Experience the world in abstraction. Browse a collection of artists and writers of the June 2024 ArtAscent & Literature Journal, themed Abstract.

ArtAscent Gold Artist of the 2024 Abstract call for artists.

Dina Torrans

ArtAscent Gold Artist of the 2024 Abstract call for artists.

Soft colour fields contrasting with a bright and flashy frame, found objects and elements masterfully placed on the canvas. Dina Torrans’ artworks appear more like constellations than random combinations, playing with textures and weights of different materials.

The artist Dina escapes the traditional two-dimensionality of the canvas; her three-dimensional works on paper are somewhere between painting and sculpture. They are hybrid works, which appear vital precisely because of their mixed nature.

Looking at her works is like looking through the lens of a microscope and discovering an imaginary realm, a miniature ecosystem governed by fantastic laws. Dina collects found objects: torn maps or pieces of sheets, raw elements and stones, feathers and copper, and then finds an artistic collocation for them. Her skilful craftsmanship work becomes a creative process of selection and match in search of a personal balance. Dina’s artistic series comes to life during her combinatory gesture. None of those objects would make sense taken individually. The artist is inspired by the ultimate interconnectedness that characterizes our planet: the total is much more than the sum of its parts.

Dina’s approach is abstract and organic. It feeds on a more intuitive and free-flowing dialogue with materials and then integrates with a detail-oriented approach. The spontaneity mixed with compositional logic makes her creative process so magical.

From a technical point of view, Dina is also a skilled combiner. She masterfully mixes painting, often done en plein air in places like India, Mexico, and Canada, with the sculptural aspect added once back in her studio. The mixed environment—inspiration from outside and reflection carried out in the studio—is fuel for creativity.

Dina Torrans’ artistic practice is set in a varied scenario of art references. Her skilful use of found, even insignificant, elements is reminiscent of the bottle-top installations of the famous Ghanaian artist El Anatsui or the famous found objects tables of Daniel Spoerri or Arman. Her colourful and sophisticated combination are dynamic and lightweight, like a hanging Calder.

Dina’s abstraction transcends mere painting and enters the domain of installation art. Working in Toronto for over twenty-five years as an artist and as an instructor in the Sculpture and Printmaking departments of the Art Centre of Central Technical School, her artistic career is widely renowned. Her works have been exhibited in numerous solo and group exhibitions. They are included in private and public collections, such as the Canadian Sculpture Centre in Toronto. They have also won recent international awards, like the Leonardo Prize in Milan and the Michelangelo Prize in Rome. She also represented Canada in the Sculpture Prize in Florence in 2022. Dina Torrans’ three-dimensional works on paper are internationally appreciated and recognized for their multimedia approach and ability to balance nature and artifice, abstraction and logic.

Dina Torrans is the Gold Artist of the ArtAscent Abstract call for artists. To see the full body of work and profile, get a copy of the ArtAscent Art & Literature Journal Abstract issue.

www.DinaTorrans.art

Karla Linn Merrifield—ArtAscent Gold Writer of the 2024 Abstract call for writers.

Karla Linn Merrifield

DIPTYCH: Wizard, Not and Spot On

Some dude in the news,
some bad guy, gotta be, babe?
One vile predator.

On classic post-it:
yellow, 2 by 2-ish.
Sticky notes, right on!…

What evocative, visual, and symbolic connections are there between a famous American artist and Karla Linn Merrifield’s poems? The words of this diptych make this inspiration suggestive and glaring.

Like John Sloan’s paintings, particularly those of female nudes, Karla’s poetic duo DIPTYCH: Wizard, Not and Spot On strike the reader with layers. Sloan seduced the viewer with his gestural brushstroke, Karla with words and lines. They are not layers of colour but of text. The poet experiments with words as painters experiment with watercolour and brush: overlapping hues, mixing styles and vocabulary, and layering to achieve an increasingly impressionistic vision. On her Moleskine journals and with her felt-tip pen, Karla traces abstract poetic compositions. They follow the stimulating flow of her thoughts.

From a technical-stylistic point of view, the poems written by Karla are varied. The author ranges from different metrics, moving from modern sonnets to free verses and experimenting with types of poetic composition outside the Western tradition, such as haiku and tanka from Japanese literature. Even the vocabulary shifts from contemporary one, often linked to the domain of digital chat and common language, to high-sounding words. Her diptychs appear as an interesting mix of styles and intentions, creating hybrid atmospheres and miscellaneous mental images.

