See My Photo at the 2017 Shrode Photography Competition and Exhibit

My photograph, Modern and Medieval, will be one of 33 photos exhibited this fall at the 2017 Shrode Photography Competition and Exhibit at the Mitchell Museum in Mt. Vernon, Illinois.

Modern and Medieval portrays a modern mural adjacent to the Gothic cathedral in León, Spain.  You can click on the image for a larger view.

The judge for the 2017 competition is Andrea Hoelscher, a widely exhibited artist and photography teacher, currently on the faculty at University of Southern Indiana Art Department since 2006.

The opening reception will be Saturday, October 21, 6:30 p.m. and the top award winners will be announced that evening. Three Cedarhurst galleries will be opening their new exhibits which will be celebrated with food, a cash bar and dessert.  The exhibition will be open from Oct. 22  through Dec. 31, 2017. I hope to see you at the opening.

In other news, for faithful readers of this blog, you'll be pleased to learn that Feedspot has named this blog as one of the top 75 fine art photography blogs on the planet.

 You can view my fine art photography website at: www.tombellart.com.

Cedarhurst Biennial Exhibition 2017

Two of my images will be on exhibit this summer at the Cedarhurst Biennial Exhibition at the Mitchell Museum in Mt. Vernon, Illinois.

Early Morning Serenade.  León, Spain.  (You can click on images in this blog for a larger view.)

The Eyes of Santa Nonia.  León, Spain.

 

Interestingly enough, both images are related.  I got up before daylight to photography an early morning Holy Week procession at the Church of Santa Nonia.  It was raining off-and-on and I shot several images as I waited for word on whether the procession would be cancelled or delayed due to the rain.  Participants in the procession passed by this street art painting as they neared the Church, and I got a couple of good frames.  After a few more minutes there was an announcement that the procession would be delayed until later in the morning.

After having awakened so early, I didn't want to waste the rest of the morning, so I walked toward the Cathedral, located in the heart of León. As I walked on the main street, I noticed a lady washing the windows of a shop, getting ready for the business day.  It was hard to ignore the big Elvis statue that seemed to be serenading her.  So, both images that will be in the exhibition were taken within a few minutes of each other.

León's Cathedral, among the most beautiful in the world, before a Holy Week procession, although on a different day.

The opening of the exhibition will be on July 29, 6:30 -8:30 p.m.  The show will run through October 8, 2017

You can view my fine art photography website at:  www.tombellart.com.

Another Exhibition

An exhibition of 18 of my recent fine art photographs is on display through October 1 at the Yellow Moon Cafe in Cobden, Illinois.  If you're in the area, I hope you'll stop by.

My wife María and I celebrate my birthday at the Yellow Moon Cafe on the first night of the exhibition.  My daughter Cristina was there, too, but she took the picture. (You can click on photographs for a larger view.)

The Eyes of Santa Nonia is from my recent trip to Spain.

Patriotic in Makanda is a scene from my home town, just before the 4th of July.

Hours for the Yellow Moon Cafe are:  Wednesday - Friday, Lunch  -- 10:00am - 2:00pm; Friday, Dinner -- 6:00pm - close.  Saturday, Lunch -- 10:00am - 4:00pm; Saturday, Dinner -- 6:00pm - closeCLOSED: SUNDAY, MONDAY AND TUESDAY.  Reservations are recommended for dinner.

Click here for the Yellow Moon Cafe's website.

You can view my fine art photography website at:  www.tombellart.com.

A Great Venue for an Art Exhibition

You can see an exhibition of my photographic paintings in the Luna Gallery of the Yellow Moon Cafe in Cobden, Illinois, through June 2.  The opening reception is Saturday, May 4 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.

Great Blue Herron (20X40) on exhibit at the Yellow Moon Cafe.

Some friends, my family, and I were at the restaurant this Friday to celebrate my wife becoming an American citizen.  We would have been there whether or not my art work was hanging on the walls, because the food is fantastic.

My wife, Maria (second from right) became a U.S. citizen on April 19.  I'm on the far right. My son and daughter (the younger ones around the table) and very good friends, Terry, Alejandro and Pam (left to right), helped us celebrate the occasion.  My artwork is in the background.  We're at the Yellow Moon Cafe in Cobden, Illinois. 

