International Realism

ARC Purchase Awards

“The myth of Proserpina represents the changing of the seasons. Pomegranates represent fidelity and are an important part of the myth. Proserpina eats 6 pomegranate seeds in the underworld, and this

condemns her to stay there. She is finally saved and must spend only 6 months in the underworld and 6 months on earth with her mother.”

Nicolás Fasolino “Proserpina” 2022 - Oil on linen - 75 x 45 cm | 29 ½ x 17 ½ in

“Each year, there is a cyclical rebirth in spring. It is always unknown whether life will bloom. It can emerge slowly and appear abstract, just like human life. The flying, abstract, translucent flowers represent the birth or bloom of a new life and emerge towards Flora (the goddess of spring) in the middle ground before coming to life in her hair, symbolizing the waterfall of life, in the foreground. I chose hair as it too has stages of life: from anagen to telogen. Her shirt was white, but

I chose to bring a pattern of the flowers into her skin and top, moving down and back into her. The chosen colors of aqua, violet, yellow, and pink are soft, representing life in the beginning.

Flora gazes softly and confidently at the viewers, assuring us the life cycle will always be.”

Nanci France-Vaz “Emergence, A Story of Spring” 2021 Oil on linen mounted to ACM panel - 60.96 x 35.56 cm | 24 x 14 in

MEAM Purchase Award / Best Watercolor

American Fine Art Magazine Award / Sheng Xinyu Art Award

‘Venice Symphony 2021’ has the singular distinction of winning four awards in the 16th International ARC Salon Competition, including Best Watercolor, The MEAM Purchase Award, and two separate publication awards. The artist – first-time entrant, Chung-Wei Chien –has won a total of eight awards in this year’s competition. This is only the second time in the ARC Salon’s history that any artist has won this many awards in a single competition.

Chung-Wei Chien was born in 1968 and earned a master’s degree in fine arts at the National Taiwan Normal University. Over the years, he has won many awards in international competitions. In addition, he is the first artist in Taiwan to become a signature member and Dolphin

Fellow of the American Watercolor Society. He now teaches watercolor in Taiwan and has been invited to instruct watercolor workshops worldwide. About ‘Venice Symphony 2021’, Chien says, “The deciding factors in my mind while painting are not the scenery coming and going in front of my eyes, but the critical elements of a well-composed painting such as tempo, variation, rhythm, balance, coordination, etc. The composition and structure are the decisive factors of the completion of a picture. As long as you perfect the composition and structure, the painting is completed. Know what you want, figure out the sequence and direction, and concentrate on doing it. Acknowledge every trace and value left by your every movement. This is watercolor as well as life.”

The Artist Award

Chung-Wei Chien “Outside the Louvre” 2020 - Watercolor on paper - 37 x 27 cm

* This work also won an ARC Purchase Award and Plein Air Runner Up.

33 Artists & Illustrators Magazine Award

Anna Rose Bain “Taking Flight” 2022 - Oil on linen - 76.2 x 60.96 cm | 30 x 24 in

40 International Artist Award

Melissa Breault “Gold Embrace“ 2022 - Soft pastel - 78.74 x 58.42 cm | 31 x 23 in

American Art Collector Award

Jessica Gordon “Speaking My Peace to the Past” 2022 - Oil on panel - 22.86 x 30.48 cm | 9 x 12 in

Chairman’s Choice Awards

Christopher Remmers “Cristina“ 2022 - Oil on ACM (Artefex panel) - 73.66 x 53.34 cm | 29 x 21 in

Chairman’s Choice Awards

Figurative Category – Finalists

Kathy Lindert “Ventana” 2022 Oil on panel - 137.16 x 91.44 cm | 54 x 36 in

Huihan Liu “Contentment” 2021 Oil on linen - 91.44 x 60.96 cm | 36 x 24 in

Junyi Liu “At the End of the Show“ 2022 Oil on canvas - 91.44 x 60.96 cm | 36 x 24 in

Huihan Liu “Essence” 2020 - Oil on panel - 30.48 x 30.48 cm | 12 x 12 in Kathrin Longhurst “Skywards Bound” 2022 Oil on linen - 121.92 x 121.92 x cm | 48 x 48 in

Figurative Category – Finalists

Jane Manco “Evening in the Drawing Room” 2020 Oil on linen board - 30.48 x 30.48 cm | 12 x 12 in

Maribel Manzanares “I Lend You My Shoes” 2022 Oil on board - 60 x 90 cm | 23 ½ x 35 ¼ in

Christina Mastrangelo “Rebirth (Nocturne)” 2020 Oil on linen over panel - 60.96 x 60.96 cm | 24 x 24 in

