2017 International Portrait Competition Certificates of Excellence
by Matthew Innis |For the judges of the Portrait Society of America’s International Portrait Competition, it is never easy to choose among the thousands of entires which few will become finalists.  And even after the last choices are made, and a group is selected to compete for the top prizes, there are always works which missed the final cut but about which the judges still cannot help thinking.  These works, which – by a hair – missed becoming finalists, receive the honor of a Certificate of Excellence.  The award winners, of which there are 26 this year, will be included in the opening video at the 19th Annual Art of the Portrait Conference  in Atlanta, Georgia, and the artists will receive their awards during the banquet ceremony on April 22nd.  Unfortunately, the original works will not be on display alongside the finalists during the conference, but thanks to the Portrait Society of America releasing the names and images, you can see the fantastic work here.  Congratulations to all of the award winners!
Jules Arthur (New York, NY USA)
Harriet Tubman
distressed wood, rusted metal rails, antique railroad lamps, antique sconce, antique gold leaf frame, portrait painted in oil on wood panel
52 x 34 inches
Dominic Avant (Bradenton, FL USA)
Lounging
oil
30 x 40 inches
Bianca Berends (Willemstad, Curaçao)
Thijs
oil on canvas
12 x 12 inches
Scott Burdick (King, NC USA)
I am Choctoaw
oil on canvas
40 x 30 inches
John Michael Carter (Louisville, KY USA)
Yellow Kimono
oil on canvas
30 x 40 inches
Rick Casali (Galesville, MD USA)
Cécile
patinated plaster
21 x 15 x 9 inches
Qiyu Dong (Shanghai, China)
Turn Right – Turn Left
watercolor on paper
59.8 x 31.9 inches
Michelle Dunaway (Albuquerque, NM USA)
The Artist (Portrait of Katie Whipple)
oil
40 x 26 inches
Eddie Filer (Texas City, TX USA)
Uncle Martin
oil on linen
18 x 14 inches
David Gluck (Duncan, BC Canada)
Pheasant Hunter
oil on panel
36 x 24Â inches
Palden Hamilton (Baltimore, MD USA)
Mother and Child
oil on panel
32 x 29 inches
Lihuai He (Beijing, China)
Pure Mind
oil on copper plate
40 x 30 cm
Benat Iglesias (New York, NY USA)
Declan
charcoal on paper
64 x 51 inches
Daniel Keys (Fresno, CA USA)
Jaime with Flowers
oil
16 x 16 inches
Sandra Kuck (Boca Raton, FL USA)
Mending Heart (Portrait of John Post Op)
oil on canvas
30 x 24 inches
Sarah Lacy (Ottawa, Ontario Canada)
I Am Everything
oil on linen
24 x 18 inches
Shana Levenson (Albuquerque, NM USA)
Sibling Bond
oil on Dibond panel
36 x 24 inches
David McLeod (Birmingham, AL USA)
Untitled Hologram of Time
oil on glass
59 x 71 x 20 inches
Joseph Noorigian (Philadelphia, PA USA)
Rhus
clay
life size
Evert Ploeg (Sydney, NSW Australia)
Retrospection – Dame Margaret Scott listens to Chausson’s composition for ‘Jardin aux Lilas’
oil on linen
72 x 54 inches
Aapo Pukk (Saue, Harju Estonia)
In Our Living Room
oil on canvas
46 x 33 inches
Hiroshi Sato (San Francisco, CA USA)
Asian American
oil on panel
48 x 36 inches
Adrienne Stein (Wrightsville, PA USA)
Wild Orchid
oil on linen
36 x 24 inches
Kyle Stuckey (Charleston, SC USA)
Artist’s Critique
oil
30 x 22 inches
Tunping Wang (Long Island City, NY USA)
Triza
graphite and charcoal on paper
48 x 36 inches
Weilie Wu ( Shanghai, China)
Grandfather
pastel on paper
37 x 24 cm
