Colors
Art Exhibition Winners
Below are the biographies and/or artist's statements along with the artist's websites or emails.
Please visit the Colors and contact the artists directly for purchase inquiries or to see more of their work.
Congratulations again to all the winners and thank you for sharing your talent with us.
Lennon IV
Acrylic
40 x 48
Jay Johansen
First Place Winner
Born in 1946 and raised by his artist-father in Oakland, California, portrait artist Jay Johansen, began his journey into the art world at a very young age. His father, Melvin Johansen, was a respected artist who struggled to make ends meet, working tirelessly with little financial reward. Seeing that harsh reality left a lasting impression upon Jay who often joined his father in the studio to create his own work. The young Johansen honed his skills at such an astonishing rate that when he was an eighth-grader, his father asked if he wanted to be an artist. Clearly passionate about his talent, Jay briefly contemplated the idea. However, he’d been living through hard times with his father and decided to pursue an education. Jay graduated from Cal Berkeley at age 20 and went on to earn an MBA from San Francisco State University. He also served as an officer in the US Army. Jay landed a position with an insurance firm and rapidly rose in the ranks. At 26, he opened his own insurance agency and grew a successful enterprise within 6 years, allowing him to pursue the passion he’d come to know as a child. Working incessantly to perfect his skills, Jay mastered a hyper-photorealism style, which he thought of as the pinnacle that would earn him respect in the art world. Painting ballerinas, matadors, and Hawaiian dancers, Jay established an international collector base, which ultimately led to commissioned paintings of music icons, world dignitaries, as well as a long list of celebrity collectors. After a brief hiatus, Jay returned to painting full-time in his studio, creating figurative paintings that were difficult to distinguish from photographs. However, reflecting upon his childhood during the ‘50s and ‘60s in Oakland, he recalled many urban scenes that were painted on buildings—artwork that conveyed social messages, as well as other works that simply displayed the imagination of tremendously talented artists whom most will never know. Jay’s creative juices were sparked, leading him to study urban artists of the past as well as up-and-coming artists of today. Desiring to pay homage to these brilliant painters, Jay gave birth to his “Fusion Art” series, a new form of artistic interpretation that brought Jay back to his days in Berkeley. He was expressing an untethered technique vastly different from the exacting techniques of the past decades. Today, Jay enlivens monochromatic faces of women with vivid colors that seem to bring life to the canvas. Using broad strokes, as distinct from his previous style, Jay enjoys a freedom he’s never felt as a professional artist, imbued with an energy of renewal that allows him to create art as he did when he was a child in his father’s studio.
Rose Duality
Digital Photo Art
16 x 20
Danielle Rackowski
Second Place
In these series of self portraits, coexisting energies converge and coalesce. Vulnerability is visualized as a brave and bold intensity for healing and empowerment. Vibrant colors and floral textural elements are layered and abstracted to express a unified tension, and a spiritual harmony of inner growth. Intricate digital layering of still life floral paintings and floral images, transform the self into botanical beings. An intuitive connection with color and nature is awakened as an introspective and transcendent balance of flowing color vibrancies. Rackowski's artworks have been exhibited in New Jersey, New York, Miami, and California. Her artwork has also been exhibited by international online art galleries. Her art has been on view during Miami Art Week in 2020 and belongs in private and permanent art collections.
Telagio Baptista
Third Place
Telagio Baptista is a recent transplant to Omaha, Nebraska. Born and raised in California, he has lived in Northern California since 1985. For twenty years prior to that he owned and operated a graphic design studio in Hawaii. It was during this time that he toured the South Pacific as a golf pro, teaching private golf lessons as time permitted. However, throughout the years and despite the joys and rewards of his various careers, there remained his passion for the arts. Telagio’s interest in the arts began when his parents bought him a toy violin. When they saw he would not put it down, they enrolled him in private violin lessons. During his teen years, Telagio gave private concerts up and down the Northern California coast and performed, as well, as a member of a string quartet. By the age of 17, he was a concertmaster of a junior symphony. While developing his love of music, Telagio also continued his love for the visual arts. His high school paintings won national awards and he was awarded a scholarship to the San Francisco Art Institute. Telagio finished his education by earning a BFA from the California College of Arts and Crafts. Telagio Baptista is a portrait, figurative, and cityscape artist using various atmospheric painting techniques. He frequently utilizes negative space to give his images room to “breathe” and to express a specific feeling or mood. His paintings have won international art competitions in addition to awards received both regionally and nationally. 7 Telagio works solely with watercolor. He uses a limited palette, valuing simplicity and restful space. In his view, watercolor is magical, an exotic medium that has no boundaries. His images vary from the fully realistic, impressionism to the somewhat more abstract, allowing the viewer to relate directly to what is portrayed and emotionally suggested. With every picture, a story is being told. As an artist and as a person, Telagio is open to new ways of perceiving and understanding. He is continuously learning and embraces the notion that his best work is yet to come. Telagio’s watercolor paper of choice is Arches and Fabriano 140-300lb cold press to rough. Winsor Newton Professional Watercolor and Daniels Extra Fine is his primary choice of paints. Telagio Baptista conducts watercolor workshops in the Omaha area for both individuals and groups. Encouragement and support for each student characterize his teaching method. He brings his God-given and experienced painting skill along with his enthusiasm to each workshop, encouraging his students to speak "loud and clear" with their hearts and brushes.
