The Overall Winning Artists Category consists of the 10 Best Entries received from the 3 media categories of the Painting & Other Category, Photography & Digital Category and the 3 Dimensional Art categories. 

The winning artists will now be featured on the Light Space & Time website for the month of November 2021 and thereafter, the artworks and links to the artist’s websites will remain online in the Light Space & Time Archives.

The overall winning artists’ category of the 11th Annual "Nature" Art Exhibition will receive extensive worldwide publicity and promotion.  In addition, the overall winning artists will also receive extensive worldwide publicity in the form of email marketing, 550+ press release announcements, event announcement posts and social media marketing. 

Winning artists will also have their art exhibition results posted and promoted on ArtJobs/ArtWeek. Artweek/Artjobs produces 800,000 page impressions per month, 280,000 website visitors per month and has 30,000 newsletter subscribers.  

Congratulations to our artists who made our 11th Annual “Nature” Art Exhibition so successful this month. At any time, we invite our winners and other interested visitors to link their websites to the Gallery’s Archive section for further ongoing promotion.

The Light Space & Time Online Art Gallery will have digital “Nature” Award Certificates, Event Postcard, and Press Releases sent to the winning artists within the next few weeks. Thank you to all of the artists who participated and for being a part of the gallery.  To return to the “Nature” Home Page click here.

To view the artwork in the image gallery’s below, click on a thumbnail image and that will take you to the Slide Show, which will then contain larger images. Artists can now post their images directly to their social media networks (See lower left-hand side of the Lightbox).  In order to leave the Slide Show at any time, just click on the X at the upper right side of the Lightbox in order to escape and that will take you back to the thumbnails images.

1st Place – Overall - Carolyn Dakin - "Full Moon"

Carolyn is a digital artist and photographer, whose art is inspired by the beautiful natural environment of the South Island of New Zealand. She spends time photographing many images, which she layers together to create painterly and timeless stories. Her work integrates themes of joy, beauty and delight, often with humorous or playful aspects.

Carolyn’s website is www.dakincarolyn.myportfolio.com

2nd Place – Overall - Julie Hollis - "Gorilla Reflecting"

As a self-taught, emerging artist, Julie has been having the time of her life experimenting with different styles and mediums. She taught herself to use acrylics, a medium she had never used before and she found her niche.

Julie paints what suits her mood on the day, tending though, to work on a series of the same subject. She doesn’t limit herself to just one subject! She also paints her subjects as she perceives them. The style she has developed over the last 6-7 years painting, and the love of her craft, shows in each and every artwork.

Julie currently sells her artwork all over the world and has been a finalist in several Fine Art prizes

Julie can be reached via her Email.    

3rd Place – Overall - Lucy Webster - "A Higher Vantage Point"

Lucy Webster is a wildlife conservation graduate turned artist as a result of the global pandemic. She took art as a subject up to A-level but seldom picked up a pencil after finishing school. Instead she focused on learning more about the natural world through her degree. Nature is something she was, and still is, very passionate about. It was only when the world was plunged into lockdown that Lucy rediscovered her creativity. The increased time spent at home gave her the opportunity to fall in love with drawing all over again, whilst also being a successful tool in easing her heightened anxiety. As an avid animal lover, she began taking on pet portrait commissions for family and friends before braving to share her work to a wider audience via social media in May 2020. Since then she has taken on regular pet portrait commissions every month; at first alongside her part-time job, but after some encouragement from family and friends, deciding to take it full-time in March 2021.

Lucy predominantly works in coloured pencil as she loves that it allows her to really study her subjects in detail. Being a conservationist at heart, the majority of her inspiration is drawn from nature; however whether it be a wild animal or beloved pet companion, she focuses on capturing the true character of each individual. The slow and precise medium of coloured pencil allows Lucy to create highly detailed and realistic looking results. Whilst drawing wildlife species, Lucy allows herself to explore her fascination for biodiversity; she views it as getting a glimpse into another beings’ world and finds it interesting to consider how a particular animal has evolved and adapted to have the unique features that allow it to survive and thrive. She believes that every animal has a specific role to play within the collective connection of the planets’ systems and attempts to share this by capturing the true beauty of various creatures we share the world with.

