The Overall Winning Artists Category consists of the 10 Best Entries received from the 3 media categories of the Painting & Other Media Category, the Photography & Digital Category and the 3D Art Category.

All winning artists will now be featured on the Light Space & Time website for the month of October 2016 and thereafter, the artworks and links to the artist’s websites will remain online in the Light Space & Time Archives.

Congratulations to our artists who made our 6^th Annual “Open” Art Exhibition so successful this month. At any time, we invite our winners and other interested visitors to link their websites to the Gallery’s archive page for further ongoing promotion.

The Light Space & Time Online Art Gallery will have digital “Open” Award Certificates, Event Postcard and Press Releases sent to you within the next week or so. Thank you for being part of the gallery. To return to the Open Home Page here.

1st Place - Lloyd Nicholson – “Falling in to Fall”

Lloyd Nicholson is a local Salt Spring Island, abstract expressionist, who has focused his talents on the medium of Plexiglas and/or press-board for the last 14 years. This medium provides a perfect surface for his work as he requires a near friction-less surface to obtain his effects.

As an abstract expressionist, he sets up basic designs, colors and paint solutions, then embeds botanicals in resins if using them, sets up likely flow patterns through his expertise in the medium, and with the best of his ability to control flow patterns, he uses fans, levelers, tipping and blowing to get some of his final effects.

The beautiful, and often unexpected organic lines that follow the physics of nature can be seen clearly in his work, giving the work an ethereal quality on one hand, and a near geologic look on the other. Whether observing nature by looking through a microscope, or the vast cosmos through the Hubble Telescope, his work mirrors those many natural forms. These "universal" patterns that he has observed, and been in love with since a little boy, are reproduced here in these forms but in a unique and beautiful way.

By using Plexiglas as his main medium he can produce work that has, unlike stained glass, elements of opacity AND translucency. These works of art can then be used also in utilitarian ways, such as decorative ways of partitioning areas of a room by placing the work into screens that hang vertically, table inlays, window or wall art.

Lloyd Nicholson has been a member of the Salt Spring Gallery of Fine Art for the last 6 years and has sold his work through this venue, his own and others, worldwide.  His website: www.lloydnicholsonart.com  

2nd Place – Ronald Santini – “Early Morning Fog Over Lake Moraine”

Ronald Santini is a North Carolina photographer who has been practicing photography for about 25 years.  “I get as excited taking photos today as I did when I first started! To me, photography is both technical and aesthetic in nature. Understanding the technical side of photography is about understanding light and how light forms the basis for capturing a great image. That is why I am always learning about the technical aspects of photography, be it through formal classes or reading photo blogs or photo magazines because I challenge myself to understand the technical issues that make great photographs… I learn something new every day!

He continues his thoughts, “Having an aesthetic eye, as one of my mentors taught me, is the ability to create images that capture expression, have an excellent composition and are unique in some way. This only comes with education and practice, something I try to do every time I take a picture.”

Ron concludes his thoughts, “So for me, photography is a form of personal expression I hope will evoke a sense of joy, or a discussion, or a lasting impression on those who view my work.  My photographic interests are diverse as I enjoy nature and wildlife, architectural and sports photography, but I am always learning and challenging myself to improve on all types of photography.”  His website www.ronsantiniphoto.com  

3rd Place - Ana Teodorescu – “Lacrimosa”

Ana Teodorescu is an artist from Montreal, Canada. Having studied painting, drawing, sculpture, music, dance, and theater, art in all its forms is reflected in her work.

Influenced by the surrealism and symbolism movements, her paintings are like a labyrinth where every path tells a story. The key is not the exit, but the reason for its elements. Contrasts and deformation are used to express ideas and emotions. Multiple images that contradict each other are used to explain principles.

Still life moves. Animals and plants are personified. Figures are portrayed emotionally and spiritually from the perspective of their interior, certainly not from their realistic exterior. Visit Ana’s website http://acteodo.wixsite.com/catjump   

4th Place - Pat Benincasa - "Ore Yard Pennsylvania"

Pat Benincasa is a first generation, American woman of Italian descent who lives in St. Paul, MN and is Visual Arts Chair at the Perpich Center for Art Education in Golden Valley, MN. Originally from Michigan, she received her MFA and MA from Wayne State University in Detroit.

