Portfolio | The Jurors’ Choice

This story was featured in the January 2019 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Get the Southwest Art January 2019 print issue or digital download now–then subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss another story.

Each year our sister publication, Artists Magazine, conducts a major art competition that draws entries from around the world. The competition is divided into five categories, each of which is judged by a talented artist or other expert: Abstract/Experimental, Animal/Wildlife, Landscape, Portrait/Figure, and Still Life/Interior. Here, we’re happy to present a selection of the winners and finalists in these categories. Enjoy the diverse works of these artists.

OLIVER SIN

What inspired your winning entry? I drew DAD from life as a present for my dad’s 85th birthday. Since I moved to the United States 29 years ago from my native Hong Kong, I haven’t spent too much time with my dad, so drawing him was an unforgettable experience for us to reconnect.
How would you describe your style? Impressionistic.
How did you first get interested in art? Art found me. I’ve been studying art since I was a kid.
Where did you study art? I earned a bachelor of fine arts degree in illustration from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco in 1995. For more than seven years, I studied with Zhao-Ming Wu and Henry Yan. After working at LucasArts as a concept artist for four years, I returned to the Academy of Art University to teach and have been teaching there since 2001.
What artists have influenced your work? Zhao-Ming Wu and Henry Yan.
What is your creative process like? I simply find the muse who inspires me.
What have been some of the highlights of your career? My first step-by-step art book, Drawing the Head for Artists, will be released by Rockport Publishers this summer.
When you’re not creating art, what else do you enjoy doing? I love to travel.
If you weren’t an artist, what would you be? I would be a chef, as I love to cook.
What galleries represent your work? Cawah Arts Gallery, Hong Kong.

MISTY SEGURA-BOWERS

What inspired your winning entry? This painting of my young daughter is my attempt to capture one of these fleeting moments when one can look into the eyes of another and find a deep connection, a glimpse of the soul, perhaps.
How would you describe your style? I consider my work abstract realism. Realism alone is beautiful, but one can achieve that with a camera. If I’m going to paint a subject, it’s my desire to include something abstract, a sense of something meaningful. I enjoy the challenge of translating the unique essence of the sitter into my paintings.
Where did you study art? I spent four years studying at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco until I was hired out of school to create visual effects for Hollywood movies.
What is your creative process like? An idea will haunt me. That’s how it begins. The rest is a combination of technical application and honoring intuition.
What have been some of the highlights of your career? There is nothing more satisfying than seeing someone fall in love with the work.
When you’re not creating art, what else do you enjoy doing? Spending quality time with my family, doing yoga, preparing and enjoying vegan food, and being surrounded by nature.
If you weren’t an artist, what would you be? I’ve been an orthodontic assistant, receptionist, massage therapist, secretary, computer repair tech, waitress, flight attendant, banker, and VFX artist. I am also a trained raw vegan chef but have never done that for a living, so I suppose I’d be doing that. My favorite part is making the food look gorgeous.
What galleries represent your work? www.mistysegurabowers.com.

DAN SIMONEAU

What inspired your winning entry? I had spent three years painting male figurative work for a solo museum exhibition and needed a diversion. As I was grocery shopping, I saw the vibrant Granny Smith apples and bought some. When I put them into the produce bag, the inspiration for the piece struck me.
How would you describe your style? I classify myself as a contemporary realist.
Where did you study art? I received my bachelor’s of fine art at the University of Southern Maine.
What other artists have influenced your work? Richard Estes and Chuck Close (their approach to realism), Philip Pearlstein (his approach to composition), and Caravaggio (his approach to light and shadow).
What have been some of the highlights of your career? Receiving signature membership in the American Watercolor Society, National Watercolor Society, National Oil & Acrylic Painters’ Society, and International Society of Acrylic Painters, of which I am a Signature Master. I am also a fellow in the American Artists Professional League and qualified for full membership in the National Society of Painters in Casein and Acrylic. Another highlight is being accepted as a full artist member for both painting and photography in the Salmagundi Club.
When you’re not creating art, what else do you enjoy doing? In my non-art life, I am a senior manager for an IT consulting firm.
If you weren’t an artist, what would you be? If I weren’t an artist, I would be incomplete. Art, to me, is like air. I need it to survive.
What galleries represent your work? Xanadu Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ; Art Frenzie, Wilton Manors, FL; Re-Vision Gallery, Kenosha, WI; and www.dsimoneau.com.

