10 Best Portraits In The Boynes Emerging Artist Award
The Boynes Emerging Artist Award is an artist-run international art competition that recognizes the talent of emerging artists from all around the world. Notably, a popular art form featured across the 4 editions of our competition has been portraiture, a style that can be traced back to as early as Ancient Egyptian times. This form utilizes artistic representations from a range of media (including, but not limited to, painting, drawing, photography, and sculptural work) to depict a subject’s facial expressions, personality, and mood. In this article, we will showcase 10 of our personal favourites from the competition, presented in no particular order because they are all equally and uniquely outstanding!
1. “LOU” BY TANYA ATANASOVA
Pictured above is “Lou”, oil on Belgian linen, and the winning work of 1st Edition 1st Place Winner, Tanya Atanasova. This remarkable artist is a contemporary realist painter born in Bulgaria and currently living in Belgium. She earned a Bachelor of Applied Arts (Ceramics) in her native Bulgaria, before expanding her artistic studies in Belgium and Madrid. Since as a child, Atanasova has been creating which she states was never a conscious decision but more so a means of self-expression.
In an interview with Founder of Boynes Emerging Artist Award, Chantal Boynes, Atanasova describes her piece, Lou, indicating that “Lou is a French friend of mine, who works at a Historical Museum in Brussels. So her day is pretty much assembling antique vessels all the time. On the weekends she is a part of a Roman reenactment group, where she reincarnates as the wife of a Roman soldier. The dress and jewelry she wore for the photoshoot are original Roman attributes. She’s living in the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium and it is fascinating to me when trying to puzzle all of her together.”
It’s not uncharacteristic for this artist to paint portraits of people she is well acquainted with, as she has been doing so for the past 5 years. She prefers to focus on people who have played an integral role in her life or whose talents and life stories have inspired and resonated with her which is eminent in her other works such as “Smokey Eyes”, “Joëlle, Guillaume”, and “Michel With Octopus”. According to Atanasova, knowing the models and being interested in their psychology, she wanted to capture more than just their outer appearance. Atanasova wanted to become an intermediary between them and the viewer, building a connection that hopefully goes beyond painted realism. She explains that “my gaze is directed into the story of every character, I create their identity and unique complexity by using attributes that characterize them. Looking at the paintings should be like taking a glimpse into the characters’ diary or reading a page out of their biography.”
We’re enamored by “Lou” in particular because both concept and realization are ingenious. To us, the flaking and cracking skin can represent the subject’s evolution into a new, fresh self but in a controlled manner, signaled by the tweezers that she is holding. Her eyes are also a captivating focal point, especially because of the glossy highlights and intricate veins pictured. Many say that the eyes are the windows to the soul which goes hand in hand with Atanasova’s intent of portraying the psychology of her subjects because through Lou’s eyes we can see an expression of confidence with a somewhat eerie feel that connects her and the viewer.
2. “TOM PETTY MAD HATTER 1985 CARICATURE” By PAUL KING
We have one word to describe this piece… legendary! The winning work, “Tom Petty Mad Hatter 1985 Caricature” by 2nd Edition Finalist, Paul King utilizes digital airbrush and watercolour to capture Tom Petty, an iconic figure in rock & roll and member of the band “The Heartbreakers”, at the age of 35 on the set of his MTV video for his hit tune “Don’t Come Around Here No More” in 1985.
Paul King is a multitalented American artist, musician, veteran motion graphics 3D artist, and animator with a B.A in Advertising. Using digital airbrush programs, King hand illustrates photo-realistic portraits (slight caricatures) of famous musicians, actors, sports figures, and notables. A single portrait such as the piece featured above or his “Wes Montgomery Caricature” takes approximately 25-30 hours to complete while drawing a rock and roll band, for example in his piece “Metallica Caricature” and “The Jimi Hendrix Experience Caricature” can take as long as a week. All of his portraits are painted from scratch using digital airbrushes and watercolor brushes!
