Leading Artists Gallery Absract Exhibition Opens with Color!

1st Place "Two Structures", by Artist Alexander Ovchinnikov,

Leading Artists Gallery is pleased to announce the winning artists of the Abstract Competition.  We are proud to exhibit these exceptional works of art in our online gallery and showcase these talented artists. 

 

Our guest juror for the Abstract Competition was Jordan Bruns.  Bruns exemplifies the special expertise for this theme as a renown abstract artist, instructor and juror.  To see Jordan's works, please visit www.jjbruns.com.

 

2nd Place, "Hysterics" by Alexander Ovchinnikov

The first and second place artist is Alexander Ovchinnikov from Moscow.  Juror Bruns declared, "This piece has a fantastic usage of hard line mixed with vibrant, fluid color.   It has the luminosity of stained glass and hints at the geometry of crystals under a microscope. "   

The third place artist is Susan Levin from Maryland.  Juror Bruns commented, "Sometimes less is more.  Amazing atmosphere and mark making. 

 

3rd Place, "Clay Hill", Susan Levin

 

 

4th Place, "Atlantis" by Ione Citrin

The 4th place artists is Ione Citrin from California.  Juror Bruns said, "What’s striking about this piece is the storytelling.  The viewer can imagine a whole world in the piece and the story begins with the hard understandable forms at the top of the piece and ends with the dissolved matter at the bottom".

 

Leading Artists Gallery, an online gallery offering themed art competitions, exhibitions and artist profiles.  The current competition Cityscapes is open until December 29, 2011.  Please visit Leading Artists Gallery to submit your work!

Home & Design Magazine

Home & Design Sourcebook

Home & Design The Magazine of Architecture and Fine Interiors 
November/December Issue and Sourcebook

Check out the new issue of Home & Design! The newest (November/December) issue has layouts of beautiful interiors of homes in the DC area.  Their annual resource listings `Sourcebook' is a fabulous way to find great art, interior designers, specialty items and businesses for your home and office needs.  I am excited about having my art in the `Fine Furnishing & Art' section of both issues.  
 Home & Design

VandM
This week, one of my newest paintings was an "Editor's Pick" on VandM.com.  Tuesday is the day for dealers to introduce new items.  My goal is to have new works in my storefront every week- so visit Vintage and Modern and see great items, read about design trends and designer current topics.  Great items move fast!   VandM 

Autumn Reflections II

Autumn Reflections II, 12" x 12", Oil/canvas

The change of season is so refreshing.  There is something about color that inspires me to create new works with a a fresh palette.  I have also been using my palette knife to give drama and texture to my pieces.  Scraping, adding more paint and scraping, moving the paint--almost like frosting a cake!

I am excited to let you know I have posted a few new paintings on VandM this week and they were chosen for "picks of the week".  Have a look --    
  VandM Picks of the Week

Breaking Light, 8" x 16", Oil/canvas

Autumn Reflections, 12" x 12", Oil/Canvas

Fields of Gold, 8" x 16", Oil/canvas

Autumn Brings Color Change

"Along the Way"

There is a hint of autumn in the air!  Autumn is my favorite season ~ with it brings interest in making season changes in decor and colors.  

It also brings a shift in warmer colors on my palette and in my paintings.  Here is one of my favorite paintings, "Along the Way" that has a hazy softness to it.  The finished painting conveys a warmth with the jewel tones. 

 I am pleased to let you know that a selection of my work is now available through Brooke Taylor Interiors.  This little boutique packs a punch with beautiful home decor accents and essentials to make your space inviting.  Please plan to stop in and take a look at their ever-changing showroom!

Brooke Taylor Interiors

7013 Brookville Road

Chevy Chase, MD  20815 

301.657.4288

 Martha Spak

The Dog Days of Summer!

"Let's Play", 12" x 12", oil/canvas

I am completing a few more paintings for the show this weekend.  I thought I would share this whimsical dog painting that seems to convey the essence of summer!  

Hope to see you at the show this weekend  - 

Rehoboth Arts Festival

12 Dodds Lane

Rehoboth Beach, Delaware

August 13-14 & 20-21   10 AM- 5PM Daily

Painting with Summer Colors

"The Morning Air", 24" x 36", oil

Finding colors ideas is not hard especially in summer months.  Colors have personalities and convey happiness, balance, and feeling.  

