International Realism (2021) by ACC Art Books

International Realism

15th International ARC Salon®

ARC Salon Jurors MICHAEL JOHN ANGEL

Michael John Angel is an ARC Living Master and regarded as one of the foremost figurative painters alive today, with his paintings hanging in public and private collections on both sides of the Atlantic. From 1982 to 1988, he was Director of the National Portrait Academy in Toronto, Canada, and from 1992 to 1995 he was Assistant Director of the Florence Academy of Art in Florence, Italy. In 1997 he founded his school, the Angel Academy with the assistance of Lynne Barton. Angel Academy of Art is now one of the most successful atelier schools in the world, requiring of its students the highest standards of traditional techniques.

B. ERIC RHOADS

B. Eric Rhoads is the founder and Chairman of Streamline Publishing, Inc., publisher of Fine Art Connoisseur magazine, which provides art collectors and enthusiasts with in-depth editorial coverage of historical and contemporary representational art, authored by well-known experts. Rhoads also publishes PleinAir, a magazine focused on representational landscape painting. PleinAir provides in-depth coverage of historical and contemporary artworks painted “en plein air” and in studio, as well as the Plein Air Convention. The company also produces artist videos with many masters, including ARC Living Master Max Ginsburg. Rhoads, an entrepreneur, founded the company in 1986 and produces other magazines and conferences. In addition to being a well-known author and blogger on art marketing, he has released a DVD series for artists on marketing, and is a landscape and figurative painter.

ARC Salon Guest Jurors JULIETTE ARISTIDES

Juliette Aristides is an ARC Living Master and a founding member of the Water Street Atelier, with Jacob Collins. Aristides is a recipient of the Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grant. She founded the Classical Atelier at Gage Academy of Art in Seattle, Washington. She has authored three books: Classical Drawing Atelier, Classical Painting Atelier, and Lessons in Classical Drawing, which includes an instructional DVD and quickly became a bestseller. Her books have become well-received guidelines for drawing and painting.

JEANNIE WILSHIRE

Jeannie Wilshire is Co-Director of the Association of Fantastic Art, dedicated to the promotion, recognition, and elevation of the art of imaginative realism. The AFA is the organization behind the groundbreaking IX Symposium, the annual celebration of imaginative realism (founded in 2008), and the IX Exchange, the online nexus for collectors of original paintings, drawings and sculpture from this style of realist art. In addition, Wilshire is the author and designer of Visions of Never: The Collection of Fantastic Art (2009) and the forthcoming History of Imaginative Realism. She is also the designer of IlluXConcepts Volumes 1-5 and The Art of the Dragon: The Definitive Collection of Contemporary Dragon Paintings (2012). She was honored to be a guest curator of AT THE EDGE: Art of the Fantastic, the most comprehensive exhibition of imaginative realist art ever to be mounted in the US. AT THE EDGE premiered at the Allentown Art Museum in June 2012, drawing record crowds to the museum. Wilshire also curated the infra:REAL – The Art of Imaginative Realism show for the Jonathan Levine Gallery in NYC, which premiered in August 2015. Together with her husband, Patrick, Wilshire has been collecting original imaginative realist art for over 15 years.

DANIEL GRAVES

Daniel Graves is an ARC Living Master. He was a student of Richard Serrin at the Villa Schifanoia Graduate School of Fine Arts, and studied under Nerina Simi, daughter of the Florentine painter Filadelfo Simi, a student of Gérôme. Daniel Graves went on to found The Florence Academy of Art in 1991, where he still serves as Academic Director. In April 2008, Daniel Graves and The Florence Academy of Art received the Excellence in Art Education Award from the Portrait Society of America. The academy’s programs in Florence, Sweden, and the US are accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design.

ANTHONY WAICHULIS

Anthony Waichulis is an ARC Living Master and is regarded as the premiere trompe l’oeil painter living today. Celebrated by critics and collectors alike, Waichulis’ works have appeared in nearly every major art publication worldwide, including but not limited to: The Artist’s Magazine, Fine Art Connoisseur, American Artist, American Art Review, American Art Collector, ARTnews, and Art-Talk. Anthony has exhibited at a salvo of key venues across the country including the Smithsonian Institution, The National Arts Club, Orlando Museum of Art, the Butler Institute of American Art, and the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts, as well as The World Art Museum in Beijing, and many others. Waichulis is also the founder of the highly successful Waichulis Studio, and co-founder and chief curriculum designer of the Ani Art Academies International project. In 2011, the Waichulis Studio merged with the Ani Art Academies project to form the domestic flagship of the Ani project, the Ani Art Academy Waichulis, in Wilkes-Barre, PA. Since then, the Ani Art Academies project has seen the launch of two international Academies, Ani Art Academies Anguilla and Dominicana. Additional Academies using Waichulis’ now celebrated curriculum have opened in Thailand and Sri Lanka.

