The American Artists Professional League, known for representing some of the most prominent traditional and comporary realism artists working in the United States today, is gearing up for an exciting and special celebration this November. This year marks AAPL’s 95th year of connecting the public with the highest quality representational works through the organization's annual Grand National Exhibition.
Visitors to last year’s Grand National Exhibition browse paintings.
Beginning November 6 and remaining on display through November 24, patrons will find approximately 100 juried entries on display in the Skylight Gallery at the Salmagundi Club in New York City. “Collectors and art enthusiasts will be able to view multiple genres, including landscape, still life and floral, figurative and portrait, and sculpture in various materials,” note AAPL representatives.
An open-to-the-public awards reception will take place on Friday, November 10, from 5:30 to 8 p.m., during which $25,000 in prizes will be awarded to winning pieces. Gary Godbee, who teaches painting and drawing courses at the Montclair Art Museum School/Yard School of Art, and the Center for Contemporary Art in Bedminster, New Jersey, will serve as juror of awards. His work has been shown nationally and internationally and is included in many corporate and private collections.
Cristy Dunn, Finding Freedom, oil on panel, 24 x 18"
Artists like Carolyn Latansion compete for top prizes but the juried works, like her Ladles and Cranes Ready, Bethlehem Steel, are also available for purchase. She explains of her impressive watercolor work, “I grew up within several blocks of this massive operation in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and have continued to create a series of paintings to commemorate it. Giant ladle cranes lifted these ladles filled with melted iron from the scrapyard to the blast furnace at the now defunct Bethlehem Steel Corporation.”
Collectors will also find figurative pieces like Cristy Dunn’s Finding Freedom, depicting a woman holding a bird’s nest. “This painting is a reminder that forces exist that are infinitely more powerful than we are,” the artist says. “From the miraculous engineering of a bird’s nest to the complexity of the wind and water, we are surrounded by intricacies we cannot fathom. We sometimes forget how little we know. We would do well to listen and to cultivate in ourselves that sense of awe that we feel when we remember how very small we are and from how very far away the stars shine.”
Clockwise from top left: Holly Bedrosian, The Influencer, Colored Pencil, 27 x 19½"; Carolyn Latanision, Ladles and Cranes Ready, Bethlehem Steel, watercolor, 28 x 16; Patsy Lindamood, Time for Justice, graphite on cradled Ampersand claybord, 36 x 24"
Artist Jenny Davis also presents figurative work, as seen in her watercolor, Reckoning. “My work explores inner worlds through the nuance of facial expression and gesture,” says Davis. “This piece explores dissonance through the contrast between the foreground and background imagery. I like to remain ambiguous enough for the viewer to find their own meaning, but I will say that it was a very significant choice to juxtapose against the very modern model captured in such an outwardly calm, introspective moment.”
Henry Bosak displays his unique vision in the acrylic painting Just a Little Different.“Sometimes inspiration is right in front of you and in this case, it was sitting on a shelf in my garage,” Bosak remarks. “Cans of spray paint that I had accumulated over the years—they all look pretty much the same, but one can did sort of stand out. It was ‘just a little different.’”
Gabrielle Tito, The Story is Between the Seams, oil on linen panel, 40 x 24"; Henry Bosak, Just a Little Different, acrylic, 24 x 18"
For Gabrielle Tito’s elaborate oil on canvas, The Story is Between the Seams, she shares, “In this painting, while getting lost in the layering of blue and white garments and the larger-than-life cameo set in blue velvet, there are threads of this story of loss, resistance, survival and joy. La Dolce Vita was a time of high fashion and life after a period of darkness. The history of blue and white wares is ubiquitous, but the story of each ware is unique. Perhaps in these stories you will find threads of your own.”
Painter Lauren Rosenblum gets to the “heart of the matter” in her juried work, Bright Sky, Big Heart.“The extreme closeups [in my work] encourages curiosity. It gives permission to be intrusive and inquisitive,” she says. “I am getting to the core of the subject—dismissing all of the inconsequential details. The character portraits that I am currently painting are a closeup, personal depiction of the inner essence of the subject. Often times my art is a benevolent invasion of the aspect of the personality that wants to remain hidden or is not quite ready to be revealed.”
Tracey Chaykin, Winter Break, mixed media, 6 x 8½"
In yet another impressive figurative piece, artist Yu Shu portrays a nude female figure set against a background of patterned wallpaper. “This painting celebrates the innate beauty of the human form,” the artist says. “Concealed beneath weathered wallpaper, an ancient Qing dynasty poem by Guan Wei unfurls a tale of instant love and unwavering pursuit. As the subject sheds her mask, akin to peeling layers, a quest for authenticity ensures. It prompts contemplation: is beauty skin-deep or lie in concealed truths? This piece urges us to seek profound essence beyond appearances.”
Jenny Davis, Reckoning, watercolor, 30 x 19¾"; Lauren Rosenblum, Bright Sky, Big Heart, oil on wooden panel, 30 x 24"
The graphite piece Time for Justice was conceived through a recently discovered passion for architectural art for artist Patsy Lindamood. “Texas is home to more than 20 courthouses famed for their Romanesque Revival style of architecture, which emphasizes the classical Roman arch, rusticated stone and towers with conical roofs,” she explains. “Some of the most spectacular examples, such as the Ellis County Courthouse in Waxahachie, Texas, also feature exquisite carvings. For a graphite artist, the lines, shapes and values which dominate these structures are a challenge and a joy to render.”
Yu Shu, First Glance, oil on linen, 40 x 30"
Tracey Chaykin has an immense love for nature and its limitlessness. For her show piece Winter Break, she shares, “The sight of a black-capped chickadee perched on rosehips was breathtaking and resonated with me. It exuded a wintery feel, and I was instantly motivated to incorporate snowy effects to fully encapsulate the ambiance of a charming, frosty scene.”
Art enthusiasts will find these works and many more at AAPL's Grand National Exhibition, opening November 6. The exhibition is free and open to the public at the Salmagundi Club, with virtual options through the AAPL website. —
American Artists Professional League’s Grand National Exhibition
When: November 6-24, 2023
Where: Salmagundi Club, 47 5th Avenue, New York, NY 10003
Information: www.aaplinc.org
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