JUDY FAN

What inspired your winning entry? When I first saw the reference photo which was taken by my friend Ruihong Xu, I was immediately attracted to it. I love how the light fell on the young man’s face and his direct gaze to the viewers. Ruihong took the picture when she traveled in the Pamir Mountains in Xinjiang province in China, and the young man was a shepherd.
How would you describe your style? My painting style is classical realism with some contemporary approaches. I love to use bold brush strokes to evoke emotions and inject energy into my paintings.
Where did you study art? I studied at the DuPage Art League, Palette & Chisel Academy of Fine Arts, and Watts Atelier. I have taken classes with many other artists as well.
What is your creative process like? I paint from life and from photos. I use the alla prima method of direct painting. I first loosely outline the figure or face using a brush. Then I block in the colors, from face to body to background. After that I come back to correct values and add details. Before the painting is done, I check the overall effect, including light and shadow, values, edges, and then add darkest and lightest at the end.
What have been some of the highlights of your career? Beginning this summer, I exhibited my artworks in shows throughout the area, and two of my paintings received top prizes.
When you’re not creating art, what else do you enjoy doing? Going to museums, reading art magazines, and traveling.
If you weren’t an artist, what would you be? An art educator.
What galleries represent your work? www.judyfan.com.

NICOLE FINGER

What inspired your winning entry? I’ve always been intrigued by the idea of elevating ordinary subjects through art. As sweets and baked goods, in particular, have become ever more taboo in our societal concerns over health, these images are almost reminiscent of idolatry and thus elevated even more. The cupcake is at once childlike and seductive.
How would you describe your style? Contemporary painterly photorealism.
How did you first get interested in art? My mother is an artist and was an art teacher, so she was my first role model, and I always felt a comfort level with it. In high school I was lucky to have an amazing art teacher who insisted on art being more of a lifestyle and not just a high-school class.
Where did you study art? I got my bachelor of fine arts degree in studio art from the University of Colorado, Boulder.
What is your creative process like? I tend to mimic the physical properties of the elements in the painting with a change in my hand or technique. A highly reflective area may be painted with a slick, heavy blending, whereas an airy, light whipped cream is
applied with a very light touch.
What have been some of the highlights of your career? Having a solo show and representation at a gallery that I’ve held in high esteem, Skidmore Contemporary Art, was a culmination of what I had always visualized for myself as an artist.
If you weren’t an artist, what would you be? A bad actress!
What galleries represent your work? Skidmore Contemporary Art, Santa Monica, CA; McLarry Fine Art, Santa Fe, NM; and www.fingerpaintingart.com.

HELEN BOUCHARD

What inspired your winning entry? I have always been fascinated by what it is that leads somebody toward a certain endeavor, and once there, what allows them to endure the difficulties encountered in the pursuit of excellence.
How would you describe your style? I would describe my style as evolving. As my understanding of painting deepens and my life experiences accumulate, my style is changing.
How did you first get interested in art? My earliest influence was my great-aunt, who provided me with art supplies and encouraged me to use them. Her influence played a pivotal role in my love and pursuit of art.
Where did you study art? I studied at the Gage Academy Classical Atelier program. While there I had the opportunity to take workshops with renowned visiting artists as well as many other excellent instructors. But most of my learning is a result of experience and of interaction with fellow artists.
What is your creative process like? My work starts and finishes in various ways, depending on the circumstances. Most of the time I start with a series of small thumbnail sketches of different compositions and value arrangements. I then create a detailed drawing from life. I tend to work the painting as a whole, avoiding the development of any one particular area ahead of the rest of it. I do several passes, each time bringing the painting closer to completion.
What have been some of the highlights of your career? Most of my highlights have occurred at the easel as breakthroughs in my understanding of painting.
If you weren’t an artist, what would you be? I would be heartbroken.
What galleries represent your work? www.helen-bouchardart.com.

KATHY DANA

What inspired your winning entry? Amplifying the glorious feeling that trees provide to our ordinary lives has always been high on my list. So has experimenting with new techniques. I was inspired by this magnificent eucalyptus tree (photographed by Donald Satterlee) upon which I hand-altered shapes and dynamics in monotone superrealism, making way for a surreal stream of color to flow through.
How would you describe your style? Representational and strongly motivated by revealing the life and positive energy in all things.
Where did you study art? I have a bachelor’s degree in graphic communication from San Diego State University, preceded by five years’ private study in oil painting. Working as an art director for one of the largest ad agencies in the world provided a priceless education in the process of creating art in many forms.
What is your creative process like? I’ll spend as much time bonding and evaluating as I do painting. I’ll decide why I’m moved by the subject, then draw from that bond throughout the process. Getting the right movement between shapes, lights, darks, and negative space is also very important.
What have been some of the highlights of your career? In 2016, my first national competition entry resulted in an eight-page article in International Artist magazine. There is always tremendous joy when collectors, fellow artists, jurors, and curators respond strongly to my work.
When you’re not creating art, what else do you enjoy doing? Creating opportunities for great conversation with family and friends, reading, walking, and traveling.
If you weren’t an artist, what would you be? Severely deprived.
What galleries represent your work? Tim Collom Gallery, Sacramento, CA.

 

This story was featured in the January 2019 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Get the Southwest Art January 2019 print issue or digital download now–then subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss another story.

MORE RESOURCES FOR ART COLLECTORS & ENTHUSIASTS
• Subscribe to Southwest Art magazine
• Learn how to paint & how to draw with downloads, books, videos & more from North Light Shop
• Sign up for your Southwest Art email newsletter & download a FREE ebook