Friday at the beach

Yesterday was the first day of the Museum of Contemporary Art of Virginia Beach's 57th Annual Boardwalk Art Festival - it was super windy at the beach and the three judges all came by.

The first two were very nice, but not really interested in my work... the last juror really liked my work and selected it for the final round of awards. The judges were Marc Arranaga, an independent art dealer "who formerly worked for Pace Gallery in New York"; Nora Lawrence, associate curator of Storm King Art Center in Mountainville, N.Y.; and the super cool and very nice Suzy Wegmann, the administrative director of Richard Gray Gallery in Chicago. Can you tell which judge picked my work for an award?Yay Suzy!

A total of $21,900 in prize money was awarded by the judges.

Tonight there was a party for the artists and the prizes were awarded. Since I had to drive to Newport News to the train station to pick up Little Junes and Dr. Anderson, I missed the awards ceremony, so tomorrow I'll find out if I won a prize.

Oh yeah... this morning someone stole one of my drawings... later on I will post an image of the stolen work (once I get home); it has been reported to the very nice officer Gibbs of the VABPD.

Update: Below is an image of the stolen drawing...

Opportunity for Artists

Deadline: June 30, 2012

Later this year I will be honored to jury RSVP 2012 for The New Wilmington Arts Association. They support the careers of artists by providing opportunities for uncensored experimentation, professional presentation, and critical dialogue and RSVP is their annual juried exhibition open to all artists and media.

You can download the prospectus here - hurry and do not leave it to the last minute!

Starting Today in Virginia Beach

In 1952, a small group of artists presented an outdoor art show at the Virginia Beach boardwalk, with the proceeds benefiting a fellow artist who had fallen ill. Those artists later formed an organization which is today the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA). In 1956, the first official Boardwalk Art Show was held. Top prize was $25 and 104 artists participated. Today, Best in show wins $10,000 and the Boardwalk show is ranked as on of the top 100 outdoor art shows in the country.

57th Annual Boardwalk Art Show presented by SunTrust.

Date: June 14-17, 2012

Location on Virginia Beach Boardwalk: 20th Street to 32nd Street

Show Hours: 10-6pm, Sunday 10-5pm

2012 Artist Listing - Click here

See ya there! I'll be in the booth around 31st Street.

Why the dude was a genius...

Jury Duty

Mid Atlantic Competition

Deadline for Submissions: August 3, 2012

October 9 – November 2, 2012
Public Reception: Sunday, October 14, from 2-4pm

The 2012 Hoyt Mid Atlantic Juried Art Exhibition showcases artists from the Mid Atlantic Region: Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, West Viginia and Washington, DC.

Juror:  Yours Truly


2012 Mid Atlantic Prospectus page 1
2012 Mid Atlantic Prospectus page 2

57th Annual Boardwalk Art Show

In 1952, a small group of artists presented an outdoor art show at the Virginia Beach boardwalk, with the proceeds benefiting a fellow artist who had fallen ill. Those artists later formed an organization which is today the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA). In 1956, the first official Boardwalk Art Show was held. Top prize was $25 and 104 artists participated. Today, Best in show wins $10,000 and the Boardwalk show is ranked as on of the top 100 outdoor art shows in the country.

57th Annual Boardwalk Art Show presented by SunTrust.

Date: June 14-17, 2012

Location on Virginia Beach Boardwalk: 20th Street to 32nd Street

Show Hours: 10-6pm, Sunday 10-5pm

2012 Artist Listing - Click here

See ya there! I'll be in the booth around 31st Street.

When They Were Kids

Elyse Harrison has 37 great interviews of AOM artists; she writes:

With Artomatic 2012 fast approaching, I decided to do a special edition of “When They Were Kids: Artists Talk About Their Childhoods”.  Those of us familiar with Artomatic know that wandering through the endless maze of art installations can easily numb you, but in a weirdly amusing way. This time with camera and voice recorder in hand I was ready to plunge into the swarm and see who I could find to answer this question:

Think back to your childhood, somewhere between the ages of around 5-10 years old. Is there a memory you would describe as a moment that informed you of your own creativity?

Check them out here.

