Grey Cube Gallery proudly presents the fifth Nature online art show for the month of October 2024. The show encompassed a range of artistic styles and mediums (oil on canvas, acrylic, watercolor, pastel, colored pencil, graphite, photography, digital). 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, 55 artworks were shortlisted for inclusion in the show. The competition attracted entries from many countries across the world: USA, Canada, Belgium, Australia, Portugal, Hong Kong, Germany, Ireland, Taiwan and United Kingdom. Enjoy the show and thank you for expressing an interest in our competition.

I am a painter of birds – Australian birds mainly but not exclusively. My chosen media is oil paint, as I believe it gives greater depth and manipulation for the delicate detailing of each bird’s feathers. I also believe oil paint brings my subjects to life more so than other mediums. My goal with each artwork is to have the subject jump from the canvas into the viewer’s own reality. Attention to detail using fine bristled brushes allows me to highlight the intricate detailing of feathers, capture the unique character of each bird together with the contrast of light and shade. Every bird species is intelligent possessing its own personality. Some smile at you, others look coy or quizzical, demanding or subservient. The range of emotions they invoke never fails to amaze me. I have always loved birds and feel blessed to live in the SouthWest of Australia, where we have a wonderful variety of bird life, that changes through the seasons. Many endangered species live only in our special part of the world. I do my little bit to help protect them, with a percentage of every original painting sold being donated to Birdlife Australia.

The natural landscape has unlimited narratives and stories to tell through art, by capturing and portraying the changes to the environment through natural forces and those caused by the intrusions of humans. I am interested in creating artistic works from my experiences in nature that are substantive and true to a vision of the places I explore. My art explores the process of creating visionary landscapes that focus on my interpretation and perception of the landscape, not as literal representations of what I see. My role as an artist is finding the synergies between paint, my subjects, and moments to create paintings which invite the viewer to reflect on my vision while evoking sensory stimulation and appreciation of time and place. I draw inspiration for my landscape painting mainly from the many natural landscapes I explore along the Niagara Escarpment, other regions in Ontario and places I travel.

Jason Shih was born in 1972 in Taiwan. In 1991, he began to specialize in metal sculpture when he was a sophomore in the Fine Arts Dept. of Taipei National University of the Arts. In 2001, he graduated from School for American Crafts, Rochester Institute of Technology, USA, and majored in Metal Sculpture. And then, he served as the metal sculptor Albert Paley's assistant, involved in crafts and public art work practices. Furthermore, he earned his Art Ph. D. from China Academy of Art, China (2015). Now, he lives in Taiwan, and consistently engages in the both areas of sculpture and public art. Jason Shih’s artistic vision is shaped by a diverse array of influences, from contemporary dance to avant-garde fashion. He cites German choreographer Pina Bausch and British designer Alexander McQueen as significant inspirations. Bausch’s explorations of time and space resonate with Shih’s interest in sculpture’s capacity to embody kinetic energy and spatial imagination. McQueen’s innovative approach to contemporary imagery and themes provides Shih with a broad canvas for creative expression.

Carola E. Thiele began her artistic journey in the 1990s after originally working as a toolmaker. Her passion for art led her to painting and music composition. From 1999 onwards, she worked as a multimedia designer, creating corporate designs for various companies. In 2004, she discovered her love for surrealism and metaphysical painting. She completed a two-year distance learning course with Willes Meinhardt at the HAF Hamburg to deepen her techniques and knowledge of composition. Later, she augmented her skills with a distance learning course in multimedia design and another study in Feng Shui, whose principles she integrates into her artworks. Carola E. Thiele combines traditional painting techniques with digital media, creating unique, dreamlike artworks that tell stories. Her works are exhibited on three continents, and she has won numerous art awards. Her motto: "Art is like a dream you have already dreamed once."