2020 Handcraft Submissions
TOP 25 from both Handcraft and Photography will be featured on Canvases throughout Downtown Pontiac!
1st to 3rd Place in Handcraft submissions have been selected by our 2020 Judges and are being held top secret until August 31st! The Top pieces are randomly sorted at the top of the gallery to help with keeping the secret.
PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARD - Vote for your favorite from all handcraft art by giving it a ❤️! The Handcraft piece with the most hearts by 4 pm on August 31, 2020 will receive a community choice monetary award!
How to give a heart and place a vote:
On computers - hover over the image and a heart outline appears for clicking OR click on the image and a heart will be on the upper left.
On mobile - click on your favorite image and click on the heart in the upper right hand corner.
TOP 25 - The Man in the Grey Flannel Shirt, Tim Gralewski
Screen-print on paper 16" x 20"
TOP 25 - Her Beauty Gained Her Everything She Had Ever Dreamt of and Much More, Matt Schellenberg
Full scale human figure (7 feet tall including headdress) made of several species of wood.
TOP 25 - The Beauty of Empowerment, Kate Macinnis
This watercolor piece is inspired by women empowerment and the beauty that it holds. The flowers on the women's head represent the blooming or blossoming of the expressive, powerful, and independent women in today's society.
TOP 25 - Mistaken Identity, LeYah McCoy
Who's the real one?
TOP 25 - Where The Grass Is Greener, Sky Chandler
In a time when a pandemic is challenging humanity, we must come together to help each other grow and persevere. For this piece, I used colored pencils and hard burnishing to create a background full of color and life. The figure is seen lying among the plants, relaxed with the sun on her face. When we push through and navigate the hard times, we will be rewarded with greener grass. Succulents are diverse, and full of different heights, shapes, sizes, and colors. We are too. All of them are resilient, and prosper, thrive, and grow towards the light. We will too.
TOP 25 - Make Yourself Free, John Gutoskey.
This mixed-media monoprint (with collage, maculature, pochoir, and alcohol gel transfers) from the series, “Liminal Landscapesâ€, isbased on the concepts of liminality from both anthropology and queer theory. They are an exploration of what makes a space liminal or queer, and how queer space is different from heteronormative space. These monoprints are visualizations of the mental and emotional landscapes of liminality (or queerness). They also explore what it feels like as a queer person to inhabit a largely heterosexual world, and why queer (liminal) space is so important to the LGBTQ community.
Liminal (or liminality) is defined as being in-between, and queerness is a form of this in-betweenness. If you identify as queer, you are neither male nor female. You are ambiguous and figured as somewhere in-between masculine and feminine or figured as existing outside the norms of society. In the same way that a queer person is a type of liminal persona, a queer space is a form of liminal space; a queer space, like liminal space, can be a space that is disorienting and out of ordinary time and place.
Liminal (or liminality) is defined as being in-between, and queerness is a form of this in-betweenness. If you identify as queer, you are neither male nor female. You are ambiguous and figured as somewhere in-between masculine and feminine or figured as existing outside the norms of society. In the same way that a queer person is a type of liminal persona, a queer space is a form of liminal space; a queer space, like liminal space, can be a space that is disorienting and out of ordinary time and place.
TOP 25 - The Kiss of Life, Luciano Mancuso
The work reproduces the historic photo taken in 1967 by the American Rocco Morabito, reinterpreted in a personal and current key by the artist.
TOP 25 - Untitled (Beams), Pauly M. Everett
Mixed media painting on framed canvas.
TOP 25 - Dog Fighter, Patrick Slatin
Dog Fighter. Acrylic on Canvas 96"X72" Painted in the evenings during the carona virus lockdown to keep me from going insane. Not sure it worked.
TOP 25 - I am Yemenite 1, Michelle Sider
Inspired by the stories of Yemenite and other Arab and African Jews who fled their countries, I created “I am Yemenite 1â€. This glass mosaic is part of a series depicting the rich and painful history of the people from this region. The eyes of this woman from the South Eastern region of Haban reveal years of hardship combined with strength, resilience and faith. My goal is to teach and honor those whose story I wish to tell. This body of work is both personally meaningful and relevant today as we struggle with the plight of refugees from many regions.
