2012 BEST IN SHOW - Wine and Woodsmoke

2012 BEST IN SHOW WINNER
“Wine & Woodsmoke”
20 X 16" stretch canvas
Acrylics

Chautauqua County Fair 2012
July 23-29 2012

I pulled out a complete clean sweep out of the hat @ the county fair this week. Truly my mind is officially blown. It really is. I won the blue ribbon in each category I was entered. Wow. Even more amazing when I take into consideration where I was only 3 years earlier.

I’ve spoken about my struggles with Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) here before, but for those few that may not, I was diagnosed with GBS in 2008. It is a disorder that occurs when the body's defense system mistakenly attacks part of the nervous system. This caused quite a few problems for me. Today I have to wear glasses and take medication to counteract the tremors that, although greatly reduced, I will most likely have for the rest of my life. Most of all however is that 3 years ago I could not hold any of my pencils, pens, or brushes steady enough to continue my profession as an artist. There really was a point where I fully believed that I might never draw again and had to turn down many convention invitations and numerous other commission request. To go from there to this ...it still feels surreal .

LIST OF WINS 2012

1st place
‘Megatron’
pencils

1st place
‘Dear, Uncle Paul’
portrait
watercolors

1st place
‘Delivery Monsters 4'
comic/manga cover art
inks

1st place
‘On closer inspection’
faeries in the flowers
watercolors

1st place
‘Belle Von Cortlandt’
portrait
pastels/chalks