The Artist Space Gallery is pleased to announce the opening of the third Waters online Art Exhibition. Along with the selected artists, the jury selected award winners in the following art categories: painting, drawing and photography. The show displayed a variety of artistic styles and mediums: oil, colored pencil, collage, photography, clay, acrylic, alcohol inks, watercolor, aluminum, bronze. Out of all submissions received 92 artworks were selected to be included in the exhibition.
Best of Show
Chang Wan Jin
Short Biography and Statement
I am a Korean-born artist based in New York, specializing in hyperrealism and photorealism oil painting. Born in Daegu, South Korea in 1993, I moved to New York in 2017 to study at The Art Students League of New York, where I trained under renowned realist painter Sharon Sprung. Influenced early by Chinese hyperrealist Leng Jun, I developed a strong technical foundation in portraiture and still life painting, refining my ability to capture intricate detail, light, and texture with precision. Today, my practice focuses on creating monumental-scale realist paintings inspired by the natural world and the cosmos. Working primarily in oil, I explore vast landscapes, celestial phenomena, and the relationship between humanity and the universe through highly detailed compositions. By combining technical precision with immersive scale, I aim to transform familiar elements of nature into experiences that evoke wonder, contemplation, and emotional connection. My work seeks to bridge the observable and the sublime, inviting viewers to engage with both the physical beauty and the deeper mystery of the world around us.
Painting Prize
Mina Ferrante
Short Biography and Statement
Mina Ho Ferrante was born into a family with a distinguished artistic legacy. Her great-grandfather was a royal court painter of the Nguyễn dynasty, and her grandmother was the first female painter from Huế. After immigrating to the United States in 1990, Mina earned her BFA from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco and later worked as a background and layout designer at Walt Disney Feature Animation on films including Atlantis: The Lost Empire, Treasure Planet, Tarzan II, and Lilo & Stitch 2. Now based in Southern California, she creates art, teaches painting, writes, and supports community arts programs. Her award-winning work has been exhibited at the Haggin Museum, Triton Museum of Art, Brand Library & Art Center, MUZEO Museum and Cultural Center, Da Nang Museum of Fine Arts, Ho Chi Minh City Museum of Fine Arts, and Vietnam National Fine Arts Museum. She holds a graduate degree in Art History and is pursuing studies in art therapy. Her publications include the bilingual children’s book Prince of the Sea and the illustrated memoir Roses from the Crimson Rock. Artist Statement I am an artist, educator, writer, and mother of three. My creative practice is shaped by family, community, memory, and the need to create. Born in postwar Vietnam, I grew up surrounded by hardship, when art often felt beyond reach. After building a new life in the United States, I felt called to preserve and share the stories that shaped me. My work explores memory, displacement, resilience, cultural identity, and the transformation of personal and inherited pain. Through painting, writing, and teaching, I hope to create moments of connection, reflection, healing, and meaningful change.
Drawing Prize
Stacey Barge
Short Biography and Statement
My art is an extension of me. I strive to create pieces that will take you to a moment in time and will bring you the emotion contained within that brief period. I am a coloured pencil artist and photographer based in Calgary, Canada. I reside with my husband, two goldens and two cats. When I’m not creating you can find me exploring the mountains and backcountry of our amazing country.
Photography Prize
Kenneth Wyner
Short Biography and Statement
I have been photographing commercially & as an artist for over 50 years. My work has been exhibited @ The American Institute of Architects, The Corcoran Art Gallery, The Modern Gallery of Art, as well as numerous other venues. I love to capture a moment in time through deliberative patience and care, with the knowledge that this moment will be understood and felt universally!
Winners