Opportunity for Artists

Deadline: August 31, 2012 by 6PM

Hillyer Art Space is currently looking for local DC Metro area artists and international artists to submit work for solo shows for the 2013-2014 exhibiition year.

Proposals must include the following materials:

• Minimum of 5 images with a Maximum of 10 submitted on a disc or by email as a high resolution JPEG* (please save each of the images with their corresponding title—minimum resolution accepted is 1920x1080 pixels)
• A complete checklist of works containing the title, year, medium, and dimension of each work
• Resume including address, email, phone number, education, and any previous exhibitions (with clear indications whether it was solo or group)
• Artist statement or exhibition narrative not to exceed one page
• *Minimum accepted resolution on images is 1920x 1080 pixels.

Submissions Due August 31, 2012 by 6:00pm

Requirements:

• DC Metro area artists cannot have had a solo show within the past three years
• International artists have no restrictions on exhbition history but must be currently living abroad

Artists may deliver proposal materials via mail or email. If mailed, please provide a self-addressed stamped envelope if you would like your materials returned.

Mail Submissions to:
Hillyer Art Space
attn: Samantha May
9 Hillyer Court NW
Washington DC 2008

Or Email them to:
gallery@artsandartists.org

Heard on Univision

Univision's Al Punto program just ended, and newscaster Jorge Ramos is pissed at the Obama campaign as they have apparently used his image in a recent commercial aimed at Hispanics. Ramos made it clear that this was done without his permission and that as "an objective newscaster" he wasn't endorsing either candidate.

Update: Apparently Ramos has been repeating this issue since he first became aware of it - first time was on Thursday: His statement:  “I want to be clear that I reject the use of my image and that of Univision in any electoral campaign. We want to make a public statement about our disagreement [with the use of the images].”

"Down With Assad, Down With Castro"

Amazing video of Syrian demonstrators with signs reading "Down with Assad, Down with Castro" and showing their solidarity with Cuba's pro-democracy movement.

