WORLD ART AWARDS Winners In Realism / Figure: PRUYS, PHILLEO, LIU, KALE, KNEPPER, SHUAI, GAVADE & KAZAN

7 min readJun 29, 2023

The WORLD ART AWARDS winners in CATEGORY 34: REALISM — FIGURE live in CANADA, USA, CHINA, INDIA, GERMANY & LEBANON.

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: Canadian Cher Pruys has won dozens of American Art Awards and in total 333 awards as an artist, specializing in small acrylic hyperrealism works. Born in Regina, Saskatchewan, her early years were spent with a pencil in one hand and a little Kodak camera in the other, driven by artistic expression. Over the years she has lived in numerous locations across Canada, eventually settling in Devlin, Ontario on the banks of the Rainy River with her spouse Mark, 4 dogs and 2 cats.

An accomplished musician, Cher has taught piano and guitar for 35 years, and is also proficient in fused and stained-glass work. Initially her creation tools were a pencil and charcoal, then she progressed to oils and finally found her chosen mediums, those being acrylics, gouache and watercolor.

Her subject matters are impressive in that they are so varied. From apples to airplanes, chameleons to children, tin cans and bottles — to a loaf of bread — you name it, Cher has, or will, if inspired, paint it. She finds beauty in the most mundane subjects, turning them into a feast for her international collectors’ eyes, some of which she met while traveling. Her extensive travels around the globe have also ensured a compelling array of unusual painting subjects.

Cher Pruys is completely self-taught, so trial and error has played a huge role in her development. Her remarkable work has received accolades in 278 International exhibitions, garnishing an astonishing 333 awards. Pruy’s pieces have graced the covers of 3 books, 32 magazines, including The Best Of Acrylic Fall 2021, cover of the May Arabella Magazine, and the latest cover #20 Hyperrealism magazine. The busy artist has been featured in over 200 International publications and her works can be found in innumerable private and commercial collections worldwide.

Cher Pruys, ASAA SCA, IGOR, AAPL, CSAA, AMS, LMS, OSA, MAA, CFA, NOAPS, PSOA, AWA.. https://www.artbycher.ca

BIO OF 1ST PLACE WINNER:

Ever since he was a child, Matt enjoyed drawing. People intrigued him, so he would constantly draw them. In 1991, at age 14, he received his first portrait commission — a memorial portrait of one of his mother’s friends.

In 1993, Matt began using acrylics, and learned the Renaissance-style glazing technique from Norbert Kox, an instructor at UW-Green Bay. Later, he took more art classes at Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design and UW-Eau Claire. In 1999–2000, he painted several murals with renowned Fort Lauderdale muralist Bob Jenny. After this time, he pursued work in other fields to “make ends meet.”

During the Great Recession of 2008, Matt’s corporate job in the Vacuum/ Filtration industry was downsized — a “wake-up call” to pursue his lifelong dream of being a full-time artist. With nothing but faith and desire, he immediately received portrait commissions from friends and family. However, there were also many difficult times when there was no work. But with the encouragement of his wife, Leah, he persevered, and God provided for him and his family. In time, he received regular portrait commissions from an art dealer in Brooklyn, New York. He also sold his artwork to public and private collectors around the world.

From 2016–2018, Matt took up residence at Artisan Forge Studios, in Eau Claire, Wis., a community art studio with about twenty other artists. During that time, he began to teach art classes, specializing in portraiture. Soon after, he founded Realistic Acrylic Portrait School, an online art school dedicated to helping beginner and intermediate artists learn how to confidently paint portraits as a hobby or professionally.

Currently, Matt lives in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, with his lovely wife and three children, painting, drawing, and teaching in an outbuilding-studio on his own beautiful tract of land that God provided. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with family, camping, praying, and walking with his dog Max. www.mattphilleo.com

ART COLLECTORS — CONTACT THE WINNERS HERE:

CATEGORY 34. REALISM — FIGURE

1ST PLACE — TIE CHER PRUYS CANADA www.artbycher.ca “Bubble Gum Wishes” 12x10” Acrylic on 300lb hot press paper.

1ST PLACE — TIE MATT PHILLEO USA www.mattphilleo.com “Smoldering Wick” 30x40” Acrylic on canvas.

2ND PLACE — TIE SIHUA LIU CHINA https://www.instagram.com/sihualiu.artist/ “Flowery” 60x50cm Oil on canvas.

2ND PLACE — TIE AMAR KALE INDIA “Natya Mayuri” 20x30” Oil & acrylic on canvas.

3RD PLACE — TIE AMAR KALE INDIA “Bharathnatya” 36x48” Oil & acrylic on canvas.

3RD PLACE — TIE MICHAEL KNEPPER GERMANY www.michaelknepper.de “Untameable” 140x170cm Acrylic, oil, canvas.

4TH PLACE — TIE HAN SHUAI CHINA https://www.clatia.com/artist/index/225-1 “Good Morning” 80x80cm Acrylic.

4TH PLACE — TIE MATT PHILLEO USA www.mattphilleo.com “Portrait Of Gerald And Mavis” 11x14” Acrylic on canvas.

5TH PLACE SIDDHARTH GAVADE INDIA https://instagram.com/siddharthgavade?igshid=ZDdkNTZiNTM= “Storyteller” 31×45" Oil on linen.

6TH PLACE — TIE RANA KAZAN LEBANON “The Diva’s Bride Destiny” 90x60cm Oil on canvas. https://www.facebook.com/RanaKazanSaliba?mibextid=ZbWKwL

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

2023 Winning Artists WORLD ART AWARDS — World Art Awards & American Art Awards

ART COLLECTORS, SEE 2023 WORLD ART AWARDS WINNING IMAGES & CONTACTS: Categories 1–10 Categories 11–20 Categories 21–30…

www.americanartawards.com

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.