art competition

Through my paintings, I want to convey the people and places of African Culture. I was always interested in ancient history as a child, and I loved doodling. At four years old, I was inspired by my two older brothers, who drew cartoon and comic book characters. I started drawing animals from our giant family dictionary at age eight, and I painted watercolors of comic book characters at ten. I started creating pencil portraits at thirteen, and my first acrylic painting at fifteen.

During my middle school years, I began reading about people like W. E. B. Du Bois, Martin Luther King, Jr., Fredrick Douglass, and others. But I was not satisfied with contemporary history; I needed answers to the who, what, where, and when about African history, the period before slavery, the information beyond my high school African history classes. I started doing my own research. To my surprise, I discovered a whole new universe of information.

After leaving the military service at 23, I started building my personal library of African literature, in total around a thousand books and counting. In 2004, while also collecting paintings of African people and their historical places, I started painting for enjoyment, giving away my work to friends and relatives, or selling some work. But my goal in life is to continue to paint African art, inspired by my research. My future goal is to display my work in a museum one day, or show the work in a public center for African culture.

Thebes

This painting depicts a scene of the Opet Festival, an annual ancient Egyptian festival celebrated in Thebes (Luxor) during the season of Akhet and the flooding of the Nile. The festival was celebrated to promote the fertility of Amun-Re and the pharaoh, who was believed to be the spiritual offspring of Amun-Re. The Opet began on ll Aket 15 (between June and September) under Thutmose lll, 1458-1426 B.C., and lasted eleven days.

The festival included a ritual procession of the barque (a ceremonial boat used to transport statues of gods and deities) of the cult statue of Amun-Re, supreme god; his wife, Mut; and his son, Khons. This procession carried the statue for two kilometers, from Karnak to Luxor Temple, its final destination.

Our new type of ArtPrize venue gives veterans a voice as they share their stories of struggle and healing through art.

Thebes is showcasing at Veterans Memorial Park

A special thanks to Kent County Veterans Services, Zero Day, Finish the Mission, West Michigan Veterans Coalition, PlexiCase Inc, and Healing in Arts for making this collaboration of veteran stories possible.

John Katerberg, a purple heart recipient, is a combat veteran of Desert Storm and Afghanistan. After being medically retired from the Army in 2013, John returned to Kendall College of Art and Design and earned a B.F.A. in fine art with a painting concentration.

Although a lifelong resident of Western Michigan, John moved to Florida for two years, where he took an active role in the art communities of Tampa, Sarasota, Cedar Key, and Saint Petersburg. John was also an art instructor at the Veterans Art Center Tampa Bay, with primary teaching locations at the Pinellas County Jail and West Care addiction recovery program.

By sharing the transformative power of art, John mentors many people struggling through the lowest time in their lives. Currently, John is developing a relationship with the Falkenberg Jail in Florida. He plans to teach art to incarcerated veterans via Zoom.

Postcards from Home

Postcards from Home is a three-sided display of three 72 x 36-in. paintings of Michigan scenes. This piece is unique to the art world, as it combines both acrylic and oil paint on a foundation of polished brass. When the realistic painting is nearly finished, John uses pneumatic and electric grinders, as well as engraving hand tools, to reveal polished brass. Coated with an automotive clearcoat, the art is completely waterproof.

As the viewer interacts with and experiences the work, the paint surface appears to move and change. The title, Postcards from Home, honors the tradition of sending postcards, photos, and letters to members of the military to remind them of the places and people they love. Memory of these places helped John endure stressful and dangerous situations when he was deployed to war.

Our new type of ArtPrize venue gives veterans a voice as they share their stories of struggle and healing through art.

Postcards from Home is showcasing at Veterans Memorial Park

A special thanks to Kent County Veterans Services, Zero Day, Finish the Mission, West Michigan Veterans Coalition, and Healing in Arts for making this collaboration of veteran stories possible.

