To contact these Best in Show artists directly for purchase inquiries or to see more of their work, please visit the 3rd Still Life Art Exhibition page for contact information.
Congratulations again to all the winners and thank you for sharing your talent with us.
Best in Show (Traditional) – Nancie Quah – “Ancient Bell” – colored pencil
I’m Nancie Quah and I am a self-taught artist, born in Penang, Malaysia and grew up with a fervent interest in arts. I’ve always enjoyed drawing and painting ever since I was little, and my passion for arts has only grown over the years. I started off with punch arts, then rubber stamps were introduced to me. I was a former Magnolia Rubber Stamps (Sweden) Design Team, but to this day I still continue to work with the rubber stamps to create greeting cards because of my vast collection of the items.
I’m always keen to explore with a variety of mediums, but I find myself more comfortable with watercolour and coloured pencils. I prefer drawing pictures of animals and flowers over human portraits. I’ve decided to dedicate myself to art challenges for the past two years, as I try to hone my skills in the meantime – completing one challenge takes me one step closer to my lifetime achievement as a professional artist.
To learn more about Nancie and to see more of her work, please visit her website.
Best in Show (Photography & Digital) – Stephen Robeck – “Story of the World” – pigment print
Stephen Robeck’s interest in photography began at age ten with a small darkroom in a bathroom he shared with his sister. His father worked for Time Life so there were always lots of books about photography in the house. Life Magazine Photographer W. Eugene Smith was an early hero.
After college he moved to New York in search of creative work, first in commercial photography and then in film and television production. In the mid-1980s, he co-founded a creative marketing agency which eventually moved to Los Angeles. Work was intense until the early 2000s, but making photographs remained a focus, especially during long backpacking adventures in the High Sierra.
For the past twenty-plus years Stephen has devoted himself to fine art photography and to mastering the modern tools and techniques of digital image creation and print presentation. He has learned from great teachers like John Paul Caponigro, Mac Holbert and Mary Virginia Swanson. He first began exhibiting his work in Santa Barbara galleries, and more recently in art fairs across the country.
Stephen’s early work was focused on landscapes, but he has long been attracted to the abstract forms, colors and textures that abound in nature. He enjoys creating abstract images whose origins may not be readily clear.
All of Stephen’s work is printed on lightly textured fine-art paper and sealed by hand with an archival print varnish. Prints are laminated to board and float mounted in artist-made frames without glass. Many viewers say his photographs look like paintings.
To learn more about Stephen or to see more of his work please visit his website.
