Nathalie Foisy, Elynne Rosenfeld and Aaron Santos Boyd-Rochman have been selected to receive Special Recognition Art Awards from “The Healing Power of ART: Resilience 2022” exhibition. As the curator of the exhibition, I was immediately impressed by the artists’ use of innovation and talent to create multi-faceted art that is beautiful and engaging and also profoundly thought-provoking. Through the use of ingenuity, metaphor and symbolism, they remind us that art can be a powerful communication tool that can raise our awareness. To me, those are important characteristics of the best works of art.
Nathalie Foisy has created a series of gorgeous symbolic acrylic paintings portraying oysters to remind us to be confident and achieve our potential. Elynne Rosenfeld was inspired to create her exquisite “Invasive Beauty” series of flowers using glass to represent metaphors for resilience. Aaron Santos Boyd-Rochman submitted several stunning works using tooth picks that are reminiscent of fossilized plants or creatures from an ancient sea and convey transformation.
You will find links to their websites so you may learn more about them and contact them directly to purchase or exhibit their art.
Nathalie Foisy ~ Reminding Us to Be Confident and Bold
Nathalie Foisy lies in Montreal, Québec, Canada. She submitted gorgeous tactile paintings that are narrative adventures. She infuses metaphor and symbolism with realism in her paintings of oysters.
When Nathalie submitted her entries to “The Healing Power of ART: Resilience” she wrote: “Oysters will produce pearls as a defense mechanism against a grain of sand disturbing their inner peace. They will invest years coating the intruding object with layers of nacre, creating a thing of beauty through relentless and meticulous effort. This strikes me as a very interesting metaphor for human behavior. Even through adversity, when we find the resilience to craft our inner pearl and the confidence to come out of our shell, the world becomes our oyster.”
On the subject of resilience in her creative and personal life she informed us, “Some paintings have taken me on such strenuous journeys. Deciding whether to keep or remove certain elements could take weeks, and even months. I was constantly challenged to find new and creative techniques to achieve my goal. These arduous paintings are my most valuable teachers. They have helped me forge a strong sense of resilience towards my art, and many other aspects of life. They are concrete examples of tenacity and confidence, reminding me that there is always a way.” en-nathaliefoisy.com
Elynne Rosenfeld ~ Paulownia Paintings are Metaphors for Resilience
Elynne Rosenfeld is an artist from Conshohocken, Pennsylvania and is very active in the Philadelphia art community. She has also served as past president of the New York-based advocacy group Artist’s Equity and co-chaired ArtForms cooperative gallery for a decade. She has also served as First Vice President of ARTsisters, a group of professional artists who empower each other and the community through art.
Elynne has had more than 20 solo exhibitions and over 100 group shows. She is the recipient of numerous awards for painting excellence including those from Manhattan Arts International. You will find her artwork in many public and private collections around the world.
When Elynne submitted her extraordinary entries to “The Healing Power of ART: Resilience” competition she wrote: “In May 2020 while walking a quarantine – safe path I found lovely purple flowers poking through the chain link fence of an abandoned factory. I photographed these and began to paint them, learning later that they are paulownia flowers, considered invasive, and that these trees grow randomly in unplanned landscape. It’s been my mission since to paint these, amid broken glass and beads, their own resilience a metaphor for what we have survived and continue to experience going forward.”
She added, “Aside from the obvious resilience booster that creating art has always been for me, painting my ‘Invasive Beauty’ series kept me hopeful that the art would one day again be something people would experience in person. The online shows and social media where my paintings were featured gave others something visually positive to experience while waiting for the new normal to occur.” elynnerosenfeld.com
Aaron Santos Boyd-Rochman ~ Using Unique Materials to Convey Transformation
Aaron Santos Boyd-Rochman lives in Barcelona. She submitted artwork from a series of works that she created during lockdown to “The Healing Power of ART: Resilience” exhibition. She informed us, “Some of my work is reminiscent of fossilized plants or creatures from an ancient sea. The process of fossilization keeps the past alive. Creatures are transformed and they persevere throughout the ages and are reborn into something beautiful. In my work I take everyday objects – in this case toothpicks – and collect and arrange them until they are transformed into something beautiful, unexpected, fun.”
She also shared this information that also reflects the spirit of resilience: “Making art allowed me to get through my Master’s Degree while working full time. Now I have made the decision to make my artwork my full time career. I have persevered because I am able to make art and I persevere to create more.” I know you join me in wishing her the best of success in her new art career path. arockinman.art
View Art from “The Healing Power of ART: Resilience 2022 Exhibition
Félicitations Nathalie….
Comme tu dois être fière de tout ton cheminement et accomplissement……
Tu mérites tous ces honneurs….
English Translation via Editor: Congratulations Nathalie……How proud you must be of all your journey and accomplishment…… You deserve all these honors….
It is very impressive to see these beautiful works of art. One can appreciate the.time and efforts involved to master such various styles and techniques. I am very proud of my sister..
Congratulations Nathalie You Make us all proud of your wonderful and beautiful accomplishments. Your painting have inner and thoughtful meanings
Congratulations Nathalie you deserve it on every one you do
Ces Trois Artistes nous impressionnent grandement. Elles méritent cet Honneur. English translation “These Three Artists greatly impress us. They deserve this Honor.”