I have been painting with every color in my paint box--trying unexpected tubes for the challenge and fun!  Even neutrals relate a sense of space and purpose.  Some tubes I bought on a whim to try at some point only to be buried at the bottom of my box.  Now was my opportunity...

One of the best apps I have found is Colorsnap. This app lets you snap a picture of a color you love and match it to a true paint.  Job done! (almost)

My newest paintings of course include the sea and sand but I added some unexpected summer colors in my still life as well.  This has been refreshing, and I hope you find these new paintings appealing.  

"Keepsakes", 12" x 12", oil

I will be at the Rehoboth Arts Festival for the next two weekends with my new works.  Summer is almost over, get to the beach!  Hope to see you there.

"All in a Days Work", 16" x 16", oil

Sea Life with Dramatic Tones!

"Sea Life", 24" x 24", Oil on canvas

I am lucky to be able to drive to the ocean and be inspired by expected things I find.  I travel to and from the beach throughout the year and find the best shell collecting is during the winter and spring seasons.  Building my collection, I have found a huge spectrum of shell varieties in all colors and sizes. 

My shell collection inspired me to create this painting in rich tones and subtle colors.  I let the drama of the sea life be the center of attention!

If your summer travels take you to Rehoboth, Delaware, please be plan to visit these inspiring locations where my art is displayed:

Aerie Art Gallery

45-1/2 Lake Avenue

Rehoboth Beach, DE

Jeff West Home

413 Rehoboth Avenue
Rehoboth Beach, DE

Summer Time in Nantucket

There is something in the air ~ must be summer!  
With summer brings inspiration for new paintings in happy color palettes with whimsical subjects and the unexpected.  Several of my summer beach paintings will at the Vanderbilt Gallery in Nantucket this summer.  If you are planning on a visit to beautiful Nantucket this summer, please stop in the gallery to view my newest works.

Vanderbilt Gallery
18 Federal Street
Nantucket, MA
Vanderbilt Gallery

Leading Artists Gallery Announcement

 I am pleased to announce the launch of my newest division Leading Artists Gallery, an online gallery offering themed monthly art competitions, exhibitions and artist profiles. 

Leading Artists Gallery is an international online art gallery established to provide emerging and professional artists art competitions to showcase their talent, to gain valuable exhibition opportunities and to advance professionally.  

Each monthly competition is themed and has a juror who exemplifies the special expertise for the theme.  Leading Artists Gallery also promotes the winning artists through targeted online media placement, social media exposure and art sales opportunities.

I look forward to attracting high quality artists and providing outstanding exhibitions for viewers.   Please visit Leading Artists Gallery and learn the benefits of participating in Leading Artists Gallery competitions.  Tap your potential and consider applying for the upcoming competitions!

The first competition ~ Still Life ~ closes June 30.  The winner will be announced and the online exhibition will open July 15.  An exciting way to celebrate summer!

Meet Me at the Azalea Festival

Find colorful inspiration in everything!

The annual spring Azalea Festival is here!  Come view colorful new art -miniatures, limited edition prints, and dreamy photography— something for everyone...

The Azalea festival runs Friday through Sunday 10am-5pm, Landon School, 6101 Wilson Lane, Bethesda.

Hope to see you at the festival,

                                         Martha

My Visit to the Corcoran Gallery of Art - Senior Project Exhibition

Graphic Designs

Discover what's happening at the Corcoran Gallery of Art --

This morning, I attended a "Behind the Scenes" tour of the senior art student's exhibition and critique at the Corcoran Gallery of Art/ College of Art + Design.  The tour was lead by Catherine Armour, Dean of the College as well as others instrumental in making this exhibition happen.  The exhibition runs April -May.

The exhibition installation was continuing as we made our way through the show.  This dynamic, interactive, and innovative exhibition features the thesis work of the senior students in the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree program at the Corcoran.  These 45 students were participating in a group critique on the installed art.  We were proverbial `fly on the wall' learning from the artists' their intentions when they created their art, and fascinated by the questions and comments posed by their peers.