Benincasa is an award-winning artist, which includes Percent for Art, General Services Administration (GSA) Art in Architecture Commissions and a Toronto School of Art Residency. Documentation for her Percent for Art project, Falling Water Skylight for the Minnesota Judicial Center is archived at the Minnesota Historical Society.

Her series of sheet metal and wood paintings explore iconic, 20th-century industrial sites built by people who shaped their locale through sweat and labor. Cities built around these mammoth blast furnaces, steelyards, and auto factories appeared indestructible with their perpetual buzz of continuous production! The decline of manufacturing swept through these cities like a catastrophic disease, leaving deserted city blocks, empty storefronts, and hulking ruins.

Benincasa believes that if memories reconstruct our past, then examining these demolished work sites offers a rich, reflective frame of reference of what “made here” once meant-- and could mean now.

Taking this assumption further, the “Rust Belt Cities” are repurposing themselves with an “urban authenticity” based on their historic manufacturing roots and regional identities. Art is a timeless lens to see where the future meets the past in the form of these magnificent worksites. What is absent is not forgotten.  www.patbenincasa-art.com  

5th Place - Lou Ann Goodrich – “Mustang Roundup”

Lou Ann Goodrich is a lifelong resident of the Pacific Northwest and she currently resides in Oregon where she maintains forested acreage preserved for wildlife.

Lo Ann is a proponent of a balanced environment and habitat conducive to maintaining diversity and sustainability for wildlife and the natural world. Animals have always been a large part of her life and after retiring from a career in medicine she pursued photography to record and express the beauty of nature.

Now a passionate nature and wildlife photographer, she particularly strives to portray species-specific behavior in her images. Recently she has diversified and added digital photo artistry to her skills which allows an additional creativity and artistic presentation of her images.

Although Lou Ann is new to the art world she is gaining recognition through published images and awards in photography and digital art.  http://louanngoodrich-photoartist.com  

6th Place – Alessandro Andreuccetti – “Rose Garden”

Alessandro Andreuccetti was born in San Gimignano, Italy, in 1955. He studied art and architecture in Florence before attending the Art School and then The Academy and the Faculty of Architecture.

Alessandro, talks about his artistic journey, “Through my work, I want to analyze and represent the life that surrounds me or pass me by, just brushing. My favorite subjects are human figures immersed in their world, educated, that is, in poses and attitudes that identify the mood and suggest their personality.”

Alessandro continues his thoughts, “What interests me most is to discover the relationships between shapes and colors that are evident from the careful observation of reality and this is expressed in a strictly personal representation of the object. Through the filter of my work observers can, therefore, grasp the point of view of my own, but they are also free to interpret the subject as they please, so participate in the re-creation of the work perfect.

He concludes his thoughts, “Ultimately with my colors, my drawings, the shapes that I paint I suggest a possible interpretation of reality, mine, but the case remains open to the infinite possibilities of the personal experience of each.” – His website is www.andreuccettiart.it

7th Place - Sashikanth Chintla - "Minerats"

"A picture is worth a 1000 words and capturing such pictures is my passion. My name is Sashikanth Chintla and I am an IT Consultant by profession and photography is my salvation. One of my landscape pictures has been selected as the 32 most astonishing pictures by the “World Photography Association” submitted for Sony world competition for the year 2014. It named it as the “Sanctity in Solitude”.

"Apart from capturing the beauty of nature, I have realized that capturing personal moments can be an equally challenging and exhilarating experience for a photographer because it’s not only capturing the correct moment but making the photographed comfortable and relaxed in front of the camera."

"Being in a reputed IT firm at a senior position has taught me the invaluable art of dealing with the educated class of the society and blending into family occasions and capturing the magical moments. I currently capture all the corporate events for my company such as Landscaping of our new office opening around North America, Annual 5K run, The San Francisco Marathon. I have also been invited by my colleagues for capturing their personal events and portrait’s."

