Artist Callout: Local Talent in Cover Competition

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ARTIST CALLOUT Last month, Gib Mag reached out to local artists to be part of our 'Artist Callout' campaign. Bea Garcia interviewed all applicants, with Krishna Sachanandani's piece chosen to grace our November cover.

BY BEA GARCIA

This year has been a first for many. But despite the uncertain climate in which we live, one of the amazing things about this year is the number of people who have started to create art or have rediscovered their love for it. Whether it be to keep those mental health issues at bay or as a form of entertainment, this creative revolution has been widespread.

As a result of this surging interest we decided to run an artist callout to give one lucky reader the chance to have their artwork displayed on the cover of the November issue of the mag. The result was a large number of entries across multiple disciplines and mediums. Krishna Sachanandani was the lucky winner of the callout, but the high quality of all the submitted artworks made it a very difficult decision indeed.

We sat down with our artists to understand the inspiration behind their cover designs as well as the muses that inform their artistic practice. Mel Bosano (@melbosano)

Call Me

What was the inspiration behind your cover design?

This piece was made during lockdown and people were relying on other modes of communication rather than face to face meetings. The old telephone box seemed particularly poignant as it’s not in service anymore, and yet reminded me of a time when people were more socially distanced because technology had not developed to the extent it has now where we can (and are!) in contact every minute of the day.

Describe your artistic style in 3 words.

I’d say my artistic style is urban, loose (although I’m working on getting it looser!) and observational.

Who are the top 3 artists you are inspired by (dead or alive)?

I’m inspired by Gaudi’s architecture, our own Mario Finlayson and urban sketchers such as Eduardo Guille.

Anna Garcia (@agarciacreations) My happy place, the pergola in the Alameda Gardens

What was the inspiration behind your cover design?

The image is the pergola in the Alameda Gardens. It is inspired by the way it looked in 1910. My drawing has been informed by my father's vintage postcard of Ermelinda Duarte (@duarte.ermelinda) Who Am I?

What was the inspiration behind your cover design?

Throwing is one of the many skills that I use when creating my work, but I don't throw often enough.

After watching a documentary of Master Potters, I felt extremely inspired to throw and create my own collection of functional it. This is a place where many a couple have gotten married. It is a happy place. I am interested in exploring people's happy places in a bid to enable them and I to escape the uncertainty and sadness in the world and instead celebrate and remind ourselves of the joy a place can bring.

Describe your artistic style in 3 words.

Serene, uplifting, and bright.

Who are the top 3 artists you are inspired by (dead or alive)?

Monet, David Hockney and Van Gogh. Lloyd George (@lidicus23) Orange Splendens

What was the inspiration behind your cover design?

tableware. My aim was to practice this skill as well as experiment with different techniques whilst trying to find my own personal style. After I made a few vessels I thought the very first one would be a great representation of this collection Who Am I? and something visually different for the cover of the magazine.

Describe your artistic style in 3 words.

Organic, conceptual, fluid

Who are the top 3 artists you are inspired by (dead or alive)?

Andy Goldsworthy, Lucie Rie, Mo

Jupp.

Ah, although nature often inspires me to paint, this particular piece was actually created after the passing of my own little blue betta, as a sort of visual epitaph if you will. Bettas are really beautiful creatures and I wanted to bring that out in painting. In my usual way I've kept the background to a minimum to keep the viewers

focus on the betta itself, though the fish leans more towards figurative realism. It’s amazing how so little things can have such large impacts on our lives with pets becoming part of the family.

Describe your artistic style in 3 words.

I mostly create paintings, drawings and mixed media artworks from elements of science fiction and PC gaming, and I pursue an impressionist or conceptual outcome with a minimalist approach, providing the viewer a more open composition with the process showing through pencil or paint.

Who are the top 3 artists you are inspired by (dead or alive)?

Top 3 artists currently I would say are Joseph Zbuvik, John Berkey, and the art team at CCP games.

Monica Popham (@popham.studio)

Upper Town

What was the inspiration behind your cover design?

My painting was inspired by Gibraltar’s upper town. It is a part of Gibraltar which can sometimes be neglected but I love the mismatch of all the different shapes and sizes of the houses and buildings. There is so much character to this area of the rock so I really wanted to accentuate the colours using bright paint and contrasting shades.

Describe your artistic style in 3 words.

Vibrant, detailed, and bold colours. Cheyenne Randall (@arthouse_cr) Firefighter 28

What was the inspiration behind your cover design?

I was just getting back into art after a five-year break. I wanted to re-create myself as an artist. Before this I would obsess over perfection, so I was never satisfied. I wanted to pull away from that and express myself in a new light, with a relaxed style and actually enjoy the process. This change was extremely important to me, so I wanted the image to look different to anything I had previously done. This photo of my brother in law caught my eye because he is so laid back, however in the photo he looks so pensive and ready for action. Although it’s a still image I felt the movement and I wanted to capture that in the piece.

Who are the top 3 artists you are inspired by (dead or alive)?

David Hockney, Heather Day, and Nicolas de Stael.

Describe your artistic style in 3 words

Expressive, distinctive, vivid.

Who are the top 3 artists you are inspired by (dead or alive)?

Jackson Pollock, Van Gogh, and Andy Warhol are artists who really made me fall in love with art and inspired me to want to create.

WINNER

Karl Ullger (@ullger_art) Bling Bling

What was the inspiration behind your cover design?

My inspiration for this cover design stems from a painting I did for a top UK fashion model, Roxy Horner who has modelled for many household names such as Tommy Hilfiger and Vogue Italia to name a couple. I worked from a photo taken by top Gibraltarian photographer, Jaydan Fa. I emphasised her luscious red lips which complemented the subdued minty green background, helping the composition sit nicely as a painting. Roxy loved the piece (which was the most important thing) sharing it across her social media platforms.

Describe your artistic style in 3 words.

Expressive, tactile, experimental. Krishna Sachanandani (@instashnuu)

Portrait of Judge Rinder

What was the inspiration behind your cover design?

Rinder’s portrait was painted during lockdown as part of Sky Arts’ Portrait Artist of the Week. It was fun to revive dusty portraiture skills. Above all, I enjoyed the thought of tackling the same

Who are the top 3 artists you are inspired by (dead or alive)?

Hard to pinpoint such a small amount but 3 artists that have influenced my colour palette and treatment of paint is Joaquin Sorolla, Mariano Fortuny, and the third one, an artist who is very much alive and making a lot of positive waves in the international art scene, Nicolas Uribe. Which was your favourite cover design? We’d love to hear from you! Get in contact on Facebook or Instagram: The Gibraltar Magazine. subject as my old teacher, Karl Ullger, at least during Rankin’s portrait the previous week. It was a unique feeling to paint alongside whilst reflecting on my art journey over the last 12 years. Darth Vader’s quote - “When I left you, I was but the learner” comes to mind.

Describe your artistic style in 3 words.

Quirky, moody, dynamic.

Who are the top 3 artists you are inspired by( dead or alive)?

Hayao Miyazaki, Glen Keane,

Anthony Jones.