ARANTZAZU MARTINEZ

Arantzazu Martinez is a figurative oil painter and an ARC Living Master. After graduating with a Fine Arts degree in Spain she studied at the New York Academy of Art and the Water Street Atelier. She has since painted for Lucasfilm Ltd. as part of the Star Wars: Visions project, represented Spain in the Images of Russia project, and won Best in Show ARC 2015. She is the co-founder and a principal instructor of Atelier Madrid. Motivated by experience, Atelier Madrid has provided a space dedicated to teaching the classical process of drawing and painting in the traditional manner. Her paintings are in the permanent collection of the European Museum of Modern Art and a number of top collections, including the IBEX Collection. Martinez is an IBEX Master and exhibited her personal masterpiece, after two and a half years of work, together with 15 of the finest global contemporary figurative super-realist artists, at the IBEX Masters exhibition in New York in September 2019. Martinez is a passionate advocate for women in art and is a regular speaker on the issues faced by women seeking to build a career as a professional artist. JEAN STERN

A recognized authority on California Impressionism, art historian Jean Stern has extensive experience in the field as an author, curator, lecturer, and teacher. He is the executive director of the Irvine Museum Collection at the University of California, Irvine. In over 25 years at the museum, he has established a national presence for the Irvine Museum in the fields of California art and history, through a noteworthy international series of books, exhibitions, lectures, articles, and video documentaries. In his career, Stern has presented over 250 lectures and judged and juried nearly 100 art competitions. Stern has written essays for over 25 books and museum exhibition catalogs, such as all three Plein Air Painters of California series. He has presented tours and lectures on California art in numerous museums, including the International

Cultural Centre, Krakow, Poland; Mona Bismarck Foundation in Paris, France; and the National Academy Museum in New York, as well as many others. Stern was a consultant on and appears in Impressions of California, a PBS documentary video series on art in California, and consulted on Plein Air: Painting the American Landscape (PBS 2007). Since 1992, the Irvine Museum, with Jean Stern as Director, has produced a number of traveling exhibitions, including Selections from the Irvine Museum (1993 and 2010); Romance of the Bells: The California Missions in Art (1995); Guy Rose, and more. In 2017, Stern received the prestigious Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, from the French Ministry of Culture. He has also been presented with three Lifetime Achievement Awards: by the Laguna Plein Air Painters Association (2013); the Plein Air Painters of America (2014); and PleinAir Magazine at the Third Annual Plein Air Convention in Monterey, CA, in 2014.

DAN THOMPSON

Dan Thompson, an ARC Living Master, has won numerous awards. These include Grand Prize for Best of Show in the Portrait Society of America’s International Portrait Competition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Walter Erlebacher Award from the New York Academy of Art, two Ethel Lorraine Bernstein Memorial Awards for Excellence in Painting from the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design, and two Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grants. Thompson co-founded two schools of Art in New York City: The Grand Central Academy of Art and the Janus Collaborative School of Art. Thompson has served on the MFA faculty of the New York Academy of Art for 15 years, as well as the Art Students League of New York, and is a senior faculty member of Studio Incamminati, School for Contemporary Realist Art in Philadelphia.

JEFFREY T. LARSON

Jeffrey T. Larson was born in 1962 in Two Harbors, Minnesota, and grew up in the Twin Cities. Larson trained in the manner of the Old Masters at the prestigious Atelier Lack, a studio/school whose traditions and training methods reach back through impressionism and the 19th-century French academies. He followed his four-year formal training with museum study in the United States and abroad. Larson has a long history of gallery and museum shows featuring his work, including a solo exhibition at the Tweed Museum of Art, Duluth, MN. He has won a large number of awards and accolades, including First Place Still Life in the 2008/2009 ARC Salon Competition; First Place Figurative in the 12th ARC Salon Competition; Second Place Still Life in the 7th, 8th, and 11th ARC Salon Competitions; Best Miniature in the Susan Kathleen Black Foundation’s International Art Competition; and three first place wins in The Artist’s Magazine’s Annual Art Competitions in 2009, 2012, and 2013. He also served as a juror in The Artist’s Magazine’s 2010 competition. Larson has also been featured in various articles and programs from media such as PBS, US Art Magazine, Fine Art Connoisseur, and American Art Collector. In 2016, Jeffrey and his son, Brock, founded the ARC Approved Great Lakes Academy of Fine Art in Duluth, MN. XU MANGYAO

Born in 1945, Xu Mangyao is a leading figure in contemporary Chinese realistic painting and one of the few teachers who actively advocates the study of classical paintings in modern China. He has promoted the development of realistic art worldwide by hosting a series of classical painting seminars with European masters, such as Antonio López-García, Golucho, and Odd Nerdrum, in Spain, Italy, and China. Xu Mangyao is also a famous contemporary Chinese painter. In 1980 he received his MFA in painting from the China Academy of Art, and later became an instructor at the CAA painting department. In 1984, Xu

ARC Salon Jurors MICHAEL JOHN ANGEL

B. ERIC RHOADS

ARC Salon Guest Jurors JULIETTE ARISTIDES

JEANNIE WILSHIRE

DANIEL GRAVES

ANTHONY WAICHULIS

ARANTZAZU MARTINEZ

DAN THOMPSON

JEFFREY T. LARSON

ARC Salon Guest Jurors

Mangyao continued to advance his studies at the Académie des Beaux-Arts, Paris, France, with Professor Pierre Carron. From November 1991 to January 1993 Mangyao returned to France as a visiting scholar for academic exchange at the National School of Decorative Arts in Paris (L’École nationale supérieure des Arts Décoratifs). In 1998 he began teaching at the Fine Arts College of Shanghai Normal University, where he later became Professor and Dean. Xu Mangyao holds the positions of Distinguished Professor and PhD Tutor at the Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts. He has held individual exhibitions and joint exhibitions in Hong Kong, Macao, France, America, Britain, and Belgium. His works have been acquired by museums and collectors alike.