Among many other stimuli, the art of painting is a source of inspiration for Karla. This is particularly evident in the second composition of the diptych, where the nude artworks by Sloan, an exponent of the 20th-century Ashcan School, become material for poetry. There is nothing precise and explicit, just an idea of this female nude portrayed with a nonchalant use of blue colour and dishevelled curls. We are not given to know what Sloan’s work of art is precisely; we just catch its abstract impression. Through words, Karla transforms the concreteness of the painting medium into abstract poetry, a back-and-forth between visual and verbal languages.

The literary references in Karla’s poetics are many and span various creative fields. Like the American poet William Heyen, Karla emphasizes a few meaningful words to trace the overall feelings of her subjects. Music is also an indispensable source of inspiration, from poets and songwriters like Warren Zevon to iconic singers and authors like Patti Smith. It is poetry that proceeds by impressions, approximations, and particular focus.

Karla Linn Merrifield is now a renowned poet with a fruitful career. She has more than 1000 poems and 16 published books to her credit. Her newest poetry collection, My Body the Guitar, was recently nominated for the 2022 National Book Award and brings together musical and art inspirations. A frequent contributor to literary journals such as The Songs of Eretz Poetry Review, Karla Linn Merrifield is eclectic, constantly experimenting with different styles, subjects, and interdisciplinary influences.

Karla Linn Merrifield is the Gold Writer of the ArtAscent Abstract call for writers. To see the full body of work and profile, get a copy of the ArtAscent Art & Literature Journal Abstract issue.

www.karlalinnmerrifield.org/

ArtAscent Silver Artist of the 2024 Abstract call for artists.

Subhra Battacharya

ArtAscent Silver Artist of the 2024 Abstract call for artists.

Subhra Bhattacharya’s visual art can be absorbed and transformed into one’s own spectacle of dreams and emotions. In his photographs, Subhra combines the spontaneity of life with a carefully composed happening.

For this series, Subhra used a technique involving high-speed photography to capture the collisions of water drops. Each image is a spontaneous meeting of millions of water molecules and represents the uniqueness of a single moment in time. Along with the photography technique, Subhra uses colourful light design to enhance the motion of a frozen movement. Every photograph shows beauty and strangeness in looking closer and seeing forms, animals, plants, and fantasy creatures. These captured moments serve as suggestions for the audience’s imagination, travelling back and forth in time and to other dimensions. It can be an escape to the future or a reminder of being present in time and space.

For Subhra, the photographer Laura Letinsky is a great inspiration, and one can see why because there are many parallels in their artworks. Both artists understand how light and colour can change the atmosphere of a photograph. They both know how a photograph’s planned or unplanned staging can transform the audience’s gaze to reflect on one’s individuality. Another photographer who inspires Subhra is Jan Groover. Jan’s and Subhra’s images come alive through their randomness and the abstract behaviour of the assimilation of things, shapes, or water in this highlighted series.

Subhra is a photographer who zooms in on life and how we exist in this world through a different lens. He highlights that we, as human beings, are used to focusing on individuality and our own subjectivity; as a consequence, we often forget how fluid and creative our environment can be. The artist invites us to an abstract staircase where each step can lead to a new realization or focus point. The longer one looks at these photographs, the more there is to detect: a shimmer resembling an eye or a splash spreading its wings to defy gravity. Subhra is a sensitive artist who believes art exists to evoke emotions and reflections from the recipient. He tells stories where anything can happen, and time can stand still or fly away.

Subhra Bhattacharya has had numerous international exhibitions and has won many photographic awards. His work has been published and featured on the covers of various magazines.

Subhra Bhattacharya is the Silver Artist of the ArtAscent Abstract call for artists. To see the full body of work and profile, get a copy of the ArtAscent Art & Literature Journal Abstract issue.

www.estbelle.com/

ArtAscent Bronze Artist of the 2024 Abstract call for artists.

Noelle Kalom

ArtAscent Bronze Artist of the 2024 Abstract call for artists.

Noelle Kalom characterizes the imagery she creates as an abstract landscape. Although this collocation sounds rather oxymoronic, it points to the inherent and unavoidable connection between our experience and imagination, preserved even in the non-figurative pieces.

