The artists and writers selected as ArtAscent Gold from ArtAscent Art & Literature Journal issues.

Mary M. Kandalian Aslanian

Colours Of Music

Emerging into an episode in the life of a creative couple the reader cannot remain immune to the true power of the magic of words. Written by Mary Kandalian-Aslanian, a short story entitled “Colours of Music” portrays literature as the sublime art and the solution to all creative urges…

Mary M. Kandalian Aslanian is the Gold Writer of the ArtAscent “Magnificence” call for writers.
To see the full body of work and profile, get a copy of the ArtAscent Art & Literature Journal “Magnificence” issue.

ArtAscent Artist of the Portraits call for artists

Zhanna Martin

ArtAscent Artist of the Portraits call for artists

The busts Zhanna Martin meticulously carves are wonderful illustrations of familiar feelings everyone goes through at some point, and as they depict specific conditions, the feelings they invoke are frequently much broader. Zhanna Martin is the Gold Artist of the ArtAscent “Portraits” call for artists. To see the full body of work and profile, get a copy of the ArtAscent Art & Literature Journal “Portraits” issue.

www.zhannamartin.com

Lynda Green

Personal Ink

James P. Middling had spent the morning describing in detail the latest villain, the villain his Inspector Taylor would eventually, as always, track down and bring to justice. James liked to fashion the cast of characters, complete with backstories, before embarking on his latest crime thriller…

What if my written word came to life, literally? This question probably enters the mind of every writer on at least one occasion. Meditating on such an idea, Lynda Green penned a short story entitled “Personal Ink,” condensing some of the important issues from the life of a man and the life of a writer in one uncanny short story. Lynda Green is the Gold Writer of the ArtAscent “Portraits” call for writers. To see the full body of work and profile, get a copy of the ArtAscent Art & Literature Journal “Portraits” issue.

ArtAscent Artist of the Red call for artists

Renqian Yang

ArtAscent Artist of the Red call for artists

Wandering along the contours of Chinese society with millions of fellow graduates in 2009, artist Renqian Yang absorbed all the anxieties and demur of being one of “the ant tribe” comrades. The experience has left her profoundly torn between constraints of traditional environment and the liberty she sought after, channeling her creativity toward making a poignant body of work molded from her history, dreams, desires and anguish. Renqian Yang is the Gold Artist of the ArtAscent “Red” call for artists. To see the full body of work and profile, get a copy of the ArtAscent Art & Literature Journal “Red” issue.

www.renqianyang.com

Mario Tofano

Fellow Travelers

A boy 17 revolutions old walked into the public library. It was about midday and he often skipped the last hours of class to read. He had been captured many times by the police for truancy…

In the eponymous short story written by Mario Tofano, the term describes a young teenager with a passionate soul and an overwhelming innate spite for the system, and the invisible leader the boy is inevitably drawn to. Throughout the narrative “Fellow Travelers,” Mario overtly alludes to the revolution by painting the description into symbolic colour. Mario Tofano is the Gold Writer of the ArtAscent “Red” call for writers. To see the full body of work and profile, get a copy of the ArtAscent Art & Literature Journal “Red” issue.

Meryl Rachlin

m.rachlin_pookiepit3

Having shared true, loving friendship with a dog, an Orlando-based artist, Meryl Rachlin, understands how much a pet can mean to its human. The loss of her best friend served as an excruciating inspirational spark, motivating the artist to discover a technique that would change her expression and the concept of her art. Creating pet tributes, Meryl moulds three-dimensional mementos of peoples’ precious little animal darlings, preserving memories of their spirit and the beauty of their devotion. Meryl Rachlin is the Gold Artist of the ArtAscent “Pets” call for artists. To see the full body of work and profile, get a copy of the ArtAscent Art & Literature Journal “Pets” issue.

www.ArtThatPops.com

Zach Agnew

The Empty Bowl

The door swung open to the silence inside, as a man walked in with a weight in his stride. His keys clanked heavily on the table, he slumped over, no longer able. A week had passed and yet the pain remained, at this point he simply felt drained. What could he do, but sit and remember, as he watched the snows of late November. The flakes danced…

In an evocatively entitled short story “The Empty Bowl,” a young writer, Zach Agnew, tells a classic story of friendship, love and loss that was shared between a man and a dog. Absence of the man’s best friend is here in focus, as well as the loss of his truest comrade in the great fight called “life.” Zach Agnew is the Gold Writer of the ArtAscent “Pets” call for writers. To see the full body of work and profile, get a copy of the ArtAscent Art & Literature Journal “Pets” issue.