ARC Living Master. He has won top awards from all three organizations, including the John Singleton Copley Award for Artistic Achievement, First Place Landscape in the 9th and 13th International ARC Salon Competitions, and an ARC Purchase Award for his 2013 work “Creation in Time and Space”. He is also a former elected Fellow of the American Society of Marine Artists.

JOSEPH MCGURL

Julie Bell is an ARC Living Master who was born in Beaumont, Texas. A former competitive bodybuilder, her knowledge of anatomy has allowed her to imbue her figures of humans and animals with grace and strength. Julie’s work in the fantasy and science fiction field has appeared on hundreds of book covers, comic books, trading cards, and various collectibles. Every year, she and her husband, Boris Vallejo, produce the highly anticipated Boris Vallejo & Julie Bell’s Fantasy Calendar, published by Workman. Julie Bell should also be singled out as winning the most awards in any one competition ARC has ever held. During the 2012–2013 Salon she won First Place in the Imaginative Realism Category, First and Third Place in the Animal Category, and five additional recognitions.

Joseph McGurl was born in Massachusetts in 1958. He grew up working with his father, James McGurl, who was a muralist and Joseph’s most influential teacher. McGurl graduated from Massachusetts College of Art with a dual major in painting and education, continuing his studies in England and Italy. In search of a more solid education in drawing, McGurl sought out Robert Cormier, a devotee of the French Academy methods, with whom he studied figure drawing. McGurl’s paintings have been included in several museum exhibitions in Massachusetts, New York, California, and Rhode Island, as well as being exhibited in several group museum exhibitions, which travelled throughout the country. He has had retrospective solo shows at the Cape Cod Museum of Art, the Cahoon Museum of American Art, and the Saint Botolph Club of Boston. He was a participant in the From Sea to Shining Sea exhibition, which traveled to 12 museums over a four-year period. The Representing Representation exhibition included his work in their show at the Arnot Art Museum, and he simultaneously exhibited at the concurrent Representing Representation West, which showcased at the Rockwell Museum of Western Art. McGurl also exhibited at the Salmagundi Club, NYC; Sotheby’s Los Angeles; and the European Museum of Modern Art (MEAM) with the 13th ARC Salon Exhibition. McGurl has been elected to The Guild of Boston Artists and is a former Copley Master with the Copley Society of Art, Boston, as well as a current

JULIE BELL

MAUDIE BRADY

Maudie Brady is Principal Sculpture Instructor at the Florence Academy of Art’s campus in Florence, Italy, also serving as their Director of Anatomy and Écorché. In 1995 she graduated from the University of Melbourne (Bachelor of Arts). She then graduated from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in 1998 (Bachelor of Fine Arts – Sculpture), before continuing on to receive her Figurative Sculpture Diploma at FAA with a student teaching scholarship. She has received awards including The Society of Portrait Sculptors’ Prize for FACE2019; Joint Winner for the Tom Bass Prize 2016; Best Nude for her life-size sculpture “Laura” at the 12th International

ARC Salon Competition; and Honorable Mentions for “Wounded Faun”, “Muninn’s Fate”, and “Forsaken Son” in the 13th and 14th International ARC Salons. “Laura” was purchased by European Museum of Modern Art (MEAM, Barcelona) in 2017 for their permanent collection. RICHARD MACDONALD

Richard MacDonald was born in California in 1946 and has spent more than 30 years creating sculptures that capture the beauty, romance and essence of the human spirit in motion. With inspiration ranging from live models at the Royal Ballet School to the US Open, his body of work stands apart as distinctive and unique. Richard MacDonald is considered by many to be the world’s preeminent living figurative sculptor. A leading advocate of the figurative movement in the arts, MacDonald’s work has been featured in hundreds of solo and group exhibitions, as well as museums worldwide. Committed to inspiring future generations of artists, MacDonald is involved with numerous philanthropic pursuits and the development of the arts through mentoring programs and art education in schools and universities. A member of major international social and art associations, MacDonald has received countless awards, honors, and professorships, including recognition by the United States Olympic Committee. He has had the privilege of working with some of the greatest dancers and performers in the world, including those from Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, American Ballet Theatre, the Royal Ballet, and Cirque du Soleil. As a true visionary with the timeless human desire to create imaginative metaphors of the human psyche through representation of the body, each bronze by Richard MacDonald is part of an enduring legacy that brings figurative sculpture into the 21st century.

