Faces of Winter Heat Up the Art World

Feb. 17, 2010 - PRLog -- Faces of Winter 2010 ~ A Portrait Festival (FW10) on view through March 4 at the University of Connecticut, 1 University Place, Stamford, CT made its debut on February 5 with an impressive Valentine Desserts and Awards Reception that attracted an estimated 250 guests.  Presented by The Connecticut Society of Portrait Artists (CSOPA), their fifth biennial winter festival features a record seventy-five original paintings, drawings and sculptures selected from nearly three hundred entries from around the country and Canada. Many reception attendees wore red to keep the Valentine theme. Founder and President Emerita, Jeanine Jackson of Old Greenwich explains, "There is no greater way to honor someone you love than with a commissioned portrait. Valentine's is the perfect season to celebrate this classic and enduring art form."  

Celebrity painters at the reception included judges for cash and ribbon awards Frank Covino and Thomas Nash. The winners are: First Place to Linda West of Roxbury, CT for Florence; Second Place to Jesus Villareal of Stratford, CT for Self Portrait; Third Place to Joel Spector of New Milford, CT for Portrait of Barry; Jerry's Drawing Award to Susan D'Amico of Hartford, CT for Image; and Merit Awards to Nanette Fluhr of Dix Hills, NY, Rebecca Leer of Ridgewood, NJ, Lauren Mills of Norwalk, CT, Chris Osborne of New Milford, CT, Alan Proctor of Old Lyme, CT, and Kevin Spaulding of Bronx, NY.


"The quality of our shows and symposia continue to increase year after year," observes CSOPA Co-Chair, Cindy Wagner of Weston. "Our faculty members deserve enormous thanks for their generous contributions of time and talent. These super-stars of the art world provide inspiration and technical tools for future generations of great portrait painters." Faces of Winter 2010 is free and open to the public through March 4 at UConn, Stamford. (Closed on Sundays.) For details, visit www.CSOPA.org.

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The Connecticut Society of Portrait Artists is a non profit arts organization whose mission is to encourage and educate artists of all levels in the art of classical portraiture through networking, workshops, exhibits, and symposiums.