Finalist Richeson 75
 

As soon as I arrived from Washington DC, a letter was waiting for me, informing me that 3 of my works were selected as finalists at the Richeson 75 Figure/ Portrait competition.
It was a very exciting news, especially since they decided that, due to the quality of the entries, they will publish a hardcover, full color limited edition book !
Here are the works selected:

Marina,

Terrific news!! Congratulations!! And having just seen these three (and other) works up close and in person over the weekend in DC, I can say this honor is certainly well deserved. These pieces are really quite beautiful. You are on a ROLL!!!

And it was so nice meeting you and chatting over the weekend. A real pleasure.

David

Gorgeous work, Marina. They all wanted to paint you because you are beautiful with great bone structure.

Many congratulations...these are stunning works as we know.

Good to have met you in DC...you must make it your annual event!

Best--Tom

Congratulations, Marina.
You are ready for the world, I am sure that you will take the price !

Oh, this is great news! Congratulations, Marina! This is just the beginning. I am so happy for you and I expect great things in the future.

David, Cynthia, Tom, Allan, Alex : thank you so much for your support !

I especially want to thank Cynthia for her professionalism and her generosity : all this began when I discovered the Stroke of Genius site and few weeks after the Forum, one year and half ago. I knew approximately nothing about techniques and contemporary portraiture. I learned so much from the Forum and furthermore discovered a wonderful artistic community.

Oh Marina!

I am so happy for you! Again this is terrific news, and you are to be congratulated. It was such a treat to see these very works in person, along with David Draime and Yuqi Wang. You should tell Yuqi your wonderful news! Thank you for the generous opportunity to see these originals, and as David expresses, the honors bestowed upon you are so very deserved!

It was such a treat getting to chat and know you better. You have an inner beauty that glows through your creation of these stunning and much favored portraits.

I can't wait to see these published. All the best,

Garth

Thank you Carlos!
I hope it won't bother you too much to hold your brush with fingers crossed ! It's always a treat to see your beautiful work .

Garth,
I absolutely loved everything during this weekend ! After years of feeling artistically lonely and not very encouraged, I felt that I was exactly at the right place, at the right moment, doing the right thing .
It was really great to meet you in person !
Thank you so much for your encouragements.

Your work is wonderful, as I'm sure you heard many times this past weekend, and this honor is well deserved. I enjoyed getting to know you at the conference. It's amazing that you've come so far so fast!

These are very beautiful pieces and I'm very happy for you.

Congrats.

Marina, what more can one say but my sincerest congrats. Maybe you will find the time and bring your talents to Europe. Another thing, Allan and I voted we would enjoy painting your portrait.

As always, all the best to you

That's great news Marina.
There is no doubt that you have choosen the right path. Receiving this letter after spending some time with wonderful artists that got so impressed by your inner beauty IS a sign of the destiny that you are made to be a happy artist.
I agree with everyone, it is well-deserved.

Marina, how wonderful! Many congratulations. I think you will have more success in the future with you beautiful work.

Michele, Bonfim, Mischa, Karine, Grethe : Thanks for the congratulations !

Michele, I enjoyed speaking with you, it was very instructive...

Mischa : I'm planning a trip to France in August to see the family, but I'm not sure to be able to travel in all Europ because I will be with my 2 young children... Anyway, it would be a pleasure to meet you and Allan.

Karine : Destiny... Great subject!
I believe there is 2 sorts of destiny : the passive persons who watch their life as spectators, and the active persons who act to decide their life.
I'm trying to be the second one, although it's sometimes easier when you are a little sleepy or lazy, and to become only spectator of your life.

Marina! I just spotted this. What terrific news! I am so happy that I got to see these in person at the conference.These are beautiful pieces and I am so happy for you!

You are a delight to know and a wonderful artist as well. This is just the beginning of many accolades for you.

Marina this is wonderful news and well deserved! I wish I could have been at the conference and not only met you in person, but seen these beautiful paintings. Your paintings of young children has a very special quality to them and it comes as no surprise that it is being recognized. Good for you! :)

I am absolutely in love with the painting of the child holding the branch!

Dear Marina,

What a wonderful homecoming surprise! I am thrilled for you, and that your work is so recognized! Brava!

Congratulations, Marina! Very well deserved.

Wow - you are such a quick study - who knows where you'll be a year from now!?

Linda, Enzie, Chris, Cindy : thank you so much for your support, it means a lot to me.

Congratulations Marina,

Like everyone else here, I am not surprised. Your work is beautiful.

These will be displayed in my neck of the woods so I will try to make a point to see them in person.

Again, congratulations.

Janel

Thank you, Janel!
I'm a bit envious, I love to see real works, and this will be certainly a great exhibition to see!

Hello everybody!
I'm glad to announce you that Mr Everett Raymond Kinstler liked my drawing " Unveiling" enough to give it the First Prize in the drawing category.
Mr Kinslter commented that it is a "fun picture with an appealing simplicity; a particular child, sensitively rendered."

Thanks so much for those who crossed their fingers for me, you can uncross them now!

Marina, this is so well deserved! I've always loved this image. As I said when I first saw it, it's definitely one of the best portraits of a child I've ever seen, at least in my opinion -- and maybe in Kinstler's too!

Dear Marina

A very hearty congratulations to you. Such a well-deserved prize!! I hope there will be many more prizes (and beautiful artworks) to come. Michele was right when she said it is one of the best child-portraits out there. Stunning work!

That is fantastic! A sincere congratulations and many more like this.

Marina!!

You see what happens when someone in Spain crosses their fingers for someone from France! Many, many congratulations! That particular piece of yours deserves nothing less. I wish you many more successes! (Just say when you want me to cross my fingers).

Dear Marina,

What wonderful news!! It's one thing to be accepted into a competition, but to have your work singled out by someone like Ray Kinstler - well that's really a WOW!

Michele, Thomasin, Mischa,Carlos Chris : Thank you so much!

Yes! That's what I was thinking too !
After seeing Kinstler works at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, it was a bit hard to believe that I really heard " first prize" on the phone!

During the show, Richeson publish a few e-newsletters with interviews of the winning artists, and through which you'll learn which paintings sell and why, and you also can vote for people's choice award...

Marina, congratulations! This is such exciting news! It is, as Ray Kinstler says, "fun," and much, much more. I have a strong feeling that this is the start of something BIG for you.

Thanks a lot Alex !

I told you so, now did'nt I ? ;)

Yes you did, and I'm very happy you were right ! :)
Thanks Allan!

I come to this thread late Marina. These are very beautiful indeed. So nice to see paintings/ drawings of small children appreciated. These are my favorite subjects and so often dismissed as trite. Yours are particularly well done. Congratulations!

Thank you Linda!
As I consider babies and toddlers like beautiful and fascinating beings, I think that their portrait should reflect this...
When will we see a beautiful exemple of yours ? :)

Wow Marina, these are really fine paintings. You've captured the "childness" of them perfectly. Congratulations.

Thank you Pam!
I really had fun painting/drawing these ones.