What astonishes us particularly about “Tom Petty Mad Hatter 1985 Caricature” which recurs in all of his pieces, is the depth of the realistic interplay between shadows and highlights. We can see a clearly established light source originating from the frontal left side of the piece. This allows for the 3-dimensional effect produced as the light source has determined where the shadows and highlights will form. For example, we can see that King has noted the importance of highlights transitioning into mid-tones to portray the 3-dimensional quality of the subject’s nose. His shading technique also emphasizes the form and structure of his subject indicated by King’s attention to avoiding overexposure of the highlights so that details wouldn’t be lost, as well as using darker tones to frame the features and face which incorporates dynamism and depth. The slight blur of the background also consolidates the foreground (Tom Petty’s face and the cup of tea) as the piece’s focal point because the viewer’s eyes are surely drawn to these points.
3. “From which do we attain our maturity - inside out or outside in” by anne-marie zanetti
4th Edition Finalist, Anne-Marie Zanetti wows us with her oil on canvas painting “From Which Do We Attain Our Maturity - Inside Out Or Outside In” which is a part of ‘The ‘Reminisce’ series of portraits of her youngest daughter, Bec. This exceptional Australian artist uses her medium as an instrument for experimentation and manipulation of colour, form, and light, with the hope of always creating paintings that capture the wonder and fascination she experiences throughout the world - one of those being her interest in investigating what she describes as the turbulent years of her younger self.
In an interview with the Founder of Boynes Emerging Artist Award, Chantal Boynes, Zanetti attributes the inspiration of this piece to “an awakening that evoked in [her] a longing to not only envisage [her] own adolescent self but to also give [her] recollection’s voice power and appreciation” through her art. She further explains that she is fascinated by memories from her childhood, in particular, their ephemeral yet valuable natures and that the emotions that accompany these memories “bring wonderful insights as long as we are willing to delve into the shadows of our emotional landscape.”
In relation to this painting pictured above, Zanetti touches on its colour palette, and pose, which she explains are an expression of that beautiful sense of childhood fun and innocence. According to colour psychology, orange typically can symbolize youthfulness, joy, change, and enjoyment which accurately and effectively conveys Zanetti’s aforementioned fascinations with childhood, youth, fun, and innocence. “This series of work ‘Reminisce’ became an investigation into [her] own teenage experiences. In order to reflect [her] youthful self, the portraits are all styled with backdrops of wallpaper suggestive of the 70’s and 80’s eras. Growing up [her] mother was very mindful of the current trends and wallpapering was a prominent part of her styling expression. The wallpaper backgrounds help to fuse the eras, past, and present and introduce a sense of nostalgia and context. The intimate, often sensual, poses invite attention, and yet at the same time the camouflage of the sunglasses protects her identity, even her innocence.” To us, the flowers solidify the symbolism of her investigation into youth and innocence as the process of blossoming can reflect the changes undergone in Zanetti’s life. Evidently, Bec, the muse and symbol of Zanetti, is holding her breath which can allude to the anxious and excited anticipation of examining the different life phases that we all go through. “The rendering of these works is all part of healing, nurturing, and releasing the unconscious influences that shape [her] life. [Her] art has become a means of better understanding the secret wisdom of all [her] experiences whilst creating a visual diary of how [her] revelations are reflected in [her] work.”
In the interview, Boynes states that Zanetti’s work seems to portray the beauty of the realistic technique, an intentional decision made by Zanetti in order to delve deeper than just the surface level so that she can observe “the more important soulful and emotional discoveries of [her] internal world.” She hopes that the viewers of her work will feel a sense of intimacy, wonder, and presence - as if you were able to interact with the painting and surely, we can attest that she has accomplished just that!
4. “MISS PRIYA PREMKUMAR” BY CAMERON RICHARDS
Taken from his interview with Chantal Boynes, “Cameron Richards is a self-taught emerging artist from Perth, Western Australia who was announced as the 1st Place Winner in the 3rd Edition of the Boynes Emerging Artist Award. Working as a full-time physiotherapist, some of Richards’ spare time is spent immersed in portrait painting. Whilst both his day job and passion for art are fixated on people, he describes portraiture as an opportunity to engage with people in a completely different realm of reflection. Working between acrylic and oils, his work alludes to aspects of his subject’s life events and story, attempting to maintaining strong likeness to his sitters.”
