Current Exhibition

Our 10th Art competition “Black & White” started in December 2025 and concluded on January 15, 2026. Art Room Gallery received entries from many countries around the world: USA, Germany, Switzerland, Canada, Norway, Taiwan and Ireland. The Black & White theme in this competition included a diversity in types, styles and mediums (oil, watercolor, acrylic, photography, forged steel, digital painting, pastel, colored pencil and photography). The following evaluation criteria has been used for judging the artwork: creativity, interpretation of the theme, originality and quality of art, overall design, demonstration of artistic ability, and usage of medium. Jury decided to select 65 artworks for inclusion in the exhibition. Aside from First, Second, and Third place Jury also presented Merit awards and Honorable Mention awards.

Thank you, and enjoy the exhibition!

Statement:

My life moves continuously between professional obligations, artistic practice, and family, requiring constant shifts between solitude, intimate emotional circles, and broader social relationships. Within this rhythm, creation becomes more than the accumulation of technique; it evolves into a form of discipline—one that tempers the mind as much as it refines the hand. Art-making is both my driving force and a means of self-affirmation. In earlier stages, I actively participated in art competitions, using their outcomes as a way to observe how my work resonated beyond myself. Yet recognition was never an endpoint. Rather than lingering in the comfort of achievement, I chose to treat each milestone as a prompt to move forward, to dismantle familiarity, and to search more deeply for an authentic voice. When fully immersed in the studio, I experience an intoxicating sense of focus and clarity. Once the work pauses, however, solitude quietly emerges. I have learned to accept this condition as part of the path, reminding myself that true cultivation often runs counter to fame and reward. Ultimately, my artistic journey is not solely about style or form, but about shaping a language capable of holding lived experience—a practice that is, at its core, a spiritual undertaking.

Statement:

For Chantal, the forest has always been synonymous with well-being, a state of mind she shares with her father. Working as a forestry technician, her father passed on his love for the forest to her, but above all taught her to respect it. Laureate of several national and international awards, Chantal Bourque has also participated in numerous international exhibitions. Her creations, which are now part of several private and public collections, explore the connections between the forest and human interiority, where each painting becomes an encounter with the tree. "My artistic work is a combination of passion and patience. In this creative process, I always try to give the best of myself in order to communicate my vision as faithfully as possible. The beauty that emanates from a tree and its environment is at the heart of my art. I invite the viewer to see trees from a different angle, to see the story behind each one. I create links between people and trees, I give birth to stories between them and the forest. I like to think that I'm able to convey to the viewer the emotional balance I feel when creating my paintings. Ultimately, I hope to raise awareness of the great beauty of the trees and forests around us, which can bring us both physical and psychological benefits."

Statement:

Shawna Hinkel is a Master Photographer and Certified Professional Photographer from Dallas, Texas. She has a Bachelor of Science in Journalism from Texas A&M University, and has been a professional photographer since 2004. She earned her PPA Certification in 2014 and PPA Master of Photography degree in 2019. In 2023, she became the second Master of WPE from the United States, and became a Grand Master Photographer in Fine Art from MPI in 2025. Her work has been accepted into PPA’s Imaging Excellence and Showcase collections every year since 2016, and she received the Imaging Excellence Award in 2025. She also received her AIM Master of Animal Imagery degree in 2026. She was the Dallas Professional Photographers Association Photographer of the Year in 2017 and 2018, and was awarded Life Membership in 2020. She was also named as one of the Top 10 photographers in Texas in 2020. She received the American Society of Photographers’ State Elite Award in 2020 and the Photographic Artistry Award in 2026. She has won a variety of other awards, and has been featured in multiple art gallery exhibitions. She served as 2025 President of Texas Professional Photographers Association and is currently Co-Editor-in-Chief/Copy Editor of ASP Magazine. I love to travel and find the beauty of each place, whether it is the natural world God created, cityscapes people created, or a magnificent place that was contributed to by both.