Winners of the 2019 Artists Magazine Annual Art Competition

Showcase your talent and win big in Artists Network prestigious art competitions! Discover competitions in a variety of media and enter for your chance to win cash prizes, publication in leading art magazines, global exposure, and rewards for your hard work. Plus, gain valuable feedback from renowned jurors. Let your passion shine through – enter an art competition today!

Year after year, the Annual Art Competition gives Artists Magazine the opportunity to showcase outstanding contemporary artists from around the world.

Our praises and congratulations extend to all the winners of the 36th Annual Art Competition. Artists Magazine is honored to present their inspiring contributions to the world of art!

ANIMAL/WILDLIFE

Juror: Karen Bondarchuk, karenbondarchuk.com

“My job was inordinately difficult, as there were so many excellent pieces among the entries. There simply were not enough prizes for works that were worthy of awards.”

1ST PLACE Michael Dumas

Flight of the Kestrel
oil on Russian birch panel, 8×12

“The inspiration for Flight of the Kestrel originates in direct observations and studies done in the field. I do a lot of studies in sketch form, some in preparation for a final painting; others are in my sketchbook simply to inform and familiarize myself with the subject. The concept for this painting was to reflect the format of a study but to do so as a final painting with fully developed color, form, detail and composition. To realize my intention to its fullest, I supplemented my reference material with a museum specimen.”

2ND PLACE Nancy Bass

At the Museum (After Thiebaud)
oil on canvas, 24×30

“This painting is part of an ongoing series titled At the Museum, which unites my longstanding engagement with animal subjects and art-historical tradition. As a college student, I first encountered the paintings of Wayne Thiebaud in a 1977 retrospective at the Des Moines Art Center and was drawn to his bold use of color and novel approach to the realism of the everyday. My own work has been inspired by the 35 years that I lived on a farm in central Virginia, raising and painting a herd of cows who were central to my own everyday landscape. The playful juxtaposition of bovine subject and bovine product [Thiebaud’s Four Ice Cream Cones] reflects my larger interest in exploring color, texture and the boundary between nature and consumer culture.”

3RD PLACE Kyle Ma

The Rock Perch
oil on panel, 14×18

“This painting was done from references taken from a friend’s yard. The lighting was overcast, so it allowed room to explore the rich local colors of the scene. I also used the structure of the coop to offset some of the more organic elements in this painting.”

 


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HONORABLE MENTIONS

Johne Richardson
Juno
oil on canvas, 24×40

 

Lyubena Fox
The Nest
oil on canvas, 17¾x13¾

 

Aikaterini Konstantinoudi
The Ocean’s Grief
graphite on paper, 9×12

 

FINALISTS

Jaya King
Ezra Tucker
Blake Whitaker
Julia Bacon
Cathy Weiss
Mary Shira
Emily Lozeron
Stephen Brehm
Cary Hunkel
Lynn Wade

 

LANDSCAPE

Juror: Dean Mitchell, deanmitchellstudio.com

1ST PLACE Marcia Wegman

Autumn Creek
pastel on paper, 21×27

“Once a week, I join a hiking group to walk one of the many trails in the Iowa county where I live. Two Septembers ago, when I’d thought to bring my camera along, I took a quick photo as I crossed a bridge over this creek. When I was looking at all the photos I’d taken on the hike, I was particularly drawn to the rich colors of the water and to the composition possibilities. The light blue reflection of the sky was such an interesting contrast to the deep blue shadows and warm reflections of fall trees. Painting water with reflecting forms takes close observation, which I find a likable challenge. I enjoy working with images that have a strong contrast in values, textures, edges and colors.”

2ND PLACE Nicole Parker

The Birds at Foxfire
oil on linen-wrapped panel, 48×60

“My work revolves heavily around the themes of memory, self and home. The scene in The Birds at Foxfire is based on a childhood memory that has been formative to me artistically. I grew up in a house with a wooded backyard and once, maybe twice, an enormous flock— hundreds or thousands—of blackbirds gathered in our yard and cul-de-sac for hours. I’ve never witnessed so many birds in one place before or since, and it was all at once surreal, unnerving and beautiful. The things that I remember best about that day were the stillness of the air and the sound of the birds in the backyard.”

