We can’t begin to tell you how much of a blast we’ve had over the past month, looking through all of the fabulous submissions we’d received for the art contest! We’d like to thank everyone who took the time to share their beautiful work with us. Every single piece was unique and many had great stories behind them.
Also, since we were so impressed with the art, we’re keeping every submission saved in our system - we’re currently brainstorming ways to possibly incorporate some of the submissions into the website or in our online advertising. If we’re interested in using your art for something, we’ll be sure to get in touch with you via email.
Since the competition was tight and we had a hard time deciding on just a winner and 3 runners up, we’ve decided to double the amount of winners. We’ve divided the submissions into two categories: Paintings & Drawings, and “Everything Else”. We have chosen a grand prize winner, and 1st, 2nd, and 3rd runners up for each category, giving us 8 winners total. The 2 grand prize winners will each receive, in addition to this blog post, 2 free DVD rentals good for any video available on SmartFlix.com (or if a premium rental is desired, a $10 credit towards it), a free T-shirt, and a graphical badge to put on your website or blog honoring your win. The 6 runners-up will receive recognition in this blog post and graphical badges honoring their win.
Congratulations to all of our winners! Keep reading to see who won, and check out their award-worthy artwork!
The Painting & Drawing Winners
Grand Prize - Jonella Moore
Jonella Moore’s piece, a pastel painting of the Atlantic coastline, now hangs in a gallery in Bloomington, Indiana. Jonella is a self-taught artist with an inspiring story that lays behind all of her artwork: She was a registered nurse who became disabled in a workplace accident after a heavy piece of equipment fell on her, permanently damaging her spine and changing her life forever. Living in constant pain from the accident after losing her job, husband, and mobility; Jonella found solace in painting in order to distract her from the pain. Since 2001, she has painted everyday in her studio, and is just now beginning to showcase her art in galleries. We loved her use of color and texture in this painting, and wish her luck in the future. She’s inspired us in more ways than one! Keep painting, Jonella, and congratulations to you! Learn how to use pastels & charcoal and create beautiful art like Jonella’s here.
1st Runner Up - Joe Velez
“Hermit” by Joe Velez struck us because of the way he is able to show such realistic light cast on his subject. This painting is an acrylic, on a 38 x 58″ canvas. Joe’s subject was interesting and really captivated us. Joe is a New Jersey native, was born in 1978, and, like Jonella, is completely self-taught. His art has appeared in dozens of shows. You can see more of Joe’s truly astounding work at his website. Learn how to use acrylic paints and create beautiful art like Joe’s here.
2nd Runner Up - Jill Williams
Jill Williams created this beautiful watercolor piece (8.6 x 11.5″) from a still life of some beautiful stoneware that her mom bought for her in the 1970s! The stoneware is called the Metlox Red Rooster pattern, and came out in 1955. Jill loves the color of the pieces and decided to carefully capture their beauty in this stunning still life that we couldn’t take our eyes off of. As a mother who also home schools her two boys, Jill told us it can sometimes be tough for her to find time to be creative. We’re glad she did find time - the detail and care put into this watercolor really amazes us. Congratulations, Jill! Learn how to use watercolor paints and create beautiful art like Jill’s here.
3rd Runner Up - Henry Buerckholtz
As soon as we saw Henry’s life-like painting titled “Turnip and Grapes” (6 x 6″ on canvas), we were in love. The dark, bold colors really give the food all of the attention in this piece. Henry rented Leffel’s The Art of Painting DVD, and decided to create a piece on Leffel’s theory that a beautiful painting can be made from any subject. We certainly think Henry attained that and more. Of his painting of old fruit and a vegetable found in the bottom drawer of his refrigerator, Henry says “I set them on a shelf in natural daylight and made this nice little study in under an hour. The vegetables were never eaten but I feel they served a higher cause.” Congratulations, Henry! Learn how to use oil paints and create beautiful art like Henry’s here.
The “Everything Else” Winners
Grand Prize - Thomas Sawyer
Thomas’s airbrushing skills are some of the finest we’ve seen. He learned how to airbrush simply from renting SmartFlix.com DVDs. His very first project was a motorcycle, and since then, he has moved on to airbrushing helmets, other bikes, and mailboxes. This specific one happened to be our favorite; his true fire skills really showcasing themselves here. Thomas tells us some of the DVDs he rented that helped him get to the level he’s at today: Introduction to Automotive Airbrushing, Radical Stencil Designs, and Secrets of Airbrushing True Fire. Check these out if you’re interesting in creating art as spectacularly realistic as Thomas’s. He now sells his awesome creations on eBay. Congratulations, Thomas! Learn more about how to use an airbrush and create beautiful art like Henry’s here.
1st Runner Up - Carey Chelenza
Congratulations to Carey Chelenza, who entered this gorgeous piece of china mosaic furniture. Carey says, “I have been making china mosaics for about 9 years, but this is the first vanity/sink that I’ve done and I think it came out nice. I started creating mosaic pieces when my daughter was a baby. It was a great creative outlet that I looked forward to after taking care of a baby all day. What gave me the idea to start working with broken china was a beautiful broken china mirror that I saw in a catalog. It was too expensive for a new stay at home mom, so I decided to create one myself. That mirror is now hanging in my powder room. Since I love to shop at flea markets and auctions, I soon got hooked on buying old china and other pieces that I could revitalize and create something new. My website, dishnchips.com, is where you can find the vanity/sink that I have created this summer.” Congratulations, Carey! Learn more about making mosaics and create beautiful art like Carey’s here.
2nd Runner Up - Michael David
Michael’s fantastic Photoshop painting of a horse stomping up dust is one of our favorites because of the style he used. The layers come together gracefully and the colors remind us of an orange sunset. Relaxing and peaceful, this is piece is beautifully done, technique- and style-wise. Michael told us that he used our software-training DVDs to learn how to create art in Photoshop. Thank you for your submission, Michael, and congratulations! Learn more about using Photoshop and other programs to create beautiful art like Michael’s here.
3rd Runner Up - Cheryl Watt
Cheryl’s gorgeous vase was one of the few polymer clay entries we received. We loved hers because of it’s detail and intricacies…each roll of clay incorporated into the vase was hand-done, and this vase has not been painted - Cheryl used several colors of clay mixed and swirled together to achieve that effect. Also, she studded the vase with copper beads to add character and elegance to this perfect mantle piece. Congratulations, Cheryl, and thank you for sharing this great piece of art with us! Learn how to work with polymer clay and create beautiful art like Cheryl’s here.