DANIEL GERHARTZ

MARY PETTIS

Drawing upon her classical, alla prima, and plein air training, Mary Pettis’ work stands on the cutting edge of the International Contemporary Realism movement. Pettis has won awards at national and international painting events and exhibitions from New York City to Scottsdale and Maui to Barcelona. In 2017, Pettis became the ninth American woman painter to receive the designation ARC Living Master from the Art Renewal Center. She is a Signature Member of the American Impressionist Society (AIS), the American Society of Marine Artists (ASMA), and the Oil Painters of America (OPA). Her art has taken her to the far corners of the world: China, Russia, and much of Europe. She has exhibited widely, including at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland; and collectors of her work reach around the globe. Pettis divides her time equally between the studio and outdoors. Her decades of training and the experience gathered from hundreds of plein air paintings are a catalyst for a symbolic visual language of expression that celebrates the beauty, dignity and worth of this world and its inhabitants. Mary and her husband Randy live along the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway in Minnesota.

Daniel Gerhartz is an ARC Living Master and has been featured in numerous publications, including the hardbound book Creative Oil Painting: Techniques from 15 Master Painters by Stephen Doherty. His teaching credentials include the Scottsdale Institute, and his work is included in the permanent collection of the West Bend Art Museum in Wisconsin and the Huntsville Museum of Art in Alabama. Gerhartz also won Best of Show in the 1st International ARC Salon Competition in 2004. He is one of the few living realists to successfully penetrate the secondary market, with works selling at important auction houses, including Sotheby’s.

This year, the International ARC Salon was juried by several members of our prestigious ARC Board of Judges, as well as some special guest jurors (four jurors per category). We have made sure to include jurors in each category who have specialized knowledge in the field they are adjudicating. In

RENÉE BEMIS

Renée Bemis has sat on the board of The Society of Animal Artists (SAA) for over 25 years. For the last five years she has served as President. She is currentlya member of the American Artists Professional League, and a distinguished member of the American Society of Marine Artists, as well as the Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club. Bemis has been a professional artist for 35 years. In 1994 Bemis won her first monumental public commission: “Returning on the Wings of Peace”, a 16-foot sculpture depicting a veteran with his child on his shoulders, installed at the entrance of a Veteran’s Hospital. Over the ensuing years, Bemis created public monuments for universities, hospitals, libraries, and parks. One of her latest pieces was a memorial to the 9/11 emergency responders, where Bemis used steel from the North Tower as part of her design. She has won numerous awards, including multiple Best in Show accolades, Medals of Honor, and President’s Awards. Bemis’s sculptures have been acquired by museums for their permanent collection and are found in private collections around the world.

addition to the 21 jurors listed above, we have another 20 or so jurors involved with selecting the winners of our partnering awards. To learn more about our partnering awards and the jurors of those awards, please visit the Other ARC Awards section on pages 17–19.

ARC Salon Guest Jurors

JOSEPH MCGURL

JULIE BELL

MAUDIE BRADY

DANIEL GERHARTZ

MARY PETTIS

RENÉE BEMIS

Best in Show

Robert Liberace

“Spartan”

2020 - Oil on canvas - 121.92 x 76.2 cm | 48 x 30 in

“The painting depicts my daughter, Ava, dressed in an assortment of athletic gear and posing with vintage boxing gloves as she defiantly stares down the viewer with a challenging gaze. The ambiguously spare background is intended to focus the attention on the boxer and create a monumental effect.

enormous leather mittens. Ava’s fighting spirit was keenly awakened once the gloves were laced up. She naturally struck poses exhibiting an indomitable confidence and unwavering conviction. This arrangement offers an alternate view of the modern young women, upending traditional roles often imposed by social or cultural conventions.

My wife found the heavily worn boxing gloves in a small-town antique store as we traveled home from a family trip, which happened to be near Muhammad Ali’s hometown. She thought they would make the perfect centerpiece for a portrait. The gloves were immediately put to use in the studio as my daughter and young nephew posed with these

The title ‘Spartan’ is inspired by a brand of boxing equipment, used by the great classic fighters, from Joe Louis to Ali. The name also evokes the feared warrior race of Classical Greece. It is a word which perfectly embodies the fighting spirit of all the women who live here in my humble Virginia home.”

Best in Show

Robert Liberace

“Spartan”