Opportunities for Artists

CALL FOR ENTRIES: THE RIPPLE EFFECT: CURRENTS OF SOCIALLY ENGAGED ART Curated by Raquel de Anda Organized by Washington Project for the Arts in partnership with AMA | Art Museum of the Americas Exhibition Location: Art Museum of the Americas, 201 18th St., NW, Washington, DC Exhibition Dates: October 25, 2012 - February 24, 2013 Submission Deadline: Monday, June 25, 5pm Submit Online     Washington Project for the Arts and Art Museum of the Americas seek submissions from artists based in the DC region (DC, MD, VA) for The Ripple Effect, a multidisciplinary exhibition that will offer a sampling of social practice and collaborative works produced within the United States and Latin America. The exhibition positions artists as architects of change building creative entry points into conversations on broad social issues while providing both poetic and concrete solutions. Through various forms, The Ripple Effect will critique, explore, and create a space for conversations on new possibilities of place and society. In line with the focus of the exhibition, the call seeks projects and artworks that engage viewers as direct participants, address pressing social issues, and blur the boundary between artistic practice and social engagement. The works in this exhibition will exemplify how socially engaged art can be ambitious, innovative, humorous, and self-reflexive. The Ripple Effect thus seeks to explore new and fresh cultural landscapes through social experimentations that alter the environment, if only momentarily, as the viewer moves into the position of an engaged and active participant.      SUBMISSION PROCESS  Submissions may be for existing work or proposals for new projects to take place before or during the exhibition. Selected artists will receive a $400 honorarium. Artists should complete the online submission form. Please contact Blair Murphy, WPA Program Director, at bmurphy@wpadc.org with any questions regarding the submissions process or exhibition. Requested submission materials include: CV (no more than 2 pages, required) Statement describing the proposed project/ piece (no more than 300 words). Statement should describe the project or piece and, for projects that take place in locations outside the museum, explain how the project or work would be represented in the gallery space, note the proposed location, and discuss if a permit would be required. Up to ten images, sketches, or videos representing proposed work. OPTIONAl: Brief description of a past project or work created in the public realm. (no more than 100 words) Images should be submitted as .jpg files, 72dpi and no larger than 7" on the longest side. Video clips should be submitted as links to video on a video-sharing website (Vimeo, YouTube, Soundcloud etc.) or personal website. Videos should not exceed 3 minutes in length. Videos should not be submitted as files that must be downloaded in order to be played. CV and statement should be submitted as .doc or .pdf files.  TIMELINE    Submission Deadline: Monday, June 25, 2012, 5pm Notification of selected artists: Mid-July, 2012 Installation: October 16 - 19, 2012 Exhibition Opening: Thursday, October 25, 2012 Final Date of Exhibition: Sunday, February 24, 2013 ABOUT THE CURATOR Raquel de Anda is an independent curator and cultural producer based in New York City whose curatorial approach is influenced by both social and public practice. Formerly Associate Curator at Galería de la Raza, a contemporary Latino arts organization in San Francisco, de Anda creatively incorporates the strengths of diverse groups into the discourse of various artistic and pedagogic arenas. From exhibitions to public art interventions, online forums and panel discussions, de Anda creates collaboration-based programming that cross-pollinates ideas and connects contemporary art to local community. Originally from Laredo, TX, Raquel received her BFA from Middlebury College. Recent events and exhibitions include Roots and Re-visions, a project of the Prospect.1 Biennial Education Department, New Orleans, LA; Strategies for the Shift, a series of panel discussions and films examining the political shift in Latin America via the critical lens of alternative artist led projects, San Francisco, CA; ChicaChic, an exhibition of contemporary Chicana artists, San Francisco, CA; The Persistence of 'Home', an oral history based, public art project for Roots Fest 2011, Baltimore, MD; Question Bridge: Black Males, a collaborative, trans-media program; and ReMuseum, Floating Lab Collective's project for DCCAH's 5 x 5 public art program. Raquel has also juried several panels for organizations including The San Francisco Arts Commission and The National Performance Network. ABOUT AMA | ART MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAS AMA | Art Museum of the Americas of the Organization of American States (OAS) believes that the arts are transformative for people and their com­munities. The Museum strives to provide a forum for expression, dialogue and learning, promoting local and hemispheric cultural ex­change on issues related to development, human rights, justice and freedom of expression, all of which are core values of the OAS. This way, AMA is becoming a meeting place for living, cross-disciplinary partnerships that promote creativ­ity and the exchange of ideas. The museum's cutting edge exhibit programming showcases talented artists that skillfully balance art with social and political issues while at the same time reflecting the rich diversity and trends of artistic expression found in the Americas. For more information, http://museum.oas.org   ABOUT WASHINGTON PROJECT FOR THE ARTS    Washington Project for the Arts (WPA) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to provide the essential resources to support the creative spirit and success of regional artists. WPA presents contemporary art through imaginative and provocative programs, and connects artists with the community in both traditional and unexpected ways. Since its founding in 1975 by Alice Denney, WPA has showcased the works of thousands of artists and has reached hundreds of thousands of visitors and viewers with its programs and projects. Today WPA stands as the oldest and largest 501(c)(3) artist membership organization in the region and the premier source for excellence in contemporary art. For more information about WPA and its programming, visit www.wpadc.org.

Opportunity for Artists

Deadline: August 31, 2012

Howard County Arts Council/Howard County Center for the Arts is currently seeking proposals from artists for Art Maryland 2012, a biennial multi-media juried exhibit. The juror for Art Maryland 2012 is Philippa Hughes, Founder and Chief Contrarian of The Pink Line Project. A minimum of $1,000 will be awarded by the juror.

Entry is open to all artists 18 years or older, residing in Maryland or within a 100-mile radius of Ellicott City, MD. Deadline for entry is August 31. For complete details, http://hocoarts.org/exhibits.php

RSVP: Opportunity for Artists

Deadline: June 30, 2012

Later this year I will be honored to jury RSVP 2012 for The New Wilmington Arts Association. They support the careers of artists by providing opportunities for uncensored experimentation, professional presentation, and critical dialogue and RSVP is their annual juried exhibition open to all artists and media.

You can download the prospectus here - hurry and do not leave it to the last minute!

The Art of Prostitution

I get dozens of news releases from all over the world on a daily basis - This one is one of the most unusual ones...

