ANNUAL STUDENT COMPETITION
First Place
Alec Asnien
SOLON, OHIO
BEHANCE.NET/ASNIENIt’s my dream to have an
art career. I’m attending the
Cleveland Institute of Art to
pursue a degree; eventually I
want to work in an animation
studio.
The fi gurative artist Judy
Takács is a wonderful friend of
our family. I had the privilege
of shadowing her in her studio
for my senior project, and I
learned about the day-to-day
life of an artist.
My inspiration for Angry
Bird was my little Quaker par-
rot, Kiwi. I got her at a parrot
rescue. When I saw her, she
ANIMAL/WILDLIFE
started jumping up and down
and bobbing her head. She
bites everyone but me! No
matter how big something
is, she’ll try to bite it; she’s
fearless (and loud). It was her
fearlessness that inspired me
to paint Kiwi facing off against
a big, ceramic, angry bird. MG
ABOVE: Angry Bird (oil on canvas,
11x16)Second Place
Sandra
Golkowski
CROWN POINT, INDIANA
FINEARTAMERICA.COM/PROFILES/
SANDRA-GOLKOWSKIAbout 40 years ago I was
asked to teach a Sunday
school class. I began cutting
out fi gures, and the other
teachers were amazed! They
told me about an adult art
class, but I only recall going
one time.
Life got tough: I quit
painting. I just wanted a
peaceful home where I could
garden and paint again. We
moved to a house on 10
acres, so I took a master
gardening class. I so enjoyed
fi lling the yard with trees and
fl owers.
Once again my world
came crashing down when
my son, a father of four,
was found to have brain
cancer. He lived just four
weeks. I no longer wanted
to look at another fl ower; I
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