Magda Betkowska
Honorable Mention
The main topic of my artworks is a woman. Already in ancient myths and religions, women were revered as goddesses and givers of life and were considered a symbol of sensuality, sexuality and a new life. Every woman is born with many wonderful feminine qualities and creativity which she can/should use as a potential in the course of her life in order to achieve her dreams. Unfortunately, this potential often cannot be fully exploited, because many women feel unattractive and try to conform to patterns given to us by the media. Today`s expectations of every woman to be a perfect wife and mother and also successful in her job, leads women to losing access to their inner-self. My pictures show the beauty of every woman with all her imperfection and tell that every one of them can be who she wants to be. She has a right to be weak, vulnerable, tender but also strong, funny, powerful or soulful and the key to her happiness is self-acceptance. Society`s expectations should not determine our value and identity. We shouldn’t be afraid nor ashamed of living in our own way. The one perfect pattern guaranteeing happiness does not exist. Every one of us has a right to choose and create her own reality. I was born in Poland and I studied at the Institute of Art Education of the Silesian University (2001-2006). In 2018 I completed post-graduate course in the field of Art Therapy in Germany and it helped me with getting back to painting after a long break and to “rediscover” myself as an artist. Since 2011 I am living in Switzerland and although I am currently working in a completely different area, I have a desire to share my art with others and to prove that it is never too late to make a dream come true.
Beate Blume
Honorable Mention
Blume decided to finally go public in 2016. She started exhibiting internationally in 2019. She has been awarded th Power of Creativity Art Prize by Contemporary Art Curator Magazine in 2021. She was nominated for the Palm Art Award in 2019 and 2021. Some of her works are published in the book „Who’s Who in Visual Art - 99 Top Fine Artists of Our Day“ published by Art Domain Whois, 2020. She was born on September 27th 1966 in Gehrden near Hannover, Germany. She is married and has four children. As a painter she is self-educated.
Lev Bogorov
Honorable Mention
I was born in Russia were I studied drawings and paintings at different professional studios, and after emigration to the USA I settled in New Haven, Connecticut. I was fascinated by changing colors of seasons in New England. I started to paint and I participated at many juried art exhibitions every year. In my paintings I develop the main ideas of Russian Avant-garde principles and it is the source of my inspiration. This movement was the influential wave of modern art in Western Culture that flourished in Russia at the beginning of the XX century.
Among many directions of this movement was constructivism which based on geometric forms which created dynamic in compositions, and sometimes was the central idea and in the case of added different colors increased mining and impression of paintings.
I created geometric composition from squares gradually reduced by sizes to form spirals turning to the left or to the right, so there were two canvases (diptych). Every spiral turned to each other to form specific composition of movement.
The painting “Fall Spiral” show changing colors in fall. I used green color of frame to emphasize colors on canvases.
Eddie Hall
Honorable Mention
I began painting about five years ago during a time of tremendous personal turmoil and, through that experience, I am grateful to have found the medium of expression that had been previously missing from my life. My first work was made simply by trying to represent an idea using a palette knife, a small canvas and some leftover craft paint. From there, after working primarily in acrylic/gouache abstract representations for a few years, I more recently found I enjoyed the visuals I can achieve by acrylic painting on the reverse side of antique windows. My approach in this period has been heavily influenced by geometric and architectural themes, finding inspiration from items as diverse as Usonian homes, interior design photography, or everyday objects.
Theodore Heublein
Honorable Mention
I am inspired by what I see in front of me, and strive to share that moment with the viewer. I paint all over the world out 'in the wild' at all times of day or night, and paint underwater with scuba gear, to try and capture these moments in watercolor, acrylic or oils. Whenever possible I paint on site, including sitting on a beach with walrus, climbing an iceberg in a fjord to paint from, and painting underwater with scuba gear. I work using Transparent Watercolors, Acrylics, and Oils, depending on what I feel can best express the scene (as well as what materials I can travel with!). Capturing these images of where I am as I am in that moment makes the artwork a part of the experience - including the sight, smell, weather, humidity and emotions experienced. I hope to share these feelings with the viewer as close to the immediacy of this experience as I can. I use a camera as well, for later exploration of the experience in the studio from my reference. I share a portion of the sale of my pieces with several marine non-profits and National Parks to raise awareness of and care for our resources. Continuing projects include exploring new (for me) paint colors, painting at night, and revisiting older subject matter with my current eyes.
