To contact these Best in Show artists directly for purchase inquiries or to see more of their work, please visit the 8th Annual Leaves & Petals Art Exhibition page for contact information.
Congratulations again to the winners and thank you for sharing your talent with us.
Best in Show (Traditional) – Helena Cocentino – “BETWEEN THORNS” – oil on canvas
Helena Cocentino was born in the Northeast of Brazil. Since childhood, she has always observed each detail around her, developing her visual perception. She always looked for the effect of light and shadow on surfaces through reflections, transparencies and textures, which are often not noticed.
Today, she develops realistic work with different themes, using her own photographs as a source of inspiration. Nature and flora have always attracted her with their beauty and contrast, like the delicacy of a petal and its surroundings; in addition to an infinity of options for a single element, depending on the angle and light.
To learn more about Helen or to see more of her work, she can be reached via her Email.
Best in Show (Photography & Digital) – Roni Ben-Nun – “THE CROWN” – digital photo
Roni Ben-Nun was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina and grew up in southern Israel. He studied architecture in Florence, Italy and later moved to the US, where he earned a BFA in Electronic Design & Multimedia from The City College of New York, an MFA in Digital Media from Lehman College and a Doctoral Equivalency from The City University of New York. He is fluent in English, Spanish, Hebrew and Italian.
Roni has been teaching art and design at Bronx Community College since 2003, first as an adjunct and later as a full-time faculty. He now serves as the chairperson of the Art & Music Department and the College Senate.
His artistic career goes back to the 1990’s, and over the years he worked as a designer, draftsman, photographer, illustrator, and freelance graphic and web designer. While still considering himself an amateur photographer, he enjoys photography and loves to capture the world around him through the lens of his camera.
To learn more about Roni or to see more of his work, please visit his website.
Best in Show (3 Dimensional) – Sara Ussher – “SUNFLOWERS” – acrylic paint on stone
My passion is stones and stone painting, in that sense that I want to create a sculptural dimension by painting the stone just to highlight the stone itself and the qualities of that stone. I find it very fascinating and challenging to go for a realistic creation by paying attention to and at the same time make use of the form, the size, the consistency and the color shift of that particular stone.
The creative process thus starts with the stone itself and in this way the material is guiding me. By interpreting the “spirit” of the stone I am able to express myself and create meanings. I use crude nature stones – not processing them in any way – that I find in the surroundings. The “dull” stones out there, I feel, have a lot to offer.
To learn more about Sara or to see more of her work, she can be reached via her Email.
