Blue Koi Gallery – Page 2 – Blue Koi Gallery

April 19, 2024April 19, 2024

Featured Artist: Caitlin Gill

Caitlin Gill

Artist Locale: Maryland, USA

Subject Matter: Identity, Femininity, and Domesticity

Medium: Printmaking, Sculpting, Drawing, Painting, Collage, and Fiber

Discover the Winning Masterpiece

Unicorn I

About “Unicorn I”:

32″ x 24″

Hand Cut paper, Watercolor, Colored Pencil, and Hand Pressed Flowers on Black Watercolor Paper

This work was inspired by my desire to create something whimsical and unapologetically feminine.

Artist Statement:

Caitlin Gill is a mixed media artist living in Baltimore, Maryland. She has a B. A in Drawing and Painting
from Towson University and an MFA in Curatorial Practice and Art Criticism from the Ontario College of
Art and Design. Gill uses printmaking, sculpting, drawing, painting, collage, and fiber to create artwork
that explores ideas of identity, femininity, and domesticity.

Gill’s work examines the patriarchy, the male gaze and gender through animal and insect portraits. The
juxtaposition between lace, pressed flowers, and other materials with the foreground imagery of birds
and bugs acts as a dialogue surrounding how the female identifying artist feels she must be perceived by
society versus her experience performing gender. Using traditional craft materials and skills such as
sewing, felting, crocheting, ceramics, scrapbook paper, doilies, stencils, and stamps, Gill also explores
the divergence between craft and fine art and the implicit misogyny within the distinction between the
two. Her work is labor intensive and acknowledges the invisibility of female labor in the home and in
marriage and the lack of value inferred in “women’s work.” By Evoking ideas of discomfort and
repulsion, she encourages viewers to engage in the inherent violence exercised in the construct of the
feminine.

Artist Bio

Caitlin Gill received her BFA in Painting and Drawing from Towson University in 2010 and her
MFA in Curatorial Practice and Art Criticism from the Ontario College of Art and Design (OCAD)
in 2013. After graduating from OCAD she was employed by Renaissance Fine Arts as an Arts
Administration Assistant and eventually as Assistant Director and Event Manager. After nearly
four years at Renaissance Fine Arts, Caitlin was awarded a position at the Delaplaine Arts
Center as Community Outreach Coordinator where she increased outreach initiatives by 200%
and partnered with organizations such as COIP (Children of Incarcerated Parents), Housing
Authority, ARCH and the Frederick Center. She is presently employed by Maryland Art Place
(MAP) as the Exhibitions Director and MSAC Arts Directory Coordinator overseeing the MSAC
Arts Directory and all MAP’s programming needs to include overseeing their partnerships and
satellite spaces with Hotel Indigo, Zeke’s Coffee, Quinn Evans, and 410 Lofts. Gill is an
emerging curator and mixed-media artist who exhibits regionally and the Founder and CEO of
Goxxip Girl Collective, an all female-identifying art collective based in Baltimore. Additionally,
she is adjunct faculty and Gallery Director for Shepherd University. She also teaches at James
Madison University (Art Appreciation) and Howard Community College (Drawing and Art
History).

April 13, 2024April 13, 2024

Featured Artist: Ashley Tolton

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“In the Malheur”

Ashley Tolton

Artist Locale: Oregon, USA

Subject Matter: Realistic, Imaginative realistic

Medium: Oil

About this Piece:

About the Artwork: “In the Malheur” is a very special piece to me and one that is quite literally, close to home. It is a location that still feels wild and where undercurrents of the American West still remain. It is a land of rich history, breathtaking landscapes, and mesmerizing sunsets, all of which I aimed to capture in this piece of artwork.

Artist Statement:

I am a mostly self-taught artist, living in a small rural town in Eastern Oregon. As of early 2024, I began taking classes at the New York Academy of Art, with an emphasis on atelier/old masters techniques in both drawing and oil painting.