Watercolours and pan pastels are regular additions to Lucy’s’ coloured pencil works, however she also enjoys experimenting with charcoal and ink. As an eco-conscious person, Lucy ensures all her materials are ethically sourced to have as minimal environmental impact as possible. She believes that everyone can do their bit to both protect and clean up the environment; therefore her packaging is at the very least reusable/recyclable whilst the majority can also be biodegraded or composted. Additionally, she has created a range of plantable tree-free wildflower cards which are designed to be planted after they’ve fulfilled their purpose. She hopes to expand her range of eco-friendly products, featuring her own art, in the future.

Having realised that she can combine her passion for art with that for conservation, Lucy is determined to commit to raising conservation awareness and funds for wildlife projects across the globe; currently she donates some proceeds to the organisation Helping Rhinos. Lucy is therefore attempting to focus more attention on the wildlife side of her work now, with her main mission being to try and encourage people from all walks of life to gain a deeper connection to nature through creativity. Lucy recently had her first ever exhibition experience after one of her artworks was selected and shown in UK Coloured Pencil Society’s 20th Anniversary Gala Exhibition, held at the Oxo Tower in London. Additionally she also had another piece selected for an online exhibition organised by Artists for Painted Dogs, where 50% of each sale is donated to wildlife conservation charities in Africa. These are milestones for Lucy and she is honoured to have had her work recognised so early into her new career. Lucy hopes that with more artists showcasing wildlife/nature related works and having the opportunity to display them on various scales, it will allow a greater number of people to connect with both conservation and creativity. Art is of course very subjective but can also speak volumes, and Lucy believes it could be a vital tool in helping to increase the understanding of our natural world and how we can protect it for future generations. She has a wealth of ideas surrounding these topics and is extremely excited to see what the future holds for her and her art.

To find out more about Lucy and view her work to date, you can visit www.lucywebster-art.co.uk

4th Place – Overall - Gareth Jones – "Hungry Squirrel"

Photography/digital art are Gareth’s artistic releases. After taking up photography after a career as a forensic scientist, Gareth has been able to bring his imagination, vision and inquisitive mind to visual life. Gareth’s art explores abstracts or unique perspectives that are created from his original photographs or digital art. Gareth uses both monochromatic and colour perspectives believing that they evoke different emotions in viewers.

By looking to connect images to viewers – and in these uneasy times – Gareth wants to balance life. He presents moments of beauty, quiet joy or intrigue in balance with the need to draw attention to important issues. Everyone needs a break from the unending negative news all around the world and Gareth attempts to give people a breather from the stress of today’s world. This is not to say he doesn't bring difficult issues into his art - but Gareth is convinced that balance is the critical issue, especially as for most of us, our worlds are not in balance. He hopes his art helps to heal this disparate world through creative expressions, thoughtful moments and visual enjoyment or challenge.

Gareth’s photographs the world with all its wonders and creations, big and small, that simply make him stop and look or think, smile or feel and then he puts his take on it. Gareth’s images are that gift - a moment to feel whatever the image calls up in you. He lets his curiosity fuel the exploration of the world and from that abstract, nature, urban and imaginative images arise. Viewers are invited to join him.

Gareth’s website is www.gpjones1.format.com  

5th Place – Overall - Scott D Ferguson - "Operator"

Scott's earliest memories were of his brother and mother teaching him how to hold a pencil and draw animals. Growing up in a family of artists and craftsmen in the wooded and agricultural areas of Pennsylvania, Scott's passion for art and wildlife only grew as he went off to obtain his degree at the Art Institute of York in 2005. Originally a sequential artist and illustrator for fifteen years in the film and gaming industry, he switched to pursue oil painting as a means of self-expression free from clients and deadlines.

Drawn to the brilliant works of impressionism done by old and modern masters, Scott uses a wide array of wet on wet techniques to create composition portrait studies of his passion for historic memorabilia and wildlife conservation. Having only taken up oil painting one year ago, Scott's work has been shown in nearly a dozen local and international exhibits.

