H2O 2022
Art Exhibition Winners
Below are the biographies and/or artist's statements along with the artist's websites or emails.
Please visit the H2O exhibition page and contact the artists directly for purchase inquiries or to see more of their work.
Congratulations again to all the winners and thank you for sharing your talent with us.
Crystal Wall
Photography
16 x 20
Raymond Enriquez
First Place Winner
Photographing Nature aids in the understanding of my own self-awareness. It eases my mind and soul and momentarily allows me to forget about any stress, anxieties or insecurities in life. When I connect with nature, I feel that I am able to live in the present moment; indulged in the vibrations of the earth, its beauty and its ability to evoke a sense of wonder and imagination. On the quest to express gratitude for nature, my work portrays the tranquil, refreshing and healing powers of the earth, with hopes to encourage preservation, self-awareness, and self-healing.
Fenced In
Photography
16 x 20
Elizabeth Kayl
Second Place
Elizabeth Kayl has had her photography included into juried gallery shows in 33 different US states and in 3 international countries in 2020, 2021 and 2022 to date. It wasn’t until the pandemic hit that she began her new love of photography. Elizabeth has recently won two Juror’s Awards, two Best in Show Awards, a First Place Award and a Visitor’s Choice. Her work has been featured in many permanent public art locations, as well. By day, she is employed as the Director of Parks and Recreation for the beautiful art-inspired City of Loveland, Colorado.
Snow
Photography
8 x 10
Susan Phillips
Third Place
My photography portfolios deal with beauty found in simple places. I search for things overlooked by people rushing by: street abstractions formed by the effects of traffic and erosion; artistry in torn papers and restructured surfaces; graffiti; oxidized rusted surfaces; reflections in puddles, ponds, or store windows; ice patterns. I marvel at transience. I adore the constant flow of change, recognizable only upon infrequent visits to the same spots. I search for the abstract, aesthetic potential- the visual language- inherent in the random papers left to decompose; the seasonal pond changes. Damaged surfaces are frightful to some, but the continual metamorphosis is energizing for me. As my mind studies an array of pasted and repasted graffiti, or a pond or store reflection-fragments of the conscious and subconscious play to choose the final, “elegant”, cohesive composition.
Nikki Coulombe
Honorable Mention
"Ultimately as a traditional artist most comfortable painting or drawing, my approach toward art emphasizes value in the work process, where means to expression are diverse, and despite the outcome, creativity is an attitude toward life." I grew up in Alberta, Canada, where three years of formal education led to a home-based business in eastern Ontario, working freelance while my children were young. Along with a variety of on-site work for Interior Designers, commissions included fabric design, illustrations, acrylics paintings, portraits, pet portraits, and customized wall murals for homes and restaurants. Until moving to the U.S. in 2002, volunteer work at schools involved developing educational projects around themes of Art History, multiculturalism, and environmental issues. 2009 - VAST Texas Artist of the Year. 2009 and 2010 - showed solo exhibition, 'The Majesty of Trees' in Raleigh NC and Madison WI. 2011 - moved to Oregon, starting again with a new body of work, entering competitions and group exhibitions. Photography is an ongoing interest, influential in my work as inspiration, where I'm guided by the experiences and observations. Changing style is characteristic of my work, mostly dictated by subject matter and the unique challenges presented by each individual piece as it unfolds. I work intuitively and don't really have pre-set, predictable methods, except there is constant concern for negative spaces being as important as the main objects. I'll remove material to create marks, imply structures, backgrounds and spatial movement, using damp cloth and dry brushes on paintings, pottery tool and fingernails with oil pastels, and different sizes of erasers for graphite and soft pastels. Recently (2020-22) I've been doing large format soft pastels on paper, trying a broad range of subjects and portraying some of the amazing places I've traveled to.
Myrta Köhler
Honorable Mention
Myrta Köhler has grow up in Vienna and is currently living in Berlin, Germany, working as artist, journalist and editor. Artworks of hers have been presented in group exhibitions during the Abertura de Ateliês de Artistas and at the Casa-Atelier Vieira da Silva (both Lisbon) as well as in online shows by different galleries. In 2021, Myrta Köhler received a Bronze Award and the Audience Award in the Show All Abstracts by the Camelback Gallery (USA). Also in 2021, Myrta Köhler showed large-format cyanotypes in her solo exhibition FLOW AND THEN at the Frizz23 Galerie, Berlin.
