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Art and Art Deadlines.com

Tag: AAAD

Just Desserts: A personal note.

Posted on by R.L. Gibson

Just Desserts -- a personal note from Rachel at AAAD!

Yesterday, my husband stood under the open hatch of our car with nitrile gloves wiping down our groceries with disinfectant before they entered the house the way a Southerner would clean-hand-dirty-hand the breading of fried chicken.  Surreal. Covid-19 has touched all of our lives by now.

My husband lost his job in recent days, so I am grateful to HAVE groceries.  I am grateful to have the option to stay home and complete creative work and commissions to keep my mind occupied while so many are fighting to get well or stay well.  Productive distraction has always been a mental health tool for me, and I hope it is working for you.

With so many of us unsure of what lies ahead, it is hard to plan for the future or even find the motivation to want to do any hopeful planning.  But today, I did.  Today I applied for an artist residency… in Italy.  I did it for me, and I did it in honor of all the galleries and arts agencies that have to keep planning for a future that they can’t currently clearly see. I see you. I hear you.  My heart is full for you.

As for AAAD, because my own practice has been growing, I have not tended this site and the weeds are knee-high. I had plans to transition this site over the next year and a half, but it seems like the time to say goodbye is now.  In 2009, this site began as a convenient way to catalog “safe” calls from trusted people and places.  Along the way, I met the best people, made wonderful friends, shared ridiculous food segues and made connections that will last a lifetime.  I will miss talking to you regularly, or even irregularly.

Fine Print details:

  • I have enabled comments on this post, which in this time of trolls and bots is uncommon for me to do, so feel free to leave a note.
  • The site will remain in place for a while and will eventually auto-forward to my personal website. 
  • If you want to screenshot a feature of your work, your agency or anything else, the search bar is still in the sidebar even though the pages are not on the navigation menu.  If you need help finding something, contact me, and I will help. 
  • If you feel you are owed something by this site, please feel free to contact me so that I can make it right.
  • I added a contact page with all my personal contact info.
  • Social media sites for this page will go dark by (May 1, 2020), but feel free to contact me personally.
  • I will completely delete the mailing list (by May 1, 2020) for this website from the subscription feed to prevent any pirating of email addresses in my absence.

You deserve the very best.  Be kind to yourselves, and may you all get your just desserts, artistically & edibly.  Love always, Rachel (R.L. Gibson)

ARTIST of the DAY: Alice Wellinger

Posted on 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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ARTIST of the DAY: Sophia Gunkel

Posted on 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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ARTIST of the DAY: Gabrielle Shannon

Posted on by R.L. Gibson
"Copper Storm 1" (acrylic on canvas) by AAAD Artist of the Day, painter Gabrielle Shannon
“Copper Storm 1” (acrylic on canvas) by AAAD Artist of the Day, painter Gabrielle Shannon

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“. . . the brain mirrors the expanse of the entire cosmos… and beyond. Each moment is unique. Each moment is identical.” —Gabrielle Shannon

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For most of my life I felt I had a good handle on people as a species –essentially good & well-intentioned but deeply flawed.  But the past few years have opened my eyes to my own bias & rocked my faith in good intentions.  The work of today’s AAAD Artist of the Day, Gabrielle Shannon, reminds me that the world is bigger than ourselves, bigger than our experience.  Check our her full statement!

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Investigate the patterns of change with
AAAD Artist of the Day, painter Gabrielle Shannon!

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ARTIST of the DAY: Jasper Finn Behrends

Posted on by R.L. Gibson
"Pansy" (digital art) by Jasper Finn Behrends
“Pansy” (digital art) by Jasper Finn Behrends

“bullying has left marks on my life” —Jasper Finn Behrends

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Ever had something you needed to let loose into the world, but fear has held you back?  Me too.  I’m trying to take a deep breath and be brave and know that someone else in the world has the same secret; someone else is afraid or confused or feeling alone.  Today’s AAAD Artist of the Day, Jasper Finn Behrends, is brave in a way most of us will never have to endure.  I am proud to feature his work & hope you’ll carry it with you in your heart today.

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Discover more work from AAAD Artist of the Day, Jasper Finn Behrends!

