Making A Mark Awards 2009: Nominations for the best picture (portrait/figures)

The Making a Mark Prize for Best Artwork - Portrait / Figures 2009 aims to celebrate and highlight excellence in portraiture and/or artwork predominantly involving figures

Below you can find the are the nominations I received for the best picture (portrait/figure) in 2009.

• I'll be selecting three of these to go forward to the vote on the best picture of 2009
• I'll be including larger images of these in the invite to vote - which gets posted tomorrow.
  
• You then have 5 days (until 29th December) to vote for the work you think is the best.

"Joy"
by Maria Pace Wynters
(nominated by Julie Broom)

I'd like to nominate Maria Pace-Winters for her painting 'Joy'. For me this image just sings with colour, life and happiness. In my opinion this work showcases the vibrance and liveliness of Maria's exquisite mixed media technique.

"Palm Sunday"
by Karin Jurick
(nominated by James Neil Hollingsworth)

I'd like to nominate Karin Jurick for her painting, "Palm Sunday". Nobody knows their way around a body like Karin. When you view her paintings, you know there is a heart beating within that figure.

"Brandi"
by Nancy Kearney
(nominated by Jennifer Kearney)

I'd like to nominate Nancy Kearney for her painting, "Brandi". I believe that she has such a beautiful and sensitive way of painting that is reminiscent of the Old Masters. I think she is amazing, and I know others feel the same way!

"A woman sketching"
by Gary Nemkosky
(nominated by Ann Thomson Nemkosky)

I am going out on a limb here and nominate a portrait of me done by my husband, Gary Nemcosky. It was done for the challenge blog, Following the Masters, and although I admire his skill with all of his figurative work, this one seems to radiate with the blend of Vermeer's inspiration and his own unique style of painting.

"Daydreaming of Yesterday"
by Kelly Borsheim
(nominated by Jeanne Rhea)

I would like to nominate Kelly Borsheim for her charcoal drawing of Daydreaming. It was difficult for me to pick one piece as she captures the essence of the nude in every one of her paintings or drawings.

“Memories of Venice”
by Kelly Borsheim
(nominated by Andrew Cahner and Jo Castillo)

I would like to nominate “Memories of Venice” by Kelly Borsheim. In a world bombarded with fantasy characters, the figure in this drawing has a refreshing feeling of authenticity. The pose is calming and contemplative, with just enough mystery to make me wonder…What is she doing there? What is she thinking? I am always curious about the process behind the art, so I also enjoyed reading the artist’s comments about this piece in the blog entry. Many people consider the human form to be the most challenging subject to draw. I would go beyond that and say that the best figurative artists capture a sense of the human spirit as well. This results in an image that feels like a real person with real thoughts and feelings. I think Kelly Borsheim’s work rises to this level.

I, too, would like to nominate “Memories of Venice” by Kelly Borsheim. Kelly has such a touch and eye for the human form. This piece stirs my curiosity about the woman and the reasons for her being in that strange place. I feel a sense of independence in her. I must say that I like all of Kelly's work. The mystery and lovely sculpting of this piece is especially appealing to me.

"The Retired Captain"
by David Larson Evans
(nominated by Sharon Wright)

I nominate David Larson Evans and his painting 'The Retired Captain'. This painting for me has everything,wide colour and tonal range, fabulous brushwork, a sense of mystery, an unusual viewpoint, which all comes together to make a stunning image.It was hard to choose just one painting as all of Davids' work is a joy to behold. I love his sense of humour, his fearless experimentation, his tireless hard work to achieve improvement. Well, it doesn't get better than this! It i my favourite place to visit.

"In your own darkroom, wishes..."
by Pierre Raby
(nominated by David Page Coffin)

Clearly this is yet another amazing example of how skillful photo-realist artists have become in our day; in this respect Raby is at the top of my short list. But this piece uses its impressive technique to such effect that, to my eye, the technique vanishes, revealing such a vivid and heartfelt moment that I forget it's a drawing, and even that it's a graphite one. I feel so much presence and affection glowing from it that in my memory, the image is full color, and full of life, completely not about the artist.

a work
by Liza Hurst
(nominated by Olha Pryymak)

Fellow DPer Liza Hirst! For her amazing ability to capture the mood of the sitter and render it masterfully on the canvas.

(Olha didn't pick a work so I chose one which is a painting of a large group - something which not many painters would tackle.)

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Why not tell me which three you would pick?

You can also see

• Making A Mark Awards 2009: Nominations for the best picture (place)
• Making A Mark Awards 2009: Nominations for the best picture (still life)
• who all the past winners are / who has been nominated for an award in 2009

Note: The rules for nominations were as follows:

• In 2009, any artist creating portraits or artwork predominantly involving figures - real or imaginary - and posting their work to their art or illustrated blog can be nominated.
• 2D artwork is eligible - artwork can be a painting (in any media) or a drawing (in any media) or a fine art print (using any method)
• Work is NOT eligible if it appears to be be one or more of the following:
• was not completed in 2009
  
• has not appeared on an art or illustrated blog in 2009
• over-reliant on a photograph not taken by the artist
  
• subjected to lots of digital manipulation/tweaks (over and above that needed to make it read 'true' on screen)
• An artist can be nominated more than once - by different people - for different works
  
• An artist can be nominated more than once - by different people - for the same work
• To be shortlisted the nominated artist must agree to their work being displayed on this blog as part of the shortlist.
• Anonymous nominations are not permitted. In order to nominate you too must have an art or illustrated blog and be capable of being identified by me. (This is to stop spammers!)
• All nominations must be in English

Links:

• Nominate the Best Art (Portrait/Figures) on a Blog in 2009