Sunday, December 09, 2012

Nominate the Best Artwork (Natural World) on a blog in 2012


You are invited to NOMINATE an artwork on an art blog for
The Making a Mark Prize (2012) for Best Picture - Nature


This prize values the natural world and its plants and animals and 
celebrates excellence in portraying every aspect of nature

The final category for the Best Picture on Art Blog in 2012 is the Natural World - covering botanical art, wildlife and natural history.

You are invited to nominate an artwork for The Making a Mark Prize for Best Picture - Natural World 2012. This post covers:
  • eligibility of the artist
  • eligibility of the artwork
  • who can nominate
  • how to nominate
Previous winners of this award (created in 2010) - who are both ineligible for this year's award - are:

PLEASE SHARE THIS LINK WITH OTHERS WHO MAY BE INTERESTED

Tell us all whose artwork involving portraiture or figures you appreciated in 2012.

Eligible artwork (drawings / paintings / prints):
  • Images should be of the natural world - This prize helps us to focus on a very traditional form of art which over the years has helped to record the world around us in all its wonderful variation. The Nature can be botanical art and/or natural history art and/or wildlife art - or any combination.
  • 2D artwork created using hands is eligible - artwork can be a painting (in any media) or a drawing (in any media) or a fine art print (using any method).  Photography is NOT eligible.
  • Artwork must have been completed in 2012 and has appeared on an art or illustrated blog in 2012 and prior to 8th December 2012
  • Work is NOT eligible if it appears to be one or more of the following:
    • was not completed in 2012
    • has not appeared on an art blog in 2012
    • over-reliant on a photograph not taken by the artist
    • subjected to lots of digital manipulation/tweaks (over and above that needed to make it read 'true' on screen)
    • a photograph
  • For the artwork to be shortlisted, the nominated artist must agree in writing to their work being displayed on Making A Mark as part of the shortlist (you can seek their agreement after the nomination and BEFORE the announcement of nominations in a post on this blog on 24th December)
Please be careful to check the date of the artwork and when it was posted to ensure eligibility.

Ant © Suzanne Berry (Suzanne Berry)
16x16" oil on cradled hardboardWinner of Best Picture of the Year (Nature) on an Art Blog 2011

Eligible artists
  • In 2012, any artist creating artwork predominantly involving subject matter relating to the natural world - and posting their work to their personal art or illustrated blog can be nominated.
  • An artist who has NOT won this prize in the last two years (ie 2010-2011) - as listed at the top of this post
  • Only artists with independent art blogs operating in 2012 are eligible. (The awards exclude all corporate blogs and/or paid blogging.)
  • An artist can be nominated more than once - by different people - for different works
  • An artist can be nominated more than once - by different people - for the same work
  • No canvassing is allowed (Canvassing = repeated mentions and/or touting for votes on other sites)
    • Artists can announce the awards on their blog and/or the fact they have been nominated 
    • Artists can reference on their art blog only
      • the fact they have been shortlisted and 
      • the post on this blog where the vote is taking place .
    • Neither the artist nor the person nominating can canvas for votes - canvassing will result in disqualification. 
Who can nominate
  • Nominations are ONLY accepted from peers i.e. people with an active art blog. 
    • In order to nominate you must have an art or illustrated blog and be capable of being identified by me.
    • Anonymous nominations are not permitted. (This is purely to stop spammers as I link to the blogs of all those who have nominated in a later post summarising the nominations!)
  • An artist can nominate their own work 
  • All nominations must be in English
How to Nominate

To nominate - just
COMMENT ON THIS BLOG POST providing all the necessary details (see below)
BEFORE 24th December 2012.

