“Opposites Attract” Exhibition
This is strictly a student exhibition: Grad, Undergrad, High School, Middle School students welcome.
Submission Deadline: 2/11/23
Opening Reception: 2/19/23, 3pm-6pm
All mediums accepted.
If admitted, prior to drop-off, all paintings and drawings must be ready to hang - wired or framed. All digital art must be printed and framed.
Artworks are not required to be available for sale, but can be.
Admitted Artworks will be exhibited for one month.
All Artists are encouraged - though not required - to attend the Exhibition Reception.
"Ebb and Flow"
Artist: Hannah Vargas
Social Media: hannah.vargas.art on Instagram
Size: 16” x 12”
Medium: Oil pastel, marker, acrylic paint, paper
Sale Info: $115
Artwork Description: Relationships of any sort experience patterns of immense passion and attachment followed by feelings of disconnection. The beauty of love is that we trust this cycle. Our moment of doubt simply is the brain's way of coping with our unbalanced levels of anxiety and desire. The more we fight this cycle, the more we struggle. This piece demonstrates the connection reigniting in its transitional stage. The sense of movement in the work highlights the fluidity and constant motion of these phases.
Artist Bio: Hannah Vargas is a contemporary artist who explores the concept of quiet introspection through mixed media. She is a junior art education major at Kean University who will become a certified K-12 art teacher. Her work has been shown in the "Red Hot Extremism Exhibition" at Hamilton Street Gallery, Bowery Art Collective, and the online poetry journal, "Night Heron Barks".
"Seclusion"
Artist: Hannah Vargas
Social Media: hannah.vargas.art on Instagram
Size: 13” x 10”
Medium: Marker, wire, acrylic paint, paper
Sale Info: $125
Artwork Description: It is embarrassing to admit feelings of love, it is horrible to talk about, it is painful and leaves people vulnerable, yet it is what we want most. As a result, we develop a cold outer layer of protection like steel to conceal "those" emotions. It is hard to admit that there is someone who can enable our suppressed fragility. In this piece, there is the hope that someone sees through the facade and provides sun for the flowers to grow.
Artist Bio: Hannah Vargas is a contemporary artist who explores the concept of quiet introspection through mixed media. She is a junior art education major at Kean University who will become a certified K-12 art teacher. Her work has been shown in the "Red Hot Extremism Exhibition" at Hamilton Street Gallery, Bowery Art Collective, and the online poetry journal, "Night Heron Barks".
"Balance"
Artist: Hannah Vargas
Social Media: hannah.vargas.art on Instagram
Size: 16” x 20”
Medium: Graphite, charcoal, chalk pastel, paper, acrylic paint, on canvas
Sale Info: $135
Artwork Description: It is difficult to warm up to the multifaceted nature of our personalities. The intention of this artwork is to highlight complications and contrasting components of a personality into one being. One might argue that this is the most challenging case of "opposites attract" to cope with.
Artist Bio: Hannah Vargas is a contemporary artist who explores the concept of quiet introspection through mixed media. She is a junior art education major at Kean University who will become a certified K-12 art teacher. Her work has been shown in the "Red Hot Extremism Exhibition" at Hamilton Street Gallery, Bowery Art Collective, and the online poetry journal, "Night Heron Barks".
"Spiraling Out"
Artist: Kayla Gawronski
Social Media: N/A
Size: 11” x 14”
Medium: Mixed media
Sale Info: Print reproduction for sale if possible (not for sale until the annual MHS art show)
Artwork Description:
Artist Bio: Kayla is a junior at Metuchen High School. She loves Starbucks, her dog and Harry Styles. Kayla's uses mixed media to create layered images combining bright abstract patterning, embroidery and realistic drawing. Her artwork explores how anatomy relates to human emotions.
"Cortex Vortex"
Artist: Kayla Gawronski
Size: 18” x 22”
Social Media: N/A
Medium: Mixed media
Sale Info: Print reproduction for sale if possible (not for sale until the annual MHS art show)
Artwork Description:
Artist Bio: Kayla is a junior at Metuchen High School. She loves Starbucks, her dog and Harry Styles. Kayla's uses mixed media to create layered images combining bright abstract patterning, embroidery and realistic drawing. Her artwork explores how anatomy relates to human emotions.