From what I can gather from the below press release, some Polish female artists - who are also prostitutes - are upset that some women from the Ukraine are preparing to rain on their parade (the sex providers are expecting to make some good Euros during the coming EURO 2012 event in Poland.

EURO 2012 with prostitutions!
UEFA welcome to our gates!
Welcome to Poland for EURO 2012!

WE, POLISH WOMEN, CAN WELCOME AND TAKE CARE OF FOOTBALL FANS BY OURSELVES. WE DON’T NEED IN POLAND FEMINISTS FROM UKRAINE TO REPLACE US IN IT! FEMEN GET OUT FROM OUR BUSINESS!

Euro 2012 is unique occasion for us women to earn some extra money on sex-tourism! Many Polish women count on these profits and can't wait foreign football fans. Generally we earn less, usually we get worse job. Many of us bring up children alone, so Euro is a great opportunity for us. It is a chance to earn extra money and in many cases an opportunity to break the fall.

As female artists, whose income from the art is too low to be able to maintain itself, we look forward to this opportunity too. Therefore, we disagree with the action of Ukrainian feminists Femen who protest against prostitution during Euro - also in Poland! If they want to rebel, they can do it at home in the Ukraine! Poland is our territory!

We do not believe, moreover, that selling bodies is worse and more humiliating kind of prostitution than the one practiced every day by some artists supporting correct ideologies - in exchange for fame, and money. We prefer to be prostitutes dealing bodies then becoming artists from the first rows of the art whores system - selling their artistic freedom!

Therefore, we vote for prostitution in Reality - and against prostitution in ART! Therefore we urge all the feminists during the time of Euro 2012 to stay in the kitchen and let Polish girls earn some money!

On the occasion of EURO 2012, we also created our own Euro 2012 mascot. This is the eight-foot sculpture of an anonymous figure - "Prince X", inspired by the work of renowned sculptor Constantin Brancusi, showing substantial male genitals - the symbol of our prosperity.

Details and loads more salacious pics here. We stand in full Solidarity with our Polish sisters!

Kickstarter Plug

You constant readers know that I don't plug these very often, but I should probably start doing it so regularly for the really interesting ones (and here comes another couple of dozen emails a day!) ... BUT here's a really good one!

Click here.

Painting into Sculpture

Painting into Sculpture is an exhibition (at Marlboro Gallery at Prince George's Community College curated by John Anderson) of "painting that embraces the physical space beyond the rectangle. The featured work explores the terrain where painting becomes sculptural through various methodologies: stacking panels, activating negative space, stripping the medium from the support, using objects that function as paint, shaping the canvas, and reducing the brush stroke to an object."

Featured artists include Dennis Dake, Don Kimes, J.T. Kirkland, Donald Martiny, Eugene Markowski, Kris Scheifele, and Dan Tulk.

I'm looking forward to checking out Don Martiny's paintings, which I am told are pretty spectacular.

The exhibition runs June 4 – July 19, with a reception June 28, 6:30 – 8:30 P.M.

Gallery Hours
9:00 A.M. – 5:00 P.M. Monday – Thursday
9:00 A.M. – 3:00 P.M. Friday
Contact: John Anderson, guest curator,
301-322-0959, andersjj@pgcc.edu
Or Tom Berault, Gallery Curator,
301-322-0967, beraulta@pgcc.edu

Mysterious snake appears in painting of Queen Elizabeth I

A late 16th century portrait of Queen Elizabeth I has reveled over time and degradation that she was originally depicted holding a coiled serpent in her hand instead of the innocuous nosegay she holds now. 

  Read all about it here.

Artists Opportunity

Mid Atlantic Competition

Deadline for Submissions: August 3, 2012

October 9 – November 2, 2012

Public Reception: Sunday, October 14, from 2-4pm

The 2012 Hoyt Mid Atlantic Juried Art Exhibition showcases artists from the Mid Atlantic Region: Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, West Viginia and Washington, DC.

Juror:  Yours Truly

2012 Mid Atlantic Prospectus page 1

2012 Mid Atlantic Prospectus page 2

Corcoran on the move?