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ARTIST of the DAY: Susan Grace

Posted on by R.L. Gibson
"Here Kitty Kitty" (oil & charcoal on paper) by Susan Grace
“Here Kitty Kitty” (oil & charcoal on paper) by Susan Grace

“I find that I am an obsessive observer of signs but am increasingly skeptical that I perceive them in the ways intended by those who produced them.” — Susan Grace

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I am moving my home and downsizing again.  This is the last step on the way to making my family more mobile.   I have temporarily returned to goal-specific formal secondary education, and have just met the end of residential parenting.  My world is shifting.  I look around me for comfort in the familiar, in signs and symbols that the sun will appear once again in the morning.  And, while the sun has yet to disappoint me, it is hard not to feel isolated when you interpret all the signs differently than those around you.  I feel as a stranger in a strange land, like the title of that famous sci-fi novel.  When I read the statement of today’s AAAD Artist of the Day, Susan Grace, I new I’d found a kindred spirit.  Read the statement, browse the work.  Maybe we aren’t strangers after all.

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Share the narrative, investigate AAAD Artist of the Day, painter Susan Grace!

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ARTIST of the DAY: Heather Robinson

Posted on by R.L. Gibson
"For the Sake of Richness" (acrylic & fabric on panel) by Heather Robinson
“For the Sake of Richness” (acrylic & fabric on panel) by Heather Robinson

“I have a magpie-like attraction to bright, colorful, decorated objects, but an orderly mind, a love for the grid and a strong schooling (from my architectural design studies) to mistrust the superficial.” —Heather Robinson

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Four weeks left until my home, studio & storage space are cut in half.  I am trying to make the hard decisions about need versus want, necessary versus nourishing.  There is a time & place for everything, but finding those times and places is an art form all its own.  I fell in love with the work of today’s AAAD Artist of the Day, Heather Robinson, whose “Attraction” series explores some of these very themes.  I find it a comfort to know that others, both known & unknown to me, experience my thoughts & feelings & challenges as there own.  We are not alone.

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Identify yourself in the work of today’s AAAD Artist of the Day,
painter Heather Robinson!

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ARTIST of the DAY: Ray Gonzales

Posted on by R.L. Gibson
"Cactus Heart" (clay mixed media) by Ray Gonzales
“Cactus Heart” (clay mixed media) by Ray Gonzales

“I’ve always been assured
of my path as an artist.”
—Ray Gonzales

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I envy those who have chosen a path and stayed true.  My heart is fickle.  I’ve chosen a new path recently, and my heart is so invested.  Is this the path that I was meant to find all along?  The work of today’s AAAD Artist of the Day, Ray Gonzales, speaks to me of the strength of his passion and confidence in his journey.  I love this work.

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Find your passion in the work of AAAD Artist of the Day, sculptor Ray Gonzales!

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ARTIST of the DAY: Victoria Veedell

Posted on by R.L. Gibson
"Morning Garden" (oil on canvas) 20" x 20" by Victoria Veedell
“Morning Garden” (oil on canvas) 20″ x 20″ by Victoria Veedell

“Travel has become an important component in my work as it allows me to observe and compare gradients of color, light & atmosphere in different geographic locations.” —Victoria Veedell

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I have my eye on a prize, of sorts, and I am able to keep focused on the prize by finding inspiration anywhere I can.  The work of today’s AAAD Artist of the Day, Victoria Veedell, suggests that inspiration can be found both around the world or in your own backyard.  Or, you could adopt Veedell’s work as your inspiration.  I am taking a trip to Shanghai via oil on canvas.  Join me…

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Find your inspiration on a canvas of AAAD Artist of the Day , painter Victoria Veedell!

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ARTIST of the DAY: Marissa J. Menefee

Posted on by R.L. Gibson
Exploration Metallum 001, watercolor on paper, by Marissa J. Menefee
Exploration Metallum 001, watercolor on paper, by Marissa J. Menefee

“When lost, it feels like we are going in circles.
When there is great accomplishment, it feels as if
we have come full circle.” — Marissa J. Menefee

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I find myself rehearsing half-hearted apologies for the decisions to step off the edge of the earth, or so it feels, in pursuit of adventure and truly living in the coming years.  I am taking baby steps toward a goal, but feel an immediate, obligatory sense of guilt creep up on me after every accomplishment.  Proud but guilty. Excited but apologetic. Emotional semantics. 

Seeing the work of today’s AAAD Artist of the Day, Marissa J. Menefee, I thought, “this artist understands the circles in which I spin and spin and spin.”  Thanks, Marissa.

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Lose (or find) yourself in the mesmerizing patterns of today’s AAAD Artist of the Day, painter Marissa J. Menefee!