Saturday, December 21, 2013

The Home Front 2013 - Making A Mark Art Blog Award Nominations

YOU are invited to nominate art blogs for one or more of three awards in the FINAL category of the Making A Mark Awards - "The Home Front":
  • The Art Innovation of the Year Award
  • The Most Gorgeous Mouthwatering (MGM) Studio of the Year
  • “The Moose” - the award for the best animal in an illustrated blog.
Below are the past winners - to give you an idea of the nature of the individual wards and the type of nomination I'm looking for. 

Remember those who have won in the last three years are not eligible to win the same award again but can be nominated for any other award.

Nominations for this category are NOT limited to artists but they must write about art or artists and they must have a blog. They can be
  • artists with an art blog
  • non-artists writing about art, artists and/or the art business - with a blog
  • anybody who has not won the award in the last three years (ie you can nominate somebody for a different award in this category but not for the same award if won in the last 3 years)
Detailed instructions on how to nominate for these and other awards are set out at the end of this post. 

To nominate, leave a comment on this post 

with your nomination of a person and blog for a specific award 
plus the reasons why.


Details at the end for how to nominate - in summary, you leave a comment on this blog with the name of the blog, the award and the reason for the nomination.

All nominees and nominators are linked to both from this blog and my main website page where all the past awards and nominees are listed

The Most Gorgeous Mouthwatering (MGM) Studio of the Year

The Most Gorgeous Mouthwatering (MGM) Studio of the Year is for the Most Improved Studio of the Year and reflects the continuous efforts of many artists to improve our studio and working environments
  • 2012 Jana Bouc (JanasJournal.com) moved her entire studio into her garage! See My New Remodeled Art Studio Tour (at last!). The before and after photos are quite something - and she deserves an award for discovering a new floor suitable for studios! Jana also clearly demonstrates how it is possible to recycle a lot of domestic goods and equipment acquired cheaply into really useful studio equipment.
The 2012 Winner of 
The Most Gorgeous Mouthwatering (MGM) Studio of the Year
was Jana Bouc

  • 2011 The Award was shared between:
    • Carol Marine (and David) In the summer of 2011, Carol lost her home AND her brand new studio built by her husband to the Texan wildfires. It even had its very own blog - Building My Studio - which, in the end, recorded its birth back in 2009, its studio warming this summer and its death in September in just over two years. It must have been especially galling to have just got it properly finished only to lose it a very short while later.
    • Loriann Signori (and Daddio) Just as Carol's new studio was reduced to ash, Loriann Signori was breaking the ground for her new studio in September this year. She entertained me in the latter part of 2011 on her blog Loriann Signori with the development of her studio.  Just before the awards were announed she posted The birth of a studio: the whole story - and is now in and painting away! You can see all the posts on her new studio label.

    • 2010 Cathy Johnson Shed of Reality: a place called sanity The brilliant thing about this project was that Cathy set up a blog to track the whole process of creating a new studio in a shed. It not only provides a record of the various trials, tribulations and achievements, it's also a marvellous source of information with lots of links for anybody else trying to tackle a similar project.
    • 2009 Lisa Call (Lisa Call - Contemporary Taxtile Art) - For me there was no contest - this was a really heavy duty makeover and it was all photographed and documented using photo archives and blog in Lisa Call's studio makeover
    • 2008  Tracy Helgeson (Works by Tracy Helgesonplus Doug and Ginger and all those who helped with the new studio.  Tracy moved her studio, had a new floor laid, new walls and storage sorted, painted it all, bought and installed new studio furniture and then renovated her ex studio/new sitting room - and took photos and took us all through the process with her. Talk about comprehensive! [This award was originally made under The “Tales from the Frontline” Amusing Musings Trophy - now retired.  It prompted the creation of this new award in 2009]
    The Art Innovation of the Year Award

    The Art Innovation of the Year Award  is awarded to highlight those artist bloggers who experiment and/or create and/or share innovations which help the practice of other artists.

