MAKING A MARK: Portrait Nominations for Best Artwork

The 2012 Making a Mark Prize for Best Artwork - People aims to celebrate and highlight excellence in portraiture and/or artwork predominantly involving figures seen on an art blog in 2012.

Listed below you will find the nominations for the Best Picture (portrait/figure) on an art blog in 2012. The details of the nomination process and criteria for submissions can be found in Nominate the Best Picture of People on an Art Blog in 2012

Three works will be shortlisted (including the nomination I've yet to make)
Larger images of the three shortlisted works will be included in the invitation to vote for the winner which will be posted on Wednesday 26th December
voting for the best picture continues until a minute after midnight on 30th December

This is a link to the

Red Bow by Arto Isotalo
Oil on canvas board
40.7 x 30.5 cm
© Arto Isotalo

Nominations for Best Picture of a Person or People on an Art Blog 2012

Nominated Artwork: Red Bow
Nominated Artist: Arto Isotalo (Arto's Art) - Espoo, Finland
Post: Red bow
Nominated by: Roger Brown (Art Of The Wild by Roger Brown) - Botswana

This is one portrait painting that has stood out in my memory from this year. The reasons I like this painting is the way he used quick fresh strokes of the brush to complete it. I love the contrasts, of color and texture, a dark brown background done with a thin wash, and then the thick impasto white of the little girls bonnet. Although its entitled the Red Bow, the bow is just a small splash of red ,almost insignificant and yet it stills captures the viewers attention. Certainly a painting I would have on my wall.

Figure Study by Michael Whynot
red chalk,
11" x 8"
© Michael Whynot

Nominated Artwork: Figure Study
Nominated Artist: Michael Whynot (And the splendour is without end) - Nova Scotia, Canada
Post: The Rhythm of Life
Nominated by: Self

I like this particular work because in this torso study I have finally begun to achieve a real sense of volume. All the pieces finally came together: line weight, tone, gesture; the figure seems as though it is preparing to move at any moment.

Nominated Artwork: Anger
Nominated Artist: Sudakshina Ghosh (Pages from my journal) - Singapore
Post: Year 2012 offering stimulation for more practice
Nominated by: Self

Anger by Sudakshina Ghosh©

I have done the portrait only with coffee mixed with water on water colour paper. The face is a random face from the crowd in India but the expression is entirely my own imagination.

Quarter Self Portrait
by Paul Hutchinson

Oil on Ceramic Tile

24x24mm

Nominated Artwork: Quarter Self Portrait
Nominated Artist: Paul Hutchinson (Postcard From Puniho) - Taranaki, New Zealand
Post: Quarter Self Portrait
Nominated by: Maria Avila (Artista 24 Horas)

Well... you don't get the whole thing for this price. I hate it when people visit my studio unannounced and demand to see The Paintings. When I point out that they are surrounded by paintings they crack jokes about them being small etc... and "have you got any bigger ones"? My reaction is to want to paint even smaller paintings. One day they may well disappear entirely. I also wanted to try out painting on these little ceramic tiles. I primed it with the clear GAC medium and it seemed to work quite well. I spent two sessions on this one. The smaller ones don't necessarily take less time, you just use smaller brushes. Paul Hutchinson

Nominated Artwork: Conclusions
Unfortunately this artwork was not created in 2012 and is not eligible
Nominated Artist: Dale Copeland
Nominated by: Maria Avila (Artista 24 Horas)

UPS Delivers at Night by Jana Bouc

Oil on stretched canvas

20 h x16 w"

Nominated Artwork: UPS Delivers at Night
Nominated Artist: Jana Bouc (Janas Journal) - San Francisco Bay area
Post: Brown Delivers…in the Dark (portrait in oil with steps in the process)
Nominated by: Self

I have been studying oil painting, mostly on my own, for the past three years after painting in watercolor for 25 years. I struggled on so many levels--it was a difficult transition. But I was persistent and tried to turn every roadblock into an opportunity to learn (after getting over the despair of yet another failure!)
Finally, with this painting, everything came together. I found an oil painting process that works for me, from the critical initial drawing and value study through each of the steps and layers of the painting. This also includes allowing initial strokes to live as is when they say what they need to say. This was especially true in the hand which was painted quickly as a first layer but upon stepping back and looking, I saw it "just worked" as is and I left it alone.
I was so pleased at the comments on the post which mentioned the kindness and sweetness of this gentleman because I saw that not only had I captured his likeness but also his warm heart (despite the cold, dark setting of the painting).
When I shared the post of the painting with the UPS driver he was thrilled and wants to buy it to hang in his home as a family heirloom for his kids (the best possible measure of success of a portrait!) He has worked for UPS for 11 years and has 4 children. He shared it with his UPS colleagues and now when UPS delivers they know me as the one who painted Larry. And UPS Corporate wants to feature a story about it in January!
As background to how I happened to paint him: I started a series of paintings of people working...from photos I took in my local shops (butcher, barista, librarian, etc.). One night in December this UPS man delivered the flooring for my studio renovation and I asked if I could take his photo. He was sweet, posed quickly (it was late) and we exchanged business cards. The other paintings are still awaiting final finishing details but when Larry called me a couple months ago to check on the painting it spurred me to finish his.

Nominated Artwork: Independence Day
Nominated Artist: Suzanne Lago Arthur (lagoarthurstudio) - Washington(?)
Post: “Independence Day”
Nominated by: eLIZabeth Floyd (eLIZabeth Floyd Studio) - Alexandria, Virginia

I would like to nominate Suzanne Lago Arthur's portrait of her son.

I am particularly fond of this portrait because of how it combines a highly finished rendering of a young boy holding a sparkler while also abstracting the background. This could be anyone’s son, in any yard in America on the 4th of July. A universal theme that reaches out and speaks to my heart. And it is also a capital likeness of her son!

Nominated Artwork: Private palm house
Nominated Artist: szabó klára petra (szabó klára petra)
Post: Private palm house
Nominated by: Self

I would like to nominate a work of my own. This is a self portrait. Very personal. I painted to someone.

MAKING A MARK

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Monday, December 24, 2012

Portrait Nominations for Best Artwork | MAM Awards 2012

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