"Black and White" 2020

This show will run July 1-31, 2020. Artists from around the world were called to submit their work. There were 201 accepted works and they came from 20 different states in the USA as well as 15 other locations: Armenia, Australia, Belarus, Canada, China, France, Georgia, India, Malaysia, Russia, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom. A variety of styles and mediums were entered, including but not limited to acrylic, charcoal, digital, egg tempera, encaustic, etching, gouache, graphite pencil, ink, mixed media, oil, pastel, photography, printmaking, scratchboard, and watercolor. Other factors, such as the clarity of the images provided and their ability to be viewed online, also contributed to our decision. “Best of Show”, “First Place”, and “Second Place” winners received a monetary award in addition to special recognition.

We were very happy to donate 10% of all entry fees from this show to Heart to Heart. HHI strengthens communities through improving health access and providing humanitarian development worldwide. For more information about them, please visit their website http://www.hearttoheart.org/. Colors of Humanity Art Gallery, LLC is not affiliated with Heart to Heart. It is our hope that this small act of kindness will blossom and grow to help someone else.

Thank you to all the artists who participated! Your talents and skills gave us a diverse body of work to create this attractive show.

Buyers- Please contact the artists directly for sales. Colors of Humanity Art Gallery does not handle any part of the sale or collect any commission, it is solely between the buyer and artist. You may find a link to the artist’s website or email address below their work.

I was born in Qingdao, a beautiful beachside city in China. My dream was to be a artist just like DaVinci and Michelangelo since I was a child, and painting the beautiful nature with my own brush. This is how I embarked on this arduous and enchanting way of art. Art comes in many shapes and sizes, however, I have a special thing for sketch art. I started drawing with pencil, then with pen later on. I continued working in this field for decades no matter how hard it was.

In 1998, I used pen and ink to depict some historic buildings that I grew up around. During this period, in order to achieve a desired goal, I walked through the streets, entered the museum and the archives. After six years of hard work, I published my first Chinese and English pen and ink painting "European Rhyme Qingdao", which caused a strong interest from the general public. People know Qingdao and its history from my book. Many foreigners and Chinese tourists use my books as a tourist guide for Qingdao. The book made a great contribution to the progress of Qingdao. During this period, I was interviewed by overseas and domestic media such as Germany, France and CCTV. In 2001, I held my personal pen and ink painting exhibition "City Memory" at Qingdao Olympic Sailing Center. In 2003, I held another exhibition in the Kang Youwei Memorial Hall and the Qingdao Cultural Bureau, and the theme was "City, Humanity and Architecture". In 2005, Charlie Wilhelm, a famous German Sinologist, his children invited me to Germany to create a portrait for Charlie Wilhelm. It was a successful portrait, and it become a part of the television film of “The Two World Communicators”. The portrait has been collected in the archives of Qingdao, China. In 2005, Qingdao was the host city of the 2008 Olympic Sailing Races. As the only representative artist, I went to the six countries to introduce the Olympic Games with the Olympic Sailing delegation, and held my personal exhibition in France, Germany, Holland, Belgium and other countries. In 2007, Mr. Roger, who was the president of the International Olympic Committee, visited the sailing field in Qingdao. I was invited to create a sketch portrait for Mr. Rogge and give the portrait to Mr. Roger as a valuable gift. In 2009, Changan Gill of Mannheim, Germany invited me to hold an exhibition 'Chinese Water Township' in the Peony Pavilion of Mannheim, Germany.

On that day mayor Angell and the news media held a press conference for my exhibition. During the exhibition, a large number of German audiences were attracted, and the exhibition was a complete success. In 2009, Mr. Schroder, a former German Chancellor, was accompanied by Mr. Lu Qiutian, the former ambassador to Germany and President of the Chinese Academy of foreign affairs came to Qingdao. As an artist in Qingdao, I presented my paintings and pen paintings to Mr. Schroder at the invitation of the municipal government. He got his collection and admiration. In 2010, Mr. Schroder came to China again. At the invitation of the government, I also created a portrait for Mr. and Mrs. Schroder. Mr. Schroder was very satisfied with the creation of the portrait, and praised me as the best artist. And wrote down a commendable message for me: 'Thank you very much for your excellent work! ''

In recent years, I have made great achievements in the field of pen and ink painting. At the same time, I opened an art training center in my spare time, and I have trained a large number of students who like painting and art, and even published the Zhou Hui pen and ink painting "Qingdao Under the Pen Point". In 2014, I was invited to China's first Pen and Ink Academic Exhibition. In 2014, my work "Jiangnan Water Village Painting" won the first Shanghai International Artist's Exhibition Printmaking Gold Award. Since 2017, I began to participate in the international art competition, and in the 2017 American Art Grand Prix (56 countries' artists), my work "the Sri Lanka Farmer" won the 'American Art Prize'. In 2017, my work, a man with a knot in his face, was selected to the International Grand Prix of the Royal portrait society in 2017. In 2018, my two portrait works, Professor Chen and a man with a knot in his face, were selected for the fortieth Ma Sha Ti crown art sculpture Grand Prix. In 2018 I also won the Audobon Art Prize at the 40th Drawing and Sculpture Grand Prize in the USA. In 2019, the 12th American Art Grand Prix won the first prize in the sketch category. For three consecutive years, he was named the best sketch portrait painter in the world by American Art Television.

“Eye of Providence” shows a profile of a man with his knees to his chest. When we look harder, we notice another figure beneath him, pulling him back as he leans forward. The choreography of the two men, with one hidden and almost unnoticeable man beneath another, represent the challenges we face with interpersonal relationships. While at times they give foundation and support, they can also shackle and constrain us.

Brian Atchley fell into painting when he discovered an abandoned canvas in a Chicago dumpster. What started out as a quest to create affordable wall art evolved into more meaningful work over time. Atchley describes himself as a self learner, because he learns better through doing than through taking prescriptive art classes. He uses an array of household products such as q-tips and cotton swabs to apply paint.

Currently, his work is focused on monochromatic studies of the human form. His use of black and white is used to punctuate the incongruous textures of the human body, and the profound effect light and shadow have in sculpting the human form. Atchley’s intention is not to put bodies onto a canvas but to let them emerge from it. Starting from total darkness, he slowly brings them to light - enough light so that you can begin to see their shapes and contours, but they still remain partially hidden. It is what we do not see that keeps us searching for more.

www.batchley.com

@batchleyart

I am from the United States of America. From middle school I have learned to draw, from sketching to using ink pens. I’ve also used watercolor. I am self taught and have never had formal training from any school. I have found over time that ink pens are my preferred method of art. I’ve then been interested in photo realistic art and from then on I’ve excelled in photorealistic art pieces with ink pens. During 2019 in China I was a two-time award winner. Recently, I have been entering in US-based art competitions and hoping to be successful here as well.

“Watchman” depicts a picture of a lonely old woman who is front of old houses. She is thinking of her old relatives. Her feeling of loneliness is as cold as the freezing wind. In China’s poor areas, many young people have to go to the city to make their money and a living. Those who cannot work, like the old woman stay behind and are alone without their family. The artwork portrays loneliness and the feeling of missing those who are gone.

Colors of Humanity Art Gallery

"Black and White" 2020 Show

Best of Show

First Place

Second Place

Honorable Mention

Noteworthy

"Black and White" 2020