This exhibition included photography, drawings, video, interactive exchange and paintings-- the most surprising to me was the idea of "take away art".  One artist had what appeared to be a random pile of white, broken ceramic pieces.  We were told the the artists' intention is for viewers to take a piece from the pile as a souvenir-hoping that there is nothing left at the end of the show and that her art will be spread far and away.   

Another artist created large organic looking images from soot and (red) dye, photographed and printed them large.  They were beautiful --the unexpected element of these pieces was that each one included the artists' fingerprints.  Now that is a unique way to sign a piece!

The Corcoran Ball is April 29th and it is a wonderful celebration that provides scholarships for the College and underwrites the Corcoran's award-winning community outreach and education programs that benefit the metropolitan area.  Hope to see you there!

Feature Article in the Potomac Patch online newspaper

I am happy to share this feature article by Nancy Gibson of the Potomac Patch online newspaper.  A few weeks ago, I mentioned my meeting with Nancy and this article.   It came out today and I thought I would share it with you.  Please follow the link to read the quotes from two local companies and see images of my studio. 

Feature Article - Light and Color Driven Paintings


Nancy also has a fabulous business that you may find interesting.   She is an antiques dealer under the name Gabriel Gibson Decorative Arts and sells on VandM.com.  Please take a look at her unique items at http://www.vandm.com/gabrielgibson you may find something that you can't live without!

Solo Exhibition: Wake Forest University Medical Center

"Star Spangled Skies"

Fine Art in Heath Care
Solo Exhibition (Photography): "Capture A Cloud"
Wake Forest University Medical Center, NC
April 1 - June 1, 2011

"A Silver Lining"

I am very excited about my upcoming photography exhibition at the Wake Forest University Medical Center in Winston-Salem, NC.   This is a collection of fifteen colorful photographs of pleasing and unexpected cloud images.  Fine art and photography in health care facilities requires entertainment value and universal appeal for patients and visitors.  I was thrilled to have my proposal chosen and look forward to my visit to Winston-Salem next week. 

If you would like to see all fifteen images, I will be happy to send you the link--just email at, marthaspak@gmail.com. 
http://www.marthaspak.com 

From Blank Canvas to Finished Art

1) The Starting Point

Oh the possibilities!  How do I begin?  What should I paint? 
It is always a challenge to decide what to paint and how big to paint "it".  A blank canvas is probably not as exciting to some as it is to me but what comes to mind is --get to work!

This post contains a few start to finish images to show you my process.  My inspiration is always there while tackling the hurdles that come along with getting the painting completed.  Let me know what you think....



 

2) Choosing Inspiring Colors

If I am not on location to create field studies, I am in my studio.  

One of my first steps is determining the color and feel of my piece.  I love color swatches!

3) Laying in Color

Laying in color quickly establishes my directions and what I need to focus on to get the finished piece.  This piece was quite an effort because it was to big but I really like the finished piece.  "Turning Points" comes from the long sandy, walk to the beach where you can take a different path each time.  Why not try a new path, right?

Finished Piece, "Turning Points", Oil, 36 x 48

Galleries Magazine (March) Cover

Spring inspiration is everywhere!
I want to share with you this great resource called Galleries Magazine. My painting, "Cool Lemons II" made the cover of the March issue along with an inside cover article.   Galleries Magazine is a guide to the Washington, Baltimore and Philadelphia area art spaces featuring local artworld happenings, commentary and images highlighting current exhibitions and opening receptions.   
 
 Visit Galleries Magazine to read the inside cover article, and stop by The Art Gallery in Potomac now through the end of March.

VandM.com (Vintage and Modern)

Silver Dollars & Linen, 24 x 36, Oil

My Paintings at VandM

I am excited to let you know about the launch of my new store front on VandM (Vintage and Modern.com).  VandM is the go-to online course for unique art, furniture, antiques and jewelry direct from hundreds of dealers around the world.

This site has one-of-kind items, design and art news, trends and interviews to the trade and savvy public.  You may already know the site or have read about it in Elle Decor, LA Times, Arch Digest.  My store MLSGallery has five to ten paintings which will be updated monthly but there is lots to see on the site.

