I've returned (after a much-needed hiatus) with some nice updates during the past few months.
I am delighted to announce that I was selected as June's winner for the Boynes Monthly Art Award, with my painting Still Blue Sparkle! As part of my award, I had the lovely opportunity to share my thoughts and experiences in a published interview (which you can find here).
The questions asked were deep and thoughtful, which prompted me to reflect on my comprehensive experience as both an aspiring artist then, and a professional artist now. My experience with Boynes has been a sincere pleasure (and much thanks to the director, Chantal Boynes)!
My painting Still Blue Sparkle has won a few additional awards since May, including an Honorable Mention Award from Teravarna's 5th Still Life Art Competition (along with Solitary Colors), Third Place from TheArtList.com's May - June Artist of the Month Contest, a Bronze Award from Camelback Gallery's 6th Annual Open Theme Juried Traditional Painting & Drawing Competition, an Honorable Mention from Fusion Art's 4th Annual Still Life Art Exhibition, and a Finalist Award in Acrylic Painting from Camelback Gallery's Best in Medium International Juried Award Exhibition.
I submitted this painting to the Visionary Art Collective's open call for their virtual exhibition, "Emergence," but it was unfortunately declined. However, although it was not selected for inclusion in the exhibition, it was given an honorable mention by guest curator Jessica Libor, which I sincerely appreciate.
Additionally, as a Young Artist Affiliate of Viridian Artists, I have been offered a Young Artist Fellowship (2023 - 2024) by the Board of Directors. I am extremely honored and thankful for this distinction. As a side note, Viridian Artists is currently exhibiting "New Arts Prospect: Artists from Japan Series X 2023, A Path for the Future" until August 30th, and I definitely recommend stopping by to check it out! Click here for more info! https://viridianartist.com/current-show
Last but certainly not least, Still Blue Sparkle was chosen as a finalist for AcrylicWorks 10: The Best of Acrylic, a special issue of Artists Magazine which is scheduled to be published in September 2023. To say that I am immensely ecstatic about this would probably be an understatement!
This is about all I have for now, and hopefully there will be more good news to share in the near future! Thanks for reading!