Casey Krawczyk “Where the Bunchberry Grow” 2021 Oil on polyester-linen - 101.6 x 152.4 cm | 40 x 60 in

Arina Gordienko “A Fleeting Vision” 2022 Oil on Belgian linen - 75 x 75 cm | 29 ½ x 29 ½ in

Shelah Horvitz “Beyond” 2022 Oil on panel - 76.2 x 101.6 cm | 30 x 40 in

Portraiture Category – Finalists

Ashley Ogilvy “The Collector” 2022 - Oil on panel - 158 x 115 cm | 62 x 45 ¼ in

Portraiture Category – Finalists

Ginny Page “The Locksmith” 2019 Oil on panel - 77 x 60 cm | 30 ¼ x 23 ½ in

Jenedy Paige “She Believed” 2022 - Oil on panel - 25.4 x 25.4 cm | 10 x 10 in

Carla Paine “Long Winter” 2022 - Oil on linen - 63.5 x 53.34 cm | 25 x 21 in

Gayle Madeira “Portrait of Daniel Fetecua” 2022 Oil on linen panel 40.64 x 30.48 cm | 16 x 12 in

Imaginative Realism Category – Finalists

Nathaniel Skousen “Birth of the Moon” 2021 Oil on canvas - 86.36 x 71.12 cm | 34 x 28 in

Ardith Starostka “Queen Bee” 2022 Oil on linen mounted on panel 40.64 x 40.64 cm | 16 x 16 in

Alexandra Manukyan “I Know Not How to Find the Spring” 2022 Oil on Belgian linen - 91.44 x 60.96 cm | 36 x 24 in

Daria Kropacheva “First Spark” 2021 Oil on canvas - 60 x 50 cm | 23 ½ x 19 ½ in

Imaginative Realism Category – Finalists

Kevin Slaby “Steam Alley” 2021 - Oil on canvas - 101.6 x 76.2 cm | 40 x 30 in

310 Animal Category – Finalists

Clarke Berryman “Watching Too Long” 2020 - Oil on board - 91.44 x 76.2 cm | 36 x 30 in

Animal Category – Finalists

311

Sandra Blair “Feeding Frenzy” 2020 Acrylic on canvas - 30.48 x 60.96 cm | 12 x 24 in

Nikita Budkov “A Hidden Place” 2021 Oil on panel - 60.96 x 45.72 cm | 24 x 18 in

Robert Caldwell “In My Father’s Shadow” 2022 Oil on gessoed maple panel - 50.8 x 40.64 cm | 20 x 16 in

Berry Fritz “Sparrows and Paper Lanterns” 2022 Oil on linen - 50.8 x 60.96 cm | 20 x 24 in

Randall Bennett “Study, Drowsy Wild Dog” 2022 Oil on canvas panel - 20.1 x 29.7 cm | 7 ¾ x 11 ½ in

376 Drawing Category – Finalists

Kumiko S McKee “Melancholy in Spring” 2022 - Graphite on paper - 60.96 x 45.72 cm | 24 x 18 in

Drawing Category – Finalists

377

Chelsie Murfee “Signpost 2020” 2020 Graphite, pastel, and ink on paper - 144.78 x 93.98 cm | 57 x 37 in

Artittaya Na Takuatung “Birth of Apsara” 2022 Charcoal and white pastel on paper - 50.8 x 43.18 cm | 20 x 17 in

Edward Ewald “41” 2021 - Charcoal and white pastel on paper - 30.48 x 30.48 cm | 12 x 12 in

394 Still Life Category – Honorable Mentions

Chung-Wei Chien “Just Light Your Own Light” 2022 - Watercolor on paper - 27 x 37 cm | 10 ½ x 14 ½ in

Katie Runde “Still Life With Yellow Dahlias and Melancholy” 2020 Oil on linen - 81.28 x 60.96 cm 32 x 24 in

Megan Seiter “Black Sea” 2022 Colored pencil with pastel on sanded pastel paper 53.34 x 35.56 cm | 21 x 14 in

Rebecca Luncan “My Grandfather’s Poppies” 2022 - Oil on aluminum - 40.64 x 30.48 cm | 16 x 12 in

“At its best, fine art has the power to rivet us with an overwhelming sense of beauty and excitement, even move us to tears. It may be only the rarest works that achieve this, but many have credited such breath­taking experiences as the stimuli that set them on their personal lifetime quests as artists, collectors, art historians or art lovers. 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 between all peoples.” –

Frederick C Ross, ARC Chairman

The International ARC Salon is the largest, most influential and far­reaching competition in the world of 21st Century Realism. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational foundation, the Art Renewal Center is dedicated to promoting skill­based techniques in the visual arts. These skills are well represented in this book, which is dedicated to the winners and finalists of our 16th competition.