Vancouver, BC CANADA - August 20, 2023 - Artists for Conservation (AFC) is pleased to announce the first round of award winners of the fourteenth annual AFC International Exhibit of Nature in Art to be held September 21-24 in Vancouver, BC. The awards include five AFC Medals of Excellence, which recognizes at least five outstanding artworks in the exhibit, an Environmental Statement Award, and Interpretive/Abstract Award. AFC also presents two Best in Show awards, in recognition of the highest scoring painting and sculpture by the jury panel in the annual exhibit.
Artists receiving the awards are as follows:
Best in Show, Painting
- "Survivor" Oil by Janet Luxton (Australia)
Best in Show, Sculpture
- “Chokecherry Wine” Wood sculpture by Don Alemany (Canada)
Medals of Excellence
- “Dignity” Mixed Media by Michael Ashley (USA)
- “In Your Hands” Oil by Garry Fleming (Australia)
- “Scales of Injustice” Acrylic by Sophie Green (UK)
- “Octopus: Emerging From Its Den” Acrylic by Mark Hobson (Canada)
- “Puppet Master” Watercolor by Rachel Ivanyi (USA)
- “Metamorphosis” Watercolor by Rachel Ivanyi (USA)
- “Catching the Light” Acrylic by Stephen Jesic (Australia)
- “Paper Perch Nuthatch” Paper wallhanging by Calvin Nicholls (Canada)
- “Rainforest Glow” Acrylic by Natalie Parker (Australia)
- “They Called Me Cecil” Oil by Alexandra Saunders (USA)
Environmental Statement Award
- “Puppet Master” Watercolor by Rachel Ivanyi (USA)
Interpretive/Abstract Award
- Wallhanging: "Song of the Makers" by Autumn Morrison (Canada)
- Sculpture: “Carpe Carp” Bronze by Christine Knapp (USA)
Best Landscape/Seascape Award
- “Coral Garden” Acrylic by David Gallup & Nansi Belanski (USA)
Pollyanna Pickering Memorial Award
- “Scales of Injustice” Acrylic by Sophie Green (UK)
John Seerey-Lester Human-Wildlife Interaction Award
- "Catching Rays" Acrylic by Joyce Trygg
Arabella Magazine Editor’s Choice Award
- “Scales of Injustice” Acrylic by Sophie Green (UK)
Western Art Collector Magazine Editor's Choice Award
- "Ruffed Grouse" Acrylic by Cindy Sorely-Keichinger
Western Art Collector Award of Excellence
- "Arpeggio" Mixed Media by Guy Combes (USA)
Honorable Mention
- "Arpeggio" Mixed Media by Guy Combes (USA)
- "The Entangled Branch" Watercolor by Daniel Davis (USA)
- "Cheeky Boy" Oil by Garry Fleming (Australia)
- "The Watcher" Acrylic by Sophie Green (UK)
- "Double Take" Oil by Bruce Lawes (Canada)
- "Little Paws" Acrylic by Natalie Parker (Australia)
- "Nesting Painted Turtle" Acrylic by Matt Patterson (USA)
- "Bridge for a Dragon" Colored Pencil by Ashley Roll (Canada)
- "Malaclemys Terrapin" Oil by Sailev (France)
- "The Cost of Convenience" Mixed Media by Geraldine Simmons (Australia)
- "New Kid In Town" Oil by Frank Walsh (USA)
- "Snapper, Educator and Father" Oil by Nelda Warkentin (USA)
- "Varied Thrush, Moss and Maple" Pastels by Kimberly Wurster (USA)
Additional awards will be announced at a later date.
Thank you to our jury for their generous contribution of time and expertise. Jurors in this year's exhibit included:
- Brent Cooke - AFC Signature Member & Board Member, past Director of Royal BC Museum (Canada);
- Kitty Harvill - AFC Signature Member and Recipient of the Simon Combes Conservation Award (Brazil/USA);
- Marie McGhee – Director, Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Art Institute (USA);
- Rosslyn Shipp – Executive Director, Cumberland Museum (Canada);
- Debra Usher - Editor/Publisher of Arabella Magazine (Canada);
Image Credits:
- “Puppet Master” Watercolor by Rachel Ivanyi (USA)
- "Survivor" Oil by Janet Luxton (Australia)
- “Dignity” Mixed Media by Michael Ashley (USA)
- “Scales of Injustice” Acrylic by Sophie Green (UK)
- “Chokecherry Wine” Wood sculpture by Don Alemany (Canada)
About Artists for Conservation
Artists for Conservation (AFC) is the world's leading group of artists supporting the environment. Founded in 1997, the non-profit organization comprises a membership of 500 of the world's most gifted nature artists from over 30 countries, across five continents. Dedicated to nurture, promote and leverage its world-class community of artists in support of our natural world, AFC drives its mission through three key programs: Art & Environmental Education; Field Work & Research; and Artist Development. The Artists for Conservation Festival is AFC's annual flagship initiative to showcase, support and further these programs. http://www.artistsforconservation.org/