WORLD ART AWARDS Winners In Pastel / Figure: WHITTINGTON, BRETTLER, FABANG, YUCHEN, MCHAFFIE, BO, PARR, SAKUMA, CHANG, GAVADE & SIBUG

7 min readJun 26, 2023

The WORLD ART AWARDS winners in CATEGORY 5: PASTEL / FIGURE live in CHINA, CANADA, NEW ZEALAND, JAPAN, TAIWAN, INDIA & USA.

Artists from 79 countries competed in the 2023 WORLD ART AWARDS where 20 of the most revered galleries in the world were sent online images to score in drawing, painting, sculpture, digital and photography.

BIO OF 1ST PLACE WINNER: Pei Fabang

Member of International Pastel Association IAPS/MC Master Circle / The Outstanding Signature Member of Spanish Pastel Association ASPAS / Senior member of European Pastel Association PGE / PSA Signature Member of Pastel Painting Society of America / China-US Art Ambassador

Pei Fabang has won more than 50 awards around the world: the Gold Award in the 4th International Pastel Biennale of ASPAS in Spain, the Gold Award in the PGE Grand Prix of the European International Pastel Association, the First Prize in the 21 International online juried competition in the United States , the first prize in the 2019 International Pastel Online Exhibition, the Gold Award in the 2021 American International Portrait Grand Prix Excellence , the Gold Award in the 6CONTEXT Czech International Online Pastel Competition through UNESCO , the Gold Award in Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum International Exchange Exhibition, Honorable Mention Award by the International Pastel Association Award, Honorable Mention Award by Canadian International Pastel Association , selected for the 18th Fethia International Pastel Exhibition in France, Royal Pastel Association Exhibition in Britain, etc. In 2017, he received the China-US Art Ambassador Award from the Chinese Consul General in Chicago, Hong Lei, in the United States. In 2020, he became the first Outstanding Member of the Spanish National Pastel Association. His works are unique in style free in brush strokes , vivid and dynamic , and are praised by the Spanish Pastel Association as the “magic realism ” in the field of pastel painting.

BIO OF 1ST PLACE WINNER: Rhonda Whittington

Who doesn’t love a challenge? I had no interest in art before I retired in 2017 so I decided to give it a try. In no time I was addicted to painting. My art reflects the simple pleasures of life; a mother’s love, a child’s trust, and a quiet place. My hope is that my art makes you, the viewer, feel that life is good, wholesome, and full of hope and inspiration. https://www.rhondawhittington.com/dataviewer.asp

BIO OF 1ST PLACE WINNER: Renee Waldman Brettler was born in 1956 in Sudbury, Ontario, where she lived for two years before moving to Toronto.

Her passion for art began with her discovery of colouring books and crayons. In 1981 while pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Toronto, Renee enjoyed her first successful solo art exhibit at the Del Bello Gallery. Her art future seemed promising. However, a failing marriage would compel her to choose between ‘the path of her heart’ and ‘the path of her head’. Ultimately, she opted for economic stability rather than the uncertainty of life as a struggling artist. To that end, she completed a Bachelor of Education and an Ontario Teaching Certificate.

Renee remarried, had 3 children and a successful teaching career that spanned 30 years. As a Visual Arts Specialist, she would always make sure to find creative ways to integrate the Arts into her classroom and school environment. Since retiring from teaching in 2014, Renee has finally turned her attention to her first love ~ Art!

Renee is self-taught and has worked with acrylic, oil paint, graphite, charcoal, coloured pencils and pastels. https://www.reneebrettler.com/

ART COLLECTORS — CONTACT THE WINNERS HERE:

CATEGORY 5. PASTEL — FIGURE

1ST PLACE — TIE PEI FABANG CHINA “The Red On The Horizon” 76x71cm Soft pastel on paper.

1ST PLACE — TIE RHONDA WHITTINGTON CANADA https://www.rhondawhittington.com/dataviewer.asp “Unless You Become As A Little Child” 10x10” Pastel on sanded paper.

1ST PLACE — TIE RENEE BRETTLER CANADA “Blackberry Gobbler II” 11.5x15" Pastel on paper. https://www.reneebrettler.com/

2ND PLACE WU YUCHEN CHINA “Hui Girls At The Foot Of Qilian Mountain” 54x78cm Soft pastel on paper.

3RD PLACE — TIE SHEELAGH MCHAFFIE NEW ZEALAND “The Gift Of Life” 42x65cm White pastel, black paper.

3RD PLACE — TIE ZHOU BO CHINA “Holy Way” 78x50cm Soft pastel on paper.

4TH PLACE — TIE OLGA PARR NEW ZEALAND https://www.facebook.com/oparrart “Connection” 66x52cm Soft pastel on pastel paper.

4TH PLACE — TIE OLGA PARR NEW ZEALAND https://www.facebook.com/oparrart “Mother And Son” 35x46cm Soft pastel on paper.

5TH PLACE — TIE YUJI SAKUMA JAPAN www.artyuji.com “Texas Lady” 54x38cm Soft pastel.

5TH PLACE — TIE YULI CHANG TAIWAN https://www.yulichang.com “Isla” 54x39cm Pastel on paper.

5TH PLACE — TIE SIDDHARTH GAVADE INDIA https://instagram.com/siddharthgavade?igshid=ZDdkNTZiNTM= “Figure II” 17×25" Pastel on paper.

6TH PLACE BIENVENIDO M. SIBUG USA http://boisibug.weebly.com/contact.html “Mother- American Native” 25x19.5" Pastel.

Art collectors can see hundreds of winning images and contact info to all 50 CATEGORIES of winning artworks:

https://www.americanartawards.com/2023-winning-artists-world-art-awards/

In 2023, WORLD ART AWARDS had submissions from these 79 countries: Afghanistan, Australia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Benin, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chili, China, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, England, Finland, France, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Japan, India, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Macedonia, Malaysia, Mexico, Montenegro, Morocco, Myanmar, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Scotland, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tobago, Trinidad, Turkey, UK, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, USA, Uzbekistan, Viet Nam, Wales, Zambia, Zimbabwe.