There are many excellent emerging artists who have earned places as winners and finalists across the four editions of our art award and we'd like to celebrate them by showcasing in no particular order our top 8 female artists in the Boynes Emerging Artist Award. You’re in for a treat!

1. Tanya Atanasova

It would only be fitting to first start with the 1st place winner in the 1st Edition of the Boynes Emerging Artist Award, contemporary Bulgarian realist painter, Tanya Atanasova. Atanasova began creating art from a young age believing that “if you carry creative genes, creativity runs like a program and always finds its way to the world in a creative language/expression” - in her case, through painting and crafts. Atanasova integrates old and modern techniques to create the different layers of a personality, which she feels is best achieved through utilising oils.

She earned a Bachelor of Applied Arts (Ceramics) in her native Bulgaria, before expanding her artistic studies in Belgium and Madrid. Atanasova currently resides in Belgium - the land of beers, waffles, chocolate and of course, beautiful landscapes and nature which is one of her sources of inspiration. Alongside being inspired by nature, Atanasova find interest in exploring people and psychology, people’s stories seamlessly complementing her personality as described in her interview with Founder of Boynes Emerging Artist Award, Chantal Boynes - “like a real Balkan person, I’m very social and very verbal, so people’s stories really touch me and often make me think about new work.”

Notably, she prefers to focus on people who have played an important role in her life or have been an inspiration to her with their talents exemplified by her many works including her winning oil on Belgian linen piece, ‘Lou’ who Atanasova describes as 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. In 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.” In our previous article ‘10 Best Portraits In The Boynes Emerging Artist Award’, we highlighted this piece as one of favourites 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.”

According to Atanasova, knowing the models and being interested in their psychology, she wanted to capture more than just their outer appearance. She wanted to become an intermediary between them and the viewer, building a connection that hopefully goes beyond painted realism.
Atanasova further explained her work by saying “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.”

Amongst her numerous achievements post being awarded 1st Place in our 1st Edition, one that is literally an out of this world opportunity is Astanasova’s painting ‘Phillip’ which is heading to the moon as a part of the Nova Collection in THE LUNAR CODEX (a digital collection of creative work - writing, film, and art). This project is a collaboration with 33 Contemporary Gallery and PoetsArtists platform and curator of SHELTER exhibition (where ‘Phillip’ was displayed and subsequently selected to be a part of the LUNAR CODEX project), and Canadian writer, physicist, collector, Dr. Samuel Peralta. All of the collections will be launched in the first quarter of 2022.

2. Leigh Brooklyn

Leigh Brooklyn is an American artist with a BFA in Biomedical Illustration. Creating has been part of who she is and her identity since childhood, but it wasn’t until high school that she realised that she could make a career of it.
She primarily works with oil paints, while also experimenting with graphite drawing. She sees herself moving towards mixed media, while currently studying clay sculptures for making bronze casts, and wielding for cultural work. She earned her place as the 2nd Place Winner in the 1st Edition with her winning oil on canvas piece ‘Love’. As demonstrated in this work, Brooklyn finds inspiration in the people she meets through her street photography. She explores places like downtown Los Angeles, going to protests and being enveloped by how passionate people are. Part of her art practice is documenting this, meeting, connecting and hearing the stories of these different people. By doing this, Brooklyn has discovered that we are all so much more similar than we would care to admit, we all just want to be loved and respected. Her work continually reflects humanitarianism more and more as this phenomenal artist sees herself taking on an activist approach with her goal to unite and inspire people.

On her website, Brooklyn describes her winning work which features Jayden and Madi, a married couple that she encountered when she was in downtown Los Angeles. “Upon first meeting them I knew I had to paint them. Their love was palpable and their combined style was interesting and innovative. I was instantly drawn to their funky hair and matching denim with all the patches. They agreed to let me photograph them, and I was able to capture this candid and seemingly intimate moment of them looking deeply into each other’s eyes, and it really spoke to me. Amongst all the loud cars and people in the city, they managed to have this very quiet and very private moment. It was beautiful.” This piece is not only intimate and enchanting but it is also a work of activism and celebration of LGBTQ individuals and couples who Brooklyn explains “According to national surveys, many transgender individuals will attempt suicide at some point in their life due to rejection, harassment, assault, abuse, discrimination, and homelessness. In our current society, it is well known that much more needs to be done in terms of awareness and education on this marginalized group. Transgender individuals and the LGBTQ community need support and acceptance from all people, not just some. They are not a burden, and they—like anybody—are entitled to a life of love, support, and fulfillment. I hope that this painting of Jayden and Madi’s loving moment raises awareness and evokes relatability in the honest humanity and love that can be seen in their glance. When more compelling representation of marginalized communities are seen, acceptance and equal rights will follow. There will be no liberty and no justice until there’s liberty and justice for all.”

