Surprise Win: Award Received At Art Opening

What a time last night turned out to be at the opening reception for Chicago Alliance of Visual Artists' (CAVA's) Winter Exhibition! 

I'm just thrilled to announce that the jurors awarded my painting, Winter Berries, the Award Of Excellence, which includes both a cash prize and a gift certificate for art supplies.

I'm still so wonderfully stunned. What an honor.

In the photo above, I'm standing next to my painting and holding the certificate I received. If you look closely, you can see the card they placed at the right of my painting: it says "Award Of Excellence."

What The Jurors Said

When they announced the awards, jurors Dan Zamudio and William Bartelt called the CAVA Winter Exhibition "an extremely strong show" and noted how difficult it was to choose winners. (Out of 65 artists showing, only 7 won awards.)

Regarding my Winter Berries piece, William said "The quality of the painting struck us both very much." He especially liked the choice of palette and "the delicate Asian flavor to this piece" and said it has "a three dimensional element to it...you felt you could go beyond the branches and trees and little berries into a kind of undefined...background. Very visually appealing!"

Dan especially liked the green paper, calling it "A strikingly beautiful choice" that "works very well." He also mentioned the symbols in black script at upper left and the red seal, and he agreed how well the red of the seal echoes the red of the berries.

Show Is Up Through January 2, 2026

Thanks to everyone who was able to come to the opening. It was great to see so many people, laugh and hug, and share the stories behind my painting. Also, what fun to connect with all the artists who turned out, including many art pals.

If you can, do stop in to see the show, which runs through Friday, January 2, 2026. It's at such a gorgeous downtown venue: the Chicago Cultural Center.

Get full details now in my blog post about the show!

Thank you for your enthusiasm and support for my art...I'm absolutely thrilled at my surprise win and so happy to share the news with you.