3RD PLACE Michael Ward

JFK Restaurant Equipment Supply
acrylic on canvas, 28×48

“The painting is based on a photograph I took in New York City on a sunny September 11th in 2015. The building is at the corner of Orchard Avenue and Canal Street, where the Lower East Side meets Chinatown. I made some minor alterations to the source image, but it’s basically as-found. I considered leaving out the bicycles but ultimately left them in, which was fortunate as they’re a key focal point. I also worked in references to my realist heroes: Charles Sheeler, Rackstraw Downes, Robert Bechtle and Richard Estes. For me, this image is symbolic of America—abundant and chaotic, where people from around the world converge to share their cultures and, hopefully, achieve success and prosperity.”

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Patsy Lindamood
Transformers
graphite on cradled clayboard, 18×24

 

JiangLong Pan
Landscape in Winter
watercolor on paper, 18×24

 

Tim Saternow
West 26th St., High Line
watercolor on paper, 40×26

 

FINALISTS

Del-Bourree Bach
Ken Graning
William Hook
Weibin Huang
Scott Krohn
Gayle Madeira
Derek Penix
Judy Saltzman
Gina Torkos
Sue Welsby

PORTRAIT/FIGURE

Juror: David Kassan, davidkassan.com

1ST PLACE D. McGarren Flack

Mind in Two 25A1
oil on aluminum, 48×78

Mind in Two is part of a series about calls I’ve experienced as a paramedic. The phrase ‘mind in two’ refers to schizophrenia; ‘25A1’ is a dispatch code used by Emergency Medical Services that indicates nonsuicidal abnormal behavior. The woman represented in my painting was feeding and giving water to two children she imagined to be living in her closet. I painted the children, reflected in a mirror, as seen from the woman’s mind frame. In reality, the food she’d left had rotted, and no children were there.”

 

2ND PLACE Amy Werntz

The Shopper
oil on panel, 24×18

“In most of my work, I aim to capture an ordinary moment and make it special. I like to remove my subjects from a recognizable environment so that the viewer can relate to them directly without any preconceptions that a background might convey. The model in The Shopper bears a conservative dress style, but the color-blocking of the background gives the painting a modern feel.”

 

3RD PLACE Kyle Stuckey

Femi
oil on panel, 14×11

Femi is part of my 50 Portraits of Charleston series, for which I painted 50 people who are doing something interesting for my local community. Femi is a wine merchant—a top sommelier whose shop is both hip and comfortable. I gave the subject’s face a finished look that transitions to a sketched depiction of the body and clothing—all set against an abstract background. Linear marks behind the subject’s shoulders and a subtle indication of his arm anchor him into the painting.”

 

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Kathy Morris
The Entrepreneur
oil on aluminum composite panel, 24×24

 

Papay Solomon
In the Lappa With Grace, Portrait of Grace Mbola
oil and graphite on punctured canvas mounted on a mirror, 40×40

 

Junhe Zhu
A Contemplative Man
oil on linen, 57½x30

 

FINALISTS

Matthew Almy
Menachem Edelman-Landoi
Barbara Hack
Tricia Kaman
Damian Lechoszest
Howard Lyon
Gustavo Ramos
Suzy Schultz
Oliver Sin
Tim Tyler

 

ABSTRACT/ EXPERIMENTAL

Juror: David M. Kessler, davidmkessler.com

“I was very surprised that the quality was so high, and it exceeded my expectations. It was a joy looking through the work.”

1ST PLACE Nancy Dias

Short Circuit
watercolor on paper, 15×22

“I began my artistic journey at age 57 when my husband and I moved to Florida and I started attending the Florida Watercolor Society Annual Conference. I realized there was so much more out there. I had never understood abstract art, but the more I learned, the more I understood. Creating layers and dimension with transparent watercolor allows me to use my instincts to shape the story and direction of the painting. Somewhere along the way, the painting will talk to me. It’s an amazing feeling when I follow my instincts—a magical experience. First, I decide on colors, usually three or four, and lay down a glaze of each one so I can see at a glance what color I’ll get with layering. That’s how I start every abstract piece. Look at the shapes and colors and try to find a connection. You’ll be surprised at how many stories you’ll see.”

