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BEST IN SHOW EVENT
JANUARY 2020
WELCOME!!
Please join us as we honour and celebrate the "Best In Show" winners
from our previous shows of 2019 with this exclusive exhibition and contest.
The winning artworks are featured alongside two new works from each respective
artist that are eligible to win one of three "Diamond Awards Of Excellence".
Winners will be announced by the end of January 2020.
The artists below are listed chronologically by show.
Thank you to these twelve exceptional artists for sharing their talent and artistic vision!!
Enjoy the show!!
(to enlarge images visit the gallery section at the end of the show)
see the THREE WINNERS here
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STEPHANIE LAWING
BEST IN SHOW -
"TULIP FEVER"
Acrylic on canvas -
www.stephanielawing.com
"ENDLESS SUMMER"
Acrylic on canvas -
www.stephanielawing.com
"JARDIN DU LUXEMBOURG"
Acrylic on canvas -
www.stephanielawing.com
BIOGRAPHY
Stephanie Lawing lives and works as an artist in Virginia Beach, VA. Her painting career has followed a winding path to its current success. It started with a BA in Fine Arts from Roanoke College and then working in the publishing industry in New York City. She decided to refine her focus on painting, attending and receiving her MFA in painting from Savannah College of Art and Design, in Savannah GA. Although her painting career took a pause while fully immersed raising her three great kids, she continued to create original work, ran her own online business, conducted 8 military moves and supported military deployment after deployment for her USMC aviator husband. Every twist, turn and hardship along the way developed a drive to create works that simply bring out a lighter side of our lives. She brings out something colorful with big, fresh, beautiful blooms. While appearing somewhat familiar, Stephanie shows it from an uncommon perspective. Seeking daily inspiration through her backyard garden, the nearby Norfolk Botanical Gardens and a macro lens of an IPhone, she has the ability to make us pause on her work and take a moment to focus on the detail of nature. She strives to bring the outdoors in and fold nature into interior design -
ARTIST STATEMENT
“Macro floral painting reflects and combines what I think is beautiful and what I would like to see on my own walls. I am intrigued and enjoy capturing the dichotomy between the flower’s fragility and dynamic explosion of color. In an
increasingly difficult world, I hope to express an experience that goes beyond current events – a universal desire to find a moment where the world fades away in favor of something simple, natural and beautiful. The aesthetic pleasure of a macro flower painting is something people respond to. It is an opportunity to slow down, let the mind and eye rest and enjoy a moment of quiet beauty in a different light.” -
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MICHELLE WOITZEL
BEST IN SHOW -
"BLUSH 2"
Mixed media digital -
mmwoitzel@gmail.com
www.woitzelphotography.com
"MORNING FLIGHT"
Mixed media digital -
mmwoitzel@gmail.com
www.woitzelphotography.com
"VIM"
Mixed media digital -
mmwoitzel@gmail.com
www.woitzelphotography.com
BIOGRAPHY
Michelle Woitzel, the daughter to a couple of creatives, grew up watching her parents paint. She soon became caught up in the world of creativity and excelled in many disciplines; however her practical parents suggested a career choice with a more reliable form of income. Michelle attended and graduated from North West Technical College with a degree in Commercial Art. She was immediately hired as a graphic artist and after gaining enough experience, opened and operated her own graphics art business in Fargo, ND. In 1998, Michelle’s husband was transferred and she sold the business to follow her husband’s career and to grow their family. Seven moves and four children later, they landed in Omaha, Nebraska. Once settled, Michelle returned to her love of art through photography and soon started her photography business, Woitzel Photography. Still not satisfied with the level of creativity in her daily life, she started combining her education in graphics with her love of painting and photography to create her unique mixed-
ARTIST STATEMENT
“I enjoy combining my photography skills, education in graphics and love of painting to create mixed-
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NATASHA JABRE
BEST IN SHOW -
"RATTLE"
Acrylic on canvas -
natashajabre@gmail.com
www.natashajabre.com
"LUMINOSITY"
Acrylic on canvas -
natashajabre@gmail.com
www.natashajabre.com
"TETINE"
Acrylic on canvas -
natashajabre@gmail.com
www.natashajabre.com
BIOGRAPHY
Natasha Jabre is an artist whose practice encompasses multiple disciplines including drawing, printmaking, ceramics, abstract and representational painting. Jabre received her B.F.A. from Concordia University in Montreal, Canada and her M.F.A. from The University of Massachusetts in North Dartmouth. Her artwork has been exhibited in Canada, the United States and internationally. She currently resides with her husband and children in Kingston, Ontario.
