2020’S BEST “LANDSCAPE WITH LIFE” PAINTERS NAMED BY 25 GALLERIES:

7 min readOct 31, 2020

CHER PRUYS, BONJEONG KOO, MAX FERGUSON, ELEANOR MILL, JOHN MCCARTIN, BRIAN PIER, NATASHA EVDOKIMOVA, SALIH ALMALIKI, LINDA BESSE, LEE KWONG TIM, ANN JAMES MASSEY

Painters, photographers, sculptors and digital artists from 62 countries competed in the most prestigious online art call, AMERICAN ART AWARDS, https://www.americanartawards.com/, where America’s 25 best galleries and museums score art in 50 categories. In this column, I’ll reveal the world’s best contemporary artists of 2020 one category at a time.

Winners in this category are from Canada, Republic Of Korea, USA, Russia, Australia, Iraq, Hong Kong and France.

BIO OF FIRST PLACE WINNER: CHER PRUYS

ASAA SCA, IGOR, AAPL, CSAA, AMS, LMS, OSA, MAA, CFA.

“To take my inner visions with my hands and create a work of art for you the viewer …. That is the ultimate in self expression.”

Cher Pruys was born in Regina. Over the years she lived in many places including Saskatoon, Calgary, Edmonton, Ottawa, Fort Frances, settling into her present home in Devlin, on the banks of the Rainy River with her husband Mark, 4 dogs and 2 cats.

By age three, Cher was seldom found without a drawing tool in hand. She worked in pencil, charcoal and ink over the years, until, she picked up a paintbrush at the age of 35. Beginning with oil paints, she found her chosen mediums in acrylic, water colour and gouache.

Although self taught, her dedication and talent has seen her work juried into 113 International exhibits, as well as exhibits in numerous non juried shows. She has won 99 awards for her work at the International Juried Exhibits. Included in these awards, the first recipient of a major Canadian National Award, The Mary Pratt Crystal Award of Excellence at the 2014 SCA Open Juried Exhibition, The SCA 1st place award of distinction twice respectively, 2016, and 2017 at The Canada’s 150 show, The Gold Medal recipient for Figurative Painting in The Mondial Art Academia’s International 2018 Competition, The Aviation Week & Space Technology Award Best of the Best, and the ASAA Award of Distinction for the best painting in the ASAA International Space & Technology Exhibit & Competition, consecutively for 2 years. She has had 14 solo exhibits.

Cher is also an avid fused glass artist, and a certified teacher of piano and guitar. Her painting “The Bubble” had the honour of being part of the Masterworks from The International Guild of Realism Tour. She Was Elected to the American Society of Aviation Artists as an artist member in 1996, and eventually Was elected as a Foreign Affiliate Artist Fellow, one of only two Canadians receive this honour. Her work has graced the covers of 3 books, 19 magazines, and has-been featured in over 73 international publications. Cher has had 14 solo exhibitions in Canada, and participated in 94 group exhibitions throughout Canada and the USA, as well as international online exhibitions. Her works have found a permanent home in numerous private and public collections worldwide. Cher’s artistic style can be described as Realism with a hint of Abstract in her latest works. www.artbycher.ca

Each May the American Art Awards organization selects the 25 Best Galleries and Museums in America, then in autumn these revered art institutions vote on online art to decide the world’s best contemporary artists.

Last month America’s 25 Best Galleries scored almost 2,000 works in 50 categories from 62 countries: Afghanistan, Armenia, Australia, Bangladesh, Belarus, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Croatia, England, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Haiti, Hong Kong, India, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malaysia, Mexico, Moldova, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Republic Of Korea, Romania, Russia, South Korea, Serbia, Singapore, Spain, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, Uganda, UK, Ukraine, USA, Venezuela, Zimbabwe.

COLLECTORS wanting to acquire these pieces or contact the artists can get direct links here: https://www.americanartawards.com/2020-winning-art/

Enter here: https://www.americanartawards.com/register-to-enter-3/

CONTACTS FOR CATEGORY 36. REALISM OR IMPRESSIONISM / LANDSCAPE WITH LIFE

1ST PLACE CHER PRUYS CANADA www.artbycher.ca
“Amore” 14x11” Acrylic on paper.

2ND PLACE-TIE BONJEONG KOO REPUBLIC OF KOREA artistbonkoo@gmail.com “Jungle; Pilgrim_Abraham” 162.2x112.1cm Oil on canvas.

2ND PLACE-TIE MAX FERGUSON USA http://maxferguson.com/ “Looking For America” 20x30" Oil, panel.

3RD PLACE-TIE ELEANOR MILL RUSSIA www.melibertine.com
“The Truce Under The Shade Of The Golden Age. Aachen. Germany” 20x28” Watercolor on paper.

3RD PLACE-TIE JOHN MCCARTIN AUSTRALIA www.johnmccartin-artist.com “Serenade” 86x70cm Oil on linen.

4TH PLACE-TIE BRIAN PIER USA http://www.brianpierfineart.com
“Day Of The Festival” 18x24" Oil on canvas.

4TH PLACE-TIE NATASHA EVDOKIMOVA RUSSIA Instagram.com/neva_artist “On The Threshold Of Adulthood” 60x60cm Oil.

5TH PLACE-TIE SALIH ALMALIKI IRAQ salihalmaliky50@gmail.com
“Marshes Women” 80x60cm Oil on canvas, painted with a knife.

5TH PLACE-TIE JOHN MCCARTIN AUSTRALIA www.johnmccartin-artist.com “After The Rain” 26x29cm Oil on linen.

6TH PLACE-TIE LINDA BESSE USA www.besseart.com
“Unexpected” 13.5x20" Oil on panel.

6TH PLACE-TIE LEE KWONG TIM HONG KONG www.jacksonlee-art.com “Forever Guardian” 40x30" Oil on canvas.

6TH PLACE-TIE ANN JAMES MASSEY FRANCE www.annjamesmassey.com “La Maison De Poupées” 16x20" Oil on sapele mahogany board.

100 ARTICLES and 50 VIDEOS on the 50 CATEGORIES of the 2020 AMERICAN ART AWARDS WINNING ARTISTS will be at this link: https://www.americanartawards.com/press-on-2020-artists/