The first name one can think of when hearing about abstract landscape is Nicolas de Staël, a celebrated French artist of the first half of the 20th century who worked on the verge of abstraction and representation. Working within the tradition of tachism (from the French tache, stain), a French movement of abstract art, de Staël constructed his compositions in pastose, thickly applied paint blocks. Like de Staël, Noelle favours working with lavish, expressive, painterly surfaces. She begins working on an image with a heavy, dense layer of medium gel on the canvas using a palette knife, which results in a spontaneous, intuitively modelled background composition. This groundwork sets the stage for further exploration as Noelle incorporates a second layer of contrasting acrylic colours. She introduces mixed media elements such as glass beads and pumice to enhance the evolving textured surface. This helps the artist reveal and emphasize the symbols and lines that could trigger the chain of associations.

Unlike the paintings by de Staël, which still hinted at particular objects and scenes, Noelle’s paintings are way more detached from the visible reality. Yet, they still convey the actual background of the artist. Noelle’s creative vision was shaped by her contacts with the traditions, beliefs, and rituals of the Taos Pueblo, located north of Taos, New Mexico. That is why her pieces refer to the metaphysical categories in the titles (Encounter, Crossing, Ceremony, The Bridge). Thus, an abstract landscape can be interpreted more as a spiritual, personal landscape representing specific geographical locations.

The painter seeks her inspiration in the plain and elementary actions of layering and identifying forms in an accidental combination of lines and spots. Pareidolia is a specific term that describes humans’ ability to discern a distinct and frequently meaningful image within a chaotic or nebulous visual arrangement. Pareidolia is one of the most basic physiological foundations of human creativity. Noelle explores it as part of her toolset. Employing active and clashing colour combinations (like red and ochre instead of blue and turquoise) helps her recreate the primordial, ritualistic perception of art.

Noelle Kalom is an artist born in Taos, New Mexico. Since early childhood, she has been surrounded by a community of artists. In 1989, she received the Grants- Franklin Furnace Award for performance art. Noelle is a participant in several residencies, like Burren College of Art in Ireland (2021), Pada Residency in Lisbon (2024), Portugal, and Lakkos Residency in Crete, Greece (2024). She has lived, worked, and exhibited in New York City, the Pacific Northwest, and Portugal. Magpie Gallery in Taos, New Mexico, currently represents her.

Noelle Kalom is the Bronze Artist of the ArtAscent Abstract call for artists. To see the full body of work and profile, get a copy of the ArtAscent Art & Literature Journal Abstract issue.

https://www.noellekalom.com

ArtAscent Distinguished Artist of the 2024 Abstract call for artists.

Tara Mann

ArtAscent Distinguished Artist of the 2024 Abstract call for artists.

Distinguished Artist of the ArtAscent Abstract call for entry. To see the full body of work and exhibition, grab a copy of the ArtAscent Art & Literature Journal Abstract issue.

latenightabstract.ca

ArtAscent Distinguished Artist of the 2024 Abstract call for artists.

Aaron Krone

ArtAscent Distinguished Artist of the 2024 Abstract call for artists.

Distinguished Artist of the ArtAscent Abstract call for entry. To see this in more detail and the full exhibition, grab a copy of the ArtAscent Art & Literature Journal Abstract issue.

https://kroneaaron.wixsite.com/aaronkrone

ArtAscent Distinguished Writer of the 2024 Abstract call for writers.

Rihanna

20 Something’s

the twenties, it broadens your path for the future.
experiencing the realities of heartache,
Lateness to your wants and needs. you feel like you’re
Drowning in the pits of hell. reality is hell…

Distinguished Writer of the ArtAscent Abstract call for entry. To see the full body of work, grab a copy of the ArtAscent Art & Literature Journal Abstract issue.

ArtAscent Distinguished Artist of the 2024 Abstract call for artists.

Swarnim Moon

ArtAscent Distinguished Artist of the 2024 Abstract call for artists.

Distinguished Artist of the ArtAscent Abstract call for entry. To see the full body of work and exhibition, grab a copy of the ArtAscent Art & Literature Journal Abstract issue.

www.swarnimmoon.com/

ArtAscent Distinguished Artist of the 2024 Abstract call for artists.

Jingru Mai (Moira)

ArtAscent Distinguished Artist of the 2024 Abstract call for artists.

Distinguished Artist of the ArtAscent Abstract call for entry. To see this in more detail and the full exhibition, grab a copy of the ArtAscent Art & Literature Journal Abstract issue.

ArtAscent Distinguished Artist of the 2024 Abstract call for artists.