Please visit my store at:  http://www.vandm.com

Related Articles:

Elle Decor Article: http://www.elledecor.com/decorating/articles/collecting

http://www.architecturaldigest.com/http://www.architecturaldigest.com/

High Tide, 20 x 24, Oil

New Abstract Work

I have been working on a more abstract vision of my coastal seascapes.  My painting (left) is called "High Tide" and is inspired by being at the waters' edge during high tide.  Sometimes the water seems at eye level and the horizon disappears--I wanted to convey the power of the sea.  View others at: http://www.MarthaSpak.com

 

Collaboration Event -Yellow Barn Studio and Gallery

Beautiful morning in my home studio.

Today I will be at the Yellow Barn working on the collaboration project.  I will be there from 12-3 in the Stone Tower so please stop by.  The gallery is filled with artwork from all the instructors so there is lots to see.  I will also be there on Saturday, 2/26 from 11-1pm demo-ing a still life painting in the tower for park visitors.  The park will be filled with activities for the entire family, so plan to visit.

http://yellowbarnstudio.com

Visit http://bethesda.patch.com to read about this event.

Wind II, acrylic, (36 x 48)

My show at the Art Gallery in Potomac has changed for the month of March.  I am displaying my black and white and red paintings that I recently created for a staging project for designer Kelley Proxmire.  The property is on "Q" Street in Georgetown.  After Kelley's redesign and decorating, the house sold in a record two weeks!  I rarely create paintings with such a bold palette but took the challenge and had a great time!  Very freeing....  Visit Kelley's website  http://www.kelleyinteriordesign.com to see her lovely style and projects.

Silver Dollars & Linen, oil (36 x 48)

Collaboration Event -Yellow Barn Studio and Gallery

Paints and Brushes

Yellow Barn Stone Tower Setup

YELLOW BARN COLLABORATION EVENT (February)
Last Tuesday I participated in the month long collaboration event at the Yellow Barn Studio and Gallery, Glen Echo.  It was extremely exciting for me to work on three works of art that are created by fourteen Yellow Barn instructors.  I was day six and spent time working on the landscape of the park and my self portrait.  The landscape painting had the colors laid in when I started.  I continued by adding more color and defining the sidewalk, people and highlights.  Each instructor is video throughout the month and can be seen at http://yellowbarnstudio.blogspot.com/

I have never done a self portrait -- here is my work in progress.... (upper left).  The entire canvas will be filled with images of all the instructors.  I will post after my next visit to the Stone Tower on 2/24.  Please plan to visit me at the tower on 2/26 from 11-1pm for a still life demo; all instructors will be there demo-ing throughout the day.  Hope to see you...

Interview with Potomac Patch, online Newspaper

www.potomacpatch.com

I am excited to let you know about an upcoming interview that will be in the Potomac Patch online newspaper in a couple of weeks.  This week I met with reporter Nancy Gibson at my studio.  We talked about my art and the materials I use to create my work.  Our discussion was so easy and enjoyable that I am happy to say I made a new friend!   
www.Potomac.Patch.com

Paint the Winter AWAY!
We are still in a deep freeze here with snow everywhere! I decided to create a snow scene with palette knife to commemorate our long winter and capture snowy softness.  "Winter's Day", 8x8, oil   

Solo Show: "Illuminating Perspectives"

"Golden Breezes", 24 x 24, Oil

Happy New Year!  It has been awhile since I have updated my blog!  The year's end brought lots of activity and not enough time to update this space.  I am writing to let you know about my current solo show and I hope you can stop by...

"Illuminating Perspectives",

Features twenty-two abstract landscape oil paintings of colorful and luminous warmth.  

Show Dates:  January 13- February 19, 2011

The Art Gallery of Potomac,
10107 River Road,
Potomac, MD    
Thurs - Sun 12-4

I am excited to let you know this painting is featured on the inside cover of GalleriesMagazine. (www.galleriesmagazine.com)  This magazine features galleries in the mid Atlantic area and the current show schedule.
More exciting shows coming up, stay tuned...visit my website at www.MarthaSpak.com to see more new works...