Inspired By... MCA's 3rd Annual Judged Fine Art Exhibit

BEST OF SHOW
Art is INSPIRED BY:: Nature and life. My art is inspired by something personal and intimate that I am experiencing. It may not seem so as I mainly paint flora and fauna, but to me, nature reflects humanity quite perfectly. As Ai Weiwei states, "Life is art. Art is life. I never separate it."

Dimensions: 15 x 19 x 1.5
What is the MEDIUM of the piece? (ie: acrylic, watercolor, mixed media, clay sculpture, etc.): Transparent watercolor on watercolor paper
This Piece is Inspired By:: When we worry about the future or obsess over the past, we miss our chance to see the provisions and blessings in the present. Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap; they have no storeroom nor barn, and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds! -Luke 12:24

FIRST PLACE
Art is INSPIRED BY:: My photography is inspired by the natural beauty of Florida and the diverse wildlife that calls it home.

Dimensions: 22 x 28 x 1
What is the MEDIUM of the piece? (ie: acrylic, watercolor, mixed media, clay sculpture, etc.): photograph
This Piece is Inspired By:: Nature, birds in flight

SECOND PLACE
Art is INSPIRED BY:: Reflecting over the last decade, two particularly special memories arise which characterize the high-contrast style depicted in this photo. Both of these memories portray my dad and I standing outside our home, heads lifted, eyes focused on the night sky. My father would be fascinated by the science of the scene before us as I would be drawn by the romance and war so evident in the flickering stars and dark, expansive backdrop. I would sit on the roof of my home and experience both intimacy with, and distance from, my Creator. The distance between heaven and earth, yet the closeness of a Spirit who lives within me. The innate contrast between the darkness of pain and light of a promise. A battle transcending the physical, weaving a strand through time and history. An intense conflict of mind and soul ultimately converging to define the momentum of our lives. Do we choose to hide away or to be known? To choose a path of truth or façade? This project was born on a rainy evening... cont.

Dimensions: 28 x 20.5 x 1.5
What is the MEDIUM of the piece? (ie: acrylic, watercolor, mixed media, clay sculpture, etc.): Photography
This Piece is Inspired By:: This project was born on a rainy evening in the Black Box Theatre located at The College of Central Florida. All artist proceeds from the purchase of this piece will be donated to the Global Catalytic Ministries Afghanistan Emergency Relief fund to aid followers of Jesus in Afghanistan.

THIRD PLACE
Art is INSPIRED BY:: My Art is Inspired by my interest in our past history. This was taken from the movie "Underground Railroad." I was drawn to her facial expressions and the lighting as she waited in the doorway of an Underground Railroad stop.

Dimensions: 36 x 0 x 1
What is the MEDIUM of the piece? (ie: acrylic, watercolor, mixed media, clay sculpture, etc.): Acrylic, Watercolor, Mixed Media. Stamping, Inks, and pastels, on canvas.
This Piece is Inspired By:: My interest in our past history. This was taken from the movie "Underground Railroad." I was drawn to the girl's face and the lighting as she waited in the doorway of an Underground Railroad stop.

HONORABLE MENTION
Art is INSPIRED BY:: My art is inspired by the beauty God puts around us daily. I create intuitive pieces, often based on snapshots of abstract shapes in my mind's eyes, of the things I've seen or experienced over my lifetime.

Dimensions: 36 x 48 x 1.5
What is the MEDIUM of the piece? (ie: acrylic, watercolor, mixed media, clay sculpture, etc.): Acrylic with a cold wax finish applied as protection

HONORABLE MENTION
Art is INSPIRED BY:: I am inspired by the beauty of the everyday things we take for granted.

Dimensions: 25 x 27 x 1
What is the MEDIUM of the piece? (ie: acrylic, watercolor, mixed media, clay sculpture, etc.): colored pencil
This Piece is Inspired By:: the beauty of everyday objects

Gallery Director Award
Art is INSPIRED BY:: My art is inspired by my dreams

Dimensions: 40 x 30 x 0.25
What is the MEDIUM of the piece? (ie: acrylic, watercolor, mixed media, clay sculpture, etc.): acrylic on wood
This Piece is Inspired By:: dream

Executive Director Award
Art is INSPIRED BY:: My art is inspired by my love and respect for trees and I have become fondly known as "The Tree Lady." My hope is once you see my art you will never look at a tree the same way. Each of my trees tells part of a story leaving YOU to finish it. Your journey to understanding my trees begins here.

Dimensions: 24 x 24 x 2
What is the MEDIUM of the piece? (ie: acrylic, watercolor, mixed media, clay sculpture, etc.): Recycled paint , "oops" paint, papers, acrylic, enamels, Rustoleum, wrapping paper scraps.
This Piece is Inspired By:: Inspired by my love of trees and the lack of human understanding of their plight, and how valuable they are to all humanity and Mother earth. This was created using at least 90% recycled materials, keeping true to the tree.

