2024 Artwork of the Year
"Summer Night, Russian Hill"
Mijin Kwon, Artist
Mijin's artwork titled "Summer Night, Russian Hill" has been selected for the 2024 Artwork of the Year Award.
At the end of each year the Best in Show Award recipients from Camelback Gallery's Themed competitions (excluding Best in Medium) are entered into the Artwork of the Year competition. This year the jurors reviewed 16 artworks.
The artwork was chosen based on the criteria of concept, composition, value, color, technique, depth and overall impact of the art. Congratulations Mijin!
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Artist locale: San Fransisco, CA, USA
Title of work: Summer Night, Russian HIll
Medium: Oil
Thoughts about this artwork:
"Inspired by the energy of a summer night cityscape, my painting captures the dynamic interplay of car lights and building illuminations. The scene balances uphill and downhill perspectives, offering a captivating visual journey." Mijin
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Learn more and contact the artist:
https://www.instagram.com/mmm.jin.art0a0/
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Artist Statement
My paintings capture the vibrant urban landscape scene, utilizing oil as my medium to depict the essence of my surroundings. I was first inspired by my experiences when exposed to Wayne Thiebaud's works at SFMOMA. My current painting series, ‘Moments at That Time: San Francisco,' captures the city's beauty, revealing scenes that might be overlooked in daily life. Inspired by my daily experiences, I incorporate value and/or color studies, drawing from photos that naturally catch my attention. These paintings transform ordinary moments into cherished memories on canvas, reflecting the life of San Francisco. I apply a full palette and painterly brushwork while considering composition, color, light, and texture to enhance each scene. My recent works incorporate expressive mark-making in the undertone, layered with representational elements on top. For example, in Red on Rails, Under Daylight, I capture a daytime city street with a red cable car approaching in my direction. Through a bright color, dynamic palette knife work, and textured details, the painting creates an ordinary scene into a joyful moment that embodies the vibrancy and energy of the city. Through the paintings, I share these rediscovered moments, inviting viewers to explore the city's beauty, painting by painting. ​https://mijinkwonart.com/
Juror Notes
This artwork invokes a dreamlike quality, making it feel like it's an imaginary scene, even though Russian Hill is a very well-known neighborhood in San Francisco. The use of depth draws the eye to the top of the "hill" then spills the viewer into the city below and then back up again. A touch of fog in the distance and the blurred lights, makes it seem like a very humid night. Kassandra Kaye
This painting has qualities that drew me in and through the piece, made me feel a part of the scene, imagining what events the evening holds as I drive into the city. The subtle pops of color really pull it all together. Marie McCallum
Eligible 2024 Artists/Best in Show Recipients
Megan Conley, Mijin Kwon, Noelle Kalom, Nanda Hoep, Bob Moskowitz, Gary Aleksiak, Neena Buxani , Jocelyne Bouchard, Craig S Glass, Leslie Bailey, Alexandra Klimas, Anisa Mosaiebiniya , Christopher Tuscan, Karen Colangelo , DeeAnn Pershin, Dante Miura Dore https://www.camelbackgallery.com/winnerexhibition