I am very excited today to share the results of the second Consider Art competition. Thank you very much to everyone who submitted pieces for consideration and to the readers out there who have helped make this project of mine a reality. I hope that the art made during this competition inspires more people to become interested in species conservation, especially those species that have suffered in silence for too long.
I am also incredibly grateful to my two co-judges who helped me to adjudicate this competition. While I appreciate art, I am not really a visual artist, so having people with a more advanced understanding of composition was invaluable to me. In addition to myself, the other judges for Consider Art 2023 were:
Maxwell Schumacher: Professional artist and designer of Consider Nature's logo, as well as a close personal friend of mine. You can find Max's art at @septic_gentleman on Instagram.
Oli Platt: Painter and web designer for Consider Nature, as well as my partner. You can find some of Oli's art on @LXIX_drag on Instagram.
Thanks to both of you for being able to intelligently discuss art while I sat in the corner saying "It's so prettyyyyyyy".
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First Place: Limiting Factors by Tori Roberts
Steve's Comment: I fell in love with this one as soon as I saw it. The symbolism is spectacular, the black ink dripping from the eyes perfectly tows the line between beauty and tragedy, and that fur looks like I could sink down into it at the end of a long day (and also looks like it was a pain in the ass to draw).
Oli's Comment: I never thought I'd be calling a Takin "punk rock," but here I am! This piece not only looks cool, but has a lot of symbolism behind it. It's a call to action as well as an homage to this gorgeous, wonderous creature. The inky black tears she sheds with her skeletally-outlined baby looking up her emphasizes the feeling of impending doom this species faces without our help, while also being factual to the animal itself. Absolutely stunning! Bravo!
Max's Comment: The composition of this piece is superb. The symbolism is very striking to me, the background is amazingly well done, the texture on the fur - honestly I just enjoy looking at it too much.
Second Place: Vaquita by Cyanicus
Steve's Comment: BIG Lisa Frank energy in the best way possible. I love the vibrant colors filtering through the water and the cheerful smile on the vaquita's lil face.
Oli's Comment: The combo of beautiful lighting and the Lisa Frank vibes this piece has is just absolutely stunning!! You can bet your top dollar that I'd buy a poster of this in a heartbeat! I think it really captures the essence of our beloved sea goth.
Max's Comment: The lighting work in this piece is phenomenal, and the fantastically done glow on the vaquita very much carried my opinion on it very highly.
Third Place: Fenced Off by Cas Lynn
Steve's Comment: I really enjoy the determination emanating from this lil fella. The barbed wire is creeping in from every direction, but this zacatuche isn't going to go down without a fight! Great attention to detail as well with the small ears and legs.
Oli's Comment: I am an absolute sucker for this art style. It reminds me of stop-motion paper-craft. The orange and gray tinted sky line reminds us of where we are, the thorns and barbs surrounding the rabbit give a sense of urgency and danger, and the placement of zacaton guides your focus up towards the subject in a cohesive manner. The beautifully rendered fuzzy little fellow is nothing to gloss over either!!
Max's Comment: This one I adore because I can very easily see it as a central altarpiece in some strange chapel. I appreciate the symmetry at work with the briar vines, and I very much like the glow emanating from the center.
And with that, Consider Art 2023 has come to an end. Thank you all for spreading the word and participating, and thank you for your patience in waiting for our results. We will be doing Consider Art during a less-crazy time next year (probably September-ish), so be prepared!