DLM Foundation Purchase Award
Art is INSPIRED BY:: My colorblindness, Life & Death, love, and dark aspects of our existence... But, yeah, as whole I am into storytelling. :)

Dimensions: 30 x 24 x 1.5
What is the MEDIUM of the piece? (ie: acrylic, watercolor, mixed media, clay sculpture, etc.): Hand-cut mosaic glass, Oil paint
This Piece is Inspired By:: My total colorblindness

Community Favorite Award
Art is INSPIRED BY:: The colors of nature, a moment in time, a feeling; a need to express that in some tangible way with pigment and a substrate.

Dimensions: 20 x 16 x 0.5
What is the MEDIUM of the piece? (ie: acrylic, watercolor, mixed media, clay sculpture, etc.): Oil paint
This Piece is Inspired By:: Inspired by a photo taken by my husband of a gulf sunset from our boat. Few things in life are as inspirational as the rising and setting of the sun.

Art is INSPIRED BY:: My art is inspired by Uncertainty and embracing the the Unknown. I’m inspired through art to share my own personal reflections of life on earth and to help nudge others to be more present in the moment cause that’s all we truly got.

Dimensions: 36 x 36 x 2
What is the MEDIUM of the piece? (ie: acrylic, watercolor, mixed media, clay sculpture, etc.): Oil painting
This Piece is Inspired By:: The vigilance of the owl and it’s trust in the great mystery.

Art is INSPIRED BY:: My art is inspired by what I call "The Gift". This gift is the drive humans have felt throughout history to create. The ability to express our human experience through a multitude of disciplines.

Dimensions: 24 x 48 x 1.5
What is the MEDIUM of the piece? (ie: acrylic, watercolor, mixed media, clay sculpture, etc.): Acrylic
This Piece is Inspired By:: "The Gift" is inspired by the natural drive humans have to create that is woven into the fabric of our being. The ability to express our human experience through vastly different disciplines is what connects us to one another, the past, present and the future.

Art is INSPIRED BY:: My art is inspired by a love of horses and metal working. The horse industry is why I live in Ocala. It has been our livelyhood most of the times and our saving grace at other times. Metal work is how I express my appreciation for the horse. This piece is titled the WAR HORSE.

Dimensions: 16 x 24 x 4
What is the MEDIUM of the piece? (ie: acrylic, watercolor, mixed media, clay sculpture, etc.): Sculpture
This Piece is Inspired By:: The love of horses.

Art is INSPIRED BY:: Form and function of nature and well engineered design.

Dimensions: 21 x 60 x 2
What is the MEDIUM of the piece? (ie: acrylic, watercolor, mixed media, clay sculpture, etc.): charcoal, acrylic, polyurethane
This Piece is Inspired By:: The perfect form and color found in nature.

Art is INSPIRED BY:: Inspired by that which lies beyond perception.

Dimensions: 48 x 24 x 1.5
What is the MEDIUM of the piece? (ie: acrylic, watercolor, mixed media, clay sculpture, etc.): Acrylic on Plywood
This Piece is Inspired By:: My art is inspired by the inexpressible. Much of my time is devoted to emptying the mind and observing the space between thoughts. My inspiration is that emptiness which is full to the brim with potential, that which words cannot reach.

Art is INSPIRED BY:: I find inspiration in fragments of nature and manmade world. I love to see things from a different perspective, which perspective is also a part of our reality. My main goal is to open the eyes of the viewer by expressing my feelings and thoughts through focusing on simple everyday things.

Dimensions: 24 x 18 x 1.5
What is the MEDIUM of the piece? (ie: acrylic, watercolor, mixed media, clay sculpture, etc.): oil
This Piece is Inspired By:: RAIN. My biggest passion is rain, so maybe you can imagine what I felt when in 2019 October I had the chance to take hundreds of reference photos of the rainy New York!

Art is INSPIRED BY:: I find inspiration in fragments of nature and manmade world. I love to see things from a different perspective, which perspective is also a part of our reality. My main goal is to open the eyes of the viewer by expressing my feelings and thoughts through focusing on simple everyday things.

Dimensions: 12 x 24 x 0.75
What is the MEDIUM of the piece? (ie: acrylic, watercolor, mixed media, clay sculpture, etc.): oil
This Piece is Inspired By:: RAIN. "Rain is nature’s art; umbrella is man’s art. When you walk with your umbrella in a rainy day, you walk with a super art which is a combination of two different arts!" (Mehmet Murat ildan)⁣

Art is INSPIRED BY:: Life

Dimensions: 24 x 18 x 1
What is the MEDIUM of the piece? (ie: acrylic, watercolor, mixed media, clay sculpture, etc.): Acrylic
This Piece is Inspired By:: The hard working railroad crews and trains that are regularly seen in Ocala, Florida.

Art is INSPIRED BY:: Florida's natural surroundings.

Dimensions: 24 x 30 x 1
What is the MEDIUM of the piece? (ie: acrylic, watercolor, mixed media, clay sculpture, etc.): Waterolor
This Piece is Inspired By:: Nature

Art is INSPIRED BY:: My art is inspired by my dreams

Dimensions: 30 x 40 x 6.75
What is the MEDIUM of the piece? (ie: acrylic, watercolor, mixed media, clay sculpture, etc.): acrylic on wood
This Piece is Inspired By:: Dream