First Place Award of Excellence

The San Diego Museum of Art Artists Guild

2023 Fall Membership Exhibition

November 14 – November 27, 2023
Live at Gallery 21, Spanish Village, Balboa Park, San Diego, CA
Online during the month of November 2023:
www.sdmaag.org/2023-Fall-Exhibition    

Juror: Katie Dolgov, Director of Exhibitions and Collections
Oceanside Museum of Art

Congratulations to our

First Place Award of Excellence Winner 

John Oleinik

 John was awarded the first place for his Oil on Linen
WHITE hat, BLUE jeans.

About John:

I have been an architect with a private practice since 1983 specializing in the design of custom single-family homes. Starting in 2014, I have been making the professional transition into Fine Art. I am able to bring some of the unique skills acquired as an architect, into my oil paintings. My most recent work is an investigation into the human-condition. I have been exploring the aspects of man that distinguish humanity from machine as the line becomes increasingly blurred in the digital age. Stylistically best described as Abstract- Surrealism or Abstract-Realism.

General:

I paint with oil on linen. I used Fredrix acrylic primed linen that I stretch myself on 1 ¼” stretcher bars from Stretcher Bar Warehouse (you can buy online from central California factory). I use Princeton “Dakota’ 6300B paintbrushes (synthetic bristles. I mostly use Old Holland Paint or Windsor Newton. I use Utrecht alkyd glazing medium. The glazing medium allows me to build up many layers of paint over time. It also acts as an accelerator, so I can paint the next day. This painting is the product of about 20 sessions or layers. Each session is about 4 or 5 hours, not including painting the edges. The time between painting sessions gives me time to look at the work and plan the next move. I will work on a painting until I feel that I have little chance of making an improvement.

Starting with the blank canvas I will transfer the images using various means. Some freehand or carbon paper, plus I will use photographs that I have taken. From that point I will paint in the classic style. Light to dark. Front to back. Thin to thick. Which I learned from my only true painting teacher, Ardith Melzer. On my palette I will usually use two yellows, two reds, two blues and white. I always start a painting with black that I mix from the primaries. The darkest black I have found is using Prussian Blue and Cadmium Red Dark. After several painting sessions with different blacks, I will go straight to white tints to establish the highlights. I learned this from Norm Daniels, who is a plein air artist. He taught me that it is important to establish your lights right away, especially in plein air when the light is changing all the time. I know that I do not have the same time consideration, but it still helps to establish the composition early on. At this point I may start to see figures emerge from the canvas and I will need to draw over the canvas to bring them out. This will add more painting sessions in order to merge the added figures into the existing compositions. Once I have covered the whole canvas with paint, I will start all over and repaint it again several times. Each time sharpening the image and detailing as I go.

About RED-truck, WHITE-hat, BLUE-jeans

This painting was partly inspired by Jasper Johns encaustic painting “American Flag” which was the first work of art that he completed after returning from WW-2. My contemporary version of Red, White & Blue juxtaposes the iconography of the American cowboy through the filter of our technological lens. Is he still our hero and is he even relevant today? This painting asks the question. The observer is left to answer the question.

ART HONORS & AWARDS

• SELECTED FOR URBAN TREE EXHIBITION – 2009 - PORT OF SAN DIEGO - TITLED: ARTREE WITH COLOR CHANGING LEAVES
• DEL MAR FAIR- 2014 HONORABLE MENTION, OIL PEOPLE, MICK
• HONORABLE MENTION, OIL PEOPLE, POLITICIAN WITH THE PEARL EARRING
• DEL MAR FAIR- 2015 HONORABLE MENTION
• DEL MAR FAIR- 2016 COORDINATORS BEST-OF-SHOW AWARD
• NEWPORT BEACH 52ND ANNUAL ART FESTIVAL – 2016 BEST-OF-SHOW, JUDGE’S CHOICE
• DEL MAR FAIR-2017 1ST PLACE: CITYSCAPE – OIL

1ST PLACE: STILL LIFE - OIL

2ND PLACE: LANDSCAPE – OIL

• GALLERY 21- SPANISH VILLAGE- SDMAAG -2017 1ST PLACE: BEST OF SHOW- CATHEDRAL
• ART SAN DIEGO- 2017 EXHIBITOR
• DEL MAR FAIR-2018 1ST PLACE: CITYSCAPE – OIL
• HONORABLE MENTION: PEOPLE – OIL
• GALLERY 21- SPANISH VILLAGE- SDMAAG - 2018 HONORABLE MENTION: DISSONANT HARMONY
• POWAY CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS-SDMAAG -2018 SELECTED 3 PAINTINGS
• DEL MAR FAIR-2019 1ST PLACE: CITYSCAPE - OIL
• HONORABLE MENTION: PEOPLE – OIL
• HONORABLE MENTION: STILL LIFE – OIL
• PUBLISHED- AMERICAN ART COLLECTOR MAGAZINE OCTOBER 2018- ISSUE #156
• POWAY CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS-SDMAAG 2018 EXHIBITOR
• SAN DIEGO MUSEUM OF ART-ART GUILD EXHIBITION 2019 3RD PLACE DIMENSIONS EXHIBITION
• LYCEUM THEATER EXHIBITION-BEETHOVEN-2019 3RD PLACE, DARKNESS
• DEL MAR FAIR-2019 1ST PLACE, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE
• HONORABLE MENTION, DARKNESS
• HONORABLE MENTION, THE BRIDE
• AU NATURAL: NATURES ART, MISSION TRAILS CENTER SELECTED 2 PAINTINGS
• SAN DIEGO MUSEUM OF ART-ART GUILD EXHIBITION 2020 HONORABLE MENTION
• ORANGE COUNTY CENTER FOR CONTEMPORARY ART 2021 SELECTED 3 PAINTINGS, CAR CULTURE - OCCCA
• SAN DIEGO MUSEUM OF ART-ART GUILD EXHIBITION 2021 SELECTED OUT OF 2379 ENTRIES
• SAN DIEGO MESA COLLEGE DRIVE THRU ART EXHIBITION-2021 SELECTED
• POWAY CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS-SDMAAG-2021 BEST-OF-SHOW FIRST PLACE, EVE – TRANSITIONS
• ESCONDIDO ARTS PARTNERSHIP- YOUR TRUE COLORS- 2022 3RD PLACE, EVE
• DEL MAR FAIR-2022 1ST PLACE. OIL CITYSCAPE, DANCE OF THE SUGARPLUM FAIRIES
• 2ND PLACE, OIL CITYSCAPE, GOLDEN CITY ON THE BAY
• 2ND PLACE, FAIR THEME, PARADE FOR THE HERO
• HONORABLE MENTION, OIL CITYSCAPE, INSIDE AND OUTSIDE CURVES
• SAN DIEGO MUSEUM OF ART-ART GUILD EXHIBITION 2022 BEST-OF-SHOW FIRST PLACE-MAN IN THE TICKING FABRIC SHIRT
• SAN DIEGO MUSEUM OF ART-ARTIST GUILD 2023 3RD PLACE, SEA LANE, MISSION TRAILS REGIONAL PARK-A WLK THROUGH NATURE
• DEL MAR FAIR-2023 2ND PLACE. OIL PEOPLE, MAN IN THE TICKING FABRIC SHIRT