    The sharing may be through:
    • the invention of a new tool or art medium to aid artists
    • testing and reviewing a new art medium or material
    • experiments with existing or new art media, materials or equipment and the creation of a new way of doing things

    This award started in 2011
    • 2012 Nicole Caulfield (Nicole Caulfield Fine Art) reinvented a small camper as a mobile art studio and gallery. The idea was truly inspired - right down to the vintage/retro design! My blog post Nicole Caulfield and her Mobile Art Studio / Gallery gives the story of the mobile studio/gallery so I won't add any more here except to say Nicole did it all by herself. So take heart all those who want a space to call their own - and somewhere to keep dry at art fairs when it rains!
    • 2011:
      • the Icarus Drawing Board™ - conceived and produced by Ester Roi (Ester Roi). This has been an enormous success with coloured pencil artists since it greatly reduces some of the time usually required to layer coloured pencils to achieve saturated colours. It can also be used with crayons, oil pastels and encaustic painting. Ester has now shipped Icarus Drawing Boards internationally to: Canada, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, Australia, Brazil, Luxembourg, Japan,Venezuela, Belgium, Scotland, and France.
      • the Paint On Tabletop Easel - conceived and produced by Karin Jurick (A Painting Today) and Brett (the easel guy). This was designed specifically for Karin's requirements and came to the market at the beginning of 2011 and has been steadily selling out on a regular basis ever since. At present, the easel is only available in the USA.
    Only an independent art blogger can receive the award.  My only constraint on this award is that which relates to all the Making A Mark Awards ie the awards exclude all corporate blogs. MAJOR manufacturers whose business is art materials and equipment cannot receive the award and neither can they nominate. However independent art bloggers who have developed a new tool or material and are selling it commercially are eligible for the award.

    “The Moose” - the award for the best animal in an illustrated blog 

    is named after the first winner of this award.  The animal can be wild or domestic, a perennial subject or the studio pet.
    • 2012 Jana Bouc (JanasJournal.com) moved her entire studio into her garage! See My New Remodeled Art Studio Tour (at last!). The before and after photos are quite something - and she deserves an award for discovering a new floor suitable for studios! Jana also clearly demonstrates how it is possible to recycle a lot of domestic goods and equipment acquired cheaply into really useful studio equipment.
    • 2011 the drawings of birds on Debbie Kotter Caspari(Drawing the Motmot)  She predominantly draws nature from life in all its different guises - in different parts of the world.  I particularly enjoy her drawings of birds - and the fact she draws using pastels!  Check out the bird sketches in this postBinoculars…bugspray…sketchbook? and who else sketches porcupines In 2010, Debbie's home was hit by a tornado in 2010, after which there was a very long absence from blogging while she put her life back together and found a new home.  In 2011, she started to blog again properly in 2011 and it was a renewed delight to see all her sketches in 2011.
    • 2010 Jeanette Jobson's (Illustrated Life) three-legged cat Tripod won this award. Tripod rules the roost and the turkeys at the Jobson home in Newfoundland despite only having three legs. By 2010 he also had the added distraction of an artist in the family who's rather interested in fish! Tripod has featured in very many drawings and paintings over the years and has always come across as an animal with a strong male character. He's become a bit fussy with age (don't they all?) and only occasionally now consents to model - for a fee!
    • 2009 Kimberly Santini (The Painting a Dog a Day Project) - This award reflects Kimberley's total commitment to her painting a dog a day project started in 2006. By 2009 she had created over 800 furry faces, continued to post consistently and to a high standard and won the Fifth Annual AKC/Eukanuba National Championship Commemorative Art Poster Competition . In addition Kimberley and her patrons have, through sales of her paintings, raised over $5,500 to benefit animal welfare
    • 2008 Tracy Hall (Watercolour Artist). This Award is just one of the many which Tracy has won in 2008 with various Miniature Art Societies in the UK and USA. This Award is for "birds" in a generic sense and a rook in particular and recognises two of her principal achievements in 2008.
    • 2007 Gayle Mason (Fur in the Paint) - “Out of Sight”  She has consistently produced excellent drawings of both dogs and cats during the course of the year – and shared her art materials and approaches as well on her blog 
    • 2006 Maggie Stiefvater (Greywaren Art ) - Moose No contest - Moose won by a mile. Maggie Stiefvater characterised her (now deceased) cat Moose as a "criminally insane cat, furry muse, catcher of moths, grabber of ankles".  I thought he was a total star. He'd been breaking ACEO records and also featured in an article in Art Calendar about daily painting blogs. Moose got the prize for being most often featured in uncommon but totally typical images of a cat.