I’m the granddaughter/great-granddaughter of two famous American West sculptors, whose work can be found all over the world and in sections of the Buffalo Bill Museum in Cody, WY. Something that has undoubtedly influenced my relationship with art from a very young age.
My main medium is oil paint and I lean towards a realistic/imaginative realistic style on both a large and small scale. My art represents a vivacity for life, a deep appreciation for the little things, and the unyielding celebration of all the beautiful experiences in between. It is an opportunity for me to express and share with an audience, the things that I see and love.

April 12, 2024April 13, 2024

Featured Artist: Girish Jamadagni

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First Light

Girish Jamadagni

Artist Locale: Singapore

Subject Matter: Wildlife

Medium: Photography

About this Piece:

The award winning picture titled “Three In one” was taken at Masai Mara National
Reserve, Kenya in Feb 2024. Girish has detailed how the picture was made, in his own
words. “We had a long day at the savannah without much luck as all the animals
seemed to have disappeared from the Mara national Park. As the day started to wind,
as a last resort we made our way to the famous Rongai lion pride territory to find
something to shoot. Sun was setting fast and light was diminishing quickly. We saw one
of the three male lions (famously called as Black Rock Boys – BRB) starting to climb a
mound. I quickly took few snaps. I always dreamed of shooting lions against a setting
sun. In a few moments, the second of the three came in to the frame. I was greedy and
wishing the third lions, which was nearby, also to come in to the frame. My wish was
granted and the third too came in to the frame albeit momentarily. I took as many shots I
could before the third one climbed down the mound. Technically it was a tough shot due
to the low light condition, and shooting against a slightly brighter background that
prevailed the situation. But I had my camera settings tight and my focus was spot on. I
am happy with the final picture as it does not require much post processing and depicts
the exact hues of the evening”.

Artist Statement:

Girish Jamadagni, is a control Automation engineer in the Oil and Gas industry, whose love for precision extends beyond the technical realm into the world of photography. With a keen eye for detail and an unquenchable curiosity, Girish has journeyed into the heart of nature armed with his camera. His lens captures not just images but moments frozen in time. Through his lens, Girish invites viewers to appreciate the delicate balance of nature and marvel at the engineering marvels found in the wild.

His award wining pictures are a testament to his dual life as an engineer and a wildlife photographer. Through stunning visuals Girish invites viewers to witness the beauty of the natural world through the lens of an engineer’s precision and an artists’ soul. The pictures are his tribute to the wild, that not only showcase the diversity of wildlife but also highlight the engineers eye for symmetry and balance. In his pictures Girish combines his engineering acumen with her passion for wildlife. To his credit, his coffee table book titled “Mesmerising Masai Mara” is getting released internationally in April 2024.

April 12, 2024April 12, 2024

Pierre-Yves Cruaud

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“Dans les plis de la nuit 43”

Pierre-Yves Cruaud

Artist Locale: Montpellier France

Subject Matter: Phenomenology of a body

Medium: Photography

About this Piece:

My photograph entitled “Dans les plis de la nuit 43” (In the folds of night 43) is part of the “Dans les plis de la nuit” (In the folds of night) series launched at the end of 2023. This series questions the defense mechanism of a world imprisoned by its nights. Populated by women, men, plants, insects and other elements to come, this world is a prison space in which its inhabitants convulsively wait.

As man is not a self-contained entity, he is naturally caught up in the chaos of an open, infinite universe, in which finding one’s place remains everyone’s struggle. The human body is subject to the movements of this ordeal.

As Spinoza said, “We do not know what the body can do”. Despite the arbitration of physiology, the body fascinates through its defense mechanisms. Mysterious, familiar, foreign, intimate and off-putting, it is the object of this adventure. Anatomy announces itself as the living place of salvation, while the skeleton is declared by Baudelaire to be the “plane of the human poem”. If beauty must be convulsive, let it be!

My photography focuses on the phenomenology of a body with a blurred sexual identity, seemingly imprisoned by its own otherness. Somewhere between archaic dance and tribal combat, this mutant body fights for survival, elegantly offering us the spectacle of an intimate battle with an uncertain outcome. The theatricality and minimalism of the staging undermine any realistic approach, without sacrificing the identification process involved in this image. There is indeed a faceless presence on stage, but I see it articulate and disarticulate in the same movement, and it grips me.

