Student Winners of the Annual Art Competition 2019

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Congratulations to the student winners of our 2019 Annual Art Competition!

For the past 36 years, we’ve recognized the dedication and accomplishments of our Annual Art Competition winners. Join us in celebrating the student winners of this year’s competition!

ABSTRACT/EXPERIMENTAL

1st place: Ulyana Stebelska

Fiesta
acrylic, graphite, and paper collage on wood panel, 30×30

“I wanted to use a small swatch of red patterned collage paper in a painting. That’s the only pre-planned part of Fiesta. After affixing this element, I introduced expressive black marks and more collage. Then came a call-and-response process as I counterbalanced the energy with quiet, open space. Dynamic and bold at first glance, Fiesta draws the viewer in with delicate, dancing marks and slight shifts in value.”

 

2nd place: Olia Tsetniva

A Curious Gaze
acrylic, print, rubber, and ink on canvas, 44 7⁄10×35 ½

“In A Curious Gaze, I explore a visual unawareness that has been gradually introduced by the digital age. A new civilization might be perceived paradoxically as amorphic beings without any desires for consumption, freedom, joy or balance. In this work I’ve created a space with a predetermined vision of missing human tactility.”

 

3rd place: Lisa-E

Window in Time
acrylic on canvas, 36×36

“I developed Window in Time over several months of chasing subconscious promptings and memories. For the mark-making and sgraffito, I used specialized Japanese trowels and a variety of palette knives, resulting in an illusion of depth, light and intriguing textures that together suggest different dimensions of space-time.”

 

ANIMAL/WILDLIFE

1st place: Kelley Clark

Pheasant Run
pastel on paper, 9½x12

Pheasant Run uses complementary colors and the illusion of motion to capture the dynamic energy of this hasty bird. The red underpainting pops under the abstracted background of greens. Larger strokes give the bird’s stride its structure, and I kept the feathers loose by combining soft edges with bits of detail.”

 

2nd Place: Beca Allsop

Golden Chef
oil on canvas, 30×24

“Inspired by two souls whom I love, Golden Chef exhibits the inseparable bond between my dog, Tess, and my husband, the cooking enthusiast. With the help of props, reference photos and creativity, I depicted that bond in this fanciful work showing Tess’ devotion to pleasing my husband.”

 

3rd Place: Jackie Cornwell Hobson

Lucy
watercolor on paper, 10×8

“After 11 years, Lucy, the beloved pet of my sister’s family, had to be put to rest. I wanted to memorialize her because I knew how much she’d be missed. She was a sweet and quirky girl, so I worked to get her face just right–with that one snaggle tooth that defined her personality.”

 

 

LANDSCAPE

1st Place: Laura Smith

Replanting Manhattan: 1 World Trade
acrylic on canvas, 18×20

“I painted Replanting Manhattan: 1 World Trade for a show calling for work about ‘Growth.’ Instead of the usual florals or spiritual ideas associated with this theme, I decided to portray urban growth. I love New York City–and I loved the idea of depicting its regrowth out of tragedy.”

 

2nd Place: Alexangel Estevez

Storm Watch
oil on canvas, 28×22

“A brewing storm cast splendid reflections on the James River, in Richmond, Va. The gathering darkness revealed amazing cloud formations and highlighted the trees in fine detail. My brother held up an umbrella as I painted quickly, finishing all but the final touches of Storm Watch just as the rain started to pour.”

 

3rd Place: Greg Szostakiwskyj

Hotel Girona
oil on canvas, 22×30

“I started Hotel Girona after a trip to Girona, Spain. My compositions are constantly changing until I feel they’re complete. In this case, I liked the balance of the architectural elements with the pool verging toward the focal point of the young girl.”

 

PORTRAIT/FIGURE

1st Place: Hannah Murray

Mum and Dad
oil on canvas, 23 3⁄5×27 ½

Mum and Dad explores a 21st-century dialogue between a married couple that many viewers may relate to, allowing them to reflect on their own relationships. The mother is submissive in this image, while the father is dominant, staring straight back at the viewer.”

 

2nd Place Junyi Liu

Sinking
oil on linen, 30×20

“These days people are stressed, lonely and insecure. They suppress feelings and let a painful silence consume their minds. In Sinking, a young woman leans on an elevator wall, facing away from viewers. A poster of Roy Lichtenstein’s Drowning Girl suggests the subject’s inner struggles. We don’t know whether the elevator is going up or down–or even moving, but the woman seems to be sinking within.”

 

3rd Place: Chunxi Peng

Silent Night
oil on linen, 51×57

“As the sole source of light in the picture, the candle draws the eye to focal areas, while the dark areas give viewers imaginative space, allowing them to integrate their own ideas and feelings with the scene. In Silent Night, the light suggests a valued goal as the young woman studies diligently through the night.”

 

STILL LIFE/INTERIOR

1st Place: Yige Xie

“Where is the Moon?”
oil on panel, 24×24

‘Where is the Moon?’ is based on a Chinese story of monkeys reaching for the moon, not realizing they’re grasping for a reflection of the moon in a lake. In my painted version, one of the monkeys noticed a second “moon” with a smiley face, lying on the ground. The Chinese tale inspired me to be realistic and work, step by step, toward my goal of becoming an artist rather than waste my time reaching for a ‘fake moon.’”

 

2nd place: Xiaoyu Gong

LBP2
acrylic on canvas, 60×120

“The title of this ante-apocalyptic scene, LBP2, is a simplified English translation based on a Chinese mass-production line. The human skeleton and the mechanical assembly line convey the idea that social progress leads to the extinction of human beings. We become desensitized and less hopeful about life.”

 

3rd Place: Jingfang Zhang

Still Life
gouache on paper, 10¼x13½

“By capturing the changing values of light and color, I shaped the objects and created a sense of volume in Still Life. Another challenge was selecting which details to portray.”

 
Feeling inspired? Enter the 2020 Artists Magazine Annual Competition!

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