Work of Art Contest Brings Artists Together on Facebook

Dramatic portrait by Francesco Mauro featured on Facebook Work of Art group. Image courtesy Work of Art and Francesco Art

REVIEW | FACEBOOK ART GROUP

Artists find a home on Work of Art Contest, a Facebook art group dedicated to bringing artists from across the globe together

BY KAZAD

Image: Dog Portraits by Monique Spanbroek-Leurs, one of Work of Art Contest featured artists

Monique Spanbroek-Leurs, Dog Portraits. Image courtesy of Work of Art Contest and Monique Spanbroek-Leurs

Work of Art Contest (WOA) developed from the Work of Art Group that started in 2012. The main objective of this Facebook art group is to provide an open platform for artists to showcase their art, design, and share ideas. Since it started, the art group has brought together talents, including painters, sculptors, and designers from across the globe. In fact, WOA has become a popular platform for discovering new art forms, designs, and artists.

There is a high level of cordiality in this art group. Everyone, especially artists with limited means, is encouraged to share their works and ideas. The response to artworks are insightful and the critiques are subtle. The Facebook work of art contest group also provides a link between artists and valuable structures/ networks to showcase art.

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The group organizes weekly art contest which draws contestants from across the globe. The contests allow artists around the world to share artworks, including paintings, drawings, and sculptures. The objective of the art group contests is to engender friendship, connectivity, and opportunity to win the bragging right of ‘Featured Artist’.

Work of Art Featured Artists

A major highlight of this Facebook group page is the ‘ WOA Featured Artists’. The group regularly selects artists to feature after each art contest. One of the artists currently featured is Isolde Gänesch, a painter and freelance artist. Born 1962 in the former USSR, Gänesch turned to art after years of working as a technical designer in mechanical and electrical engineering. A watercolorist, Gänesch paintings are reflections of her environment, including urban motifs and still-life.

Francesco Mauro is another artist the Facebook art group is featuring. Mauro who lives in Civitavecchia, Italy has an eye for details. His portraits of musicians, artists, and ordinary people not only capture the resemblance of the sitter but also their psychological state. One of his portraits is that of John Lennon, the celebrated co-founder of the Beatles. The portrait not only revalidates the pensive look Lennon was well-known for, but it also reveals the image of a thoughtful and compassionate man.

Other artists that have been featured by the group include Környei-Zsuppon Orsolya, a painter who lives in Dunaújváros, an industrial city in Fejér County, Central Hungary. Zsuppon Orsolya is a landscape painter who also loves to paint flowers. There is also Monique Spanbroek, a portrait painter and animal lover who loves to paint animal portraits.

The cross-section of artists featured by the group shows the wide reach of this art group. WOA’s team and core administrators are spread across the globe and this has effectively put Work of Art Contest on a global stage. Core administrators of the art group include John Konthoujam – WOA Founder (India), Sandy Cann – Canada, Lyn Connolly – USA, Sevdalina Mitrevska—Macedonia, Ildikó Gál – Hungary, Line Potvin – Canada, Artica Arta – Croatia, Hossam ElKady – Egypt, Melisa Groff – The Bahamas, Blagojce Dumovski – Macedonia, and Colin Pringle – USA.

Work of Art Group Rules

Although this is a group that welcomes artists from across the globe, there are rules to follow. The group does not allow political discussion or artworks praising the political and religious groups. Nude pictures are also not allowed. All nude images, including nude artwork, will be deleted. WOA is also against harassment and demeaning of members or administrators. Anyone who demeans, harasses, or engages others to do the same will be dismissed from the group.

It is a stated rule that group members should only post their own original works. If the work was based on somebody else’s photography or draws references from another artist creation, the group is very clear on how to present such work: “If your artwork is NOT Original, not created totally by you, please add this into the information when you post your art.” Artists are also expected to include a link to the references they used in their work.