TOP 25 - The Love of A Black Mother, Trinity Akins
I created this piece for my mother because she is the strongest woman I know. Several people assume that black women are weak and unresourceful. But my mother survived Death and came back to life to take care of us. Through our trials and tribulations, she has always supported my siblings and me. Every morning around 4 am, she wakes up and prays. She prays that my siblings and I will find our way in the world and praises God for blessing her with children. Each butterfly represents each child she had; the smallest butterfly in the right-hand corner died in a tragic accident at the hospital shortly after birth; his name is Gabriel.
TOP 25 - The Drummer Of Eastern Market, Sharlene Welton
Detroit is home to Music, the Market and People. People make it all happen....the music on the streets, the buzz of the market, and the resilience of the people
TOP 25 - Rab Hamilton, Alex Gilford
I've been utilizing the current Stay Home. Stay Safe. Save Lives. Executive Order to spend some uninterrupted hours on this oil painting of my relative Rab Hamilton. He is a prawn fisherman and mountaineer living in Cuil Bay, Scotland. On my last visit to him in 2018 he took my fiancé, brother, and I out in his boat onto Loch Linnhe and Loch Leven and showed us how to pull-up the creels, gather the prawns, bait the creels with salted herring, and shoot them back out into the water without losing any fingers.
His mouth is caught open, whether it is to tell you the Gaelic name of each of the hills that rise up from the shoreline and beyond, to belt out a sea shanty to a green horn mariner who is new to “the outdoor life,†or to regale you with tales of past mountaineering expeditions. His nose is rosy with the brisk November wind coming down from the mountains and off of the water. His etched crows feet are evidence of a life lived with an authentically rugged spirit for adventure. His gaze is cast off into the distance, perhaps tinged with dread for the collapsing fisheries aggravated by the undiscerning gluttony of the large scale commercial fishing operations— a threat to his way of life as, “the last of the hunters.†A sole proprietor whose line of creels is guided by experience and knowledge of the loch and who takes only what is ready to be gotten. It is a look which knows that, “the seas have had enough.â€
Prawns crawl out from the creel and into the tangled rope below. Crabs, an octopus, a dogfish shark, and other sea life swirl around him. Anticipatory sea gulls wheel above his head hoping to make a meal out of the unsought creatures as they are thrown overboard, intent on resuming their life in the watery depths. These cycles revolve and feed off one another, echoing the natural pursuit of living off the land, in a manner of speaking.
His mouth is caught open, whether it is to tell you the Gaelic name of each of the hills that rise up from the shoreline and beyond, to belt out a sea shanty to a green horn mariner who is new to “the outdoor life,†or to regale you with tales of past mountaineering expeditions. His nose is rosy with the brisk November wind coming down from the mountains and off of the water. His etched crows feet are evidence of a life lived with an authentically rugged spirit for adventure. His gaze is cast off into the distance, perhaps tinged with dread for the collapsing fisheries aggravated by the undiscerning gluttony of the large scale commercial fishing operations— a threat to his way of life as, “the last of the hunters.†A sole proprietor whose line of creels is guided by experience and knowledge of the loch and who takes only what is ready to be gotten. It is a look which knows that, “the seas have had enough.â€
Prawns crawl out from the creel and into the tangled rope below. Crabs, an octopus, a dogfish shark, and other sea life swirl around him. Anticipatory sea gulls wheel above his head hoping to make a meal out of the unsought creatures as they are thrown overboard, intent on resuming their life in the watery depths. These cycles revolve and feed off one another, echoing the natural pursuit of living off the land, in a manner of speaking.
Father Entwined, Cleveland Lenor
Ice Scicles, Patricia Harker
Inspired by looking out my window in the winter time at the sun gleaming off the icicles
hanging form my house.
hanging form my house.
