My scratchboard "Perfectionist" was just awarded "Award of Excellence" in the Open Division of the International Society of Artists (ISSA) annual exhibition. I was able to watch a video of last weekend's award ceremony in Bradenton, FL, on the group's private Facebook page and see photos of the unbelievable artwork of over 100 scratchboard fine artists from eight countries. My award is equivalent to 4th prize, as they gave a gold, silver, and bronze, followed by four equal Awards of Excellence. Hooray!!!
My second accepted entry, the 3"x5" "How Sweet It Is" looks nice displayed with other small works. On the photo of the gallery, my winner is to the far right.
If you are on Florida's Gulf Coast this month, visit the show at the Art Center Manatee. Enjoy this sneak preview.
The International Scratchboard Society has nearly 300 members, representing 17 countries. The "Masters" division represents the most accomplished scratchboard artists, currently including about 20. Three of these Master Scratchboard Artists judged the Open Division (includes everyone but the Masters). Here are the comments from the judges in awarding the prize to me for "Perfectionist":
“We [the judges] just all just loved all the precision with which she portrayed the textures. Something that we all thought was that it felt like you could feel the wood when you looked at the piece. In scratchboard, it requires a great deal of technical skills in order to these achieve various textures, and she had done a very excellent job with the wood and also the texture of rope.”
Learn more about my inspiration and methods for creating "Perfectionist" on my recent blog post.