Following his military service, U.S. Navy veteran Ron Leigh eventually ended up at Silver Star Apartments, a housing facility for homeless veterans located in Battle Creek, Michigan. In 2013, while attending Kellogg Community College, Ron studied art, and he created a recreational-based program for Silver Star. The program focused on helping veterans develop positive friendships through music lessons, chess, and video games.

Ron wanted to encourage other veterans to experience community without the aid of alcohol or drugs. After graduating from Siena Heights University with a notable 4.0 GPA, Ron also volunteered at God’s Kitchen, a soup kitchen for the community. Today, Ron works as an outreach case manager, while he continues to create art, serve other veterans, and help the homeless community.

Marching Behind Heroes

After veteran Ron Leigh enrolled at Kellogg Community College, he became interested in art. Before long, Ron developed his own concepts, incorporating many effective creative strategies. His Marching Behind Heroes project, a time-based, site-specific installation, involves the transition of shadows from sunrise to sunset. Symbolically, this continual movement of light throughout the day causes the shadows to appear to be walking across the sidewalk or grass.

The conceptual work also invites the viewer to reflect on a veteran’s sacrificial journey. Ron earned recognition through this very ambitious project, and he continues to explore artistic expression and community engagement. By utilizing art to develop positive outreach, Ron offers the viewer an opportunity to experience empathy—Marching Behind Heroes.

Our new type of ArtPrize venue gives veterans a voice as they share their stories of struggle and healing through art.

Marching Behind Heroes is showcasing at Veterans Memorial Park

A special thanks to Kent County Veterans Services, Zero Day, Finish the Mission, West Michigan Veterans Coalition, and Healing in Arts for making this collaboration of veteran stories possible.

Born in the Netherlands in 1947, Frits became interested in art at an early age. His family first immigrated to Canada, and he became a member of the Federation of Canadian Artists at age fifteen. The family later immigrated to the USA, and before becoming a citizen, he was drafted to serve in Vietnam. Self-taught with no formal art school training, Hoendervanger has received numerous awards for his hyper-realistic paintings and standard of excellence.

He is also represented in many public and private collections, including the Michigan Governor’s mansion and the collection of former President Gerald R. Ford. His mural depicting the history of the Grand Rapids Press, previously displayed in the former Press Building lobby, is now part of the Grand Rapids Public Museum’s permanent collection. In 2011, Hoendervanger won the Grand Prize in The Artist’s Magazine’s annual All Media Competition. The winning painting was his ArtPrize 2010 entry. He won 3rd place for his 2012 ArtPrize painting, “Rebirth of Spring.”

The following year, he was commissioned to paint a 25 foot mural for a veteran’s facility in Battle Creek, which was praised by Governor Rick Snyder at the ribbon cutting ceremony on Veterans Day in 2013. As a U.S. Army veteran himself, Hoendervanger’s art continues to stir the audience’s imagination with beauty and grace. Most recently, Hoendervanger was selected to participate in the National Oil & Acrylic Painters’ Society 2021 “Best of America” Small Works National Juried Exhibition, winning the award of excellence.

I’m Still Here

Fifty years after fighting in the Vietnam War, and a short period of homelessness, I still struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and memory issues. Recently, after learning about the relationship between PTSD, Agent Orange, and Alzheimer’s for Vietnam veterans, I painted “I’m Still Here.” The 48 x 72 inch oil on canvas painting depicts my father-in-law’s battle with Alzheimer’s disease.

As I watched the dreadful disease steal away Morley’s health, while fighting my own internal battle, our connection grew closer. “I’m Still Here” represents the loss of Morley and my ongoing health issues, but it also serves as a remembrance of all the veterans and loved ones who have lost their lives to Alzheimer’s. Decades later, though my struggles are very real, life has been good, so I try not to let PTSD be the focus of my daily life.

Our new type of ArtPrize venue gives veterans a voice as they share their stories of struggle and healing through art.

I’m Still Here is showcasing at Veterans Memorial Park

A special thanks to Kent County Veterans Services, Zero Day, Finish the Mission, West Michigan Veterans Coalition, and Healing in Arts for making this collaboration of veteran stories possible.