International Open Art Competition Winners 2024
2024 saw an outstanding level of talent and creativity from the finalist artwork featured in our International Open Art Competition.
Our group of judges individually scored each of the finalist artwork in each of the different assessment criteria and the total scores showed who our winners were for each of our sponsored categories. But one of our awards - The People's Choice - was selected through the visitors of the Finalist Exhibition, either in person or online, choosing their favourite artwork in the Exhibition. Over 3,000 votes were cast for The People's Choice award and a clear winner was shown.
The winners for our International Open Art Competition 2024 were...
The Norrsken Award for Best In show
Kanmi 'Me, Myself & I'
Kanmi is a self-taught London based artist. His art is centred around portraiture mostly, using the medium of charcoal and graphite to capture realism. His main job is within the field of architecture, which he believes contributes positively to his attention to detail and precision when creating his art. Kanmi engages with the audience and evokes emotions through expressions or sometimes lack of in his work, conveying strong messages that relate to world problems or just relatable emotions.
The Daler-Rowney Under 18s Award
Kay Benbow 'Conniption'
Kay's work is all about expressing emotions. Using different colours, she portrays raw emotions and expressive body language to show how others feel and to express her own emotions in a creative way. She wants people to see her work and connect on a deeper level with the piece, relating their own experiences.
Currently Kay is studying A-Levels at Stafford College in Staffordshire, and is hoping to study Art at degree level in the future.
The advantage Digital Print (ADp) Award for Best Digital Piece
Judi Brachi 'Other Dreams'
Judi loves creating "other worlds" using hundreds of layers of photos, mainly flowers and plants. She usually includes wildflowers and grasses in her works: the wonderful plants that many of us just take for granted but which form such an integral part of the landscape. The majority of the plants have been photographed here, on the Isle of Wight where Judi lives. There is an abundance of wildflowers and plants as well as beautiful gardens that she can visit and take inspiration from. Judi thinks we often overlook the importance of plants to our own survival - not just trees but the whole myriad of plants that make up the plant kingdom.
Judi started to study photography during the pandemic and has won competitions for her bee photographs - recently her work was 'highly commended' in International Garden photographer of the year, black and white competition.
The Furleigh Estate Award for Best Creative Piece
Aloysius Ong (Syn Wei Ong) 'Meadow - Dance of Freedom'
Born in Malaysia, Aloy is an Edinburgh-based paper artist and architectural designer, seamlessly blending his architectural and landscape acumen with the delicate art of paper folding. A graduate of the University of Manchester School of Architecture, Aloy draws upon his extensive knowledge of architecture and landscape design to craft intricate paper artworks that transcend traditional boundaries. Aloy’s work transforms simple pieces of paper into exquisite, story-laden art through heartfelt ingenuity. Testament to the transformative potential of art, discover beauty in the mundane and find solace and inspiration in the subtle intricacies of life.
The Lyme Bay Dental & Implant Clinic Award for Best 3d Piece
Matt Sowter 'Angler'
Working from his home in Somerset, Matt makes sculptures that are inspired by nature to create unique, exciting and quirky statement pieces.
The materials he uses are predominantly recycled, found or repurposed. A Victorian Landfill site on the Dorset coast has eroded away revealing its rusty treasures that he can collect on the beach after each high tide. Matt loves rummaging in old barns, farmyards, junk shops, for anything he can use for eyes, teeth, fins, horns or heads.
As part of the making journey Matt wants to reflect and celebrate the natural environment and use any materials that he can adapt to create an artistic impression of various body parts.
It’s important to Matt that his sculptures demonstrate his passion for the materials he's working with and that they capture part of his creative self, he also enjoys giving some of his pieces a functional purpose.
The RISE Award for Best Concept Piece
Ruth Baker 'Day Dreamer'
Specialising in the lesser known medium of Pyrography, Ruth often combines this medium with drawing & painting quality, to create authentic realistic Fine art .Pyrography, an ancient craft involves using a hot wire tool to scorch the surface of bare wood. Its organic, tactile qualities, mesmerizing process, captivates all senses from distinctive fragrances, textures, absorbing mediative process & alluring subtlety of tones. Drawing what Ruth knows & what she loves, she strives through realism to create more authentic pieces, often capturing but a moment in time inviting the viewer to fill in the narrative guided by expression & a sense of connection.
ThE People's Choice Award Sponsored by Unique Framecraft
Violet Von Riot 'The Bath Collage'
Since 2020, Frome-based artist Violet has been producing bespoke eco-friendly collages out of recycled magazines. She creates stunning townscapes and animal portraits with a level of vivid detail that conjures the kind of lifelike character into her pieces that make her a local treasure.
Violet's autism also adds a level of focussed commitment to exceptional detail that people of all ages find captivating in it's ability to enchant anyone who beholds her work.
Her work evokes a nostalgic sense-of-place that delights the curious and satisfies the sentimental.