Following the Boynes Emerging Artist Award, Brooklyn continues to lead a very successful career including numerous exhibitions such as her most recent at the Cleveland Women’s Show at District Gallery which was held on September 10th 2021. She has also displayed her work as murals in the streets of Cleveland and last year in 2020, the National Museum for Women in the Arts highlighted her article with Fresh Water on the ‘Love Bomb’ Grenade series that she created to raise funds for Journey Center, a non-profit dedicated to empowering people to find a path towards healthy, thriving relationships.

3. Annie Murphy-Robinson

Annie Murphy-Robinson is an American artist with an MA in Studio Arts. She was announced as the 2nd Place Winner in the 3rd Edition of the Boynes Emerging Artist Award with her winning work ‘Casey Voodoo Child’. With over 20 years and immense fervor for art, Murphy-Robinson is the inventor of the charcoal (and dry pastel) sanding technique as seen in her winning piece and many of her other works. Her technique is original and unique to her art style but as a true maven would, she is enthused to share and teach other art-lovers and artists about the technique embodies in her work. Teaching as well as her children and her own experiences are all sources of inspiration for her work.

When describing her sanded charcoal technique on her website, she states “Using this technique, I am able to “see” in the dark; I use a myriad of photographic references which allows me to lighten up the dark areas and balance them out with the lighter ones without washing out the details. Use of this technique takes the work to a “hyper-real” level and lends itself well to the pervasive feeling of melancholy that exists. My intent is to confront the viewer and ask questions.” Through her art, Murphy-Robinson seeks to allow the viewer to interpret meaning using their own experience which can create an emotive and empathetic bond between artist and viewer. Feeling, memories and thoughts play important roles in her art which brings refreshing levels of authenticity and honesty to her work revealing her dedication and connection to each piece. Without a doubt, we can see how involved Murphy-Robinson is in the entire process from the emotions behind the conception and vision all the way to the execution and keen attention to detail. She illustrates this by explaining “I pick out everything from the outfits and rugs that the subjects sit on to the lighting in order to capture the feeling that I wish to convey for that body of work. I have started to incorporate props as well which leads to a narrative that is also open for interpretation.”

Her portfolio and achievements are as striking as her work which has been exhibited across the United States of America for over 16 years including in locations such as the Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, California and Scope New York and Miami, C. Emerson Fine Arts. The pandemic has not stopped this artist’s drive and passion as Murphy-Robinson’s has been awarded the AWA Lifting the Sky Presidents Award, 2nd Place in the ARC Drawing category, Portrait Society of America Draper Grand Prize and 1st Place in The Artist’s Magazine’s Drawing Category between 2020 and 2021.

4. Megan Seiter

Megan Seiter is an American artist who graduated with a BFA in General Fine Art from Maryland Institute College of Art. She earned her place as the 3rd Place Winner in the 3rd Edition of the Boynes Emerging Artist Award with her winning work ‘Dolores’.
Seiter describes in an interview with Chantal Boynes being immersed into the world of art from a young age because she was surrounded by artists which inspired her to begin her artistic journey - “My mother was a renowned calligrapher and the owner of a successful printing business. She was also part of a large community of local artists. I had access to her inventory of tools, which included every type of paper and pencil I could dream of, and I fell in love with drawing at a very early age. Through my mother’s network of friends and colleagues I was exposed to a wide range of artistic professions, including book binding, illustration, calligraphy, and stone carving. Though I enjoyed every kind of art-making, I was most fascinated with drawing realistically. I loved the challenge of it as much now as I did then!” This fascination for realistic drawing coupled with her love for the emotive qualities in both the human form and inanimate objects, Seiter creates drawings that reflect her love for colour, texture, and subtle value shifts. Her medium of choice is wax-based and oil-based colored pencils which she applies in light layers. She notes that this medium gives her the liberty to “get close to the goal I set as a young girl. I continue to push the boundaries of my medium to achieve the highest level of realism that I can.”

Her winning work ‘Dolores’ effectively showcases Seiter’s sources of inspiration: light, texture, and color, often in organic objects like fruits and flowers. As she accurately portrays “the way that light touches an object, and the type of light have a huge impact on our perception of that object. New textures present new challenges, and keep me stimulated in the studio. Color provides richness, and I enjoy building multiple layers of different colors to create a vibrant drawing. Lately, I’ve been spending a lot of time at local farmer’s markets and flower shops. The variety of texture and color is unbeatable, and I almost always find something to inspire my next drawing.”

We’re in awe of the way in which Seiter photo-realistically captures the delicacy and freshness of the inanimate objects she draws. Her well balanced usage of oil and waxed-based coloured pencils in her pieces creates a harmonious blend of light play, intrigue, precision, detail and softness which culminates into magnificent works of art.

