Posted March 7, 2021

The California Art Club is pleased to announce the winners of its inaugural Excellence in Traditional Fine Art Competition.

The works, which spotlight the theme Renewal and Rebirth, may be viewed at californiaartclub.org/rebirth among the nearly 50 paintings and sculptures identified as finalists for honors and cash prizes.

First place went to Nathaniel Skousen for his oil painting Birth of the Moon.

The guest judge for this competition, Peter Trippi, the editor-in-chief of Fine Art Connoisseur magazine, said of Skousen’s oil painting, “This symbolist scene is not only superbly painted, but also reminds us that the moon has long been associated with renewal and rebirth by cultures around the world. The artist quotes John Everett Millais’s famous floating Ophelia (1851–52) without the morbid, even misogynistic overtones some artists bring with that motif. Instead, the girl depicted here is very much alive, ready to awaken and move forward.”

The Winners

First Place – $1,000 Prize
Nathaniel Skousen, Birth of the Moon, oil, 38 x 30 inches

Second Place – $500 Prize
Rebecca Arguello, Breakers at Indian Beach, oil, 16 x 20 inches

Third Place – $250 Prize
Anna Rose Bain, A New Dawn, oil, 20 x 30 inches

Honorable Mention – $75 Prize
Davis Perkins, Stemple Ranch, oil, 14 x 28 inches

Special Recognition for an Associate Artist Member
William Gullette, Skin Shed, oil, 18 x 24 inches

The unveiling of Renewal and Rebirth coincides with the arrival of Spring and the new life the season brings each year.

This quarterly competition was launched by the California Art Club to encourage artists to develop and refine their classical art skills and spotlight their mastery by providing a new platform for showcasing contemporary-traditional works of art.