Tarique,
Well.. what can I say, I have yet to win a national award of any kind!
Local competitions I have won, but I don't mention that, nor my memberships. Quite frankly, I have never been asked about any of that. They ask out of curiosity where I went to college, and then I feel the work speaks for itself. I'm not a perfect fit for everyone. Fortunately, people are astute enough to recognize my strengths (and I've become familiar with them by now as well) and don't ask me to be the type of painter I'm not. There's usually quite a dialogue between us prior to the commission beginning to make everything clear.
As I mentioned earlier, being clear on my vision and presenting that cohesively assures them that I take my vocation seriously. It's been quite a joy for me.