ARTIST STATEMENT
“Each work in my series develops as an intimate exploration into color, which I isolate from prepared photographic materials and flesh out through sequential glazes of paint. The result is the creation of a tableau whose posed image is simultaneously intensified and counterbalanced by optical abstraction. To my eyes, this uncanny mixture of unassuming source material, tender brushstrokes and surreal lighting draws to the surface mixed feelings of guilt and affectionate longing. My work is about instigating moments of dreamlike reverie in banal scenes of children and their playthings and, in doing so, present to viewers what I believe to be the central conundrum of parenting: how the sight of one’s child remains bewitching in spite of the exhausting routine of raising them.” -
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WALT CURLEE
BEST IN SHOW -
"AUTUMN WHEAT HARVEST"
Oil on canvas -
waltcurlee@bellsouth.net
ARTIST STATEMENT
“I invite you to take a stroll into my Appalachian farm landscape paintings to a slower time, when life was simpler. A timeless world of rolling hills and patchwork farms; where you can almost smell the fresh cut hay and air and hear the sounds of nature around you. I strive to create an enchanting world in my folksy style with a nostalgic feel of good times past.” -
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ELDON CASE
BEST IN SHOW -
"REEF"
Oil on canvas -
EldonCase1922@gmail.com
"YELLOW"
Oil -
EldonCase1922@gmail.com
"DIVIDED NEIGHBORHOOD"
Oil -
EldonCase1922@gmail.com
BIOGRAPHY
Born in 1949 in Logan, Kansas, Eldon currently resides in Okemos, Michigan. He was always interested in art, having won a county-
He has had work in shows at a number of Michigan venues including Riverwalk Theater (Lansing), Clinton County Arts Council Gallery (St. Johns), Studio West Gallery (Brighton), Shiawassee Arts Center (Owosso), Williamston Theater (Williamston) and Framer’s Edge Gallery (Okemos). In addition, his paintings are in a number of private collections. Outside Michigan, Eldon has exhibited at The 311 Gallery, Raleigh, North Carolina and at the Mildred M. Cox Art Gallery at William Woods University, Fulton Missouri. Also, since February 2017, Eldon has had 40 paintings accepted into national or international on-
ARTIST STATEMENT
“What keeps me going back to the studio is the exploration of color, light and pattern. I love to see a painting evolve while seeking to capture a sense of light with oil on canvas. While I enjoy the challenge of trying to depict light and shadow in landscape paintings, the freedom of abstract painting is exhilarating. For abstracts, the rhythm of painting, the experimentation with form and the surprise that a brushstroke or finger mark can render are just plain fun!” -
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CHRISTINE COLUMBO
BEST IN SHOW -
"NOVEMBER"
Oil -
Christine.columbo@mail.com
www.christinecolumbo.com
"STUDY OF MODEL IN PASTEL"
Pastel -
Christine.columbo@mail.com
www.christinecolumbo.com
"MACY"
Oil on linen -
Christine.columbo@mail.com
www.christinecolumbo.com
BIOGRAPHY
Christine Columbo is a recognized watercolor and oil painting artist, exhibiting at multiple galleries in the US. An OPA (Oil Painters of America) member, she has received over 25 awards for her oil and watercolor paintings in the last two years. Growing up in New Jersey, Christine learned how to draw before she learned how to read. Her artistic father gave her lessons starting at 5 years old after noticing her ability to draw from life. After receiving an undergraduate degree in Art from the State College of New Jersey, she went on to get a computer programming degree and then a master’s degree from NYU in business and philosophy. During her subsequent career years, she worked in New York City as a computer graphic artist, programmer and financial consultant. Hoping her academic studies and New York City lifestyle and career would create a life of happiness, she was surprised to find a very different calling at the age of 35. Following her heart, she “walked out of her life” and for the next 19 years lived as a monastic. In 2010, she emerged from this cycle with a new lease on life and spent the next 5 years integrating her new perspective and experience of life. In 2016 she moved to a monastery in Crestone, Colorado. For the next two years she stayed in retreat. It was during this time she began drawing and painting again. Her work can be seen at christinecolumbo.com and at the Crestone Artisan Gallery in Crestone, Colorado.