"My strengths are in capturing Landscape, Architecture, Portraits, Maternity and Nightscapes. For corporates and small and medium-size businesses, my services also extend to cover page creation along with creating captioning." His website is www.chintlaphotography.com  

8th Place - Branka Grubic - “I Just Fell in Love With You"

Branka Grubić grew up in Šibenik, Croatia in the 1980’s. Her painting began as a teenager, but her career did not really begin until her early-30s. Branka’s paintings are contemporary and have a universal appeal to men and women of all cultures.

Branka states the following about her art, “Painting portraits of celebrities and icons were my beginning in creating, but I have moved onto doing more personal work, focusing on creating portraits of totally unknown people, making new models to create more personal work with a deeper message. I constantly challenge myself in my painting, spending the majority of my days continually teaching myself how to paint.”

The work consists of layers of paint and imagery that exude to energy and life. The viewer is drawn into a world filled with movement, a signature style illustrating Branka’s ability to juxtapose abstract mixed media with the feminine figure.

Continuous positive reception of Branka’s work is also evident in corporate settings with many leading organizations. Critics have said, “Similar to her pop art predecessors, Branka’s brightly colored abstracts and photo-paintings do not demand anything from us. They reflect ourselves back to us. They allow us to fill in the blanks with our own stories. Perhaps it is this lack of an agenda that appeals to such a giant segment of the population.”  www.brankagrubic.com  

9th Place - Rebecca Cook - "Hen Rules"

Rebecca Cook is an award-winning artist and has had several successful local exhibits of her artwork and is a member of the Art Cellar Gallery in nearby Greenville SC. She has also had several pieces juried into regional art exhibits.

Rebecca is a mostly self-taught artist and photographer, finding inspiration in what others often miss. Diagnosed with a severe chronic illness several years ago which greatly limited her options in life, she has used creating art to open exciting new vistas for self-expression. As she progresses in her artistic journey, she finds herself exploring the extreme opposites of two types of artistic expression: the ancient art of encaustic wax medium and photo artistry birthed by new technology.

The tactile nature of encaustic appeals to her senses, though it is a difficult media to master. This art form predates the birth of Christ, and beautiful examples can still be found in Egyptian and Greek museums. Encaustic work is teaching her patience and perseverance and the power of following her own artistic voice rather than comparing herself to other encaustic artists.

On the other hand, modern photographic technology allows her the delight of mastering photo artistry. She alters and enhances images, coaxing forth the inner voice of the subject. Her desire is to show the Creator’s hand in the details of creation. Proverbs 25:2 states “It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out.” (ESV) One of her favorite quotes is “Vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others.” (Jonathan Swift)

Rebecca is an award-winning artist and has had several successful local exhibits of her artwork and is a member of the Art Cellar Gallery in nearby Greenville SC. She has also had several pieces juried into regional art exhibits.  Her website www.comfinder.com/rebecca-cook  

10th Place - Darlene Kaplan - "Peony & Birds"

“Many years were spent painting realism in oils before making the change to oriental brush painting. Studying martial arts/Tai Chi’ for years inspired me to try this medium, which I fell in love with right away. The calming effect of grinding the ink before painting, the energy that is put into throwing ink on paper is just the greatest of pleasures that only this style of art allows me to feel.”

“While growing up in the country in Tennessee all my spare time was spent walking in the woods searching out bugs, plants and anything else that was alive. Those childhood days spent with nature is brought alive every time I put a brush stroke down on paper. All of my paintings are derived from nature resulting in a fresh, lively artwork.”

“You will surround yourself with paintings that are from the very simple, elegant brush stroke of the bamboo orchid to the complicated soothing landscapes that your eyes can take a journey up into the mountains and off into the mist before returning home.”

“Subtlety of a good painting lies in its being alike and yet, unlike the subject where the absence of content can itself create rhythm and variety. I believe that an artist is a person who can see something within the mind that can be brought into the reality where it can be seen, felt, touched, heard, and even sometimes smelled.”  www.darlenekaplan.com