Each year, the 25 Best Galleries In America vote on online art from around the world.
This year the American Art Awards (www.AmericanArtAwards.com) had winners from 40 countries including Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, England, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, India, Iran, Israel, Italy, Japan, Lebanon, Lithuania, Macedonia, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, UK, USA, and Wales.
In CATEGORY 46, MANIPULATED PHOTOGRAPHY - LANDSCAPE OR STLL LIFE:
Norway's Paul Edmundson completely obliterated this category. The voting galleries awarded his stunning work 1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th and 6th Place! An unprecedented achievement. And congrats as well to Michael Dalla Costa who scored 3rd Place.
2016 AMERICAN ART AWARDS WINNING ARTISTS FOR
CATEGORY 46. MANIPULATED PHOTOGRAPHY - LANDSCAPE OR STLL LIFE:
1ST PLACE: PAUL EDMUNDSON, NORWAY, www.pauledmundson.com, "Aurora Milky Way" Manipulated photography.
2ND PLACE: PAUL EDMUNDSON, NORWAY, www.pauledmundson.com, "Bakka Ice Cave"
Manipulated photography.
3RD PLACE: MICHAEL DALLA COSTA, CANADA, http://www.mdallacosta.com, “Alongside Shadows” 25 x 42.5” Manipulated photography.
4TH PLACE: PAUL EDMUNDSON, NORWAY, www.pauledmundson.com, "Colours Of Fjords" Manipulated photography.
5TH PLACE: PAUL EDMUNDSON, NORWAY, www.pauledmundson.com, "Weathered Shore" Manipulated photography.
6TH PLACE: PAUL EDMUNDSON, NORWAY, www.pauledmundson.com, "Aurlandsfjord Magnetism" Manipulated photo.
BIO ON 1ST PLACE WINNER PAUL EDMUNDSON:
Paul Edmundson is an artist living in the west Norwegian Fjords of Norway. Paul’s life is dedicated to going to the ends of the world in search of the perfect photograph, and he regularly travels all over Norway creating fine art photography inspired by the power and beauty of nature.
• At just 35 Paul already has a career spanning 16 years and is an artist who has sold over 100,000 nature prints and has photographed over 30,000 people;
• Has a permanent UNESCO fine art exhibition in Flåm, Norway;
• Internatinally published in The New York Times and The Times, interviewed by the Daily Mail, and featured in many books and travel magazines;
• His art sells in over 50 outlets in Norway;
Paul moved to the Fjords of Norway in 2003. He set up his studio by the Aurlands6ord near Flåm, where he is inspired by fjords, mountains, waterfalls and glaciers. Today his life as an artist sees him creating epic nature photographs that arouse emotion in the viewer to remind them of the power of nature.
“The nature in Norway is some of the best in the world, and the light and colours throughout each season are strong inspirations to my work and never cease to amaze me.”
His artwork highlights the beauty of distant shores across the globe, and through his 50+ sales outlets, his work reaches millions of people yearly. Since graduating the University of Sunderland with a BA in Media Production, Paul followed his passion for the visual arts, learning a wide variety of technical skills which would later influence his work as an artist. His early experiences include working on feature length movies as a camera assistant, as a cinematographer on short films, and as a lighting engineer for theatre and live events. His photography experience includes working as the lighting designer for the Italian fine art photographer Marco Sanges, freelancing at a top London portrait studio and running his own studio.
INFLUENCES:
Paul’s grandfather was a photographer in the Navy and taught Paul that pictures tell stories. Paul learnt that a strong image should create emotion in the viewer to captiate them and connect them to the image. During childhood, Paul’s father was always with his 35mm film camera and Paul noticed how he took me.culous care in se^ng up a shot. This influenced Paul to first visualise the photograph in his mind, then execute his vision through careful technical application. Paul started to take photography seriously back in 2000 when he bought a first generation digital camera that he took on his first around the world adventure.
EPIPHANY
In 2001 Paul had a moment that changed his life. He was on the Greek island of Amorous with a small crew shooting a documentary film for their university graduation project. They were walking in the hills overlooking the Aegean Sea filming some landscapes. Paul remembers, “I suddenly took a moment to slow down and appreciate my surroundings, and I discovered at that moment that I loved nature. From that moment on I have been hooked on conveying the beauty of the natural world in a way that people can relate to.” Later, when Paul moved to Norway, he left behind his urban past and surrounded himself with some of the world’s most spectacular landscapes which forms his inspiration today.
STYLE
Paul’s aim with any image is to create an immediate impact on the viewer to feel passionate about the image. Paul often uses ultra long exposure which he finds is best suited to his style as he likes how the drifting clouds and moving water looks. He developed a method he calls ‘400s’ which allows him to get a 400 second exposure no matter how bright the light is, so that he can create that smooth movement in the photograph.
“There’s a great joy that comes from going to the ends of the world in search of the perfect shot and I approach my pursuit of artistic perfection with everything I have. It gives me great pleasure to create timeless artworks for people to enjoy, share and pass down.”
SEE MORE OF PAUL EDMUNDSON'S WORK HERE: www.pauledmundson.com
BELOW ARE THE 25 BEST GALLERIES AND MUSEUMS IN AMERICA, 2016, WHO VOTED ON ALL ONLINE ART SUBMISSIONS:
BEST IN CALIFORNIA -- EXCLUSIVE COLLECTIONS GALLERY.
"... professionalism, reputation, gallery space, red carpet events, trajectory, artist roster and clientele... Beverly Hills location... Laguna Beach location... two San Diego locations...”
BEST IN PENNSYLVANIA -- JAMES A. MICHENER ART MUSEUM.
