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
Elizabeth Riley, Untitled Orange-Yellow #15, 2020, video stills inkjet printed on paper, pencil, colored paper fasteners, 18 x 20 inches
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
Cathy Diamond, Overpopulation, 2021, acrylic and pigments on paper, 20 x 20 inches
While this piece is called Overpopulation, to me, it is brimming with a fight that is always worthy: To find the energy to occupy a space, and to have a voice. To search for just a single soul who will listen. In an age of extreme injustice, where to tell dangerous untruths has become commonplace, and where faith is tested, Amanda Gorman's words inspire us to grab a hand, and squeeze.
-Cathy Diamond, 2021
http://www.cathydiamond.com
Elaine Norman, Pondering the Demise and the Promise of Collect Pond, 2020, mixed media collage, 9 x 7 inches
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
Mary Flinn, From the ‘Deep Heart’ to the Ocean Sky, pastel, 20 x 22 inches
www.maryflinn.com
Nancy Berlin. Continually Changing 5, 2020, mixed media on found maps, 14 1/2 inches x 21 inches
nancyberlinart.com
Emily Weiskopf, Shared Life, pastel, colored pencil on tracing paper, 8 x 8 inches
www.emilyweiskopfstudio.com
“Shared Life a universal meditation and vision of the earth, its water and air pure, harmonious, renewing, releasing of tears while staying united. The cycle of the lesson to invoke the evolution of consciousness.
My art is grounded in the belief of one universal energy which runs through everything, that exist in all places and sentient beings. I seek to create work that embraces the connection between the physical and spiritual worlds.”
Penny Putnam, RoundAbout, mixed media on paper, 23 x 30 inches
pennyputnam. com
Deanna Sirlin, Healing, 2021, mixed media, 10 x 8 inches
www.deannasirlin.com
Kathryn Hart, Over, Under and Through, mixed media, ink, resin, handmade paper and copper hardware on canvas, 5x4x3 inches
www.KathrynHart.com
Kelin Perry, Caternary Curves
kelinperry.com
Marjorie Williams-Smith, A Child of the Light, 2019, aluminumpoint, silverpoint, and charcoal on black and white acrylic gesso, 22 x 15 1/4 inches
”The year 2020 was a year of reckoning in which Americans had to face the harsh realities of social injustice. This drawing reflects the strength and fortitude of African Americans in the face of racism and inequality. The title of this drawing is taken from the hymn I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light. One verse states, "Clear sun of righteousness, shine on my path." African Americans have always kept their faith through centuries of racism, believing that one day they would truly be free. The rose represents the fortitude and grace needed to persevere through adversity and suffering. The white background is the light that is needed to stay hopeful.”
Susan Hostetler, Interspecies Communication (cardinal), powdered and stick graphite, gouache on mylar, 40 x 26 inches
www.susanhostetler.com
Karen Schiff, Untitled (Cosmic Field), 2016, charcoal and graphite on paper, 54 x 78 inches
www.karen-schiff.com
“This drawing is patterned on a grid of scrawled "#" signs -- each bright shape is the middle square. I like how this sign -- officially named an "octothorp" or "octothorpe" -- is not only used as hashtags on social media, but also to indicate numbers, pounds, sharps in music, a tic-tac-toe game, and (in typography) an empty space. And I'm intrigued by the fact that the bright shapes are bookending the Trump administration: the drawing was made many months before he was elected president, and its imagery has now shown up in a post-presidency video, as the pattern on Nancy Pelosi's face mask, in a press conference following the latest impeachment trial.”
Sherri Hollaender, Dot Stamp or Circle, 2020, gouache on handmade paper, 10 x 10 inches
sherrihollaender.com
Diane Novetsky, Midnight Oil, 2020, acrylic on canvas, 60 x 54 inches
www.dianenovetsky.com
“This painting expresses my belief in the power of hope in the midst of despair, of light in the midst of darkness.”
Mira Hecht, watercolor and graphite on Fabriano paper, 2020, 15 x 11 inches
www.mirahecht.com
Susan Moss, Colorsphere 5, 2020, oil and oil crayon on canvas, 96 x 88 inches
www.susanhmoss.com
Ann Ledy, Times Square, 2019-2020, acrylic on vellum, 7 1/2 x 7 1/2 inches
Sherri Hollaender, Target, 2020, gouache on handmade paper, 24 x 24 inches
sherrihollaender.com
Mary Murphy, Hybrid #3, 2018, oil pastel, 63 x 53 inches
marymurphystudio.net
Mary DeVincentis, Dream Tiger, 2021, oil on panel, 40 x 30 inches
www.marydevincentis.com
“I am submitting my painting Dream Tiger as my choice to accompany the words selected from Amanda Gordon's poem The Hill We Climb because the figure of the tiger in this piece seems either to be emerging from darkness or fading into it, to be either jumping or falling, coming into form or becoming formless; all of which serve as visual metaphors for the dual, somewhat opposing states of consciousness required of us during this this unprecedented time, so beautifully articulated in this poem.”
Tony Moore, Tree of Life, 2020, ceramic, 18 x 18 x 10 3/4 inches
www.TonyMooreArt.com
Dane Goodman, gotta climb to see the light, mixed media/ paper, 11 x 8 1/2 inches
Blinn Jacobs, Negentopy #2, 2021, casein, oil pastel on gatorboard, 18 x 10 3/4 inches
https://www.blinnjacobs.com/
Yvette Cohen, Floating #1, 2020, acrylic, wood dowels on shaped canvas, 13 1/4 x 14 1/2 inches
www.yvettecohen.com
Laurie Heller Marcus, THE GLOBE, 2020, acrylic ink on paper, 9 x 12 inches
Tara Mahapatra, Expansion V, 2021, ink on paper, 9 2/5 inches x 12 3/5 inches
www.taramahapatra.com
Philip Gerstein, The Divine Choice , 2020/2021, oil stick & acrylic on wood panel, 36 x 36 inches
Julie Shapiro, Happy Birthday Mom, 2014, oil on canvas, 42 x 40 inches
www.julieshapiroart.com
Norma Markley, Around the World (Drill), 2019, acrylic, pencil on paper, 7 1/2 x 11 inches
www.normamarkley.com
Aga Ousseinov, Earthrise (After William Anders), 2020, mixed media on birch panel, 19 3/8 x 15 1/4 inches
www.agaousseinov.com
John McDevitt King, Clearing Without Reversal, 2021, Encaustic on Wood Panel, 24 x 18 inches
www.johnmcdevittking.com
Alicia Rothman, Noname, 2021, oil and handcut stencils on wool, 5 x 7 inches
Jeanne Wilkinson, Our Lady of the Flowing Fire, 2001 - 2021, ink, colored pencil and watercolor on paper, 12 x 9 inches
Gerri Rachins, Atlas, ink, acrylic paint, color pencil and graphite on Arches paper, 43 x 38 inches
www.gerrirachins.com
Nancy Cohen, Espiritu Santo, 2020, paper pulp and handmade paper, 80 x 72 inches
www.nancymcohen.com
Dee Shapiro, Pretense, mixed media on paper, 9 x 12 inches
Amy Bassin, Growing Pains, archival Inkjet print, 20 x 16 inches
www.amybassin.com