 

2ND PLACE Forrest Hooper

Eldorado Revisited
acrylic and collage, 60×81

ARTIST STATEMENT

“At 87, Eldorado Revisited is my last hurrah. There are two works underneath: one from 2001 and the other from 2010. They were ill-conceived, but I lived with them until I revisualized them. For Eldorado Revisited, I kept a daily painting diary—the only work for which I’ve done so. This piece doesn’t view successfully in the flat frame of a photo. Its large scope can’t be captured on film nor can its magical, mirage aspect. The inner dramatic scenic-scope-sounds can, however, be accessed by playing Aram Khachaturian’s Piano Concerto— my constant partner during this work’s creation. The two melded as one—the aural and the visual synthesized. I’m proud of it as my final masterwork. I depart the art world, if not life, satisfied I was blessed to accomplish this one-time-only artwork.”

 

3RD PLACE Patricia Dews

Barren Plain 4
mixed media on paper, 21×29

“I started my painting career as a representational artist, but after taking a one-day workshop with the late Nicholas A. Reale, I knew that abstraction was what I was supposed to be doing. I paint the abstract essence of nature— the shapes and textures of flowers, rocks, water, crumpled walls and rusty objects. I’ve collected rocks since childhood, and they’re a recurring theme in my work. When I paint rocks, I use pouring, plastic wrap, sponges, razors, sanders, alcohol and riggers for line work. Barren Plain 4 depicts a designed composition. It’s a figment of my imagined world.”

 

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Theresa Girard
Wonder Clouds
acrylic on canvas, 48×60

 

Kristin Herzog
Boardwalk II
acrylic on canvas, 60×48

 

Tracy Lynn Pristas
Attained Enchantment
acrylic and mixed media on canvas, 48×48

 

FINALISTS

Jennifer Gardner
Cory Goulet
Mel Grunau
Red (Linda) Harrison
Susan Lucas
Michelle Marra
Kathleen Mooney
Christopher Murphy
Tammy Staab

 

STILL LIFE/ INTERIOR

Juror: Douglas Wiltraut, douglaswiltraut.com

“The challenge is always daunting when asked to serve as a Juror of Awards for an important competition such as this. I was presented with an outstanding array of paintings, all possessing unique qualities which made my decisions difficult. Regarding my top three selections, all displayed impeccable craftsmanship and a keen sense of light which is one of the most important attributes that I look for in a painting.”

1ST PLACE Todd M. Casey

The Entomologist
oil on panel, 12×18

“The subject centered around the cicada in the painting, which I found in my yard and kept in my studio. The concept was to build a character, perhaps a lover of bugs. Many of the objects, such as the letters, the bug case and the pen, suggest a narrative. What makes this piece memorable to me is that it reminds me of being a kid. I’ve always been interested in science, and my brother and I used to be fascinated by bugs and turtles when we were young.”

 

2ND PLACE Blair Atherholt

Harshest Critic
oil on panel, 34×22

“The creative process can be a daunting and exhausting exercise familiar to artists of every discipline. My goal for this piece was to illustrate the frustration of a near triumph— the trials and errors of an artist’s attempt to communicate her inspired vision through her chosen medium. Harshest Critic will forever serve as a reminder to myself that the most intimidating subject matter nearly always yields the greatest artistic growth.”

 

3RD PLACE Steve Wilda

Lost Soul, South of France, 1917
acrylic on wood panel, 30×23½

“A rusted canteen purchased by my wife while in France working on a World War I documentary was the inspiration for a painting about that war. Being that 2017 was the 100th anniversary of our country’s involvement, I chose to work on this instead of other paintings-in-waiting. My intention was a war casualty’s boots that were left inside a damaged church as a memorial, with vintage French boots and barbed wire from the conflict. After three months of working on the picture, I completed it on April 6th. Later I learned that was the exact day the U.S. involvement began, 100 years ago.”

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Alexandra Averbach
Blaze
oil on canvas, 40×46

Michael T. Davis
The Art of Imagination
oil on linen, 12×24

 

Cher Pruys
crushed
acrylic on paper, 12×12

 

FINALISTS

Richard Luschek
Francois Chartier
Camille Engel
Robert Gratiot
Katie Koenig
Rebecca Korth
Chris Krupinski
Lana Privitera
Paul Wilson
Nan Ye

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