Best in Show
Traditional Art
Amy Stauffer
Like many wildlife artists, Amy Stauffer has held a fascination for both the arts with the animal world since early childhood. Those fascinations have manifest themselves as a love for the biological and natural sciences and art in its myriad forms. Following training in the study of biology, this love naturally found its expression through the visual arts. They have fused to create a style that is both emotive and exacting. Depicting animals with the patience of a scientist using exacting scratchboard techniques, Amy often chooses to portray species with conservation concerns; those on the precipice of extinction. By doing so, she hopes to inspire the viewer to respect these creatures as the individuals they are. Each creature has their own story to tell and their struggle to survive, protect their homes, and care for their young is a journey shared by us all.
Scratchboard is a uniquely challenging and satisfying medium that appeals to the artist who loves details. It lends itself well to use of chiaroscuro and dramatic light effects, resulting in works that are visually striking. It is a very exacting and precise art form which requires patience as mistakes are not as easily corrected as with other mediums. It is ideal for wildlife images and the rendering of fine detail; no paintbrush can produce a line as fine as a razor blade.
Amy Stauffer’s work is held in private collections around the world. She is a juried signature member of the International Society of Scratchboard Artists and an Associate member of the Society of Animal Artists and is currently represented by the Decoy and Wildlife Gallery, Frenchtown, NJ.
If you are interested in seeing more of Amy’s work, please visit her website. Visit the 3rd Annual Black & White Exhibition here.
Best in Show
Photography & Digital Art
Michai Morin
I love curves and the natural beauty of spheres. I am fascinated by how light plays on their surface and how it’s manipulated when traveling through them. This is why they are found in many of my pieces. I have also studied human vision, artistic composition, and have researched optical psychology. I use this garnered knowledge to enhance my work and to create pieces that both visually and mentally stimulate the viewer. My scenes play with light, refraction, shape, material, texture, and contrast. Composition and aesthetic are extremely important to my work and it is my aim to have each piece be a symphony in itself. My art is purposefully constructed to invoke a sense of otherworldly ambiance and mood, differing for each viewer. I want people to get cerebrally lost in my digital sculptures.
Please visit Michai’s website if you are interested in seeing more of his work. Visit the 3rd Annual Black & White Art Exhibition here.
Best in Show
3-Dimensional Art
Jim Harman
Jim grew up in southern California. He graduated from Long Beach State College, Long Beach California, in 1967 with a BA degree in fine art. Through the 70’s Jim continued to paint. During that time he started cutting cabochons stones. A cabochon has a flat back and a domed top. Most often, agates and jaspers are cabochon cuts. With a large collection of cabochons, it was time for Jim to learn how to make jewelry. With the help from other jewelers, the learning experience began. In the early 80’s Jim took a number of classes at the Revere Academy of Jewelry Arts in San Francisco. For 30 years Jim worked in the jewelry trade. Part of the process of creating custom jewelry included carving wax models to be cast by the lost wax casting method. The creation of wax models for jewelry and bronze sculpture are much the same. For Jim, the transition was seem less. As a lapidary artist, Jim’s bronze pieces show case his stones.
To see more of Jim’s’s work, please visit his website. Visit the 3rd Annual Black & White Art Exhibition here.