ArtistsNetwork.com 772ND PLACE
Blair Atherholt
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
blairatherholtart.comHarshest Critic
oil on panel, 34x22
“The creative process can be
a daunting and exhausting
exercise familiar to artists of
every discipline. My goal for
this piece was to illustrate the
frustration of a near triumph—
the trials and errors of an
artist’s attempt to communicate
her inspired vision through
her chosen medium. Harshest
Critic will forever serve as
a reminder to myself that the
most intimidating subject
matter nearly always yields
the greatest artistic growth.”3RD PLACE
Steve Wilda
Hadley, Massachusetts
stevewilda.comLost Soul, South of France, 1917
acrylic on wood panel, 30x23½
“A rusted canteen purchased by my
wife while in France working on a World
War I documentary was the inspiration
for a painting about that war. Being that
2017 was the 100th anniversary of our
country’s involvement, I chose to work on
this instead of other paintings-in-waiting.
My intention was a war casualty’s boots
that were left inside a damaged church
as a memorial, with vintage French boots
and barbed wire from the confl ict. After
three months of working on the picture,
I completed it on April 6th. Later
I learned that was the exact day the U.S.
involvement began, 100 years ago.”