Grey Cube Gallery proudly presents the first Grey online art show for the month of December 2021. The show encompassed a range of artistic styles and mediums (oil on canvas, acrylic, watercolor, pastel, charcoal, graphite, scratchboard, pen, ink, etching, intaglio, resin, photography, digital, collage). 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, 112 artworks were shortlisted for inclusion in the show. The competition attracted entries from many countries across the world: Greece, USA, Poland, Ukraine, Russia, Canada, France, Spain, Taiwan, Brazil, Australia, United Kingdom, Austria, China, Germany and Lithuania. Enjoy the show and thank you for expressing an interest in our competition.

The complex patchwork of urban elements in my immediate surroundings holds tremendous fascination for me. I am particularly struck by the ironies and paradoxes found in both the micro and macro world that surrounds us. Unlike traditional panoramic views captured from a fixed point and distance, I try to construct my world around the viewer and beyond their periphery, beckoning them to simultaneously partake in the grand scope of its spatial depth and inhabited insignificance. My large - scale work is drawn from my journeys throughout the Bay Area, immersed in its exotic diversity of architecture, landscape, and the paradoxes of human interaction and disengagement. The elongated format allows the viewer to experience the whole environment as well as its parts, moving through it visually as if he/she were actually travelling within its confines. The element of time is both actual and perceptual. This movement establishes a visual paradox -- while one might enjoy digesting the pictorial grandeur (macro) and opulent details (micro) in my work, there is an element of detachment, alienation or even entrapment. Using the most basic tools - - graphite and an eraser - - allows me to recreate a colorless yet colorful world that suggests a timeless sense of my life experiences.

I am a portrait, figurative, landscape, seascape, and cityscape artist using various atmospheric painting techniques. I frequently utilizes negative space to give my images room to "breathe" and express a specific feeling or mood. My paintings have won 'Best of Show' in international art competitions in addition to awards received both regionally and nationally. My works are solely with watercolor. I use a limited palette, valuing simplicity and restful space. In my view, watercolor is magical, an exotic medium that has no boundaries. My images vary from entirely realistic to somewhat more impressionistic, allowing the viewer to respond with every painting. Telagio conducts watercolor workshops and exhibits in Omaha and surrounding areas for both individuals and groups. Encouragement and support for each student characterize his teaching method. He brings his God-given and professional painting skills along with his enthusiasm to each workshop, encouraging his students to speak "loud and clear" with their hearts and brushes.

Using 3 Bernina 1530 sewing machines and up to 9 values of grey Guttermann thread I sew/paint 2- dimensional value drawings onto stiffened fabric, I then hand-sew these into 3-dimensional shapes. I enjoy fooling the eye of the viewer into believing the value drawings are 3-D, when they are really flat, and then having them see the sewn boxes the drawings are placed on (or in) as the real 3-D objects, fool the eye, fool the mind.

Maxwell Miller (b.1992) began his artistic career in theatrical arts. Serving as director, artistic designer, and scenic artist for several Cleveland based theater organizations, he specialized in large scale theatrical puppetry. He began to pursue visual arts professionally in 2017 with a focus on imaginative realism. After refining his technique and developing an interest in mythology and history painting, he became an apprentice of Anthony Waichulis at the Ani Art Academy in January of 2020. He now strives to incorporate his sense of theatricality into the development of his artistic skill.