The Artist Space Gallery is pleased to announce the opening of the fourth Artist's Choice online Art Exhibition. Along with the selected artists, the jury selected award winners in the following art categories: painting, sculpture and photography. The show displayed a variety of artistic styles and mediums: acrylic, watercolor, oil, digital art, photography, forged steel, marble, alabaster. Out of all submissions received 50 artworks were selected to be included in the exhibition.
Best of Show
Lee Kwong Tim Jackson
Short Biography and Statement
Jackson Lee studied illustration at Hong Kong Polytechnic University in the 1980s, where he developed a strong interest in composition and realism. After graduating, he pursued a successful career in advertising, working as an Art Director and later as a Creative Director. He subsequently worked as an image consultant for celebrities and established his own fashion business in Hong Kong. Alongside his professional career, Lee continued to paint, gradually developing a distinctive and personal artistic style. Influenced by realist painter Ken Danby and his depictions of everyday life, Lee became particularly interested in capturing the textures, depth, and intricate details of the world around him. My artistic vision is rooted in a desire to capture and preserve the beauty of Hong Kong's traditional landscapes, architecture, and everyday life. As the city continues to modernize, many old buildings, fishing villages, and familiar scenes are gradually disappearing. Through my paintings, I seek to document these places and preserve their spirit for future generations. Inspired by realism, I pay close attention to composition, texture, depth, and detail. My paintings aim to go beyond photographic representation, capturing not only the visible appearance of a place but also its atmosphere, emotions, and cultural significance.
Painting Prize
Eldon Ward
Short Biography and Statement
Grew up in rural eastern Colorado; Studied Graphic Design, Interior Design, Civil Engineering, Urban Design, and Construction Management at CSU, in addition to Fine Arts; Owned and operated a successful Urban Design and Landscape Architecture consulting firm for over 25 years. Was named Fort Collins “Entrepreneur of the Year” in 1994; Also received various design and water conservation awards. Exhibitions and Recognition: - Over 50 juried shows in Arizona, Colorado and on-line since 2008. Awarded Best of Show or First Place in ten separate juried exhibitions for Nogales Ah Um, Lunar Shell, Jazz Gardinia, Fibonacci Sisters, Blue Saguaro, Agave in the Sky with Lizards, Amalfi Coast, and Winery Afternoon (Purchased by the Littleton Museum for their permanent collection). - Award of Excellence for Slipped Disk 8 at Tubac Center of the Arts’ 2024 Members’ Open. - Various Awards for Reclamation, Borderland, Ristra, House of the Sun Cloud, Sisters at Tahoe, Ho2 No2, South Beach, Departure, Bigger Banana Split, Bigger Parfait, Altered State Flower: CO, Princes’ Street Gardens and more at other shows. I make vibrant contemporary paintings that combine abstract and representational elements. I’m interested in an interplay between organic and built; a mix of the intentional and accidental; and an intersection of curiosity and tranquility. My motivation is the joy of the creative process: the desire to see a vague graphic concept evolve into a tangible piece of handmade artwork.
Sculpture Prize
Jason Shih
Short Biography and Statement
Jason Shih was born in 1972 in Taiwan. In 1991, he began to specialize in metal sculpture when he was a sophomore in the Fine Arts Dept. of Taipei National University of the Arts. In 2001, he graduated from School for American Crafts, Rochester Institute of Technology, USA, and majored in Metal Sculpture. And then, he served as the metal sculptor Albert Paley's assistant, involved in crafts and public art work practices. Furthermore, he earned his Art Ph. D. from China Academy of Art, China (2015). Now, he lives in Taiwan, and consistently engages in the both areas of sculpture and public art. Jason Shih’s artistic vision is shaped by a diverse array of influences, from contemporary dance to avant-garde fashion. He cites German choreographer Pina Bausch and British designer Alexander McQueen as significant inspirations. Bausch’s explorations of time and space resonate with Shih’s interest in sculpture’s capacity to embody kinetic energy and spatial imagination. McQueen’s innovative approach to contemporary imagery and themes provides Shih with a broad canvas for creative expression. Shih’s work is also influenced by the aesthetic principles of Futurism and Constructivism, movements that emphasize dynamic energy and continuous motion. These influences are evident in his pursuit of capturing the beauty of movement and the elegant restraint of natural forces. Shih’s sculptures often depict moments of defying gravity, capturing the fleeting beauty of motion in a static form. As a professional sculptor, Jason likes to experience the taste of life with perceptual observation in the subtle moments, and also likes the ever-changing situation of game shapes in the poetic imaginary space. For Jason, art creation is to share various moods and stories in daily life.
Photography Prize
Shawna Hinkel
Short Biography and Statement
Shawna Hinkel is a Master Photographer and Certified Professional Photographer from Dallas, Texas. She has a Bachelor of Science in Journalism from Texas A&M University, and has been a professional photographer since 2004. In 2023, she became the second Master of WPE from the United States, and became a Grand Master Photographer in Fine Art from MPI in 2025. Her work has been accepted into PPA’s Imaging Excellence collection every year since 2016, and she received the Imaging Excellence Award in 2025. She received her AIM Master of Animal Imagery degree in 2026. She was the Dallas PPA Photographer of the Year in 2017 and 2018. She was also named as one of the Top 10 photographers in Texas in 2020. She received the ASP State Elite Award in 2020 and the Photographic Artistry Award in 2026. She has won a variety of other awards, and has been featured in multiple art gallery exhibitions. It has been said that “the eyes are the windows to the soul,” and I have found this to be true. Not only in people, but also in animals - most especially in the great apes. My series “Almost Human” explores the eyes and expressions of these magnificent creatures, looking for the souls in our most closely-related counterparts. Chimpanzees, gorillas, bonobos, and orangutans are so much like us that if you spend a little time with them, you can almost tell what they are feeling. Some are young and playful, some are old and wise, and some are shy and do not want to be bothered. I want to show the heart of these animals so people can find a deeper understanding of them, and learn about the conservation efforts in place to help them. What a better world it would be for man and apes alike.
Winners