Dream In Place, Jonathan Harris
This piece is an image of a young girl who got into her mothers make up and lip gloss. The girl begins to apply the lip gloss and image herself on a red carpet.
Letting Loose In The Garden, Susan Lori Emerling
I saw this beautiful, magical garden. When I started painting it, the image flowed out so freely.
Apprehension, Lori Woods
Lights, Camera, Action!, Jonathan Harris
This piece is an image of a young girl who got into her mothers make up and lip gloss. The girl begins to apply the lip gloss and image herself on a red carpet.
13 and Telegraph, Ron Moffitt
Oil on Canvas
'42 Nash Lady, Theresa Bower
This is a hand painted and airbrushed 16"x20" gouache illustration on cold press illustration board. The lady in the background is an etherial female. The lady in the foreground is a 1942 Nash. Painted by Theresa Bower, artist living in Henderson NV
57 Chevy Spirit of Detroit, Paul Weideman
Acrylic on canvas, 84 x 57
Ambassador Bridge from Belle Isle, Gregory Carr
I painted this from life at belle isle a week or so into quarantine. It was one of the first warm evenings of the year and people enjoyed the island masked and at a distance.
Creeping Iguana, Nathan Cole
This is a quill on scratchboard piece, 9 x 12 inches. It was based off a Black Iguana (or Ctenosaur) that I was able to snap a picture of outside an artist residency I attended in Costa Rica. I was there for a month creating scratchboard works and cataloging the species of the region through photography.
Bee Happy, Christina Haylette
This is a kooky little painting on paper showing a bee flying over a make believe neighborhood. It was created using acrylic paint markers.
Buster, Katie Byington
This is a pastel painting of my first beloved dog, Buster, who passed away in 2019. For 12 years, I was so fortunate to be the mom to the most, loyal, loving, soulful and dignified gentleman of a dog!
Body Map, Renee Deardeuff
Body Map Reveals the
Expressive Feelings InThat Moment
The Past,The Present and The Future Outlook of the Artist.
Emotionally, Physically,Spiritually, & Directionally.
Expressive Feelings InThat Moment
The Past,The Present and The Future Outlook of the Artist.
Emotionally, Physically,Spiritually, & Directionally.
Coalescence, Mary Patasky
It's my chameleon - Benny.
Cracked, Diane Formosa
Acrylic on canvas panel
Encounter With The Sea Guardian, Ryan Tavarez
While searching to find the meaning of Home, Lucy Bell finds herself on a boundless journey encountering the very spirits of life itself. Depicted here, Lucy and her trusty frog sidekick - Asiago, have found the Guardian of the Sea! This is one illustration of many more for a YA novel I am writing, and I felt that it captures some of the energy and emotions of a youth, like small ship in a vast ocean trying to withstand the might of the tides, ebbs and flows, of the world.
Contemplation, Mary Dudek
A 1/3 life size figure of a woman. She reclines with her head to the side in thoughtful contemplation.
Dance Party, Janet Almstadt-Davison
Happy Figures moving to the beat. 20 x 20 done in oil paint.
Dragon (abstract), Patricia Harker
abstract Dragon
Elegy for Everyone, Mike Ross
Oil on canvas.
Deep Connection With Soul, Dipanwita Chakraborty
I want to feel your deep connection So let your thoughts go, Leave your aching body, And touch me with your soul...
Ent, Billy Butterbuagh
Hello! Let me introduce you to "Ent". She is a 24X24 Oil Painting on canvas. And Ent is a fictional magical living tree. She says hello!
Havanna Race, Artem Rezchikov
ARTem is a Russian artist born in Siberia. Currently lives and works in Moscow.
He studied at the Florentine Academy of Art. Graduated from the National Research Moscow State University of Civil Engineering (Engineering and Architecture Department). Actively participates in international festivals, competitions and exhibitions. Constantly improves the level of his skill in drawing and painting, combines different styles and techniques. He is a member of the Creative Union of Professional Artists of Russia.
