-Irene Gallo

MicroVisions 7 has begun and it’s a stellar line up.

For those new to the event, each year Greg Manchess, Dan Dos Santos, and I ask a dozen artists to create a 5×7 painting of their choosing. These miniatures are exhibited at the Society of Illustrators and then placed on auction, with all proceeds going to the Society’s Student Scholarship Fund. This year’s contributors are:

Scott Bakal
Julie Bell
Scott Brundage
Brian Despain
Nathan Fowkes
Rebecca Guay
Scott Gustafson
John Picacio
Dan Dos Santos
Peter de Seve
Chris Rahn
Terryl Whitlatch

The exhibit will run in May, with the auction taking place late in the month. We will post details as the event draws near.

The Society scholarships are among the illustration industry’s toughest awards. This year, over 8,000 entries were examined by 25 judges. Just over 200 students will be accepted into the exhibit, about half of them will earn cash awards. Not only do these awards help subsidize students financially, they also go a long way to boost the confidence of young artists (and their nervous parents) by proving their voices stand out amongst thousands of others. It’s never long before you start seeing the winners on their way to becoming the field’s biggest names. John Jude Palencar, James Jean, Tomer Hanuka, Dan Dos Santos, and many others have become noted illustrators since the Scholarship’s inception in 1981.

Once again, I would like to thank the artists involved for heir generosity. The illustration community is incredibly supportive. Not every profession would donate time and energy to support their future competition.