"There are few things more rewarding than witnessing your own growth in any medium of art. Whether it's the dinosaur you drew with crayons as a child, or successfully painting a six foot composition as an adult, I truly hope that wonder never fades."

Scott’s website is www.scottferguson.net  

6th Place – Overall - Viola Wanling Chen - "Spring Breeze"

Viola Wanling Chen was born in Taiwan. She has been an art lover since her childhood. However, she did not choose art study as her career at younger age.

In late 1980s, she pursued her graduate study in the United States and received her Master's Degree in Accounting from University of Southern California. Viola retired after years of working in the financial accounting field with multi-national banks. She started pastel painting in June 2018. In 2019 Viola started to produce creative work and explored local art competition opportunities.

Viola's first creative work "Blessing for the Pig Year" was selected and exhibited at the joint exhibition of Taiwan and China hosted by Pastel Art Promotion Association of Taiwan (PAPAT) in Taiwan. In the same year, her painting "Lady in Red Shoes and Her Cat" won the excellence award in the 2019 Annual Pastel Art Competition hosted by PAPAT.

Animals are Viola's favorite subjects. By way of constant observations with the nature and wildlife, Viola develops her knowledge about ecology. At the same time she gains inspiration and makes selection for painting subjects from there.

Viola can be reached via her Email 

7th Place – Overall - Holly Kavonic - "Predator"

Holly Kavonic is a self-taught oil painter specializing in Hyperrealism. Born and raised in South Africa, Holly now resides in California. Through her paintings she aims to capture the indescribable beauty that can be found in even the most unlikely subject matter and to celebrate the magnificence of beauty and life itself.

Holly’s website is www.hollykavonic.com   

8th Place – Overall - Jennifer Podor – "Springtime"

My name is Jennifer Podor and I have been doing photography for a very long time. I can remember using Kodak cameras with flash cubes and how I would save my money to buy film and flash cubes. And of course have the film developed and printed. As the years passed I was finally able to get a “real” camera and finally had a darkroom in my basement. My first SLR was a Minolta and I still have both bodies and lenses today. I also still have a darkroom, although someone else has other uses for it currently.

When doing a final portfolio, my instructor asked me why it was not themed the same throughout. I replied that there are many things that are just asking to have their pictures taken, so I do. And to this day, I still take pictures of things that interest me. I love doing nature and landscape pictures, but people are also a lot of fun. I loved doing a couple who were celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary.

I have also entered the Lenexa Call for Artists for the last and have been so surprised to win “Best –in –Show” twice. Photoshop has been a big influence for me over the last several years and I have devoted much time and effort into learning this post editing process. Even the greats like Ansel Adams did post processing in their work. And lastly I am now learning how to “Paint” in Photoshop. It has become very addictive for me.

Jennifer’s website is http://mcpodphotography.com

9th Place – Overall - Austin Verrecchia – "Sunrise Stroll"

Austin Verrecchia is a graphic designer and photographer based out of East Greenwich, RI. Verrecchia received his BS in graphic design from New England Institute of Technology and is currently pursuing his MFA in photography from Rochester Institute of Technology.

Verrecchia has always had an interest in art and design. Verrecchia’s childhood prepared him for a creative future. Raised with artistic family members, he was able to see them express themselves through their work and that's what truly drew him to further pursue art so he too could create his own message.

He continues to work in the world of graphic design, however, Verrecchia is now exploring the many different mediums of photography. Between wildlife and nature photography he has realized that his reserved and observatory personality are traits that go a long way in these styles to help produce quality images.

Photography is an extremely powerful storytelling tool and he has been exploring this to further express himself and his style.

Austin’s website is https://verrecchiaa.myportfolio.com/   

10th Place – Overall - Karen Waalwyk – "Face of Extinction - The Gorilla"

Karen Waalwyk is a photographer and digital artist from Melbourne, Australia. Karen has a love of travel and photography is a natural extension. She particularly likes venturing to remote areas and immersing herself in the culture and environment.

Her camera is always at her side as she captures everything from images of everyday life to landscapes and especially wildlife.

While she views photography as a means of capturing special memories the addition of digital art allows her to add a special dimension to her work as well as explore her imagination.

Karen can be reached via her Email.