5th Annual RAWards: Well Done

Tim Wenger | January 1, 2014 | 0 Comments

photo credit Avavision

“All you need to dispose of a demon is hydrochloric acid and a dumpster.” – Possession. Directed by Hawk Vaccaro (http://hawkvaccaro.com/), Filmmaker of the Year; Written by MQ Tran (http://www.mqtran.com/).

Nearly 500 creatives and art lovers gathered on December 5, 2013, at the RAW:natural born artists’ Local 5^th Annual RAWards Semi-Final, despite freezing temperatures in City Hall.

“We usually have about 900 people attend, but I was really excited about the turnout given the weather,” said Melissa Shipley, Showcase Director of Denver.

This year’s Indie Art Awards showcased nominees who were demons in their passion of visual art, film, fashion, accessory, music, hair, makeup, photography, and performing arts, yet created works that would bring tears to angels.

Musician of the Year, Vetta Star (http://www.reverbnation.com/vettastar), formed in summer 2012 and is hitting the Denver scene hard with their alternative-rock.

“We made the top ten for 93.3 KTCL’s “Hometown for the Holidays” in 2012, which put us in a fortunate spotlight to be chosen by Melissa to take part in RAW,” said Brandon Meagher, drummer and vocalist of Vetta Star.

RAW has given Vetta Star more exposure and a chance to expand their audience who can expect live recordings, videos, and a few more singles in 2014.

“We’re going to hold off on a full length album until we have the songs under our fingers live. We want a super solid fan base in Colorado first, and then begin to move out,” said Brandon.

Other RAW music performances included Lost Caravan (http://www.lostcaravan.net/) a band which formed in 2012 and is making waves with their unique blend of pop-rock and gypsy jazz. Writing and performing her own music since age 12, Lindsey Saunders (http://lindseysaundersmusic.com/?r=fw) recorded her first album at 18, and has been winning over audiences with her passionate voice and pop-country sound. Indie rock band, The Dead End Drivers (http://www.deadenddrivers.com/), was a Director’s Choice and played last song of the night.

Five creatives stole the RAWards—each of which showcased exceptional talent bringing their art to life, and in their creative and entrepreneurial spirit.

A graphic artist, Sarah Swingle of Sarah Paints People (http://www.sarahpaintspeople.com/), entered the bodyart world in 2012, when she fell in love with the fleeting impermanence of the living canvas. Dressed in a white lab coat with a skull painted on half her face, Sarah revealed the process behind her passion as she set up shop in a corner and began forming her creations early in the night. Guests stood mesmerized as Sarah painstakingly combined textures of paint, material, and glued applique-bling onto her three models, rotating between them as their skins dried. With each additional layer of color, ordinary humans morphed into fantastical creatures both terrifying and beautiful. The stage production further stunned the crowd, as her creations hissed from a cage, taunted by Sarah’s mad scientist alter-ego and two men in gas masks who broke their imprisonment with crowbars, allowing the art to pace the runway, show off their wings, and get up-close and personal with the photographers. One could admire the detail and the visionary work involved in constructing such a spectacle—a win well deserved.

Janrace Prudent, JRP, founded Art Shoes Online (http://artshoesonline.com/) where customers purchase three colors then mail their favorite gently-worn shoes to get splash painted. Though JRP didn’t win her category, her custom art shoes stole the RAWards show and the audience’s vote. Models strutted onto the stage in black leotards and tutus, psychedelic makeup, and hair done by nominated stylist Mallory <3 (http://www.rawartists.org/mfbmallory). They laid down on the runway, lifted their legs into the air and brought tennis shoes, heels, and boots drizzled in neon paint to eye-level—an in-your-face introduction to the featured accessories. Then the music started. These ladies tore up the stage with dance routines to Shaniah’s “Tutus and Tennis Shoes” that not only drew attention to the footgear but provided pure delight to a packed crowd. Fabulous and fun—the total experience in custom art product promotion.

With over 10 years of experience, award-winning bridal and couture designer Gabriella Martinez (http://gabrielacouture.com/) was beguiled by fashion since she was 7 years old.