In 2018 and 2019 he was repeatedly awarded first prizes at Ukraine-based competitions among international painters of all ages:
- “His Majesty Landscape 2018†(http://painters.com.ua/konkurs-ego-velichestvo-pejjzazh-2018/) and
- “Individual Portrait Contest†(http://painters.com.ua/konkurs-individualnogo-portreta/).
Artem’s works are in private collections in Italy, Australia, Canada, Ukraine and Russia.
Artist about his oeuvre: “In the era of complex technologies, I think that the visual art of the next century requires clarity and simplicity, an appeal to common sense in the immense beauty of creation. For the upcoming festival I would like to nominate a Havana race as a representation of my favorite Cuba journey collection with different colorations
He studied at the Florentine Academy of Art. Graduated from the National Research Moscow State University of Civil Engineering (Engineering and Architecture Department). Actively participates in international festivals, competitions and exhibitions. Constantly improves the level of his skill in drawing and painting, combines different styles and techniques. He is a member of the Creative Union of Professional Artists of Russia.
In 2018 and 2019 he was repeatedly awarded first prizes at Ukraine-based competitions among international painters of all ages:
- “His Majesty Landscape 2018†(http://painters.com.ua/konkurs-ego-velichestvo-pejjzazh-2018/) and
- “Individual Portrait Contest†(http://painters.com.ua/konkurs-individualnogo-portreta/).
Artem’s works are in private collections in Italy, Australia, Canada, Ukraine and Russia.
Artist about his oeuvre: “In the era of complex technologies, I think that the visual art of the next century requires clarity and simplicity, an appeal to common sense in the immense beauty of creation. For the upcoming festival I would like to nominate a Havana race as a representation of my favorite Cuba journey collection with different colorations
Far From Home, Kate Donoghue
This piece is largely motivated by personal attachments to familiar spaces and the idea of outgrowing these things with time and age. I enjoy the act of recontextualizing personal and cultural experiences and memories through the painting of primarily subject-based work.
Heal The World, Daniel Cascardo
Created in March 2020 at the beginning of the global coronavirus pandemic in the United States.
GOEMETRIC CLUSTER #5, Edward Charles Vaughan
Acrylic on canvas 30 X 48
Growth, Brittany Wiltsie
The lies your brain tells you can tear even the strongest person apart. Let's grow and bloom from these cracks in our lives.
Grow Evolve Bloom, Holly Shoptaw
24 x 24 Oil on Canvas
Kite Strings, Patty Glass
Digital Artwork - "Eventually scissors find apron strings, the kite flies without your hand holding."
Isolation #5, Lena Krashevka
Hope In the Time Of Pandemic, Mari
During this pandemic I had a little more time for introspection, analysis and for their rendition as hues on canvas. This work is titled "Hope in the Time of Pandemic" not only to allude to the marquezian literary work, that we now can relate to on a much deeper level, but to embody genuine feelings of love and hope amidst all the difficulties we encounter, whether on a personal or collective level.
Life's Escape, Eric Lonczynski
A human's mental capacities are strong, but we are not invincible. Everyone goes through daily life carrying anxieties, depressive episodes, and concerns for family; amond other lack of contentment. Do not lose hope. We are all here together.
Life-Holding On and Letting Go, Susan Lori Emerling
Flowers are often used as words in my paintings to express what I feel. I have repainted this image many times, ironically, to attempt to capture the feeling of trying to hang on to the people I love and experiences that mean the most. The comforting part of this image is the continuous flow of new experiences.
Lonely Old Tree, Patricia Harker
Was looking out my window at my tree out behind my house and was inspired to do this piece
Maze 2, Maliek Phillips
Imagine the world of energy moving around us that we can’t see. This piece captures the energy, movement and emotion of that unseen flow of life all around us. This is acrylic on one of my hand stretched canvases (20x40â€) and done in my style which I call Feelism.
Locked In, Joan Farago
I used the idea of isolating at home as safe and sacrificial. Using a reductive method the black of the background becomes the positve.
The black described my feelings of loneliness, anxiety as well as thankfulness.
The black described my feelings of loneliness, anxiety as well as thankfulness.