2020 - Oil on canvas - 121.92 x 76.2 cm | 48 x 30 in

William Bouguereau Award

Other ARC Salon Awards ARC PURCHASE AWARDS ARC Purchase Awards go into the Art Renewal Center’s growing collection of works. This year the ARC has purchased works with a combined value of over $140,000! The intent of the ARC Purchase Awards is to provide support to some of the most talented artists of the 21st century and to amass a large collection of the best of the 21st Century Representational Art Movement, in order to protect it for future generations. ARC Purchase Awards are given at the sole discretion of ARC’s Chairman, Frederick C. Ross, and Co-Chair/ Chief Operating Officer, Kara Lysandra Ross. Retail prices are shown. MEAM PURCHASE AWARD MEAM (Museum of European Modern Art) is a museum dedicated to contemporary realism, located at the Gomis Palace in El Born district, Barcelona. This is a neighborhood where culture is always present, reflecting the charm of the old part of the city. As an area that knows how to mix tradition and modernity, El Born has become a required visit for tourists interested in La Monumental – as has MEAM. The MEAM has selected a work from this year’s ARC Salon Competition to be added to the museum’s permanent collection. The purchased piece will be displayed in the museum on public view, and therefore will always be exhibited during the months this collection is open. FINE ART CONNOISSEUR MAGAZINE AWARD The winning artist will be awarded an article in the prestigious art magazine, Fine Art Connoisseur, which will be seen by tens of thousands of art collectors and enthusiasts worldwide. In addition, Fine Art Connoisseur will publish an article highlighting some of the winners of the 15th International Salon, just as it has highlighted winners for the past six years. Fine Art Connoisseur serves art collectors and enthusiasts with innovative articles about representational paintings, sculptures, drawings, and prints. The magazine, produced by Streamline Publishing, has developed a particularly strong reputation for its editorial coverage of realism, a field of artistic excellence generally overlooked by other periodicals.

Evgeniy Monahov

“Girl with a Gun”

2019 - Oil and tempera on canvas - 100 x 90 cm | 39 ¼ x 35 ¼ in

“A young girl, almost a child, sits on the floor, squeezing into the corner of the wall. She is holding a heavy Soviet TT – a pistol from the Second World War, still appreciated by modern bandits – and her finger is on the trigger. There is no hatred in her strained eyes, black as coal, but rather a request to leave her alone. Her left hand lies limp on top of her strained right; she is not ready to shoot … not yet. Where does the weapon in her small hands come from? Who is her

gaze directed at? Who stands in the place of the viewer? The answers to these questions will be different for each viewer. ‘Pictures are bits of life,’ as Sitka Charley, Jack London’s Native American character, used to say. You don’t know what happened before the instant captured in this painting, nor can you anticipate what will happen next. You can only see ‘the now’ - a moment frozen in time, as if caught in amber.”

This award was chosen by the magazine’s editor-inchief, Peter Trippi, and publisher, B. Eric Rhoads. PLEINAIR MAGAZINE AWARD One artist who paints en plein air was chosen for a feature article about their artwork in PleinAir magazine, the bestselling art magazine in Barnes & Noble stores nationwide. Painting “en plein air” - from nature, out-ofdoors - and painting from life form the foundation of much of the history of art. Today, tens of thousands of artists and collectors have joined a new plein air movement, which you can follow in PleinAir, published by Streamline Publishing.

This award was chosen by the magazine’s editor-inchief, Kelly Kane, and publisher, B. Eric Rhoads. COLLECTIONS MAGAZINE AWARD This year, five artists have been selected to receive a featured article in Collections Magazine. Founded in 1993, Collections Magazine has published 252 monthly issues and has the highest reputation for art collection and art marketing in China. Collections Magazine was named China’s most influential journal in 60 years and was nominated three times for the National Journal Award. This award was selected by the magazine’s editor-inchief, Yinglun Ji. ENCHANTED LIVING MAGAZINE AWARD Enchanted Living, formally known as Faerie Magazine, is a quarterly print magazine that celebrates all things enchanted – from a scattering of mushrooms in an ancient forest to a sweet, scented gown made only of roses. The New York Times described it this way: “It’s as though Martha Stewart’s Living and Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queene had a magazine baby.” Founded by artist and visionary Kim Cross in 2005 and helmed by novelist Carolyn Turgeon since 2013, the magazine is a feast for the senses. Every issue features exquisite photography, recipes, original fiction, and poetry, as well as travel pieces, artist profiles, home decor, otherworldly beauty tips, craft tutorials, and much more – with a dash of enchantment sprinkled throughout. The publication reaches readers not only through its print and digital editions (including through the Faerie Mag app) but also through its massive social media platforms, with 1.6 million fans on Facebook, 220,000 followers on Instagram, and 85,000 subscribers to its weekly newsletter. This publication award goes to an artist whose work captures a love of fantasy and creativity. This award was juried by the magazine’s editor-in-chief, Carolyn Turgeon; art director, Lisa Gill; and photo editor, Steve Parke. POETSARTISTS PUBLISHING PRIZE This year’s PoetsArtists Publishing Prize winner will be interviewed by Didi Menendez and featured online at the PoetsArtists website. PoetsArtists is an online platform that unites artists, authors, art collectors, galleries, and other art-affiliated members. Their mission is to ignite creativity and connect an already strong community with further artistic and literary opportunities. They publish issues eight to 12 times a year, focusing on Contemporary Figurative Realism, portraiture, and poetry. This award was chosen by the prominent art collector, Jim Seale.