Artist Statement:

Born in 1973, France.

Since 2000 he has written, produced, shot, and edited short films and videos.

Screened in more than 50 countries, several of the films have been awarded prizes.
He composed the music for the feature film Should the Wind Drop (Official Selection — Festival de Cannes 2020) andbecame involved with photography in 2021.

Artist Bio

Awards / Exhibitions / Accomplishments in Photography :

– 10^th Fine Art Photography Awards (Nomination – Conceptual Category / 2024)

– Monochrome Photography Awards (Honorable Mention – Conceptual / 2023)

– EPEX Awards (Honorable Mention / 2023)

– ND Awards (Honorable Mention – Fine Art – Serie Nudes / 2023)

– Sage Gallery, Bangkok (Group Exhibition – 04/11-02/12/2023)

– Bargehouse Gallery, London (Group Exhibition – 09-12/11/2023)

– PH21 Gallery, Budapest (Honorable Mention – Group Exhibition – 19/10-11/11/2023)

– Prix de la Photographie, Paris (PX3) (Bronze – Fine Art / 2023)

– MonoVisions Awards (3rd Place – Serie Nudes / 2023)

– 9^th Fine Art Photography Awards (Nomination – Nudes Category / 2023)

– The Glasgow Gallery of Photography (Group Exhibition – 03-30/08/2023)

– Black & White Athens Photography Festival (Group Exhibition – 04-07/02/2023)

March 12, 2024March 12, 2024

Featured Artist: Dorothy McGuinness

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“Oasis”

Dorothy McGuinness

Artist Locale: WA, United States

Subject Matter:

Medium: Watercolor paper, acrylic paint, waxed linen thread

About this Piece:

Artist Statement:

I took my first basket class in 1987 and I was hooked. I continued my exploration of basketry techniques and materials at The Basketry School, in the Fremont area of Seattle. The School became my home away from home. I enrolled in almost every class they offered, whether I could afford it or not. I was very lucky that my exploration of basketry coincided with the opening of the Basketry School.

I enjoyed that resource for about 7 or 8 years and when it closed, Fishsticks (another basket school) opened north of Seattle and my basketry education continued.

It was just a great experience to have all the exposure to so many local, national and international teachers. The various techniques and materials they worked with were in my “back yard” so to speak.

During this time I had the opportunity of working with Jiro Yonezawa, an internationally known Japanese basket maker, during the years he lived in the Northwest before his return to Japan. Later I had the chance to take a workshop at Fishsticks that was presented by Jackie Abrams where I finally found my medium of choice, watercolor paper.

After years of exploring the woven form, I have mastered the art of diagonal twill and mad weave, with which I create forms and structures not normally found in the basketry world. My medium for this unique work is watercolor paper, which I’ve painted and cut into uniform strips to achieve the precision I seek. Approaching my work as a puzzle drives me to discover new shapes and weaving innovations. I am also very much interested in the math and geometric constraints of the work. I am intrigued by the potential outcome of any new design. The evolution of my body of work is built on taking risks, and avoiding the “known”. The risks offer challenges, which often lead to new directions. This is the excitement that keeps me working in a repetitive medium.

I now live and weave in Everett, Washington.

March 10, 2024March 12, 2024

Featured Artist Denisa Prochazka

“Warrior’s Heart Wish”

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Denisa Prochazka

Artist Locale: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Subject Matter: Female subjects

Medium: Clay finished in bronze, hydro-stone, aqua-resin, cement, aluminum and steel

About Warrior’s Heart Wish

“Warrior’s Heart Wish” is a sculpture that symbolizes the power and strength of a woman warrior, yet the vulnerability of the heart which resides in all of us. The artwork is an expression of female empowerment, healing and nurturing of our sacred world. Healing – as a universal language and a symbol of becoming aware of your own resilience.

Symbolism transcends the physical into the spiritual realm. I strongly believe in creating meaningful and healing artwork that has the power to transform people’s lives. Some of my sculptures are specifically created for donation to Women’s Shelters, as well as charity projects to support orphaned children. I believe that art has the power to transform us, to inspire us, and to bring us closer to the truth of who we are as human beings. My goal as an artist is to bring my art forward to public spaces so that passersby can find peace, beauty, and a healing connection for a moment in time in their life’s journey.