He finds himself inspired by people and their stories, marvels, triumphs, and challenges. Equally, he characterizes himself as a very open-minded individual with a “tendency to be accepting of people over judging them” which complements his career as a physiotherapist in which he meets new people every day whom he spends long periods of time with over the course of providing aid with their injuries. It’s by virtue of this exposure that Richards observes the evolution of perspective and impressions as he reveals that his initial impression of a person changes as his understanding of their story deepens which he translates into his art. We think that this perfectly describes the remarkable oil on canvas piece and winning work “Miss Priya Premkumar” because, on the surface level, we see a strong, independent woman whose gaze exudes confidence as she is Richards’ “superior at work and life”. Whereas, as we delve deeper into her story retold by Richards, we learn of the complexities of Miss Premkumar’s life as an Australian, Sri Lankan coupled with Richards’ own ideations, all intertwined and juxtaposed. In a sense, it’s like we assume the position of Richards while he gains a better understanding of and strengthens his friendship with Miss Premkumar. The artist speaks about the process of self-reflection which emerged over the course of his journey through “a mix of through a mix of intimidation, respect, and intrigue, which has exposed [his] own flaws and insecurities.” All in all, this piece along with the others like “Des”, “Sarah”, and “Sujee’s brother” that really helps us to appreciate and fall in love with the natural process of fostering and nurturing friendships and relationships and the beauty of that change of perspective that accompanies it.
5. “MODERN GEISHA” BY HEIDI NEUMANN
The work pictured above is “Modern Geisha”, oil on canvas, and winning work by 2nd Edition Finalist, Heidi Neumann. Born in Germany, Neumann spent her youth intrigued by the plethora of colours in her immediate environment which she explored through drawing, portraiture, and painting. Through her observation, she developed a keen interest in the lighting and shadows in nature. She is mostly self-taught but did study art at the Academy of Art and Design in New Delhi, India. From 2007 - 2010 Neumann studied Occupational Therapy in Leipzig, to use art as therapeutic treatment, but life took her in a different direction. Following her studies, she lived and worked and travelled around the world including Australia, Switzerland, England, USA, and China. In 2017 she moved to New Delhi and studied fine arts in the Academy of Art and Design in New Delhi under the guidance of Kumar Vikas Saxena.
Currently, Neumann’s work is predominantly inspired by her travels which exposed her to a range of different places, people, and cultures that are depicted through her work such as in the case of “Modern Geisha” specifically inspired by the photograph "Fashion Geisha" by Akiomi Kuroda. This painting is part of an ongoing series depicting women from various eras and cultures and examines the idea of a traditional geisha with a modern twist. This idea of “modern-traditional” and the use of modern technology allows her to explore renaissance painting styles and traditional pictures of women and representing them in a new fresh abstract way. Neumann uses a tasteful melange of realism and abstraction in her paintings, “trying to create a feeling of uncertainty, like in a dream in which certain images seem very clear and others are only bits and pieces of shattered images.” We believe that she executes this effectively because the inclusion of geometric shapes evokes an enigmatic but extremely exciting and captivating element. They act as essential pieces to a puzzle that merges together seamlessly so that the viewer can create his/her own narrative on the woman portrayed. We believe that this series is paving new ways for artists to embrace their unique style and an innovative link between past and future.
6. “BLACK MOLASSES” By KURUMA REID
Kuruma Reid was awarded the 2nd Place Winner in the 4th Edition with his winning work “Black Molasses” which is pen and ink on paper. This incredible artist hails from Spanish Town, Jamaica, an integral landmark in his artistic journey where he grew his appreciation for the arts through his mentor and friend Ms. Nadine Clemetson. In his interview with Chantal Boynes, he explains that he met Ms. Clemetson at his alma mata, Jose Marti Technical High School where she was his former art teacher. Upon receiving the excellent news that Reid had placed 5th in the Caribbean in the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination, they both acknowledged that he has a true talent for the arts that “should not be allowed to rest.”
“Black Molasses” forms part of a larger 10-piece series entitled “Metamorphosis” which alludes to the transformation of Reid’s artistic skills - graduating from an intermediate artist to one who aspires and is inspired to evolve into a seasoned, well-experienced artist who primarily works with pen and ink. This series, conceptualized on April 24th, 2020, also examines other themes including but not limited to Black Molasses, Soulless, and The Art of Friendship.
