DRAWING CHALLENGE XIX

We would like to congratulate Sally Apfelbaum, Cathy Diamond, Lisa Hess Hesselgrave, Elizabeth Riley and Alice Zinnes for being the featured contestants of our Drawing Challenge XIX, which was inspired by following words from 'The Hill We Climb' by the poet Amanda Gorman, recited at the Presidential Inauguration of 2021.

"Let the globe, if nothing else, say this is true.
That even as we grieved, we grew.
That even as we hurt, we hoped. "

We are pleased to present the works of eleven featured contestants in the accompanying virtual exhibition
Let the globe, if nothing else, say this is true
March 3 - March 31, 2021

Sally Apfelbaum, East Wall, East Village, 2019, acrylic on gessoed canvas, 12 x 12 inches

http://sallyapfelbaum.net

Lisa Hess Hesselgrave, Mary's Daughters / Daughter's of Fair Haven, 1991, oil on canvas, 34 x 38 inches

“In the late 80s I was living in Fair Haven, a lively and diverse, but economically depressed neighborhood within the city of New Haven. Fair Haven was a neighborhood teeming with life and strife. Initially, it was the beauty of the old colonial houses and of the nearby Quinnipiac River that drew my attention. But soon, the primary subject of my work became little human dramas played out on sidewalks, porches, and stoops. 

The house next door was home to a large, single-parent household, with many children, from toddler to teen. The children contributed a lot to the vitality and activity of the block. Knocking on their door one day, I asked the two older sisters if they’d be interested in having their portrait painted. Quietly but enthusiastically they agreed, but immediately closed their front door. Thirty minutes later they were on my doorstep, cleaned, pressed, and with immaculately coiffed hair. Mary’s daughters sat very still and quietly allowed the painting to develop. 

It was thrilling to come “off the porch” and sit face to face with these young women, absorbing some of their youthful earnestness. Sadly, only a short time later, and quite suddenly, the house was emptied of its occupants and the family disappeared from our street. It’s unlikely I’ll ever meet these women again, but I hope that they still hope.”

-Lisa Hess Hesselgrave, 2021
www.lisahesselgrave.com

Jenny Krauss, Shore, 2018, gouache, 24 x 18 inches

https://www.jennykraussstudio.com/

Alice Zinnes, Lost in The Fog of Hope, drwg, 2020, charcoal on tinted archival paper, 27 1/2 x 35 inches

”This drawing was made in response to the ancient Roman novel, The Golden Ass, by Apuleius. Like Orpheus, a young maiden must go through Hell to regain her lover, though unlike Eurydice, her lover has not died but been swept from her. Much as Amanda Gordon asks us to do, even as this maiden ‘grieved’ she ‘hoped’ and persevered on.”

-Alice Zinnes, 2021
www.AliceZinnes.com

Julia Bloom, Didactic Katydid 2, oil & graphite on paper, 22 x 30 inches

www.juliabloom.net

Ron Milewicz, Lament, 2019 - 2021, oil on panel, 9 x 12 inches

ronmilewicz.com