Friday, December 9, 2011

You be the Judge

Are you all familiar with Gary Reef? He is an Australian mixed media artist with a very successful You Tube channel with over 1,500,000 views, his very own social and art network Loving Mixed Media with over 2,500 members, and of course a blog and website. I am happy to say that he is also featured in my upcoming book.


Gary asked me to be a judge of a fascinating, online art competition - the Sardine Can Shrine Challenge.


Participants were provided with an empty sardine can and had to create a mixed media assemblage. Boy, those Aussies are imaginative. The above image shows the empty can and an example of a shrine made by Gary.

There were a lot of creative entries. I had a hard time choosing between my final two but feel great about the winning shrine. You can read all about the competition, see the submissions, and decide if you agree with my choice here.

Thanks for the opportunity Gary!

24 comments:

Maureen said...

That had to be a lot of fun, Seth. Creative and clever!

Anonymous said...

Pretty amazing shrine. Pretty amazing artist - thanks for introducing him to us. This must have been quite a wonderful experience. xox Corrine

Caterina Giglio said...

you chose an amazing piece... awesome...

wandamarie.blogspot.com said...

oh i LOVE IT! sardine cans..they seem special to me before they are even altered! so creatively done! thanks for sharing as always!

Carole Reid said...

I've watched everything Gary Reef has online! He is one of the most inspiring artists I know. Thanks Seth for introducing him to everyone. TAke care.

Andria said...

Now THAT'S a creative challenge! I really like the winning piece--very colorful with so much to look at and enjoy. She really built off of the original can. I will have to check out Gary Reef's YouTube things...I had not run across his work before.

Lisa said...

i agree with your winning choice.. though there were many inventive (and a few unusual) solutions from which to choose..i thought the circus shrine was an extraordinary work of art created from the heart.

Jo Murray said...

Must've been a VERY difficult task Seth, but you've done well. Love all those links, particularly LMM

Anonymous said...

Great choice, Seth!! What a fun opportunity for you...now I think you need to hold this sort of challenge yourself!! (Maybe not a sardine can...but hey...why not!)

marianne said...

this is so cool! we art working on an altoids tinstallation at our gallery in january- thanks for the inspiration!

Jill Zaheer said...

Thanks for introducing Gary Reef and his work to us! Will look forward to seeing his artwork in your new book!! What a fun role to have been given- to be judge of this great challenge of his. Great choice for a winning selection Seth. Quite a wonderful group of submissions to select from. Lots of creativity here. Must go check out the links you've provided!

lisa_crofts said...

I follow gary on youtube. I am glad he has a whole bunch of new fans. his videos are great fun and he is so funny. I will go check the sardine tins.

Parabolic Muse said...

NICE!
Yes, Reef is a staple!

Beulah Bee said...

How hard it would be to just pick one. And I assume you had to judge online and not in person--even harder. Seeing the participants' work makes me want to try one myself. I would never eat a sardine though and wonder if the cans come with lids that are already shaped that way.

Cynthia Monica said...

Congrats Seth for judging....I love the piece you picked...awesome!

Veronica Funk said...

What a unique and beautiful idea!

layers said...

wow! what a wonderful fun opportunity and experience.. I have juried a number of painting shows.. never an assemblage in a sardine can.. very unique and creative.

ART*ticulation said...

Oh I agree 100%, pretty amazing, a lot of work went into her piece.

Pam Tucker said...

I have been following Gary's work for a long time. What a great source of inspiration he has been. I think you chose a wonderful shrine, Seth!

deb said...

how did you ever decide! what a fun idea though

azirca said...

Perfect choice, that piece was my favourite, it's very creative.
Gary is super talented, love his vids!

Gillian McMurray said...

Gary Reef was a new name to me but I love the colour in his work. Congratulations on being chosen as a judge. It must have been very hard for you as all the entries are delicious.

Gaby Bee said...

Gary is an amazing artist and I've watched everything he has online!

Anonymous said...

what a wonderful and undoubtedly fun adventure! the winning piece is just stunning as i can imagine all were. way to go, seth!!