One thing we found most surprising was that Reid states that he has always had difficulty with the human anatomy because his drawings represent a skillfully elegant and unique understanding of the human figure. It’s evident that he incorporates realism through his detail to the proportion of the work which is very important when portraying human anatomy and the oozing black molasse that runs down the subject’s face is an interesting and dynamic element that showcases Reid’s talent and understanding of shadows and highlights to produce a 3-dimensional effect.
7. “BRAHIM” BY YOUNES MOHAMMAD
Both Younes Mohammad’s story and work are so inspiring and thought-provoking! He was awarded the title of 1st Place Winner in the 4th Edition with his winning work “Brahim” which is part of my long-term project (Open Wounds) documenting the sacrifices of Kurdish Peshmerga in the fight to eradicate ISIS.
Mohammad became at the tender age of 4 and for 24 years he spent his life as a refugee in a small town near the Iran-Afghanistan border. In his interview with Chantal Boynes, he describes that he grew up in a difficult situation with a poor family and when he was just 14 years old he had to leave school and start working as a daily worker while trying to continue his studies at night school. He tried to manage his family life and my personal dreams and later attended the University of Tehran graduating from Business Management. A touching moment was when he stated “All my life I had a dream to have a camera and take pictures but no chance, I had to ignore that dream and just work for my family’s daily needs. The only thing that I could do at that time, was find photography books, go through them and see the images. It was powerful and full of temptation but it was not mine, I kept those books as the most valuable and worthy possession that I had.” One life-changing day, at the age of 40, he decided to leave his job as a general manager of a construction company and take the leap of faith to follow his dream of being a photographer. Currently, he is a freelance photographer residing in Erbil Iraqi Kurdistan.
As a photojournalist in 2014, it was only characteristic of him to become intrigued with hearing the stories of those brave individuals who risked their lives in the war and even got wounded when ISIS attacked Iraqi Kurdistan. The technique of using black fabric in the background such as in “Brahim” and his other works such as “Eskandar”, “Hawar” and “Hazhar & Sheler” is very clever as it allows the viewer to focus on the subjects as opposed to being distracted by other elements. There’s a clear sense of intimacy, courage, and strength evoked through these photographs that are beautifully illustrated and highlighted with the focused light source. In “Brahim”, his direct gaze is truly powerful and resonates with the viewer and we see his arms positioned in a manner that to us, communicates the strength and heavy burdens of the subjects throughout the series who “would go back to fight again if ever called… for their children, their families, their people, and for the wider world”
8. “EXPECTANCE” BY BARBARA HACK
3rd Edition Finalist and gifted artist Barbara Hack has always been interested in the human figure since her years as a courtroom artist, a fashion illustrator, and everything else in between. She portrays it as “an ongoing reflection on people and their emotions” that through her subjects she has fallen in love with figurative work and the challenges associated with realistic portraiture. There’s a distinctive excitement and interest with people’s stories that Hack exhibits and find inspiration from so that her paintings are a depiction of both the subject’s and her voice. She describes this in her interview with Boynes as an opportunity for introspection that allows her to not only show their narrative but equally, learn a lot about herself as well.
What captivates us most about her winning oil painting “Expectance” is the atmospheric mood conveyed through both subject and title. From our interpretation, it appears that the woman pictured is anxiously waiting for something to occur. We use the adverb “anxiously” because of her pose that suggests numerous thoughts and even worries are consuming her but there is this reassuring balance between the symbolism of her environment and her demeanour that gives us hope that everything will hopefully be okay which complements Hack’s desire to capture the ephemerality of mood and figure. Highlighting the subject’s facial features was a great technique because it sheds both a physical and metaphorical light on the subject’s mood and emotions which are a key component of this piece.
