Utrecht Competition Winners 2010

Untitled by James Caron

Courtney Jordan — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 20:52:27 GMT

Utrecht Competition 2010:

1st Honorable Mention—Painting

Untitled by James Caron
Acrylic, 22 x 28.

Caron enjoys creating works where sketchy brushwork is evident. He is based in New Hampshire.

Prize Information:

Grand Prize—The Grand Prize winner receives a 6-week full scholarship to the Grand Central Academy of Art in New York City, and up to $3,500 to cover travel expenses and accommodations.

Category Winners—The top three winners in each category (Drawing, Painting, Sculpture) will be awarded a Utrecht ArtSmart™ gift card. First place receives a $1,500 ArtSmart™ gift card, second place gets a $750 ArtSmart™ gift card, and third place wins a $500 ArtSmart™ gift card.

Honorable Mentions—The three honorable mentions in each category will receive Certificates of Merit from Utrecht and a subscription to American Artist.

Untitled by Angela Sekerak

Courtney Jordan — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 16:29:54 GMT

Utrecht Competition 2010:

3rd Honorable Mention—Drawing

Untitled by Angela Sekerak
Monochromatic oil wash on linen, 11 x 8.

Sekerak received a classical art education that she uses to communicate through her work with spontaneity, beauty, and intention. A professional painter in central Illinois, Sekerak gleans inspiration for her paintings from many sources, including books, nature, music, or, especially, other people. To her, the human figure is the most challenging and rewarding subject to paint.

Rhino by Brooklyn Henke

Courtney Jordan — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 16:24:25 GMT

Utrecht Competition 2010:

2nd Honorable Mention—Drawing

Rhino by Brooklyn Henke
Ink on gessoed board and oil on gessoed paper, 24 x 35.

Henke is a working artist who graduated from MIAD in 2009. Her work concentrates on movement, light, and form. She plans to pursue graduate school in drawing and painting.

Jou Jou by Jacques Bredy

Courtney Jordan — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 16:20:59 GMT

Utrecht Competition 2010:

1st Honorable Mention—Drawing

Jou Jou by Jacques Bredy
Pencil on toned paper, 8 x 10.

January Thaw by William Amptman

Courtney Jordan — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 16:14:41 GMT

Utrecht Competition 2010:

3rd Place—Drawing

January Thaw by William Amptman
Graphite on paper, 12.5 x 14.

Amptman, 67, is a retired commercial artist residing in rural Pennsylvania.

Howl Now by Derick Albeck

Courtney Jordan — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 16:04:31 GMT

Utrecht Competition 2010:

2nd Place—Drawing

Howl Now by Derick Albeck
Graphite on paper mounted to mirror, 24 x 20, 2010.

Derek Albeck was born in the San Fernando Valley of Southern California, and currently lives and works in Los Angeles. In 2005 he graduated with honors from California State University Northridge with a Bachelors in Art, focusing on printmaking and painting. Developing complex figurative works using the graphic sensibilities absorbed from his studies in various forms of printmaking, Albeck's drawings and serigraphs serve as an intense investigation and critique on the human condition.

Untitled by Gina McGinnis

Courtney Jordan — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 16:00:23 GMT

Utrecht Competition 2010:

1st Place—Drawing

Untitled by Gina McGinnis
Charcoal on paper, 17 x 23.

McGinnis, 24, fuses realism and abstract design to create figurative works that communicate a single thought or emotion. Her primary teacher has been Nancy Honea, a student of Nelson Shanks.

Bronze Sculpture by Robert Fletcher

Courtney Jordan — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 15:41:38 GMT

Utrecht Competition 2010:

3rd Honorable Mention—Sculpture

Bronze Sculpture by Robert Fletcher
Bronze, 34 x 12 x 9.

Fletcher studied at the American Academy of Art in Chicago and spent the first part of his career as an illustrator. He now paints and sculpts full time. His work is representational/figurative and in it he strives to show grace, movement, and energy. He is based in Colorado.

Untitled by Melinda Whitmore

Courtney Jordan — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 15:37:52 GMT

Utrecht Competition 2010:

2nd Honorable Mention—Sculpture

Untitled by Melinda Whitmore
Resin, fiberglass, iron, and copper; 48 x 24 x 20.

Whitmore's intention in sculpture and painting is to depict ordinary life as one writes history, whether banal or epic, without falsifying the subject. She portrays figures honestly, exposing the fragile nature of human emotion juxtaposed with enduring strength of character. This exploration of humanity, the vulnerability and psychology of the figure, are as interesting to the artist as are the features and anatomy of the human form. With simplicity of composition and a concentration on the figure, she pushes viewers to confront anatomy, forms of flesh, body language, and facial expression. Whitmore hopes to achieve results that are very silent and very grand, inspiring and sometimes disturbing the viewer to look not only at the figure portrayed, but also at themselves through her work.

Untitled by Alexandra Martin

Courtney Jordan — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 15:29:59 GMT

Utrecht Competition 2010:

1st Honorable Mention—Sculpture

Untitled by Alexandra Martin

Martin was born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA; attended the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, and Columbia University in New York City. She studied sculpture at the National Academy of Design School of Fine Arts in NYC with Anthony Antonios and Barney Hodes. Her work is in collections in the US and Canada and is currently being shown in exhibitions in NYC, Washington, DC, Texas, Canada, and New Jersey. She lives in New Jersey.

Nosfaratu by Jacques Bredy

Courtney Jordan — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 15:24:52 GMT

Utrecht Competition 2010:

3rd Place—Sculpture

Nosfaratu by Jacques Bredy
Wax/resin.

Bredy is based in New Jersey.

Portrait Sculpt from Life by Anthony Alemany

Courtney Jordan — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 15:22:06 GMT

Utrecht Competition 2010:

2nd Place—Sculpture

Portrait Sculpt from Life by Anthony Alemany
16 x 14 x10, water-based clay.

Alemany studied and graduated from the Savannah College of Art and Design. While at SCAD he discovered sculpture and eventually travelled abroad for a summer course at the Florence Academy of Art. In Florence, Alemany found realist artists from the past and present who exert a kind of beauty and passion in their work that Alemany aspired to in his own. In his work, he hopes to inspire beauty and ask moral questions that will engage the viewer in an intellectual conversation and provoke an appreciation for realism in art. Alemany is based in Maine.

Bust of Richard Serrin by Matthew Collins

Courtney Jordan — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 15:15:55 GMT

Utrecht Competition 2010:

1st Place—Sculpture

Bust of Richard Serrin by Matthew Collins
Terra cotta, life-size.
Collins is deeply impressed by the work of the Old Masters, and endeavors to revive a similar language that is relevant today. The power and psychological possibility of the portrait greatly informs his work. He lives in Illinois.

Eli at the Creek by Thomas Wheeler

Courtney Jordan — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 15:00:57 GMT

Utrecht Competition 2010:

3rd Honorable Mention—Painting

Eli at the Creek by Thomas Wheeler
Oil on canvas, 15 x 30.

Wheeler lives in Washington, and loves painting natural subjects, rocks and water, as well as people and figures. He completed a BFA from Brigham Young University in 1997 and desires to spend spend more time painting and creating artwork, focusing on strong composition and principles of good design.

Untitled by Nick Weber

Courtney Jordan — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 14:57:04 GMT

Utrecht Competition 2010:

2nd Honorable Mention—Painting

Untitled by Nick Weber
Oil on canvas, 24 x 36.

Based in Amagansett, New York, Weber is an oil painter whose passion is painting night landscapes, in which he hopes to depict a world of mystery.