William Bouguereau Award

Evgeniy Monahov

“Girl with a Gun”

2019 - Oil and tempera on canvas - 100 x 90 cm | 39 ¼ x 35 ¼ in

Other ARC Salon Awards SOUTHWEST ART MAGAZINE AWARD The winner of this award will have their work featured in Southwest Art magazine in connection to an article on the 15th ARC Salon Competition/Exhibition. With over 40 years of experience, Southwest Art is the leading magazine devoted to American Western art. Each issue puts readers in touch with the artists, galleries, and collectors that shape the market. Southwest Art is part of the Fine Art group at Golden Peak Media, which offers magazines, online content, fine art contests, art videos, art classes, and more. This award was adjudicated by the magazine’s editor-inchief, Kristin Hoerth. THE ARTIST AWARD The winning artist will be featured in The Artist magazine. Published in the UK with a worldwide circulation, the magazine is written by artists, for artists, and has been inspiring experienced amateurs and professional painters since 1931. Each issue of The Artist is packed with drawing and painting demonstrations, practical guidance, insights into leading professional artists’ working practices, and test reports on materials and techniques to help develop readers’ confidence and skills in all media. This award was juried by the magazine’s publishing editor, Dr Sally Bulgin. ARTISTS & ILLUSTRATORS MAGAZINE AWARD The winner of this award receives a featured article in Artists & Illustrators magazine and a oneyear subscription to the magazine’s Portfolio Plus service. Written for artists and art lovers, Artists & Illustrators magazine provides practical painting advice and inspiration. Each issue contains a colorful palette of artist profiles and features, together with valuable practical ideas, expert technical advice, and a host of How-to guides, written by leading artists. Whether you favor oils or watercolors, portraits or landscapes, abstract art or botanical illustration, Artists & Illustrators magazine brings a refreshing blend of creativity and advice every four weeks. The Artists & Illustrators website has hundreds of How-to guides to get you inspired, as well as regular art competitions and offers. Be sure to take a look around Portfolio Plus: an exciting online community in which artists can share, showcase, and sell their work from their own personalized webpage. This award was adjudicated by Steve Pill, the magazine’s editor. FWSD AWARD We are excited to announce our third partnership with Fashion Week San Diego. FWSD designers will be matched with the 10 winning artists’ work, each of which

Other ARC Salon Awards will inspire an original couture outfit and look. After the first successful event at FWSD in San Diego, October 2018, we decided to bring this event to New York while the ARC Salon Exhibition as a whole was on view. The ARC Salon winning works, along with the specially designed garments, will début at Sotheby’s New York this July. This award was adjudicated by FWSD in coordination with the ARC. SPRINGVILLE MUSEUM OF ART EXHIBITION AWARD The Springville Museum of Art, Utah, has added an ongoing award to the ARC Salon Competition, with a Featured ARC Artist gallery wall in their Founders Gallery. The museum will select one ARC Salon Finalist from the state of Utah each competition to be featured at the museum over the course of the following year. The Springville Museum of Art is Utah’s first museum for the visual fine arts, dedicated as a “Sanctuary of Beauty and a Temple of Contemplation”. The museum houses over 2,500 works. Utah art, 20thcentury Soviet Realist art, and American art comprise the museum’s permanent collection. With over 15 annual exhibitions, the museum is a key promoter and contributor to the arts in Utah. Artwork is displayed throughout 29 galleries across this 45,000 square foot facility and beautiful outdoor sculpture garden. The museum seeks to fulfill its mission by refining minds and building character through the fine arts. As the official State Wide Art Partnership (SWAP) headquarters, the museum is home for visual art educational outreach programs to the schools of Utah. A variety of exhibitions, concerts, programs, and special events are offered throughout the year. This award was adjudicated by a representative(s) of the Springville Museum of Art. REHS CONTEMPORARY GALLERIES, INC. AWARD Rehs Contemporary Galleries, Inc., New York City, has selected eight artists for a group exhibition and sale to be held at their gallery on 57th Street in the spring of 2022. Rehs Contemporary Galleries, Inc. began as a new venture stemming from Rehs Galleries, Inc., which specializes in 19th and early 20th-century European works of art. Following in suit with the art world they know best, Rehs Contemporary Galleries, Inc. represents contemporary artists who create original works in a traditional style: works that demonstrate an artist’s superior technical skills and classical training. This award was selected by Rehs Contemporary Galleries in coordination with the ARC.