From the Corcoran:

Dear colleagues,

In this moment, it is important to the Corcoran to communicate recent institutional news with those closest to us. Please find a message from Harry Hopper, chairman of the Board of Trustees, and Fred Bollerer, director and president, enclosed [read it here]. The statement has been issued following a Board decision this evening and regarding the future of the Corcoran.

AOM: The Review! (Updated)

Update: On my 4th AOM visit on Saturday, I discovered some new artists and spaces that I had missed the first time and thus, the AOM review and awards have been updated below. The updates have been mixed into the review so that you have to read the whole thing again...
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A few days ago I discussed my overall first impressions about Artomatic, and now, having returned to the gigantic exhibition twice, I remain with some of the same overall conclusions:

• Every year the overall "quality" of AOM improves and this year is noticeably better looking and more professional-looking than any other year.
• There are a lot of blackboards with blackboard art all over the place.
• There's a lot less porn in AOM this year. In fact, there's a lot less nudes of all kinds.
• The range of the quality of the work, even in a postmodern world where everything is art, still ranges from the mind-boggling bad to the artistically sublime.
• There are several brand new (at least to me) artists in AOM who can show anywhere right now.
• There is a lot of art about The Beatles and blues musicians.
• There's more video art than I expected.
• There are a lot more well-known DMV area "gallery" artists in this AOM than any previous one (except the first one in 1999).
• There's a lot of artists working with discarded computer boards and parts.
• There are a lot of glass artists and every single one of them is really good.
• There are a lot of dark room style galleries and a lot of "blue light" art.
• There is a lot of artwork about Obama.
• There is a lot of left-wing nuttery artwork.
• There are a lot of really good sculptures.
• There are a lot of artists who make it really hard for someone interested in buying their work to get the basic details (how much is it and how do I buy it?) 

On my return visit I did notice that many artists took my advise and did put prices up and easy to find contact information. I have never been a fan of anything that is for sale and which yet makes you ask what the price is. In this context, just like in a commercial gallery context, art is a commodity and if you want to sell your artwork, you better make it very clear how much the artwork is.

Enough of that.

As I've developed my AOM "eye" since 1999, each year I try to find the key new artists (new to me) in each show, and as difficult (well, really impossible) as it is, I also settle on my Top 10 Artists of the show, fastidiously avoiding any artist which has previously been awarded a DC Art News Top 10 Artomatic Award.

For many years now, I've also developed my own set of individual genre awards, and this year was a particularly good one for that.

Starting on the 11th floor, I liked Joe Granski's large and expressive portrait work; I've noticed Granski's work in previous AOM reviews as well. Also standing out on this floor is the glass work by well-known DMV artist Kirk Waldroff. Other artists not to miss are painters Marina Reiter and Todd Gardner, as well as Andrew Wodzianski and Jamie Caplinger, and the very cool installation by Gloria Chapa (which was vandalized on 23 May and subsequently restored by the artist, only to have it vandalized again on the 25th) and photos by Mark Parascandola. On the 10th floor go see Peter Duvall, Roger Cutler and Tracy Lee's kids mosaics of Legos and daughter's superb photography. On the 8th floor I liked the work of Melissa Badenhop and the elegant abstract works on birch by Ellen Hill and the nudes by Marcie Wolff-Hubbard and the cool etchings by Henrik Sundqvist (his Murcielago Santo is gorgeous). On the 9th floor do not miss Rania Hassan and Sean Hennessey (they're next to each other), also Nancy Donnelly (who's exploring some cool new concepts with her work and another artist that PG County needs to acquire), Rita Elsner, and Zofie Lang. I also liked Erin Antognoli's sharp new presentations.On the 5th floor I liked the nice charcoal nudes by the artist known as "Ray" and the really superb landscape oils by Parisa Tirnaz. On the 4th floor I liked Jamie Gerhold and Jessica Murray. and Frank Mancino. On the 3rd floor, even though he's in the corner of a giant room, Greg Minah's swirling works really stand out as do Susan LaMont's works; also go see Jessica Beels. On the 2nd floor, see Gregory Ferrand and Michael Janis and I really enjoyed the very nice paintings of Mary Catherine Starr (which are also a great price deal) and another great discovery was the work of Sue Ahn (who needs a website!). On the first floor, check out the always amazing dress metal sculptures by Donna McCullough. And while you're at AOM, don't miss Tim Tate's new video piece.

