ALIVE
JULY 2025
BEST IN SHOW
KALIB BRYAN
* THE SOUND OF WATER *
Digital art
“As a visual artist, my vision is to explore the emotion and beauty of our world. I combine mobile technology with natural elements, while experimenting with AI and other graphic effects to turn everyday settings into cinematic and serene dreamscapes. My goal is to capture compelling narratives about the solitude of life as I surprise people with enchanting places. The world is a mysterious place and I want to open up a whole new world that draws a line between the ordinary and the extraordinary.” — KALIB BRYAN
DIAMOND AWARD OF EXCELLENCE
JOHN DIEPHOUSE
**RUBY ARTIST OF THE YEAR 2024**
**CRYSTAL ARTIST OF THE YEAR 2023**
* TOWN CRIER *
Photography
“I am a self-taught photographer and digital collage artist and am attracted to a wide variety of subjects ranging from natural landscapes, botanicals and wildlife to images that provide either abstract expression or social commentary. I am interested in sharing images that evoke a story of some kind. Images may be simply documentary, reflect a sense of time and place or resonate on a more abstract level of color, shape or form. Others provoke an indefinable question that does not readily yield answers without further study and reflection.” — JOHN DIEPHOUSE
DIAMOND AWARD OF EXCELLENCE
KATE GREENWAY
* TYGER, TYGER, BURNING BRIGHT *
Magazine paper collage
"TYGER TYGER, BURNING BRIGHT — this recently completed piece is composed of mostly very small pieces of torn magazine papers. Since I am limited to what I can find, as opposed to having the freedom to mix my own exact colours and make my own marks, looking at value and texture becomes central to the work. Shifting gradients, molding forms, creating shapes all must be done with careful attention to the placement of the papers and a great deal of patience when working with such tiny bits of paper
- such as the size of a single whisker.” — KATE GREENWAY
DIAMOND AWARD OF EXCELLENCE
ERIN ZATRINE
SAPPHIRE AWARD
LINDA SAMUELS
* PUG-A-LUG *
Watercolour
“My work explores intimacy, texture and the quiet strength of the human form, animals and landscapes. Through layered mixed media, I evoke emotions like sensuality, solitude and introspection, whether through a figure’s pose, an animal’s silent gaze or the vast stillness of a landscape. Across figures, creatures and nature, texture is my narrative — each layer tells a story, worn and imperfect like memory itself. I invite viewers to not just see but feel their way through the work, discovering personal meaning in its depths.”
— LINDA SAMUELS
EMERALD AWARD
THERESA POALUCCI
* UNTAMED TERRITORY *
Mixed media digital
“My work combines the desert lifestyle with a fascination for the future, especially the evolving technological world. I blend nature’s wonder with digital tools, such as painting with pixels, to capture and enhance my vision. My digital art process begins with crafting a composition, using my computer screen as a canvas. I combine photos and hand-drawn or painted elements into one cohesive scene. The result is an original artwork. I add art filters and then refine the colors to complete the composition. The final file is sent to a professional printer, who prints my art on acrylic or metal.” — THERESA POALUCCI
RUBY AWARD
STEPHANIE MAURER
* SELF-PORTRAIT AT THE FALLS *
Oil
“My early work employed a traditional/representational technique whereas my current work portrays the colors and textures of life, including the human figure, portraiture, interior and landscapes. My portraiture/figurative work uses representational painting as a starting point to explore the complexities of the human form. I am interested in the play of light and shadow on the human body and I use saturated colors to engage the viewer. Using textural paint application, I aim to bring the feeling of being in nature or at home to the canvas in my landscape and interiors. My paintings invite viewers to consider how paint can represent life in various aspects. I aim to capture the vibrancy of life, including light on the human form, sunlight on snowy peaks and reflections on the ocean's surface.” — STEPHANIE MAURER
CRYSTAL AWARD
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AWARD OF MERIT
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HONOURABLE MENTION
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**WINNERS VIDEO**