As you would anticipate, Seiter holds an impressive portfolio as her work has been featured in publications such as the Colored Pencil Magazine, the International Artist Magazine, the Color Magazine and numerous others and she has also been awarded Best Floral in the International Guild of Realism’s Spring & Fall Salon Exhibitions (2021), Windsor & Newton Award for Exceptional Merit in the Colored Pencil Society of America’s Annual International Exhibition (2021), Best Still Life/Botanical in Jackson’s Painting Prize (2021), Distinguished Achievement in Still Life in the American Women Artist’s Lifting the Sky Exhibition (2021)and Honorable Mention in Artists Network’s Strokes of Genius Competition (2021) among others.

5. Maureen Denny

This story will be sure to inspire you! Self taught artist and 2nd Edition Finalist Maureen Denny found her love for photography late in life, in her late 50’s to be exact, making her a true ode to the fact that age shouldn’t limit when you take the brave leap to start pursuing your passions. In an interview with Chantal Boynes, Denny describes her previous work as “awful, uninteresting and most subjects got their heads cut off” and 2019 marked the pivotal year in Denny’s life when she would close the chapter on her web business and dive into photography. Workshops and her natural curiosity for experimentation of her creativity are what pioneered Denny into the direction of photography even when never growing up with a camera. Boynes notes that “Denny credited her move to not only a new place but to an area that was so vastly different from what she was used to that she struggled to find the beauty in her new environment. For Denny, picking up her camera was a way of inviting a fresh perspective. From there, Denny completed a few workshops and a short course before discovering her love of Photoshop and Photo manipulation, an art form that “is only limited by my imagination”.”

Denny was not exempt from the feelings and emotions associated with changing career path as the explains that “because I started my career in my late 50’s I had to work through feelings of self-doubt, that I am too old to really make a difference. My art, and the people I have met, have given me so much support and encouragement. I want to show others that it is possible to start something new. At any age.” Notably, she finds her source of inspiration from a love for growing and learning from mistakes. “ [I] find a way to use what I learn to make my art more impactful. The deeper I get into this journey the further I want to take it. As an introvert I am starting to find my voice through my art. I would like to help others to find inspiration to embrace wherever they are in life and make the most of it.”

Denny earned her place as a finalist in the 2nd Edition with her winning work ‘Sunflower Surrealism’ which draws on her keen interest in fiction and nature through her unique, conceptual lens. She incorporates a beautiful array of texture in her photography by using her purposeful camera movement technique which highlights intricate details that typically go unnoticed such as patterns in the sidewalk, paint peeling from a wall, and sand on the beach.

Most definitely, Denny has a bright career in photography which is equally indicated through her achievements such as her honourable mention in the Visionary Art Collective’s online exhibition titled “Metamorphosis” (September 2021), Bronze Seal in the Master Photographers International (MPI) Image Challenge (December 2020), her featured article with Altered Pixels and many other noteworthy accomplishments.

6. Daniella Queirolo

Daniella Queirolo is a Peruvian artist and a finalist in the 4th Edition of our competition. She migrated to Philadelphia where she would go onto study art at Temple University followed by numerous opportunities to live in different cities such as New York, London, Lisbon, and Buenos Aires experience their unique cultures and people which inevitably influenced her figurative and expressionistic style of painting and her other passions for all forms of art, such as performance, music, dance, and architecture.

In her interview with Boynes, Queirolo shares “after returning to my hometown, I entered a stage of ceaseless searching which drove me to experiment with abstraction and ended in my reconnection with my estranged figurative roots. In doing so, I finally achieved that longed-for connection with my art, painting the human body while in motion, in a theatrical environment, or surrounded by nature.”

In the 4th Edition of Boynes Emerging Artist Award, her winning work “I’m Light” helped her to earn her place as a finalist. As the artist explains “‘I’m Light’ depicts a strong, free, empowered woman who fights for her dreams with beauty and grace.” This oil on canvas painting captures the essence of Queirolo’s energy and passion for art through the dynamic movement of the subject. The character portrayed in ‘I’m Light’ is not only representative of Queirolo who “had to put aside [her] fears and just like the character in “I’m Light” [feeling like she] was jumping fearlessly towards emptiness”; it is also a source of inspiration and a symbol of strength and freedom for women. Queirolo eloquently displays a union of abstract and figurative techniques to narrate the humanism and dignity of the human figure. According to the artist, “the figurative style is mutating towards a more realistic one and the abstraction towards a more expressionistic style. By pushing them towards opposite extremes, it ends up being more antagonistic and more interesting in capturing movement and energy.”