Your nominations MUST identify:
  • the title of the piece
  • the name of the artist,
  • the size and medium (if possible)
  • the name and URL of the blog (eg The Art Blog - http://artblog.blogspot.com)
  • the date, title and URL of the blog post in which the artwork appears (you MUST provide a the precise URL for the location of the post and not just the URL for the blog)
  • SAY WHY YOU LIKE THE WORK - this bit is really important so please do the best you can. Remember that nominations are open and transparent and that it's good to share a genuine tribute to a piece of work you like
  • You need to ask the artist if their work can be posted on my blog - and let me know what the answer is. This can happen after the nomination and BEFORE 24th December.
What happens next
  • Nominations close just after midnight on 23rd December 2012
  • On 24th December 2012, a list of all nominations is posted - including a link to the person who nominated 
  • I will then select a shortlist of three works from the nominations 
  • The shortlist will be posted on 26th December 2012.  YOU will be invited to vote for your favourite artwork for The Making a Mark Prize for Best Artwork 2012 - Place
  • This winner of the category prize is also eligible for the overall Making A Mark Prize for The Best Picture on an Art Blog in 2012.
  • The winners will be announced on this blog on 30th December 2012
Please also NOMINATE for other MAKING A MARK AWARDS - calls for entry will be posted this weekend and next week.

Please read Best Pictures and Best Art Blogs 2012 - a review and consult the links below (to be posted) to find out more about the other Making A Mark Awards.

Invites to nominate for the remaining different categories associated with the Best Picture Award are listed below. The order of call for entries for the remaining nominations this weekend is as follows:
Nominations for the other awards follow in the week commencing 12th December
  • Making A Mark Nominations: Generating Art
    • The Painting a Day Stickability Shield
    • The Best Art Blog Project Virtual Challenge Cup
    • NEW IN 2011 - The Best Art Society Blog
  • Making A Mark Nominations: Getting Out of the Studio 
    • The Painting Plein Air Plus Prize
    • The Travels with a Sketchbook Trophy
    • The Going Greener Gong
  • Making A Mark Nominations: Learning about Art & the Art Business
    • The FAQs and Answers Really Useful Medal
    • The Make Me Think Gong
    • The Best Book by an Art Blogger Blue Ribbon
  • Making A Mark Nominations: The Home Front
    • The Most Gorgeous Mouthwatering (MGM) Studio of the Year
    • The Art Innovation of the Year Award
    • “The Moose” - the award for the best animal in an illustrated blog
Links:

12 comments:

  1. The title of the piece:'Cirrhosa 'Wisley Cream''
    The name of the artist: Jarnie Godwin
    The size and medium: A3 watercolour on paper
    The name and URL of the blog: http://jarnieg.blogspot.co.uk
    The date, title and URL of the blog post in which the artwork appears:
    12th March 2012,
    After Wisley C?
    http://jarnieg.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/after-wisley-c.html
    SAY WHY YOU LIKE THE WORK

    I love all Jarnie's work. She has made so much progress in the last year and encourages all with her blog. I particularly like this piece because she is tackling flowers of a difficult colour. Cream and white flowers are always tricky to do.

    The composition is unusual, but it works on the page and 'flows' with lots of movement. She has also captured the growth pattern of the species in the process. I love the tonal variation of the green leaves. It's a simple piece which to me works really well. It's striking, elegant and graceful.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I am pleased to nominate Arc of Flight - Pastel - 24" x 14" by Sheila M. Evans, at her blog, http://www.sheilaevans.net/ It is posted here: http://www.sheilaevans.net/2012/05/29/artfest-2012/ and was posted 5-29-2012.

    This multi-award winning artist from Spokane, Washington, is possibly the most talented artist I know. Her idea of presenting leaves, illuminated in sunlight, is such a fine focus that you feel immediately the warmth. There is some tension in the life cycle of her subject, and she sometimes paints them in browns to drive this home. Her handling of pastels is superb.

    Arc of Flight caught me with it's unique portrait aspect, subtle coloring of the leading edges, and the simple arc of color that travels the yellow to green field. Very graceful.

    Sheila consents to posting her work, here at Making a Mark.

    (sorry I didn't code the links - I'm in the studio, and my internet is sketchy out here)

    ReplyDelete
  3. I am nominating Black Fox Sniffs the Air by Zoe Tilley Poster.

    It is a graphite pencil drawing on bristol, 3 1/8 x 4 1/4in (7.6 x 10cm).

    The blog name is Pearled Earth
    http://pearledearth.blogspot.com/

    The drawing can be found at this address
    http://pearledearth.blogspot.com/2012/12/black-fox.html
    It was posted on 12.5.2012 and drawn earlier that week.

    This artist consistently conveys both the beauty and mystery of nature. The black fox is studied in action, set in magic. The use of the moth motif is evocative of the fleeting glimpse we often get when we see foxes in the wild, floating silently at the edges. This drawing is typical of her work; it brings joy.