It's a gourmet resturant that doesn't try to be pretentious.  The nearby (two or three doors down) anthill gallery curates the exhibitions at the Yellow Moon Cafe.  If you're anywhere in the area (very rural southern Illinois, yet on the very touristic Wine Trail), you should make an effort to drop by.  You'll be impressed by the reasonably priced gourmet fare; you can enjoy a visit to the anthill gallery or nearby vineyards; you can also relax and have a good time.

Some reasons to visit and see my artwork at the gallery:  you love really fine food; you love great artwork (you can visit to see my artwork without being a customer of the cafe); you were a student at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale and want to revisit the area; you're a bit bohemian; you love wine and vineyards; you have exceptionally good taste and can combine one or more of the reasons  above.

You can view my website at:  www.tombellart.com.

Another Exhibition

My photo Lady of Antigua will be one of 38 featured photographs by 36 different artist to be exhibited at the Mitchell Museum in Mt. Vernon, Illinois at part of the 2012 Shrode Photography Competition.  The judge of the competition is well-known photographer, writer, and educator William Sawalich.

Lady of Antigua.  Click for a larger image. 
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

If you're in the area, here's the information for the show:

The top award winners will be announced at the Opening Reception, Saturday, October 27, 2012, 5:30-8:30 p.m. Everyone is invited to attend! Cedarhurst members are admitted for free, non-members $5 admission. Exhibiting photographers will receive free admission plus one additional ticket for their spouse or friend. Tickets will arrive in the mail in the following weeks. The evening will begin with a live glass blowing demonstration outside the Mitchell Museum by students and faculty from SIU-C! This special event is in conjunction with the opening of The Joy Thorton-Walter and John Walter Collection of Contemporary Glass Art in the Main Gallery at Cedarhurst. The photography awards will be announced in the Mitchell Museum at 7:00 p.m. We will gather at the Shrode Art Center shortly thereafter to present the checks and certificates. Complimentary hor’devours are provided; alcoholic beverages are available for purchase.

You might also be interested in Mr. Sawalich's judge's statement:

JUDGE’S STATEMENT

FOR SHRODE ART CENTER PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION

BY WILLIAM SAWALICH

Great photographs frequently make the common appear uncommon, and that is certainly the case with my selections for this exhibition. I’m especially drawn to simplicity, graphic strength, and a clear, concise visual statement. But I’m also particularly drawn to photographs that are uniquely about the medium itself; motion blurs, time lapses, patterns of light and shadow… compositions that are inherently “photographic” in nature are sure to impress me.

This also means that I give preference to images that are primarily made “in camera” rather than via a peculiar post-processing effect. That said, clicking the shutter is only part of the challenge, and good post-production refinements—processing, retouching, contrast, color correction—are integral to a photograph’s success. When these simple technical elements come together with a strong composition, at the perfect moment and with just the right light, it’s the perfect storm that creates a tremendous photograph. Add to that a bit of artistic vision and the results become truly special.  

Because of the democratization of photography (easy access to improved tools has spawned tremendous growth in the medium) it’s no longer enough to simply create a technically correct photograph. To stand out in the sea of images we encounter every day, aesthetics, composition and vision matter more than ever. And with so many great photographs in the world—and in the entries to this competition—technical perfection becomes a relative baseline.

In the end, I found the photographs that elicited my strongest response drew some connection—intentional or not—to the masters of the medium. Whether it’s the cinematic drama of Gregory Crewdson, the documentary portraiture of Steve McCurry, or the simple beauty of an Aaron Siskind abstraction, the standout photographs in this exhibition are directly connected to the larger history of photography. These photographers are clearly working deliberately, and their photographs are exciting, inspiring and simply very well done. 

 # # #

 You can view my website at:  http://www.tombellart.com

A Video of Fine Art Photography from Guatemala

I did a presentation last year for which I created a video of my fine art photography of Guatemalan people and places.  Click on the little triangle in the video screen to watch.  If you enjoy it, please let your friends know.







You can view my website at:  http://www.tombellart.com

Also you can use this code for a 25% discount on artwork from my website:  VCMYEX
The discount is for photographs and artwork only, and does not apply to framing, mats, etc.
The code is good until October 1.

From my Website to Bauhaus and Back!