ARTIST STATEMENT
“Reflecting back, for much of my life although it appeared I had achieved success, I didn’t feel inwardly fulfilled or that my life had purpose. This led to my monastic journey, meditation, service and eventually exploring the depths of my own heart. At the end of my years as a monastic it was as if nothing had happened and everything had happened. I appeared the same but the lens through which I viewed the world was completely different. My heart was transformed. I felt compassion and a state I can only describe as being ‘in love with the world’. My paintings are how I now try to capture the beauty I experience in all of life and share my heart. I recently started a series of portraits of women, trying to capture the vulnerability, strength and resilience I witness in family, friends, and fellow artists. Every day I experience how we are all connected and how a social network of support and encouragement can make a world of difference in each other’s lives.” -
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KRIS CRESTEJO
BEST IN SHOW -
"MINE"
Pastel pencils -
kris.cres@gmail.com
ARTIST STATEMENT
“I wanted to capture the essence of the mother-
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GABRIELE GRACINE
BEST IN SHOW -
"FROZEN"
Digital -
www.abstractgaby.strikingly.com
"POWER"
Digital -
www.abstractgaby.strikingly.com
"CAUGHT"
Digital -
www.abstractgaby.strikingly.com
BIOGRAPHY
In 2015, thinking she had no artistic ability, Gabriele unexpectedly discovered a gift for
digital art. After her revelation, she spent up to 10 hours every day for the first two years teaching herself all aspects of digital art, practicing and exploring her newly-
ARTIST STATEMENT
“My process is a free-
is pure delight.” -
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DEBORAH KOMMALAN
BEST IN SHOW -
"STEVE'S SUNFLOWERS"
Oil on panel -
Deborah@deborahkommalan.com
www.deborahkommalan.com
"OMELET"
Oil on panel -
Deborah@deborahkommalan.com
www.deborahkommalan.com
"LONDON BRIDGE"
Oil on panel -
Deborah@deborahkommalan.com
www.deborahkommalan.com
BIOGRAPHY
Born and raised in Baltimore area, Deborah lives in Pasadena, Maryland. She studied graphic design at MICA and worked in an ad agency but was not suited. She held many jobs, working as a needlewoman sewing high-
ARTIST STATEMENT
“Although I have been painting for just twelve years, I quickly decided that my favorite genre is Still Life. In this series I work in the Tenebrist style of dark backgrounds with bright light. I enjoy working with objects and light, causing strong and interesting shadows which are necessary in painting; they anchor objects in space. A complex shadow is as much a part of the composition as the object itself. By manipulating the shadows I can play with your conception of a classical still life. I want objects to have implied movement. I like to call these paintings “kinetic”. I often think long and hard about an appropriate title. I like it best when it is amusing. My aim is to have you stop and look again… and make you think and smile.” -
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PAUL SUDMAN
BEST IN SHOW -
"NUKED CITY"
Digital -
directpb@gmail.com
www.paulsudman.com
"LONE SKATER"
Digital on metal -
directpb@gmail.com
www.paulsudman.com
"SOLITARY FISHERMAN"
Digital on metal -
directpb@gmail.com
www.paulsudman.com
BIOGRAPHY
Paul Sudman is a self-
Paul has also won awards including a “Best in Show” and an “Emerald Award of Merit”.
ARTIST STATEMENT
“In my earlier art I would capture common objects and places that inspired something in me. I mostly used oil, charcoal and some acrylic. Then by sheer accident I developed a process using paint and digital manipulation to create dramatic pieces of art. It is a proprietary method that I continue to refine today that I do not believe has ever been used before in the art world. These unique pieces clearly stand out from any other art out there today, however I do find myself returning to acrylic and charcoal quite often.” -
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ALICE HELWIG
BEST IN SHOW -
"ILLUMINATION"
Acrylic -
avanmil@shaw.ca
www.helwigart.com
"OVER HORLEY"
Acrylic on board -
avanmil@shaw.ca
www.helwigart.com
"THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE"
Acrylic on board -
avanmil@shaw.ca
www.helwigart.com
BIOGRAPHY
A. S. Helwig was born in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada. From an early age she drew and painted. In fact, she has painted in acrylics since she was 14 years old in the coulee hills close to her family home. Helwig took a two-
ARTIST STATEMENT
“I utilize techniques such as collage, texturing, glazing and under-
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LESSA CLAYTON
BEST IN SHOW -
"NEUSCHWANSTEIN CASTLE, GERMANY"
Oil -
lessaclayton@gmail.com
www.paintings.lessaclayton.com
"ASPENS AT BLACK BUTTE RANCH"
Oil -
lessaclayton@gmail.com
www.paintings.lessaclayton.com
"SUNSET STREET, SHERWOOD"
Oil -
lessaclayton@gmail.com
www.paintings.lessaclayton.com
BIOGRAPHY
Lessa Clayton grew up traveling the United States while her father served in the military. When he retired the family moved to Oregon. After graduating from Oregon State University with a degree in Art, Lessa moved to Los Angeles and spent a career doing commercial art. After retiring, she returned to Oregon and took up painting full time. Traveling around Oregon has provided Lessa with an abundance of inspiration. The best of Oregon is captured from the crashing waves on Fogarty Beach, to the pristine high mountain lakes, down to the covered bridges and old barns of the Willamette Valley. Lessa’s paintings have been showcased in juried shows and exhibitions.
ARTIST STATEMENT
"When I started painting as a teenager, my rush to complete a painting quickly led to my use of acrylic paints. But as I grew older and more patient, I switched to oil painting. I wanted to experiment with the use of glazes. It is a time-
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