"Rolling Stones" Adds to Long List of Accolade

Rolling Stones by Christine Alfery (2020)

When I finished "Rolling Stones" in 2019, I knew it was one in a million - one of those special works that finds the freedom I seek when I paint. Those works I consider one-in-a-million did not happen because I worked really hard to make them become – they became on their own, I was merely part of the process.  It is not coerced, it is not influenced by what has worked in the past, it is not determined by what sells, it is not tight, not controlled, not safe. For me, it means venturing out into the unknown – seeking the vulnerability of complete open freedom.

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Since it was created in 2019, Rolling Stones has earned a growing list of accolades, including:

• Finalist. Artist of the Year Award. Circle Foundation For The Arts. Lyons, France 2020
• International Society of Experimental Artists National Juried Exhibition 
• 2nd Place. American Art Awards 2019 Juried International On Line Exhibition.
• Northwest Arts Center’s Americas 2019 Juried All Media Exhibition
• Merit Award. 2019 SALI National Juried Abstract Art Exhibition
• Cooperstown National Juried Exhibition of the Cooperstown Art Association

Adding to the positive response to Rolling Stones, it has now been juried into the State of The Arts 2020 exhibition sponsored by the R.G. Endres Gallery in Prairie Village, Kansas. I am honored to add to the list of accolades for this work.

I wanted to work with a different palate the day I created this piece: blacks, greys, whites, thin lines, thick lines, positive and negative spaces. The piece came together quickly because I had put these limitations on the work beforehand. And as I turned it in many directions thinking about a title I saw rolling stones. So that is the title I gave it. But as I have learned in other works I have created this work took on a whole lot of meaning for me as I began to talk about it.  

First was the visual image – every time I look at this piece I see clear water moving over stones in a creek. Ripples and reflections. I only see beauty.

Then I thought of the musical group Rolling Stones – I imagine they called themselves that because they were always on the move – they gathered no moss. I thought about the old saying - rolling stone gathers no moss. The rolling stone that has no permanence could be perceived as having an aura of negativity surrounding it - it has no roots, and roots are thought of as something positive. I tend to think the opposite. I think of roots like I think of history – they/it are the baggage we carry with us as we travel through life. 

Traveling, movement (movement always appears in my work often represented by circles) - they allow for change. I think for the most part change is healthy because it implies growth. It implies new and different perspectives. I think of movement as change and change as healthy. I think of a stationary rock as beautiful but unchanging. Today change and adaptability are important.

If you feel so inclined, you can vote for Rolling Stones as your favorite work in the show by visiting the link below and clicking on "vote":  

CLICK HERE TO VOTE