Margaret Lloyd
Honorable Mention
Margaret Lloyd was born in Liverpool, England, of Welsh parents and grew up in a Welsh immigrant community in central New York State. She is both a visual artist and a poet. As an artist, Lloyd began as a watercolor painter, then moved into working with slate, and is now immersed in painting with oil. She has held several exhibitions, as well as published paintings and painting/poem pairs in journals, nationally and internationally. Lloyd has published four books of poetry and she has received several awards, fellowships, and residencies. In her current oil paintings, she is searching for and forging the places that finally emerge—the wild expanse of sea, of sky and wind, of land—the ancient world, loved places, internal landscapes. She is driven to create tension, energy, and passion; the paintings aspire to be as organic as nature. At times this results in art that hovers between abstraction and realism—never before seen, yet perhaps as real and as palpable as anything else. For more information: www.margaretlloyd.com
Maria puma Perme
Honorable Mention
As an inquisitive teen, photography became part of my life. Today, I consider myself a visual storyteller with images that flourish into authentic and direct representations of the exact moment the shot was captured, with little editing. My photographic style is largely influenced by nature and hours spent in the woods and by the water's edge, as well as my life experiences including travel, music, and somatic movement and expression. Currently, my palette and subjects are nature, portrait, and street photography. These outlets combine my passion for knowledge, deep curiosity, and connection. My driving force and inspiration comes from God/Source/Divine Spirit along with my passion for the natural world and wanting to capture moments of the Divine through the lens. No other activity brings me the peace, satisfaction and diversity of experiences as photography does.
Wen Redmond
Honorable Mention
New England artist, Wen Redmond’s fascination with photography finds expression through printing manipulated original photographs directly onto various mixed media substrates, and specially treated natural fibers to create unique stitched photographic textural constructions. Wen calls this work, Digital Fiber.
She continues to investigate the digital world but also imaginative presentations that add to the pioneering exploration of her media and give her work edge. Each work is unique and created individually.
Wen's techniques can be further investigated in her book- Digital Fiber Art and Other Mixed Media Masterpieces. She delights in creating dialogue, changing perspectives and perceptions of fiber and photography.
Website http://www.wenredmond.comBOOK- Wen Redmond's Digital Fiber Art:Combine Photos & Fabric - Create Your Own Mixed-Media Masterpiece Amazon http://tinyurl.com/z7jcb2e or CT Publishing https://www.ctpub.com/wen-redmonds-digital-fiber-art/
DVD- Digital Imagery in Fiber Art: Using Textured Backgroundsfor a Painterly Effect https://www.interweave.com/store/digital-imagery-in-fiber-art-download-in-hdFaceBook- https://www.facebook.com/Art-of-Wen-Redmond-209943249168554/Blog- http://fiberartgoddess.blogspot.com/
Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/wenredmond/?hl=en
Etsy UpLIFTmeNTs Shop- https://www.etsy.com/shop/WenRedmondArtU-Tubechannel- https://www.youtube.com/user/wenredmond/videos
ArtfulHome- http://tiny.cc/82ktey Professional Member ofSAQA- http://www.saqa.com/gallery-detail.php?ID=1018
Leagueof NH Craftsmen since 1993 Surface Design Association-https://www.surfacedesign.org/members/premium-gallery/?sauthor=wen%20redmond
Fine Art America- https://fineartamerica.com/featured/whispers-of-the-positive-wen-redmond.htmlNew Hampshire ArtAssociation- https://www.nhartassociation.org/member-directory
National Museum of Women in the ArtsWomen’s Caucus of Art
Vasu Tolia
Honorable Mention
Vasu is a contemporary painter who is constantly evolving her style. She lives in Michigan. Originally from India, she migrated to US for furthering medical career. She was a very successful academician, mentor, clinician and researcher. After retirement, she learnt drawing and painting and has found a perfect medium to pour her zeal for nature and humanity now. Presently, she is shifting from classic landscapes, flora, fauna and figures towards abstracting the same. Use of vibrant colors and geometric shapes is her hallmark to draw the viewer in to her stories on this visual journey of strokes, lines and vibrant colors inspired by people, the world and travels. The influence of Indian culture is evident in some of her figurative and Ganesha Paintings.
Vasu has received many awards for her works in local, regional and national competitions including best of shows several times, artist of the future award, published in several magazines and interviewed on radio and on YouTube by NAWA.
Her medical career has brought her numerous accolades with over 150 published research articles and book chapters. She still consults on medical issues. Vasu’s artwork has been shown in group exhibitions in Metro Detroit area, CA , NYC and in many online national exhibitions. She generously participates in projects for fund raising with her art on projects dear to her heart like healthcare, children and women’s causes. One of her paintings was featured in the TOP 20 Covid Art in Washington Post in 2020. She had two solo exhibitions so far and has two additional solo exhibitions slated for 2022. She recently joined the board of Friends of Asian Art and Culture at the Detroit Institute of Arts.
Vasu is also a budding poet who writes poems on different subjects and has been featured in several Ekphrastic events. Her bold, energetic strokes inject lyrical quality to her creations that has inspired many poets.