9. “DENIS” BY JENNIFER GLOBUSH
Based in North western Ontario, Jennifer Globush has spent most of her life amongst landscapes of industrial gold mining within the boreal forests of Canada. Among her interests are abstract landscapes, unique yet everyday objects and of course, people. She works mainly with drawing and printmaking as they allow her to capture the details of living within a northern community of hard labor, self-sustainability, nature, and industrial effects on the environment, its people and an ever-changing wilderness. These compositions challenge viewers to question their understanding of small town life, Northern Canada, labor in the North and their notions of Northerners in society, while the detailed mark making that is characteristic of her work invites them to explore these people, objects and places personally, making her work a personal accord of life in the North. Globush makes large-scale, detailed drawings and gestural woodblock printed works with the use of her mediums - charcoal, graphite, ink and oil sticks. She attained her BFA in Drawing & Painting from the Ontario College of Art & Design University, Toronto ON (2010) and has since held exhibitions across Canada and Iceland. She maintains a studio in the remote boreal forest of Northwestern Ontario. Jennifer Globush was awarded a Finalist Place in the 3rd Edition of the Boynes Emerging Artist Award with her winning work “Denis”.
Her use of her charcoal truly accentuates and highlights the face of Denis as the darker tones that frame his nose, forehead and cheeks help to convey the dirt, grease, and grime produced through the hard labour jobs that many who choose to live in this remote northern climate execute. In her interview, Globush explains “I use my skills as an artist to acknowledge, reflect and represent life in Northern Canada ~ shining a light on those that make the north unique.” Charcoal shading is also a great technique that highlights both soft and dense areas of the piece by producing a variety of tones and depths that culminate in a realistic and honest representation of the life of hard labour which is inspiring as Globush notes “a remote community thrives when its residents contribute their skills to making the place and people flourish.”
10. “life itself” by amnon david ar
3rd Place Winner in the 4th Edition, Amnon David Ar is an Israeli painter based in Berlin, where he has been living and working for the past 7 years. He works solely from observation, mostly in drawing and oil colours. His paintings are a means of him “encapsulating the human experience of our time, our thoughts, how we experience time, and more particularly the fragile gap between our inner fantasy world and outer boundaries.” In his interview, he explains that from an early age he fell in love with painting and all handcrafts, having started to study the arts more seriously at the age of 14 at Wizo France High School of Art and Design in Tel Aviv. He has also pursued his studies at the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem, in parallel to privately studying anatomy for the arts with Oswald Adler, and the fundamentals of drawing and painting from observation with Abraham Bykov. Adler taught him a key lesson - everything is questionable, and should be questioned; meanwhile, Bykov focused on technique and methodical work. He states that as he could not find the artistic training he was looking for at the Bezalel Academy, he decided to leave and pursue his own artistic path individually.
He finds himself being drawn to themes that investigate the position of the individual in today’s world. “We live in a mass production, capitalist, and soulless world. In it, I search for the unique and the beautiful in banality and ugliness. Gradually, my work becomes more complex, metaphorical, stranger, and brighter in colour.” It’s these themes and other existential questions that he examines through his work such as his series of large oil works dedicated to the cycle of life that depicts his interpretation of a major stage in life. “Life Itself” is a part of this series and this particular oil on canvas painting represents “midlife as a state of lack of mercy and beauty, in constant aggravation.” We can see this through the figure’s face and pose that suggests that she is worryingly deep in thought, pondering the everyday encounters of life.
The model for this particular painting is one of Amnon David Ar’s close friends, Shai Tal, who, he explains, “just then moved to Berlin and stayed with me as a guest for most of the duration of the creation of the painting.” The completion of her figure alone took approximately 25 full days to complete. In the piece, “she played the role of a person returning home from her stressful day at work” (signaled by her hand clutching her bag) “only to find herself plunging back into the chaos and dissatisfaction of her personal life. The painting illustrates a momentary relative rest in our constant daily struggle, filled with endless duties and distractions, a routine in which we appear to be never at ease.” Ultimately, this piece is both intriguing and relatable for many of us as we navigate the world on a daily basis, experiencing the best and worst it has to offer at times and for that Shai Tal can represent a universal figure that represents the realities of life itself.
We would like to take this moment to thank all of you for continuously supporting the growth of our community. We love seeing all of your talent and ideas being conceptualized through our mutual passion for art. We want to leave you with these words … remember that your best is the best and it’s what counts. It should not be compared to anyone else’s own because you are on your own journey, evolving on your own timeframe. Keep doing what you love and keep sharing it with us!