Best Conan Females - The artist known as Wolverine on the 11th floor. As a Frazetta fan, I bow to you sir.

Best Aerial Landscape - The electronic circuit boards and parts used in Eric Celarier on the 11th floor to make computer-age quilts. He really makes them work and stands out in a show over-populated with artists doing this sort of work. Eric needs to get a hold of the Microsoft Collection curator, as they collect art based on technology.

Best Clouds - Emily Piccirillo on the 11th floor. The cool presentation also makes the work stand out.

Clouds by Emily Piccirillo, 11th floor, AOM 2012

Best Use of Light - Sarah Louise Chittenden on the 11th floor. This was a tough category, as there are a lot of darkened rooms using light as part of their process.

Best Use of Black Light - Michael Auger on the 11th floor wins this subcategory.

Best Organic Sculpture - Liz Lescault wins a tough sub-category; there are a lot of good sculptures at AOM.

Best Glass Art - Joseph Corcoran squeaks by in the toughest category in AOM; there are a LOT of really good glass artists in this show. This is no surprise, as the DMV is one of the glass world's epicenters. He really should share this award with David D'Orio, but since D'Orio received a separate award, Corcoran gets to keep his award solo.

Scariest Picture of Obama - Easily won by hardworking DMV artists Matt Sesow.

Most Adoring Picture of Obama - Dike Harris on the 7th floor.

Best Odd Project - "15 Miles of Vanity," which are photos of vanity plates; it is sort of cool to read what people want the rest of the world to know.

Best Robot - "Robama 2012" by Benson Z. Anspach wins the always hotly contested robot art category.

Most Innovative Modernization of the Washington Color School -  Nancy Donnelly's new work takes the color stripes from the canvas of the 1960s giants of DMV painting and re-invents it ina  fresh new approach to a 21st century dialogue in glass and concrete. PG County needs to buy some of these.

Best Tool Artwork - Richard Appelt, Jr.

"I didn't know he was a racist award" - Won by Ishmail Basha Reaves, who has a display of really well done portraits of African American icons, civil rights leaders, etc. and somehow includes a painting of Che Guevara, who once wrote: "The Negro is indolent and lazy, and spends his money on frivolities, whereas the European is forward-looking, organized and intelligent." This is one of many such racist statements by the guy on the T-Shirt.

Scariest Artwork - Kasia Swierczek on the 11th floor dominates the art of the scary. Don't get me wrong, this is really good work, but even her name is a little scary to me.

Best Deal for $100 - Corey Oberndorfer paintings of donuts on color swatches are not only gorgeously painted, but a steal at $100 from a DMV blue chip artist.

Corey Oberndorfer paintings of donuts at Artomatic 2012

 Best Deal under $50 - Any of the "Obama Versus" series on the 10th floor; Fun ideas superbly presented, but I'm not sure who the photographer is, but this is his/her website.

"Obama Versus" photographs on the 10th floor of Artomatic 2012

Best Innovative Use of Star Wars Imagery - Isaac Lange's "dARTH vay-dEER" is a gorgeous marriage of Star Wars with Frida Kahlo; how could he not win? And this is a tough category as well, there are a LOT of Star Wars in AOM.

dARTH vay-dEER by Isaac Lange, AOM 2012

Second Best Innovative Use of Star Wars Imagery - Princess Leia naked by Paul Oberle merits a mention and an award in this tough category! I always suspected that Leia had nice tits!

Best Innovative Use of Star Trek Imagery - Rob Sprouse has Mr. Worf as Marilyn Monroe; what else can I say but Brilliant!

Best Gay Use of Star Trek Imagery - Well, actually the only gay use of Star Trek imagery... do not miss Sarah Palaszynski's evolving Space Opera.

Amok by Sarah Palaszynski

Best Adaptation of Another Artist's Work - Ric Garcia has some really good pieces in AOM, and he has evolved Andy Warhol's Campbell Soup cans motifs into a 21st century dialogue with his use of Goya Black Bean soup cans. I think PG County needs to buy this guy's work under their county art collection focus on AOM.