Artist Statement:

My artistic journey takes me all the way back to my childhood playtime in my mother’s ceramic studio. The familiar texture and feel of clay felt like touching ancient earth, and the creative outlet felt calm and soothing. I was fascinated how a lump of clay could be formed into a little animal or figurine right under my fingertips. It was a beautiful dreamy escape into a world of imagination and it never ceased to exist to this day.

I was born in the Czech Republic in the communist era, and my family escaped the regime when I was thirteen. We settled in Canada and I continued my education in Fine Arts and Sculpture. It was a difficult transition time, loosing one’s country, the ability to speak your language, the unfamiliar new culture. Art became once again a beautiful escape into a safe and familiar inner world.

After I graduated from the Ontario College of Art & Design University in Toronto, I was chosen to study in Florence, Italy, for my post-graduate year. It was a life-changing experience to witness the awe-inspiring artwork of Michelangelo, as well as other masters like Leonardo DaVinci, Bernini, Botticelli and so many more. This is when I truly fell in love with the representation of the human form.

Although I explored other mediums such as carving marble, my early childhood experience and love of clay led me back to this medium where I felt a complete freedom of expression through its tactile movement and flexibility, expressing feminine softness and a high level of control, manifesting my visions into reality. I create all my original sculptures in clay and finalizes the artwork in a variety of media such as bronze, hydro-stone, aqua-resin, cement, aluminum and steel.

There is another element to my artistic expression, one that transcends the physical realm and speaks to the ethereal essence of the human spirit. The themes in my work are often inspired by the feminine nature that comes from within, as a woman and a mother. Many of my sculptures depict female subjects created to empower and inspire the feminine balance in this world. The sacred feminine is the essence of life, a symbol of creation, unconditional love, resilience and hope.

March 10, 2024March 10, 2024

Feature Artist Jeremie Karan

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Cool Swamp Cooler

Jeremie Karan

Artist Locale: Texas, USA

Subject Matter: Geometric shapes in Industrial environments or Natural organic ones

Medium: Photography

About this Piece: “Cool Swamp Cooler” is an example of a skill I always want to sharpen, finding interesting subjects in unlikely places. I was arrested by the light glistening off the waving edges of this evaporative cooler, creating an abstract pattern that recedes into the light. The image’s spatial depth is emphasized through shallow depth of field.

Artist Statement:

When I was 17, my graphic arts teacher introduced me to the art of photography. I remember being so intrigued by the marriage of the technical aspect and the imaginative possibilities of how to capture a subject. I remember even back then I was drawn to nature, patterns, and high contrast scenes. For the next 24 years I would occasionally practice the art, however a year and a half ago I became very intentional about pursuing photography as an art form.

No matter what I’m shooting, balance is what I strive for. Whether it be stark geometric shapes common in industrial environments, or natural organic ones, I aim for balance of weight and color. I’m especially drawn to industrial scenes and machinery with strong light and shadow, especially those with intriguing patterns or leading lines and textures.

February 20, 2024February 20, 2024

Featured Artist Alicia Thompson

“Iridescent”

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Alicia Thompson

Artist Locale: CO, USA

Subject Matter: Landscape, Abstract

Medium: Acrylic

About this Piece “Iridescent”: I have a great affinity for color- the effects it has on viewers and the sensations and emotions it can create and emote. Many times, I start a painting by creating a sky by playing with the application of color in bold, blocky brushstrokes. By shifting the shades, tints, and levels of saturation in the colors, I play with the mood and effects of the painting. Iridescent started out this way, and I quickly realized this was not going to turn into a landscape. The bright, dramatic mood I was creating was extremely playful, and spirited so I leaned into that feeling and thought of neon lights, game boards, video games, and animated energy inspired by childhood. The spheres in varying colors and sizes seemed a natural addition and helped emphasize the vivacious feeling the painting was imparting.