FIGURATIVE ART CONVENTION & EXPO (FACE) AWARD The winning artist will be given a full vacation experience at the Figurative Art Convention and Expo (FACE), created by Fine Art Connoisseur magazine and the Realism Today newsletter. This award will consist of the entire registration fee, including the addition of the pre-convention workshop and studio pass, as well as a hotel room and $500 cash towards travel expenses for the 2021 event. This event will take place from 6 to 10 November, 2021, in Williamsburg, VA. In addition, the artist will receive a feature on their work in Realism Today, a weekly publication dedicated to the 21st Century Representational Art Movement. The Figurative Art Convention is the only conference focused on Contemporary Realism. It features four days of sessions, speakers, and demonstrations, with an emphasis on realism. The event is a full representational art experience and a great way to make connections to other important people in the art world. This award was chosen by Peter Trippi, editor-in-chief of Fine Art Connoisseur, and B. Eric Rhoads, publisher and founder of the magazine. THE ARTIST’S LIBRARY This collection of 40 inspirational books and catalogs for the Contemporary Realist artist focuses on Old Masters and 19th-century artists. It also includes staple publications related to the 21st Century Representational Art Movement. This treasure trove of books includes the William Bouguereau catalogue raisonné by Damien Bartoli and Frederick C. Ross, William Bouguereau: The Essential Works by Frederick C. Ross, and Kara Lysandra Ross, J.W. Godward: The Eclipse of Classicism by Vern G. Swanson, Frank Dicksee: 1853-1928; His Art and Life by Simon Toll, Twilight of Painting by RH Ives Gammell, The Boston Painters, 1900-1930 by RH Ives Gammell, The Dictionary of Human Form by Ted Seth Jacobs, The Artist’s Complete Guide to Figure Drawing by Anthony Ryder, Classical Painting Atelier by Juliette Aristides, Classical Drawing Atelier by Juliette Aristides, Richard F. Lack: Catalogue Raisonné by Gary B. Christensen and Stephen Gjertson, a full set of the first 14 years of ARC Salon Catalogs, and much more, including some original publications from the 19th century. This award was selected by ARC Co-Chair/Chief Operating Officer, Kara Lysandra Ross, and includes the cost of shipping. PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD For the first seven days the results were live on the ARC website, we held an election for our People’s Choice Award! Visitors to the ARC website were able to vote for up to 10 of their favorite finalists or winning works. The winner received $1,000 cash and a full-page entry in this book.

OTHER AWARDS Our Other ARC Awards include Most Ambitious Work, Best Nude, Best Social Commentary, Best Trompe l’Oeil, Best Pastel, and Best Watercolor, as well as runners-up in these categories. In addition, we have our Dual Category Award winners, who ranked in the top 20 works in more than one category, but did not place in First, Secord or Third. Finally, we also have our Chairman’s Choice Awards, chosen by our Chairman, Frederick C. Ross; and our ARC Staff Awards, each chosen by one member of the ARC staff.

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Landscape Category – Finalists

Jeff Ripple “Evocation I” 2020 Oil on gessoed hardboard - 30.48 x 60.96 cm | 12 x 24 in

Thomas Adkins “Harbor Sunrise, Round Pond, Maine” Oil - 50.8 x 76.2 cm | 20 x 30 in

Anzhelika Doliba “The Cathedral of Saint Mary of Toledo” Silverpoint drawing on board - 60.96 x 60.96 cm | 24 x 24 in

2020

Matthew Cutter “Entering Yellowstone” Oil on canvas - 91.44 x 91.44 cm | 36 x 36 in

2019

Mike D Wodnick “Light Fandango” 2019 Oil on canvas - 40.64 x 55.88 cm | 16 x 22 in Lee Alban “Waiting on a Night Train” Oil on panel - 60.96 x 91.44 cm | 24 x 36 in

2020

Marc Hanson Katsu Nakajima “Forest of Mononoke” Oil on canvas - 27 x 41 cm | 10 ½ x 16 in

Melissa Breault

“Heartroot” 2019 Soft pastel - 15.24 x 20.32 cm | 6 x 8 in

“Woody Edge” 2019 Oil on canvas - 76.2 x 121.92 cm | 30 x 48 in

2020

Roger Dale Brown “Evening Light” Oil on linen - 101.6 x 106.68 cm | 40 x 42 in

2020

Kim VanDerHoek “Dreaming of DC” Oil on panel - 60.96 x 76.2 cm | 24 x 30 in

2019

Hsin-Yao Tseng “Into the Light” 2020 Oil on panel - 60.96 x 60.96 cm | 24 x 24 in

219

218

Landscape Category – Finalists

Jeff Ripple “Evocation I” 2020 Oil on gessoed hardboard - 30.48 x 60.96 cm | 12 x 24 in

Thomas Adkins “Harbor Sunrise, Round Pond, Maine” Oil - 50.8 x 76.2 cm | 20 x 30 in

Anzhelika Doliba “The Cathedral of Saint Mary of Toledo” Silverpoint drawing on board - 60.96 x 60.96 cm | 24 x 24 in

2020

Matthew Cutter “Entering Yellowstone” Oil on canvas - 91.44 x 91.44 cm | 36 x 36 in

2019

Mike D Wodnick “Light Fandango” 2019 Oil on canvas - 40.64 x 55.88 cm | 16 x 22 in Lee Alban “Waiting on a Night Train” Oil on panel - 60.96 x 91.44 cm | 24 x 36 in

2020

Marc Hanson Katsu Nakajima “Forest of Mononoke” Oil on canvas - 27 x 41 cm | 10 ½ x 16 in

Melissa Breault

“Heartroot” 2019 Soft pastel - 15.24 x 20.32 cm | 6 x 8 in

“Woody Edge” 2019 Oil on canvas - 76.2 x 121.92 cm | 30 x 48 in

2020

Roger Dale Brown “Evening Light” Oil on linen - 101.6 x 106.68 cm | 40 x 42 in

2020

Kim VanDerHoek “Dreaming of DC” Oil on panel - 60.96 x 76.2 cm | 24 x 30 in

2019

Hsin-Yao Tseng “Into the Light” 2020 Oil on panel - 60.96 x 60.96 cm | 24 x 24 in

219

224

Plein Air Painting Category – Finalists

Plein Air Painting Category – First Place Winner

Plein Air Painting Category Plein air painting is about painting on-site and creating beautiful scenes fully from life in a natural setting. Its origins started centuries ago as a way to capture color and light, and works created with this method were often used by artists as reference sketches when creating academic studio works. However, this style of painting took on a life of its own, becoming a favorite of the French Impressionists. Their desire to paint light and its changing, ephemeral qualities, married with the creation of transportable paint tubes and the box easel, allowed artists the freedom to paint “en plein air,” which is the French expression for “in the open air”. Although this category is most often associated with landscape paintings, figurative works that were also painted en plein air are encouraged in this category.