"... 40,000 square feet... world-class group of paintings... 2,800 objects... attract annually more than 135,000 visitors..."
BEST IN ILLINOIS -- HILLIGOSS GALLERIES.
"20 years... Chicago’s Premier Art Gallery. The two-story 8,500 square foot gallery... original paintings by the world's finest living artists, as well as fine prints by historic and 20th century masters."
BEST IN UTAH -- UTAH MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART.
"...epitome of a contemporary museum... an award-winning aesthetic force and community leader since it was established 85 years ago... four-time recipient of funding from the Andy Warhol Foundation..."
BEST IN IOWA -- MOBERG GALLERY.
"... exceptional eye for contemporary masterpieces... procured work for museums, corporate collections, private collections... sets the standard for modern art in the Midwest."
BEST IN RHODE ISLAND -- RISD MUSEUM.
"140 years... 100,000 objects... Impressionist paintings, 20th- and 21st-century design, Gorham silver, 12th-century Buddha... Cézanne, Degas, Matisse, Manet, Picasso, Rothko, Sargent, Turner, van Gogh, Warhol..."
BEST IN COLORADO -- COLORADO SPRINGS FINE ART CENTER.
"132,000 sq. ft... one of the only multi-discipline arts institutions... For nearly 100 years, the top cultural attraction of the Pikes Peak region... world’s finest art... "
BEST IN SOUTH DAKOTA -- SOUTH DAKOTA ART MUSEUM.
"Since 1970... artistic legacy of South Dakota in all its diversity. Harvey Dunn, Native American art, Marghab Linens... 7,000 objects in its collection..."
BEST IN NEBRASKA -- KIECHEL FINE ART.
"...few have the roster and esteem as Keichel... discerning eye... three story four gallery showplace... many of the top Midwestern Contemporary artists... "
BEST IN LOUISIANA -- NEWCOMB ART MUSEUM.
"... founded in 1886... pays tribute to its heritage through shows that recognize the contributions of women to the fields of art and design...."
BEST IN SOUTH CAROLINA -- MARY MARTIN GALLERY OF FINE ART.
"...museum quality art ... number one tourist destination in America... on par with Beverly Hill’s Rodeo Drive and NY’s Fifth Avenue..."
BEST IN KENTUCKY -- E&S GALLERY.
"... professionalism, reputation, gallery space, exhibitions, artist roster and clientele ... 11,000 square foot gallery... African American art with an unmatched selection of artists, medium, subject matter, and genres... "
BEST IN INDIANA -- GRUNWALD GALLERY OF ART.
"... thirty exhibits annually... collaborate with scientists and scholars to produce exhibits that interpret visual art in a broader scientific or humanities context... "
BEST IN HAWAII -- LIK LAHAINA, LIKE WAIKIKI.
"Peter Lik has 13 exceptional gallery locations throughout the word and is the most successful photographer in the world... sold upwards of $500 million... Lik’s works make up four of the top 20 most expensive photographs ever sold."
BEST IN NEVADA -- NEVADA MUSEUM OF ART.
"...four-story structure... 2,500 works of 19th through 21st-century art... inspiring dialogue about the impact of human activity on natural environments..."
BEST IN NEW JERSEY -- EVALYN DUNN GALLERY.
"It is very rare to find a gallery so successful that it is approaching it’s 60th year... also features the finest 20th Century American and European art..."
BEST IN FLORIDA -- ART FUSION GALLERIES.
"8,000 square foot... in the heart of Miami’s Wynwood Art District... preeminent gallery in Miami for integrating the best of Emerging to Mid-Career Contemporary artists... represents over 1,000... "
BEST IN MINNESOTA -- DOUBLETAKE GALLERY.
"...enormous international Internet presence, with millions of hits... LeRoy Neiman, Salvador Dali, Peter Max, Frederick Hart, Erte, Norman Rockwell... fine art consignment and brokerage service... "
BEST IN IDAHO -- PRICHARD ART GALLERY.
"...premier venue for the state of Idaho... critically engaged, forward thinking arts space... freedom-oriented... encourages experimentation... emerging as well as established artists... "
BEST IN OKLAHOMA -- OKLAHOMA CONTEMPORARY ARTS CENTER.
"...Nonprofit organization... encourages artistic expression... Oklahoma’s top artists... $26 million capital campaign... spectacular new facility just south of downtown OK..."
BEST IN NEW MEXICO -- WILDER NIGHTINGALE GALLERY.
"22 years... eclectic works ranging from contemporary abstracts to traditional Taos landscapes... Leading artist such as BJ Briner, Tom Noble, Rory Wagner, Margaret Nes and Stephen Day..."
BEST IN MICHIGAN -- ART LEADERS GALLERY.
"10,000 square foot show room... over 24 years they have earned an impeccable reputation and are one of the leading residential and corporate art dealers in the state."
BEST IN OREGON -- BRONZE COAST GALLERY.
"24th year... one of the Oregon Coast's premiere fine art galleries... specializing in limited edition bronze sculpture... popular tourist attraction... award-winning regional, national and international artists..."
BEST IN WASHINGTON -- BRICK WALL PHOTOGRAPHIC GALLERY.
""...only Spokane gallery dedicated entirely to photography... some of the finest photography in America... nature, landscapes, as well as contemporary compositions by students and educators..."
BEST IN MAINE -- FARNSWORTH ART MUSEUM.
"20,000 square feet... 15,000 works. For nearly seventy years, they have exhibited a nationally recognized collection of art from America’s greatest artists..."
ARTISTS CAN ENTER FOR 2017 HERE: www.AmericanArtAwards.com