Celia Cruz, Desi Arnaz and Goya Black Bean Soup, Ric Garcia, AOM 2012

Best Channeling of Another Artist - Marti Deppa Kirkpatrick's elegant paintings from her "Channeling Rothko" series.

Made Me Hungry Award - Rebecca Gordon has unexpectedly beautiful photographs of bacon on the 10th floor.

Best WalMartist - Elizabeth Brown has some spectacular sculptures on the 10th floor that really stand out - especially the one using the light bulbs (how did she get those little notes inside the bulb?) and her Terminator prints on dollar bills.

Detail of Elizabeth Brown's sculpture on the 10th floor of AOM 2012

Cool Use of the Nude Award - "Eye of Ra" photography on the 10th floor.

Best Nude on the Rocks - I don't know how Bert Pasquale got those nudes to climb those rocks, but the resulting photographs are eye catching and superbly well done; this is one fine photographer at work.

Most Unusual Use of the Nude - The artist known as "Ralph" on the 2nd floor has a wall full of nudes doing all sort of interesting things that people usually don't do in the nude, but probably should (play football, do synchronized peeing into the river, etc.).

Painting of people peeing by Ralph, 2nd floor of Artomatic 2012

Best Installation - Lilianne Blom has a really cool installation in yet another dark room - it has sound, lights and it all marries together with her digital paintings.

Worst Artomatic Presentation Ever - Whoever the artist is in the room located to the left of the bar on the 7th floor. See the picture below for an explanation.

The worst looking gallery room at Artomatic 2012

Best Painter of Blues/Jazz Artists - There are a lot of people painting blues musicians and thus J. L. Hussey on the 2nd floor had a lot of competition, but wins jazz hands down.

Best Printmaker - Kathryn Trillas' sensitive monotypes are not only eye-catching in their softness and intimacy, but because of the latter draw you in like a magnet in order to verify the process and method.

Best Landscape Artist - This is one tough category in a building full of excellent landscapists, but I think that Sarah Wardell's intimate and superbly priced work on the 8th floor merits this highly contested award, which she shares with Jeff Wilson's beautiful oils (mostly of tornado events) on copper plates on the 4th floor.

Best Charcoal Landscape Artist - James Halloran on the 8th floor.

Best Political Art - Roy Utley's Manisfesto takes this hotly contested award away from a large continent of extremists' art; it is smart, well presented and very interesting.

Best Sexual Art - Jaden O'Doyle made it look easy with a series of very attractive and intelligent images on a wide range of taboo subjects. Someone left a comment that summarizes it all; the visitor wrote in the guest book: "You made me horny!"

Best Urban Landscapes - Pattee Hipschen has some very painterly works with a focus on urban imagery, but are really a riot of color.

Ignore the Subject Matter and Look at the Painting Skills Award - Cynthia Sheppard on the 8th floor displays superb painting skills. I actually like the subject matter, but I know that most of you pansies won't. In any event, this is a master painter working as an illustrator (I think), but still a really good painter.

Coolest Artist Name - Marie Dominique Bondet de la Bernardie, 3rd floor, gallery 210.

Best Sculpture - The bicycle sculpture by David D'Orio on the 8th floor manages to marry together such a discordant and different set of ideas and topics (coupled with a pristine presentation) and materials (the bike, gorgeous glass, an old radio, etc.) that it really stands out - as a local critic put it: "The radio atop is tuned to WMAL, a station that broadcasts the conservative points of view through conservative opinion broadcasters like Chris Plante and (the syndicated shows of) Rush Limbaugh and Mark Levin." I noticed during my second and third visits that someone had changed the radio station to a music station.

Detail of David D'Orio's sculpture at Artomatic 2012

Best Image of Dicks - I was surprised how the always popular subject of penises was not as prevalent in this AOM as in the past. The artist known as Fr. Defenestrato was the top pinga in this category.

Largest Dick Award - Andrei Trach on the 3rd floor.

Best Looking Tits at AOM - Roy Utley's superb photo of model Angelina Leigh on the first floor. This model may in fact have the nicest looking tits in North America and possibly the whole New World.