Yunan Ma
Honorable Mention
Born and raised in China with a background of eight years of learning fine arts, Yunan came to the US at the age of 17. After graduating from Savannah College of Art and Design with a BFA in Fashion Marketing and Management, Yunan worked at a well-known leather handbag company, where she mastered leather weaving techniques. Throughout the work experience, Yunan was fascinated about techniques for weaving and knitting subjects and discovered her passion in this field. To pursue her interest, she returned to school. In 2018, Yunan graduated from Academy of Art University with a MFA in Knitwear Design, and she was mentored by the famous knitwear designer Midori Sergent. Yunan was the only knitwear designer attended the NYFW graduation runway; in addition, she was selected for 2018 CFDA+ Design Graduates Program. In the same year, Yunan gave a speech about the creative design process at Apple store in San Francisco, as part of the series, "Today at Apple”.
Hanna Supetran
Honorable Mention
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY Hanna Supetran is an internationally multi-awarded artist who creates thought provoking and emotionally evocative abstract paintings. Her artworks are painted intuitively using oil. Fearless, unapologetic, expressive and colorful, each painting reflects the vibrancy of life expressed in highly textured, fading colors into oblivion, intersecting and crossing over patterns and strokes. Each painting pulls you towards self-reflection, towards an inward journey, towards an adventure of the soul. Her paintings received numerous accolades and won major international awards such as Best in Show, Gallery’s Choice and First Places to name a few from reputable and established art organizations, curators and jurors from USA, Europe and Asia. Hanna was a corporate executive turned full-time artist. Her childhood passion in arts was ignited through a series of synchronistic events. She took a break from her decade long jet-setting corporate life and rediscovered her passion in painting. This was followed by commissioned works and an invitation to join a group exhibit in one of the most reputable art galleries in the Philippines where Hanna was born and raised. Passion ignited, she left the corporate world, flew to Florence, Italy and took an Intensive Visual Art course, which included Photography, Fresco, Contemporary Art Technique & Figure Drawing and has been a full-time artist since. Hanna has exhibited in USA, Europe & Asia. She exhibited at the Central Station, MRT Hongkong, Shibuya Train Station, 3rd Edition 2020, Tokyo Japan, in the 3rd International Bienal De Arte Barcelona, 2019 held in MEAM (European Museum of Modern Art of Barcelona) and the MANTOVA ART EXPO 2019 International Biennial of Contemporary Art in Gonzaga Museum, Mantua, Italy and Lisbon, Portugal to name a few. Her paintings are displayed in her collectors’ executive offices and residences.
ARTIST STATEMENT Creating a piece of art is embarking on a journey into the unknown. Mainly abstraction in style, all my arts are painted intuitively using oil. Every stroke heightens the anticipation. Every scrape fuels the excitement. Every color mix suspends time. Each creation is an exhilarating ride making the once invisible visible – giving the once intangible a tangible form. Art is a fulfilling and rewarding creative expression that adds beauty and quality to life – the very reason why I paint Each painting reflects the vibrancy of life, a balance of intense texture and soft movements, between dark and light, cold and warm. Each pulls you towards self- reflection, towards an inward journey, towards an adventure of the soul. It can emotionally evoke or mentally provoke. Either way, it communicates to the soul in a manner that is only known to the one viewing it.
Eileen Terrell
Honorable Mention
When I paint, I do not use a sketch book and rarely do studies of my subject. When the light, the moment, the composition ignites me; I apply paint to canvas and rely on my emotions to produce the art. In the past, I worked in advertising and found that I cannot produce art to order. In fact, with the pressure to produce on demand I became stagnant and stifled. Today, I paint when the moment and the mood strike. This is when my inner voice is at its loudest and clearest. I paint with oils using color choices that my eye conceptualizes with a brush, knife or even my painting towel. The application of color is always done to apply lights and shadows to help engage the viewer. I prefer to immerse my vision into the landscape or subject I have painted to draw my viewers in.
Natalie Wetzel
Honorable Mention
Natalie Wetzel is a professional international award winning artist who lives in Normal, Il with her husband of nearly 30 years. They have four children together. Natalie holds a bachelor’s degree in fine art from Illinois State University. She is primarily a mixed media artist. She enjoys working from a smooth surface, like claybord, and prefers to work with encaustics, acrylics, and ink. Although Natalie considers herself to be an abstract artist, she also enjoys incorporating identifiable subject matter into her work. She has found by doing so, more people can relate to and connect with her paintings. Natalie finds great inspiration to create by observing the beauty found throughout all creation. Her work is process oriented. It involves layering materials in a way that causes colors to pop and adds depth and interest to each painting. She is most known the the vivid colors that immediately capture the attention of her viewers.
Dagnim Josepha Yague
Honorable Mention
Dagnim Josepha Yague was born in 1997 in Lome, Togo. She currently resides in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania. In August 2021, she graduated with a BA in English with a minor in French from West Chester University. Her professional artistic career started in 2016 when she wanted to pursue her passion. Dagnim's artwork represents her fascination with people and history. After living in America for over a decade before returning to her home in Togo, her love of Togolese fabric inspired her to paint portraits of herself and her family members. With oil paint, she juxtaposes realistic features that evoke feelings of comfort with the use of brightly colored shapes and imagery.