"Repetition"
Artist: Alyssa Gerard
Social Media: @alyssacharleneart
Size: 11” x 14”
Medium: Mixed media
Sale Info: Reproduction print if possible
Artwork Description: This artwork represents the experience of being blocked from seeing or breaking the repetitive patterns we become looped in during life.
Artist Bio: Alyssa is a senior at Metuchen High School. She loves music, her dog Charlie and traveling. Alyssa uses acrylic paint, pen, marker, collage and colored pencil to create abstract worlds that explore concepts related to memory and formation of identity.
"Canal St."
Artist: Natalie Clark
Social Media: @0.51111 on Instagram
Size: 16” x 16”
Medium: Digital Print
Sale Info: $75
Artwork Description: Depicting a blend of tangible reality and imaginary characters; human emotions of self-identity concerning an intangible body, "Canal St." places a symbol of horror in an everyday setting. A question I aim to explore throughout my work: who decided ghosts were something to be afraid of? Taken even further—is it not possible to simply coexist with what we fear?
Artist Bio: Natalie is a 17-year old senior attending Metuchen High School. She concentrates in working with digital media, but also experiments with acrylics, graphite, and printmaking. Natalie finds inspiration in music, nature, and the supernatural.
"Cosmic Dunes"
Artist: Kristina Goodman
Social Media: N/A
Size: 10 x 18 inch print with 16 x 20 inch frame
Medium: Print of Digital Drawing
Sale Info: $100 for print only or $150 for framed print
Artwork Description:
Artist Bio: Kristina is a junior at Metuchen High School. They enjoy drawing, watching TV and hanging out with their cat in their free time. This piece is inspired by their love of space and their time growing up in Arizona.
"Nebula Web"
Artist: Jaiden Ajello
Social Media: N/A
Size: 30” x 24”
Medium: Acrylic painting with paint pens
Sale Info: $90
Artwork Description: This artwork was made in high school and was the first painting she did on a somewhat larger scale. The layer of paint pen lines on top is meant to go with the flow of the acrylic pour style underneath it.
Artist Bio: Jaiden is a senior college student enrolling at Ramapo College of New Jersey. She is extremely passionate about art and art history and loves making mixed-media paintings and drawings.
"Untitled"
Artist: Samira Bahridinova
Social Media: N/A
Size: 24” x 18”
Medium: Acrylic on canvas
Sale Info: N/A
Artwork Description: N/A
Artist Bio: N/A
"In The Light of Dichotomy"
Artist: Valerie Zamora
Social Media: _valwrie_
Size: 18” x 24”
Medium: Pencil, Acrylic, Paint marker
Sale Info: $125 - $150
Artwork Description: This piece fits into the theme because two figures are portrayed to be very different from one another. Not only are they different with the use of color, they are also depicted to be different body sizes. I feel it is important to represent bodies of different sizes in forms of art so that we can show that there is no singular body type that should be superior to others, we are all equal and we all have beautiful bodies. I felt it was important to show the two figures holding each other as well, showing physical attraction and a longing to be near each other which also shows their love for one another.
Artist Bio: I created a sketch based on the idea of wanting to practice with light and dimensions, especially window blinds and seeing how that light bounces off of figures. I also wanted to include two people standing next to each other and enjoying each other’s company. I felt it was important to make these two characters physically different and I used the help of color to really accentuate the differences between the two of them.
"Untitled"
Artist: Samira Bahridinova
Social Media: chloeoliveira_art on Instagram
Size: 10” x 16”
Medium: Mixed media
Sale Info: N/A
Artwork Description: N/A
Artist Bio: I’m an 18-year-old artist. I’m a freshman at Rutgers Mason Gross School of Arts. I’m majoring in Art and Design. I have been doing art since I was young and I’m very passionate about it.