Scariest Pussy Award - And Andrei Trach wins again with a sleep-robbing image of the scariest-looking vagina that I have ever seen; the thing actually projects out of the canvas, as if it wants to snap out of the linen and start crawling on the floor, making wet sounds and leaving a mucky trail behind it as it attacks viewers on the 3rd floor.

Painting by Andrei Trach on 3rd floor of Artomatic 2012

Best Giant Artwork - M. Helene Baribeau has several really well-crafted knitted pieces (and some prints made from her knitted work). The scale of the gloves is really attractive and they truly make an impact.

M. Helene Baribeau's Giant Gloves

Best Pet Portrait Artist - Whoever "sheppardbear" is on the 3rd floor shares this coveted prize with Glen Kessler (I also liked his "Icon Series").

"I Don't Get It" Award -  Artist Judith Claire's rambling installation - I'm not sure if it is anti or for racism, but it left me all confused.

Best DC Focus Art - Robert Kincheloe on the 3rd floor finally hits his stride with an awesome wall installation of individual glass pieces commemorating the capital's famed cherry blossoms. Kincheloe takes this potentially saccharine subject and hits an artistic grand slam. This is another PG County artist whose work needs to be acquired by the county.

Glass sculpture by Robert Kincheloe, 3rd floor Artomatic 2012

Best Pastels - Ellen Cornett takes on this most difficult of genres with pastel oils that are vibrant and colorful - she really muscles a lot of power out of her various subjects. Yet another PG artist for the county collection.

Best Abstract Art - Shanti Chandrasekar offers a pristine and elegant array of abstraction influenced by a variety of South Asian nuances. Her "Chakra" is a perfect example of what a talented artist can produced with a limited palette of cool colors. This is also the most improved artist in AOM.

Best All Over the Place Art - Nicolas Zimbro on the first floor is armed with an impressive set of painting and drawing skills. I love this guy! He reminds me of me, except that he can paint much better than I can. I loved how his subject matter meanders all over the place. Zimbro even meanders within a painting - there's hyper-realism, abstraction, maybe even manga mixed all in there. 

Painting by Nicolas Zimbro, 1st floor Artomatic 2012

Best Flower Photography - Camille Mosley-Pasley on the 11th floor. This is new stuff from Camille and the work is not only fresh in a really popular subject, but also superbly priced.


Best Flower Art - Elizabeth Floyd's hyper-realistic flower paintings manage to capture this popular subject vividly with intelligent use of color and texture.


Best Drawing - Christian Tribastone showcases not only some fantastic drawings, but also some mixed media drawing/painting that stands out now that I've managed to discover it on my 4th visit.


Best Mixed Media - Stephanie Booth's "She Always Wanted to be a Blonde" series of photographs employ the artist showcasing her grandmothers' wigs - coupled with that is embroidered words that use Booth's hair and continues this talented artist's fascination with that product of the body.

Stephanie Booth (Detail from She Always Wanted to be a Blonde series)

Best Fabric Art - The amazing creations by Aeren Waters are all tucked into a small space, but nonetheless stand out for their ingenuity and detail.

As I discussed here, PG County announced their intention to make significant purchases of artwork by Prince George's County artists at this year's Artomatic. These are my recommendations for them to acquire:

Matt MacIntire
Nancy Donnelly
Ric Garcia
Robert Kincheloe
Ellen Cornett
Michael Janis
Jessica Murray

And after much haggling with myself, here are my recommendation as the Top 10 Artists of this year's AOM. This year I decided to focus the top ten on artists whom are either new to me or who have never been on my previous AOM Top 10 List.  As I've noted earlier, I also noticed that there are a lot of well-known and very talented DMV area "gallery artists" in this year's AOM. In the past, I know for a fact that gallerists discouraged and even prohibited their represented artists from participating in AOM. It is a significant chunk of evidence to where AOM has come to in 2012 to see some of those well-known names show up in the world's largest free-for-all art group show.

Here are my Top 10 new finds in this year's AOM in alphabetical order:
Sue Ahn
Melissa Badenhop
Elizabeth Brown
Shanti Chandrasekar
Joseph Corcoran
Ellen Cornett
Bert Pasquale
Kathryn Trillas
Jeff Wilson
Nicolas Zimbro