Lauri Novak

ArtAscent Distinguished Artist of the 2024 Abstract call for artists.

Distinguished Artist of the ArtAscent Abstract call for entry. To see this in more detail and the full exhibition, grab a copy of the ArtAscent Art & Literature Journal Abstract issue.

https://laurinovak.com

ArtAscent Distinguished Artist of the 2024 Abstract call for artists.

Dakin Roy

ArtAscent Distinguished Artist of the 2024 Abstract call for artists.

Distinguished Artist of the ArtAscent Abstract call for entry. To see this in more detail and the full exhibition, grab a copy of the ArtAscent Art & Literature Journal Abstract issue.

https://www.dakinroy.com

ArtAscent Distinguished Artist of the 2024 Abstract call for artists.

Susanna Patras

ArtAscent Distinguished Artist of the 2024 Abstract call for artists.

Distinguished Artist of the ArtAscent Abstract call for entry. To see this in more detail and the full exhibition, grab a copy of the ArtAscent Art & Literature Journal Abstract issue.

http://www.patrasphotography.com/

ArtAscent Distinguished Artist of the 2024 Abstract call for artists.

Shz.

ArtAscent Distinguished Artist of the 2024 Abstract call for artists.

Distinguished Artist of the ArtAscent Abstract call for entry. To see this in more detail and the full exhibition, grab a copy of the ArtAscent Art & Literature Journal Abstract issue.

https://shzdailyart.mystrikingly.com

ArtAscent Distinguished Writer of the 2024 Abstract call for writers.

Gregory A McCullough

On the Edge
Restyled via ChatGPT–Gombrich

Evel Knievel’s daring motorcycle jumps, often fraught with failure, paradoxically attracted a growing legion of admirers. Their fascination transcended the mere anticipation of success or failure; rather, it lay in witnessing someone who dared to push the boundaries of possibility…

Distinguished Writer of the ArtAscent Abstract call for entry. To see the full body of work, grab a copy of the ArtAscent Art & Literature Journal Abstract issue.

gregorymccullough.art

ArtAscent Distinguished Artist of the 2024 Abstract call for artists.

Irene Sirko

ArtAscent Distinguished Artist of the 2024 Abstract call for artists.

Distinguished Artist of the ArtAscent Abstract call for entry. To see the full body of work and exhibition, grab a copy of the ArtAscent Art & Literature Journal Abstract issue.

irenesirko.com

ArtAscent Distinguished Artist of the 2024 Abstract call for artists.

Richard Stanford

ArtAscent Distinguished Artist of the 2024 Abstract call for artists.

Distinguished Artist of the ArtAscent Abstract call for entry. To see the full body of work and exhibition, grab a copy of the ArtAscent Art & Literature Journal Abstract issue.

https://richard-stanford.pixels.com

ArtAscent Distinguished Writer of the 2024 Abstract call for writers.

Gregory A McCullough

On the Edge
Restyled via ChatGPT–Seuss

In the realm of jumps, Evel Knievel took flight,
Though often he stumbled, he soared with delight.
His fans, oh, they marvelled, they cheered with glee,
For Evel, you see, dared to set himself free…

Distinguished Writer of the ArtAscent Abstract call for entry. To see the full body of work, grab a copy of the ArtAscent Art & Literature Journal Abstract issue.

gregorymccullough.art

ArtAscent Distinguished Artist of the 2024 Abstract call for artists.

Gregory A McCullough

ArtAscent Distinguished Artist of the 2024 Abstract call for artists.

Distinguished Artist of the ArtAscent Abstract call for entry. To see this in more detail and the full exhibition, grab a copy of the ArtAscent Art & Literature Journal Abstract issue.

gregorymccullough.art

ArtAscent Distinguished Artist of the 2024 Abstract call for artists.

Ljubica Simovic

ArtAscent Distinguished Artist of the 2024 Abstract call for artists.

Distinguished Artist of the ArtAscent Abstract call for entry. To see the full body of work and exhibition, grab a copy of the ArtAscent Art & Literature Journal Abstract issue.

ArtAscent Distinguished Artist of the 2024 Abstract call for artists.

Yvette Young

ArtAscent Distinguished Artist of the 2024 Abstract call for artists.

Distinguished Artist of the ArtAscent Abstract call for entry. To see the full body of work and exhibition, grab a copy of the ArtAscent Art & Literature Journal Abstract issue.