    Nominate an art blog for a Making A Mark Award


    This is the last of the posts inviting nominations for the Making A Mark At Blog Awards for 2013.

    I've been keeping a list of art blogs which have had "made a mark" on me during the course of the year but I'd also very much love to hear which art blogs have had an impact on you.

    Remember:
    • these particular awards are all about art blogging.  Consequently any nominations of artists without an art blog cannot be accepted.  
    • Plus anybody who has not won the award in the last three years is not eligible to win the same award

    What you need to do - it's very simple!

    • WHICH AWARD: 
      • Identify the title of the Making A Mark Award that you want your nominee to be considered for
      • Leave a comment on the post on this blog post inviting nominations for that award - BEFORE 29th December 2013
    • WHICH BLOG:  Identify
      • the name of the blog, its URL (eg "The Art Blog" http://theartblog.blogspot.com) and
      • the name of the blogger
      • (Note:  prizewinners who have won in the last three years are not eligible - but only in relation to the specific award that they won)
    • WHY:  Say WHY you think this blog should be considered for a Making A Mark Award.
    Artists who have won an award in the last three years are not eligible to be nominated for the same award.

    That's it!  Simple!

    I'll collate all your nominations and comments in relation to each award and consider alongside those blogs which I have in mind as being worthy of consideration.

    The Making A Mark Awards will be announced on the 29th and 30th December.

    See my Making A Mark website - and below - for the aims of each prize, a list of previous award winners and an outline of the reasons why they won.  

    Note:  All nominees and nominators are linked to both from this blog and my main website page where all the past awards and nominees are listed

    So over to you - who do you think merits being nominated for these three awards? Answers as a comment on this post please.

    Other Making A Mark Art Blog Awards


    Please also NOMINATE for other MAKING A MARK AWARDS 

    Links to the other posts seeking nominations can also now be found 
    at the top of the right hand column

    BEST PICTURE ON AN ART BLOG 2013
    BEST ART BLOGS IN 2013
      Links - The Making A Mark Art Blog Awards (static page at top of blog - references previous years)

      3 comments:

      1. Hi Katherine. I'm pretty proud of transforming an old diner into my studio. So I, as humbly as possible, nominate myself, Bill Guffey, for the MGM Studio of the Year Award.

        Name of blog: Bill Guffey - American Artist

        http://billguffey.blogspot.com/p/studiogallery.html

        Thanks!

        ReplyDelete
      2. Well, I moved into a purpose built place, but am still proud of it! The difference working in a studio rather than at home is quite astounding - even if I haven't quite yet been able to take full advantage of it yet. So I'm nominating my place, too - http://glasgowpainter.blogspot.co.uk/ - and hope you get many more nominations as would love to read about more dramatic changes.

        ReplyDelete
      3. Hi Katherine, I'm not sure if this is the right place to leave this nomination but I think that the best and most interesting art blog to me this year has been Lizzie Harper's blog http://www.lizzieharper.co.uk/index.news.php
        She consistently posts very useful step by steps of her botanical illustrations, which she shares with other botanical artists on the Botanical Art for Beginners Group on facebook. I really like her work and can see how she inspires and encourages less experienced botanical artists.

        ReplyDelete

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