Outside of her achievement in Boynes Emerging Artist Award, Queirolo has a vibrant portfolio showcasing notable awards such as the Best Overseas Artist awarded by Holly Bush Painting Prize, UK (2021), Finalist Place in the Contemporary Award (2021), as well as an interview with Camila Rebecca from Revista Ophelia, a review by Mariluz Gallegos Zumaeta, exhibitions including Feria De Arte Contemporaneo Artmotiv 2021, Dia de la Lucha Por Los Derechos de las Mujeres/ Day of Struggle for Women's Rights, During Corona Virtual Exhibition with MAH (Mujeres Artistas Hoy), Spain as well as her upcoming exhibition RED DOT MIAMI 2021 to be held from December 1st - 5th 2021.

7. Barbara Hack

American artist Barbara Hack earned a Finalist Place in the 3rd Edition of the Boynes Emerging Artist Award with her winning oil painting “Expectance”. Hack describes her earliest memories of creating art in her interview with Boynes - “I drew anytime that I could, whether I had a sketchbook or the margins of my notebooks in class… I just constantly put something on paper.” This, along with her supportive family, encouraged Hack to pursue full time this love for painting that emerged from a young age.

Hack’s winning work “Expectance” clearly highlights her keen fascination and appreciation for the human figure and the challenges that accompany capturing realistic portraiture. In our article “10 Best Portraits in the Boynes Emerging Artist Award”, we commended ‘Expectance’ for its “atmospheric mood conveyed through both subject and title.” We particularly enjoyed the thought behind the technique of highlighting the subject’s facial features as a means of shedding both a physical and metaphorical light on the subject’s mood and emotions which are a key component of this piece.

For Hack, inspiration surrounds her whether it be “during a ride on the subway, in a hotel lobby, or from the people around me.” Her primary goal is to capture the ephemerality of each unique individual and translate it to the viewer. She pushes beyond the boundaries of static realism and incorporates dynamism, even in her technique of using different patterns in each piece and interchanging between a loose and tight style, to capture resonant moments in time.

Hack’s work has been featured in publications such as Painting the Figure Now (July 2019 Issue) and numerous exhibitions including but not limited to International Realism 14th International ARC Salon, Allied Artists of America 2019 106th Annual Exhibition, Wausau Museum of Contemporary Art, International Biennial portrait Competition 2019, ‘NOAPS’ Best of America Exhibit 2018.

8. Anne-Marie Zanetti

Hailing from Brisbane, Australia, Anne-Marie Zanetti is a painter and finalist in the 4th Edition of Boynes Emerging Artist Award. Her love for the discipline emerged from a young age when she “can remember having enjoyed using my hands, from drawing and painting to cross-stitching and sewing, even building with timber or clay. As one of six children there was no space or thought given to pursuing a creative career. So, with the demands of a full and busy life I chose to continue my creativity as a hobby for two decades.” The opportunity to refocus on her art arose when her youngest child reached school age her husband encouraged me to pursue my passion. Since then, she has given herself permission to experiment with different forms of art but realised very quickly that she felt most comfortable with a paintbrush in her hand as it came very naturally to her. The magical illusion of painting leaves Zanetti in awe and gives her “a sense of satisfaction that little else can compare to and sometimes even leaves me speechless.”

Her winning work in the 4th Edition, ‘From Which Do We Attain Our Maturity - Inside out or outside in?’ forms part of the ‘Reminisce’ series of portraits of her youngest daughter, Bec, and as a series, they are part of Zanetti’s ongoing investigation into the turbulent years of her younger self. We celebrated this piece in our article “10 Best Portraits in the Boynes Emerging Artist Award” commending Zanetti for her precise and purposeful artistic choices including her technique and colour palette as well as the depth of both painting and symbolism behind the piece. She allows us to be a part of her unedited and intimate journey of experiencing the wonderful insights that accompany “delving into the shadows of our emotional landscape”, all wrapped up in a beautiful symbolic package.

Zanetti has been recognized by Blue Review Art Prize 2021 and has been awarded numerous awards including 3rd Place International Guild of Realism Fall Salon 2021, REHS Gallery Exhibition Award – 15th International ARC Salon 2021, Commended Award – Light, Space and Time ‘Animal’ Exhibition 2020 and also selected exhibitions in which she was Semi-finalist - Doug Moran National Portrait Prize, Sydney Australia, Finalist Brisbane Portrait Prize, Brisbane Qld Australia, ‘Quest for the Modern Figure’ exhibition 33 Contemporary Gallery IL, USA.

Conclusion

Congratulations ladies on all of your success! We would also like to take the time to congratulate all of the winners and finalists from our past editions for your exceptional work and dedication and equally, thank you to all of the submitters across all of the editions. It’s because of your continual support that we can continue to do what we love - creating a community and platform for all emerging artists out there.