DAIRY

CALL for ENTRIES: 2019 Summer Residency from Annmarie

For complete details, Read the Full Call!

CALL for ENTRIES:
Cover Art
from New England Review

CALL for ENTRIES:
Opulent Mobility 2019

CALL for ENTRIES:
Unique Abstractions
from Las Laguna Gallery

CALL for ENTRIES:
Meltdown
at the Limner Gallery

CALL for ENTRIES:
Content Matters from
Marin MoCA

“Freedom, that’s what I feel when I paint…
the freedom to explore the unknown parts of myself & our perplexing world as I see & experience it.” —Sophia Gunkel

Find a sense of freedom with the work of today’s
AAAD Artist of the Day, painter Sophia Gunkel!

CALL for ENTRIES:
Loss, Redemption & Grace
from EBD4

CALL for ENTRIES:
2019 Summer Residency
from Annmarie