Last week, I totally redesigned my website.  The idea was to provide an attractive, user-friendly gallery.  The site skipped the homepage altogether and went directly to the gallery.

My original homepage design is back!

After multiple questions about what happened to my old homepage, it's back!  The gallery is still new and far more user-friendly than the previous one, but the classic look of the original homepage is back.  I agree with the complainers:  the old homepage still works best as a gateway to the new gallery.

Let me know what you think.

http://www.tombellart.com/

Paintings of Antigua, Guatemala

I though I'd post a few more paintings from my recent trip to Guatemala.  You can click on the images for a larger view.  Navigate between the images with the left and right arrow keys. Press the escape key to return to the blog screen.

Agua Volcano from Antigua, Guatemala.

Cart, Hotel Quinta de las Flores.  Antigua, Guatemala.

Antique Chair.  Hotel Quinta de las Flores, Antigua, Guatemala.

You can view my website at:  http://www.tombellart.com

Hope for Tomorrow

I am donating a couple of photographs and a couple of my paintings for a very important, very special event.  They will be auctioned to help children.

One of the photographs you can bid on. (16X20).  Signed by the artist.

 One of my paintings (16X20)

On Sunday, October 16, an event to help Guatemalan orphans will be held in my area (Southern Illinois). The Hope for Tomorrow Children’s Home in Guatemala will hold a fundraiser at the Walker's Bluff Vineyard (Reed Station Rd.) between Noon and 6PM. If you’re already in the area, it will be worth the trip. If you live several hundred miles away, it would be a great excuse to visit Southern Illinois’ famous wine trail and beautiful vineyards. Don’t forget your camera gear. If you can come, I will see you there.

I can already tell you that my artwork is worth many thousands of dollars, maybe millions.  However, I'll bet that you can get it for a lot less, although I hope you'll bid as much as you can -- afterall, it's to help children who can really use your help.  A friend of mine, also a fine photographer and artist, Steve McLaughlin, is also donating one of his paintings. His artwork is worth billions.  I hope you'll believe all that I'm telling you because children are at stake. However, his artwork has truly inspired me, and if you get his painting, you'll be very lucky, indeed.

Please take a look at this article in The Southern Illinoian about the Hope for Tomorrow Children's Home.

If, however, you’re not able to attend, please consider a tax deductable donation to this very worthy cause. Also, consider sponsoring a child. Check out the Hope for Tomorrow Children’s Home website and you’ll understand the importance of the cause and also that this is a legitimate charity that will make a real difference in the lives of children. Information on helping can be found within the website.

You can view my website at: http://www.tombellart.com/.

PX3 - Views of Antigua, Guatemala

UPDATE:  I just learned that eight other entries are also official selections, in addition to the series below.

I was pleased to learn this morning that the jurors of the Prix de la Photographie, Paris (Px3), have named my Views of Antigua series as a "Px3 Official Selection for 2011."  The jury's final selection will be announced next week.

You can find the Px3 at px3.fr. 

My website is at: tombellart.com.

WPGA Pollux Awards Announced

I was pleased to learn that my portfolio of Guatemala portraits won first place in the non-professional division of the Worldwide Photographic Gala Awards/Pollux Awards.

There were 18,912 entries from 65 countries.  Congratulations to all of the winners and honorable mentions.

The winners announcement can be seen at:  http://www.thegalaawards.net/announcements/2010-pollux-awards-awardees

You can view my website at:  http://www.tombellart.com/.

Portrait & People WPGA Awards Announced

I received word this morning that I'm a Gold Award winner in the Worldwide Photograhic Gala Awards Portrait & People competition.  I'm also a finalist in the Pollux Awards to be announced later in March.

Mayan Beauty



Congratulations to all the winners and participants!

You can view my website at:  http://www.tombellart.com/.

A New Photo Exhibit

Creating a photo exhibition is as time consuming as anything you can do. Don’t plan on having a real life for a few months if you plan on doing it well.

For those of you in the Carbondale, Illinois area (or within driving distance), my exhibition Mayan Faces: Portraits from the Market opens this Friday, April 9, 7 - 9 PM at the Longbranch Coffeehouse, 100 East Jackson, Carbondale. I have more than forty prints, mostly from the past year. Also, there are a few photos and digital paintings from the past seven or eight years.

I hope you can attend. If not, take a look at my web site:  tombellart.com.