    Zoe Tilley Poster consents to her drawing being published on Making A Mark.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I would like to nominate an oil painting entitled,An Uncertain Encounter,Size: 91cm x 60cm (35.8" x 23.6") ,by Roger Brown .The painting can be viewed at http://artofthewildrogerbrown.blogspot.com/2012/01/first-painting-of-2012-finished.html My blog is http://artofthewildrogerbrown.blogspot.com

    The reason I like this painting is the fact that it depicts an encounter between two types of animals that very few people get to see in nature today.Seeing rhino and elephants in the wild in itself, is a privileged, but to see them interacting with each other ,is even more special.This painting was submitted to the 2012 Wildlife Artist of the Year exhibit organised by the David Shepherd Wildlife foundation.I was happy to find out that it passed the final judging,and although not chosen to be hung at the mall galleries in London,it was accepted into the online (Selected not Hung Gallery)

    ReplyDelete
  5. I would like to nominate 'Pike' by John Larriva, size 5" x 7" oil painting.
    His blog is titled 'Paint-Tarts' and the blog url is http://larriva.blogspot.com
    The title of the post is 'Pike' and the date is April 26, 2012. Here is the url to the painting: http://larriva.blogspot.com/2012/04/pike.html

    I love this painting mostly because of the dramatic lighting and glow that the cat seems to have, but something that I really admire about John's work is his drawing style, which is both realistic and expressive. His brushstrokes are always economical and confident and his use of color and light is just gorgeous. He's my favorite modern day art blogger and every time he posts a painting I rush to see it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Now there was me thinking we were all going to get to see a fish in this category!

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    2. Ha!! :) I thought that too when I saw the title of the post for the first time.

      Delete
    3. I emailed John and he has given permission for his painting to be posted here. :)

      Delete
  6. Hi Katherine,
    The artwork that I would like to nominate is by Claire Ward and from her blog, Drawn to Paint Nature http://drawntopaintnature.blogspot.com
    The title of the painting is Hippeastrum Picotee, and it can be found on her blogpost "Gouache Hippeastrum", 6th January 2012 http://drawntopaintnature.blogspot.ie/2012/01/gouache-hippeastrum.html
    It is painted in gouache and the size is A3 (42x29.7cm)


    I really like all of Claire's botanical paintings, but her gouache paintings are incredible. They remind me of Sally Keir's work.
    I think this painting is particularly elegant and striking, it glows with light. I like that she has experimented with iridescent paints and used them to create the shimmer on the petals. She then follows up with a blog post showing the work in progress. I felt very inspired by both her subject matter and her skill with gouache, but especially liked her generosity in sharing her techniques and knowledge.
    http://drawntopaintnature.blogspot.ie/2012/01/sba-exhibition-and-step-by-step.html
    I was fortunate to see this beautiful painting at the SBA exhibition in April, and felt that it really stood out from the crowd. Not surprisingly, both this and her iris were sold!
    Shevaun


    ReplyDelete
  7. Hi Katherine,

    The blogspot/artwork I would like to nominate is by Claire Ward. I love all of Claire's work and often visit her blog and never dissapointed with what I see! She just gets better and better with each piece of work she creates. The painting i'm nominating is http://drawntopaintnature.blogspot.ie/2012/01/gouache-hippeastrum.html

    I was very lucky to see this at last years SBA exhibition and I was so happy to see that this painting had sold...Lucky new owner! Julie.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I would like to nominate a work of my own:
    Broken flowers
    2012_installation, watercolor on paper_ approx 100 x 100 cm by Szabo Klara Petra

    link of the pics:
    http://szaboklarapetra27.blogspot.hu/

    I painted these flower during my residency period in Estonia.

    link of my blog:
    http://szaboklarapetra.blogspot.hu/

    ReplyDelete
  9. I would like to nominate a work of my own:
    Broken flowers
    2012_installation, watercolor on paper_ approx 100 x 100 cm by Szabo Klara Petra

    link of the pics:
    http://szaboklarapetra27.blogspot.hu/

    I painted these flower during my residency period in Estonia.

    link of my blog:
    http://szaboklarapetra.blogspot.hu/

    ReplyDelete

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