Jim Baab, ArtAscent Gold Artist of the Hidden call for artists

Jim Baab

Jim Baab, ArtAscent Gold Artist of the Hidden call for artists

Exploring the concept of “The Human Landscape,” Jim Baab conjured a series of photographs employing fantasy in creation of imagined scenes. His black and white photographs are results of experimental practice in which human body assumes an unexpected value by altering the prospect, thus remaining hidden and unrecognizable for what it is. Jim is the Gold Artist of the ArtAscent “Hidden” call for artists. To see the full body of work and profile, get a copy of the ArtAscent Art & Literature Journal “Hidden” issue.

www.jimbaab.com

Jesse McMurray

The Fix

Two minutes ago, I finally found The Fix, my eyes blinking rapidly in small gestures of acuity, opened to the deep of my electric mind. As the barricades are breached, I’m attuned to sights that were unseen, hidden from my gaze before The Fix pierced my thoughts, turned the uncertainty on end. I’ve come to realize the things that I’ve known all along, but couldn’t grasp. Everything has been in increments, staggered…

An introspective construct of Jesse McMurray emerged as a short story after having meditated upon the abstract characteristics encompassed in the idea of “hidden.” “The Fix” arose from the swarming pool of the writer’s thoughts, yearning to untangle some of the most basic, hence the most difficult, inner knots a person can encounter. Jay is the Gold Writer of the ArtAscent “Hidden” call for writers. To see the full body of work and profile, get a copy of the ArtAscent Art & Literature Journal “Hidden” issue.

www.facebook.com/jessemcmurrayauthor

Jeanne Donegan

jeannedonegan_robert

Jeanne Donegan presents two coexisting, inseparable concepts of gaze and power in a photographic series. While examining traditionally imposed gender roles, the series focuses on the often disregarded notion of feminine desire. Jeanne is the Gold Artist of the ArtAscent “Desire” call for artists. To see the full body of work and profile, get a copy of the ArtAscent Art & Literature Journal “Desire” issue.

www.jeannedonegan.com

Brittany Smith

Doors

Sometimes people stare at the old man pedaling a rusted red bicycle with a door lashed to it by bungee cords. Stewart doesn’t give a damn. He collects used doors. On Saturday mornings, he examines the newspaper and circles any promising garage sale listings. Then he maps out a route. The goal is to visit as many houses as possible without having to double back. He’s rigged his bicycle to carry the doors home…

It’s easier to handle desire than pain. It’s better to pursue the longing, even if it drives us mad. It gives one hope. And hope dies last. This appears to be the core impulse of “Stewart,” the main character of Brittany Smith’s short story “Doors.” Brittany is the Gold Writer of the ArtAscent “Desire” call for writers. To see the full body of work and profile, get a copy of the ArtAscent Art & Literature Journal “Desire” issue.

www.brittanysmith.net

Sukey Bryan

sukeybryan.icebergtwo

In a series of paintings created by Sukey Bryan, all of the celestial nuances fuse over shapes of drift ice and flow through pools of freshwater in conversation with stirs of clouds. They colour the uncompromising traits of nature, standing as monuments to the shifts in climate and to the evolving life of the planet. Sukey Bryan is the Gold Artist of the ArtAscent “Blue” Call For Artists! Read about this artist in the Blue edition of ArtAscent Art & Literature Journal.

www.sukeybryan.com

Alex Steiner

Azure Blues

I love BLUE.
Always have.
“BLUE.”
Blue; reminds me of home.

Azure blue reflections painted my childhood’s oceans.
Oceans that glimmer with dad’s hue.
Just like my eyes.
“Blue,” the name everyone had taken me for and my eyes…

Beginning with a short, emotional poem, Alex Steiner paints the story of Blue, the ode to her father who bequeathed her an ocean of memories and an endless lake of life lessons. “I love BLUE,” says the writer as she sophisticatedly draws the reader into her lexemic play of tiering metaphors and evocations, all drenched in a particular shade of azure. Gold Artist of the ArtAscent “Blue” call for entry. To see the full body of work and profile, grab a copy of the ArtAscent Art & Literature Journal “Blue” issue.

Skott Chandler

Skott Chandler

Playing a role of “an omniscient voyeur,” Skott Chandler explores the relationships of humans with their homes, revealing how everyday routines correlate with personal environment. Skott Chandler is the Gold Artist of the ArtAscent “Home” Call For Artists! Read about this artist in the Home edition of ArtAscent Art & Literature Journal.

www.skottchandler.com

Katherine Muir

Home

Home is the word I hear most often during my work day. The people who say it do not mean their room in the nursing home, although the staff tells them that this is their new home. No, home to them is the place they left, often when their world changed in an instant due to a broken hip. To learn the meaning of “home,” ask the white-haired woman sitting in a wheelchair who no longer has one….

