The National Oil and Acrylic Painters Society recently announced the winners of its Spring 2019 Online International competition. (Click images to enlarge)
With more than 1150 entries, my painting “Be Still My Soul” was selected as the Best of Show by William Schneider, the juror of awards. He is a Master Signature Member of the Oil Painters of America, the Pastel Society of America, and the American Impressionist Society. He has also been named to the Masters Circle by the International Association of Pastel Societies.
William Schnieder (Website)
It’s a great honor to have my work selected for this award by such a distinguished and highly respected artist.
You will find the criteria by which he judges art both informative and helpful, listed in order of importance.
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Drawing – First and foremost, it must be accurate. If the right parts aren’t in the right places, the painting won’t work for me.
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Design – The distribution of light and dark masses is what grabs the viewer from across the room.
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Value structure – Regardless of the key, I want the forms to seem solid. (Although they can be suggested…I still want them to hang together).
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Edges – It is a sign of mastery to depict the full hierarchy of edges, from razor-sharp to completely lost…it gives the paintings veracity.
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Color temperature – As we develop, the ability to see (and paint) the temperature relationship between light and shadow is usually the last basic skill we learn.
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“It” – Whether one calls it creativity, personal vision, concept, or something else, the best pieces reveal the artist’s unique interpretation…as in “that painting really has it!”
“Be Still My Soul” – 30″ x 40″ – Oil
Sadly, it is time to retire this piece from competition. I’m not a believer in milking a painting to death because of its previous success in competition. I’ve entered this painting in three competitions, and it has won three awards…Silver Medal, 2018 Oil Painters of America National; Honorable Mention, 2018 Art Renewal Center International Salon…and now this.
If you are interested in learning how I created this piece, I explain it all in a previous blog post. Click HERE.