Tim Kelly

“Welcome to Manayunk”

2018 - Oil on canvas - 45.72 x 60.96 cm | 18 x 24 in

“This was painted on site in Manayunk, PA in May 2018, as part of the Wayne Plein Air Festival. It was completed entirely in one session. The painting was chosen as Best in Show for the event.”

225

224

Plein Air Painting Category – Finalists

Plein Air Painting Category – First Place Winner

Tim Kelly

“Welcome to Manayunk”

2018 - Oil on canvas - 45.72 x 60.96 cm | 18 x 24 in

“This was painted on site in Manayunk, PA in May 2018, as part of the Wayne Plein Air Festival. It was completed entirely in one session. The painting was chosen as Best in Show for the event.”

225

226

Plein Air Painting Category – Second Place Winner

Joshua Cunningham

“Abandoned to Sunset”

Plein Air Painting Category – Third Place Winner

227

2020 - Oil on linen - 60.96 x 91.44 cm | 24 x 36 in

Jim McVicker

“Backlit Roses” 2019 Oil on linen panel - 50.8 x 40.64 cm | 20 x 16 in

“This large plein air painting was created over the course of 5 evenings. I was initially captivated by how the farm seemed to tumble down the hillside, but once I got my bearings and realized how the setting sun would light them up, everything was organized around my anticipation

of the evening light. Each evening deepened my understanding of the light, subject, and setting. Locals stopped to visit; some checked my progress each night, others to share their version of how the place became abandoned.”

“This is painted in the summer on the back deck of our studios, looking west, late in the day. The roses were clipped from a bush growing next to my studio. It was a tricky piece: a slight breeze kept me worried that my set up would completely change. It hung on for me, but memory

played a part with the changing shapes and changing light. I found it very stimulating to combine the rich color of the roses with the more subdued landscape.”

226

Plein Air Painting Category – Second Place Winner

Joshua Cunningham

“Abandoned to Sunset”

Plein Air Painting Category – Third Place Winner

227

2020 - Oil on linen - 60.96 x 91.44 cm | 24 x 36 in

Jim McVicker

“Backlit Roses” 2019 Oil on linen panel - 50.8 x 40.64 cm | 20 x 16 in

played a part with the changing shapes and changing light. I found it very stimulating to combine the rich color of the roses with the more subdued landscape.”

228

Plein Air Painting Category – Honorable Mentions

Jim McVicker

Tibor Nagy

Tim Kelly

“Nocturne”

“The Artist Garden”

2020 - Oil on linen - 101.6 x 152.4 cm | 40 x 60 in

2017 - Oil - 60 x 60 cm | 23 ½ x 23 ½ in

“In Her Black Lace Dress”

2019 - Oil on canvas - 45.72 x 60.96 cm | 18 x 24 in

Darby Vincent Alcoseba

“Flowing Luck”

2020 - Oil on canvas - 76.2 x 101.6 cm | 30 x 40 in

229

228

Plein Air Painting Category – Honorable Mentions

Jim McVicker

Tibor Nagy

Tim Kelly

“Nocturne”

“The Artist Garden”

2020 - Oil on linen - 101.6 x 152.4 cm | 40 x 60 in

2017 - Oil - 60 x 60 cm | 23 ½ x 23 ½ in

“In Her Black Lace Dress”

2019 - Oil on canvas - 45.72 x 60.96 cm | 18 x 24 in

Darby Vincent Alcoseba

“Flowing Luck”

2020 - Oil on canvas - 76.2 x 101.6 cm | 30 x 40 in

229

Fine art at its best has the power to move one to tears, or grab your sensibilities and rivet you in the moment with an overwhelming sense of beauty and excitement. It may be the rare work that accomplishes this, but for those who have had this experience, many have credited it as the stimulus that set them on a personal lifetime quest: whether as an artist, collector, art historian or avid art lover. The vocabulary of International Realism is unique in one important way: it can be understood by all people everywhere on earth, regardless of what language they speak or write, capturing important events, experiences and emotions, and conveying an understanding of our shared humanity. Thus, International Realism is a universal language that enables communication with all people, past, present, and future. The International ARC Salon is the largest, most influential and far-reaching competition in the world for 21st Century Realism. As a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit educational foundation, the Art Renewal Center is dedicated to promoting skill-based techniques in the visual arts. These are well represented in this book, which is dedicated to the winners and finalists of our 15th competition.

Art Renewal Center

ISBN: 978-1-78884-118-4

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£49.95/$65.00

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