“Growing up in a household of five sisters, my mom would sew the same dresses for us, with the same fabric and same patterns,” Gabriella said. “That’s when then I started restyling and making changes to my dresses. I liked to be different.”

Gabriella moved from Mexico to Colorado in 2001, where she has been an emerging name in the Denver fashion scene—and for good reason, too. Designated the last RAW show of the evening, the audience perked up when Gabriella’s red-carpet worthy evening wear hit the runway—a total of six stunning pieces that starstruck the crowd. Gabriella’s 50s inspired metallic-colored gowns showcased glamor, style, and a touch of elegance every woman could appreciate. Beautifully presented and a class act—we can expect big things from Gabriella as she moves on to New York Fashion Week and L.A..

Jay Sage (http://www.rawartists.org/sageart) originally painting with watercolors because the medium was uncontrollable—that was before he discovered fire and gunpowder: “I’m one of the three professional artists in the world who does that. I’ve spent years re-growing my beard.”

Self-taught in one of the most rare and misunderstood mediums, Jay relocated from Oklahoma to Colorado this year where he joined RAW in October and made it into the Top 5. City Hall cut the lights as Fall Out Boy’s “My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark” blared overhead. In a stark contrast, the unassuming Jay crouched down and sprinkled gun power onto a canvas flat on the ground. His sleeves rolled up, he steadily handled the torch as he let the green flame kiss the canvas then stepped back as flames shot up and smoke blanketed the stage. The audience struggled to catch a glimpse of the work until Jay dusted off the soot then lifted the piece. A collective gasp greeted the sight of nude woman burned onto the canvas—an awe inspiring reminder that a simple performance can be powerful. Jay hopes to perfect the uncharted art of gunpowder—an endeavor, we’re looking forward to.

An autodidact, Erin Graboski (http://www.eringraboski.com/) discovered photography at age 15 and began her journey into the fine art, “After I discovered I had a knack for the medium, I started to explore it more, and through practice and experimentation, I discovered I have a real passion for the fine art, conceptual portraiture type of work, and have since then committed a lot of my work to that specific photograph genre.”

Erin first showcased her work in October 2013 with RAW and has since made an impression on Melissa Shipley. Highlighted as a Director’s Choice in Fine Art, Erin encompassed entrepreneurship at its best—present all night at her display of seductive, ephemeral self-portraits. Her process involves photographing the foreground and background shots then combining them into a composite image and allowing her imagination to run wild. A current MSU Denver student studying psychology, the symbolism of the darkened human state is visceral in Erin’s pieces, and her hauntingly romantic works were impossible to look away from. We can continue to anticipate more riveting pieces from Erin in 2014.

RAWards sponsor TogaTig (http://www.togatig.com/) evaluates artist’s designs and offers individualized product lines, such as iPhone and iPad cases, while providing an industry high royalty rate. True to TogaTig’s motto, “Together art ignites,” we met Lindsay Zollinger from LZ Art (http://www.togatig.com/pages/lindsay-zollinger) who showed up in support of other RAW artists. It was a great seeing these two organizations collaborating to further creatives across the United States. Other RAWard sponsors included Latin Life Denver, Denver Westword, Yelp Denver, Fashion Denver, and Denver Art Matters.

RAW:natural born artists is an international independent arts organization located in the United States, Australia, Canada and the U.K. that helps creatives “be seen, heard and loved.” RAW provides up-and-coming artists resources and exposure through bi-monthly showcase events beginning in January. In October, the public votes for their favorite artists online; a local judging panel looks at the top five voted-on profiles in each category then distinguishes three nominees in each genre. Those nominees showcase at the final RAWards Showcase in December, where the winners are announced. Those winners represent Denver in the national voting process, where judges look at all the city winners to determine the artist of the year in nine categories. Check out the national winners at www.rawartists.org/rawards2013. The National RAWards Ceremony is hosted on January 19, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. For more information about RAW:natural born artists visit www.rawartists.org.