Artist Statement: I have lived in Colorado my entire life and grew up in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. I received a BFA in painting as well as an Art Education degree, and for the past two decades I have taught art in public schools to students ranging from kindergarten to twelfth grade. I have always felt that painting was an essential part of my self-care routine, but about five years ago I decided to expand my professional art making and am now connected to and show regularly at several Denver area galleries.

Artist Bio

February 17, 2024April 12, 2024

Featured Artist: Kayley Jane Dykman

"Hāpai"

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Kayley Jane Dykman

Artist Locale: California, USA

Subject Matter: Underrepresented communities, heritage, and culture.

Medium: Oil

About this Hāpai:

Hāpai translated from Hawaiian means both “to carry, bear, support” and “pregnant; to conceive”. With this piece, I wanted to honor the beauty of motherhood and Polynesian women as a whole. This piece was my very first experimentation with combining traditionally rendered figurative work alongside abstracted patterns and design. Her skirt, called a pareo, was elongated and flattened to blend into the background. The vibrant colors of the pareo are reminiscent of all Polynesian textiles and the imagery is repeated in the flowers behind her ear. I hope in viewing this painting the audience is simply in awe of the beauty and grace of mothers.

Artist Statement: Kayley, raised in Fountain Valley, California, is a representational artist who largely works in oil. As a Pacific Islander hapa—someone of mixed ancestry—she actively seeks to give authentic recognition (both on the canvas and behind) to underrepresented communities, heritage, and culture. Her current body of work, Pasifika, aims to celebrate and share Polynesian culture, arts, and experiences. At a young age, Kayley began Polynesian dancing, which has since opened her eyes to Pacific island cultures. Because of this and her fascination with the natural environment and traditional arts, her work incorporates portraiture alongside vibrant colors, crafts, flora, fauna, arts, and customs familiar to the Pacific islands. In December 2022, Kayley graduated from Laguna College of Art and Design with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Drawing and Painting and a minor in Art History. In addition to other recognitions, Kayley was the youngest exhibiting artist at the 2023 Festival of the Arts in Laguna Beach. Kayley is also a recipient of the Plotkin Foundation Award and an honorable mention in the National Portrait Society’s 2023 and 2024 Future Generation Competition. Now a graduate, Kayley is transitioning into her studio practice at home in Fountain Valley

Technical Process: The technical process for my paintings is quite simple. I will start with my initial idea and sketch out compositions from which to reference in my photoshoot. Then I will custom-build a cradled birch panel and mount oil-primed linen onto it. I love working on primed linen as it allows for a very wet and glossy technique that gives my work a nice body and malleability throughout my process. Not to mention the weave of the fabric heightens the effect of fabric and texture which I am now exploring. After my panel is built, I will draw out a to-scale sketch and oil transfer the drawing onto my panel. From there I simply work in sections and layers to create the desired effect in my paintings.

February 17, 2024April 12, 2024

Featured Artist: Davide Soliani

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Hidden Misty River

Davide Soliani

Artist Locale: CR Italy

Subject Matter: Natural Landscapes

Medium: Photography

About this Piece: Akiyoshido, Japan’s largest and longest limestone cave. At the break of dawn, it’s as if the stream in front of the cave is cloaked in a magical and silent and mystical veil.

Artist Statement:

In a world that moves too quickly, the simple act of observing is a form of rebellion Bio Davide Soliani is an Italian video game creative director known for his work in the gaming industry. Born on December the 1st in 1972, Soliani developed a passion for video games at a young age, which eventually led him to pursue a career in game development.

Soliani gained widespread recognition for his work as the creative director of the critically acclaimed video game “Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle.” Developed by Ubisoft Milan in collaboration with Nintendo in Japan, the game combined the iconic characters from Nintendo’s Mario franchise with Ubisoft’s mischievous Rabbids characters in a turn-based tactical adventure game. Soliani played a pivotal role in shaping the game’s unique blend of humor, strategy, and engaging gameplay, earning praise from both players and critics alike. While his career in video game development demands precision, efficiency, and speed, Soliani seeks refuge in the deliberate, unhurried process of photography. For him, the act of taking a photograph is not merely about capturing an image; it’s about embracing the pause before the click of the shutter.