Grey Cube Gallery proudly presents the first Monochrome show for the month of September 2021. The show encompassed a range of artistic styles and mediums (oil on canvas, acrylic, watercolor, pastel, photography, digital, graphite, charcoal, pen and ink). Each submission has been judged based on the following elements of artistic expression: orginality and quality of art, overall design, creativity, interpretation of the theme, demonstration of artistic ability and usage of medium. Out of all entries, 97 artworks were shortlisted for inclusion in the show. The competition attracted entries from many countries across the world: USA, France, Hungary, Canada, Austria, United Kingdom, Taiwan, Bulgaria, Germany, Russia and Lithuania. Enjoy the show and thank you for expressing an interest in our competition.

My exploration of geometric and impressionistic abstract art and the interplay of color began in the 1970s as I perfected techniques of casting, fabricating and coloring polyresins. Early in my career, I used small slices – “palettes” – cut from an inventory of more than 100 polyresin castings to create sculptures and jewelry. More recently, macro digital photography enables me to display the palettes in a larger format. The polyresin palettes – most are about the size of a playing card — have both translucent and opaque color. A back-lit view of the palette offers one impression, and the front-lit view another. Each palette is photographed with a macro lens and with lighting that illuminates both views, creating a new combined view. The edited macro images are then enlarged into prints that showcase the bold geometric composition and vivid color of each palette on a grander scale. Viewers can enjoy the palettes simply for their unique compositions and colors. Or, in many cases, a palette can be envisioned as an otherworldly landscape. The Palettes Project is an example of technology’s impact on art: The abstract compositions that I fabricated by hand decades ago with no computer assistance are now being transformed using digital processes.

"In the 90's" is a series of watercolors about my mother's life after she turned 90 years old. I have attempted to show glimpses of the things she enjoyed doing, as well as some more somber moments She liked drinking her coffee and tea out of China cups, reading, sewing, cooking, knitting and she loved her dog, Peppy.

ALMOST HUMAN It has been said that “the eyes are the windows to the soul,” and I have found this to be true. Not only in people, but also in animals - most especially in the great apes. My series “Almost Human” explores the eyes and expressions of these magnificent creatures, looking for the souls in our most closely-related counterparts. Chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans are so much like us that if you spend a little time with them, you can almost tell what they are feeling. Some are young and playful, some are old and wise, and some are shy and do not want to be bothered. They all have very different personalities and spirits. I want to show the heart of these beautiful animals so more people can find a deeper understanding and affection for them, and learn more about the conservation efforts in place to help them. What a better world it would be for man and apes alike. LANDSCAPES I love to travel and find the beauty of each place, whether it is the natural world God created, cityscapes people created, or a magnificent place that was contributed to by both.

For years, my subject matter was principally wildlife and human portraiture. But in the last two years, I have developed a passion for some of the iconic landscapes, waterscapes, and cityscapes of Texas. The lines, shapes and values of silo grains found in one small community after another, the work boats that abound in coastal Texas, and modern-day and historical architectural and infrastructure icons appeal to my affinity for the basic mathematical and geometrical patterns found throughout the ages in nature and man-made creations. Rendering these sites and sights in graphite, or a limited color palette, require the ability to convey a strong and emotionally engaging story with the fewest possible visual cues. Absent of the romance of color, telling a visual story in graphite or a monochromatic palette is like a writer who opts to write a short story versus a novel. When the visual language is reduced to just lines, shapes, and values, the underlying story must be exceptionally compelling in order to draw the viewer in, to create an emotional engagement. But, done well, these pieces can evoke a powerful sense of connection with the viewer, of remembrance and/or recognition.