As a psychologist practicing primarily in nursing homes, Katherine Muir is exposed to an atmosphere packed with nostalgia and longing, time after time. Hearing the word “home” repeatedly pronounced by the care facility residents, it became clear to her how their idea of home has shifted into a constant yearning for the life they once had. Touched and inspired, Katherine Muir composed an emotional essay as an “empathic tribute” to her elderly patients. Katherine Muir is the Gold Writer of the ArtAscent “Home” Call For Writers. Read this artists’ written creation in the Home edition of ArtAscent Art & Literature Journal.

Michael Rand

ArtAscent "Dark" call for entry winner

Peculiar organic sculptures invented by Michael Rand instantly awaken the emotions of unease and curiosity. The initial impression incites the association to the terrifying designs of H.R. Giger, the mastermind behind the phantasmagoric image of Ridley Scott’s “Alien.” Rand’s figures are strange and puzzling, reminiscent of the familiar, but unlike Giger’s openly villainous creatures, they are unthreatening and calmly present. Michael Rand is the Gold Artist of the ArtAscent “Dark” Call For Artists! Read about this artist in the Dark edition of ArtAscent Art & Literature Journal.

www.studiorand.com

Jason Gibbs

Shining Beacon

He remembered her. Her mind was a shining beacon in the darkness. They’d met, banally, at a bar, and begun talking. Soon they were sharing intimacies as if they’d known each other for years. He’d told her so much, and she had reciprocated. He thought that – finally – his long night was over. “Look, we’ve had a great time, but it’s over.” The words still hurt him. He knew why she’d said them; he’d tried to explain what he saw. “The world is dark. Everyone carries…

As a representative of a style labeled “flash fiction,” Jason Gibbs writes short stories that are often preoccupied with the idea of darkness in the world. A mystery entitled “Shining Beacon,” explores the concept of evil as the author has “often wondered if those who do evil things see the world in a different way from the rest of us” in order to comprehend “whether darkness was the source of bad intentions.” Jason Gibbs is the Gold Writer of the ArtAscent “Dark” Call For Writers! To see the full body of work and profile, get a copy of the ArtAscent Art & Literature Journal “Dark” issue.

www.jasonmgibbs.co.uk 

Aleta Lederwasch

aletalederwasch_femalenudesitting

There is a moment, when the eye first falls on one of Aleta Lederwasch’s drawings of female nudes, when the mind flutters back briefly to the nudes of Egon Schiele, prompted by the similar exaggerated elongation of the figures, the slight angularity to the bodies’ curves, and their familiar linearity. But where Schiele’s frequently androgynous women exude a coldly in-your-face sexuality occasionally bordering on vulgar, Lederwasch’s women are almost inviting in comparison. If Schiele’s female nudes celebrated the id (an idea his fellow Austrian Sigmund Freud would have most certainly embraced), Lederwasch’s nudes have an air of romantic delicacy, even coziness, if you will, about them. Aleta Lederwasch is the Gold Artist of the ArtAscent “Figures” Call For Artists! Read about her and her works in the Figures edition of ArtAscent Art & Literature Journal.

www.aletalederwasch.com.au

Ney Milá

ArtAscent "Mother Earth" call Gold Artist

Deforestation isn’t a necessarily new narrative in the annals of art history – 19th century naturalist painters often depicted themes of industrialization and civilization as the ruin of nature, and other iterations of this theme most certainly existed even before them. Nevertheless, it is a subject as resonant today as it was in the early Industrial Age, and it is a narrative photographer Ney Milá pursues quietly, to powerful effect, in his straightforwardly entitled series Deforestation. Ney Milá is the Gold Artist of the ArtAscent “Mother Earth” call for artists. To see the full body of work, grab a copy of the ArtAscent Art & Literature Journal “Mother Earth” issue.

www.neym1215.wix.com/neymil

Hannah Moore

hannahmoore_contained(bucket)

Hannah Moore’s series Containment has the visual impact of stumbling upon a crime scene – a disembodied arm scrabbling to free itself from a boot, a face bulging from the rusted gash of a bucket, a body lamenting its entrapment amid the detritus crammed into a cooler – and yet it somehow manages simultaneously to offer optimism, a sense that, were they to continue to push, pull, and contort themselves, these unfortunate folks might actually have a chance. Hannah Moore is the Gold Artist of the ArtAscent “Emergence” call for artists. To see the full body of work and profile, get a copy of the ArtAscent Art & Literature Journal “Emergence” issue.

www.hannahmoorearts.carbonmade.com