Since its founding in 2004, the International Guild of Realism’s membership has grown to roughly 550 artists from over 35 countries. From June 5 to 30, IGOR will showcase 100 juried works by its top-tier member artists in its 19th Annual Juried Exhibition,hosted by Sugarman-Peterson Gallery in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Arlene Steinberg, Horsing Around, colored pencil and water soluble crayon, 18 x 24"“Sugarman-Peterson Gallery is one of the very best realism galleries in Santa Fe and they have a strong realism collector base,” says IGOR founding charter member Donald Clapper. “They held our 13th annual and 17th annual shows, and both were a total success in every way, including strong sales. This year’s show will have price points from $700 all the way to $50,000, so there will be artworks available for every collector’s budget.”
Camille Engel, Rhapsody in Blue, oil on canvas, 36 x 36"
Collectors can expect to find exquisite examples of classical and contemporary realism across categories that include trompe l’oeil, magic realism, photorealism, as well as more traditional approaches to landscapes, figurative works, wildlife, still life and more.
“Only juried IGOR members can enter our sanctioned gallery exhibitions,” says Clapper. “We look for the very best in realism artworks including interesting composition, striking contrast with lights and darks, and a high level of technical skill.”
The public is encouraged to attend the opening artist reception on June 6 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. to secure a piece by one of IGOR’s many talented juried artists, a selection of whom are featured in the following pages.
Martin Smith, Eldrick ‘Tiger’ Woods, colored pencil and airbrush, 16½ x 23½"
“Through meticulous layering of complementary colors and strategic manipulation of ordinary objects—flowers, shells, candy, fruit, toys— I try to show that the ordinary can be extraordinary,” says artist Arlene Steinberg. “My process of thoughtful orchestration of composition, color and light reveals not just how objects appear, but how they feel when truly seen, inviting viewers to rediscover the beauty hidden within our familiar surroundings.”
Alan Fink, The Discussion, soft pastel, 21 x 20"
Martin Smith was inspired to draw his juried piece Eldrick ‘Tiger’ Woods simply because he loves a challenge. “I tried very hard to capture how light and color can affect different surfaces, in this case fabric, metal and skin,” Smith explains. “I have attempted this in the finest of detail, whilst capturing Tiger at a height of concentration.”
Eileen Nistler, In the Limelight, colored pencil, 12 x 12"
Known mostly for her nature paintings, Camille Engel’s Rhapsody in Blue is an enjoyable new realm for the artist. “In high school, I was the Oklahoma State Champion water ballet soloist in the Junior Olympics,” she shares. “I have always felt drawn to water. The sensations of being immersed…of releasing oneself to the graceful fluid movements….it’s very ethereal and, at the same time, very spiritual. I wanted to transfer this joyful freedom to others through my painting.”
Cher Anderson has been an artist for the majority of her life and has found an incredible joy in painting animals, both in nature and by using her design background to create images that she uses a references for her paintings. “Combining nature in all its forms, even if they are not coherent, they are beautifully designed to make sense,” she says. Anderson’s new style has a unique and stunning end result executed with precise detail and light.
Christopher Forrest’s show piece features a well-worn weather vane atop a local school that’s frequently used as a vantage point by a redtail hawk, one of his favorite subjects to paint. “It was a lot of fun to try painting the old iron work with rust, varied shapes and the effects of age,” explains Forrest. He adds that years ago a raptor rehabilitation center allowed him to photograph their birds inside a flight cage, which he used as reference for Redtail’s Roost.
Christopher Forrest, Redtail’s Roost, oil on panel, 18 x 16"
“The lovely white flowers in In the Limelight are a double amaryllis that I’ve grown for a few years,” explains Eileen Nistler, whose preferred medium is colored pencil for the precision it allows her. “The centers have a hint of green so I paired them with a shawl from my daughter’s prom dress. The feminine display is sitting on a rustic plank from our corral. I like the dichotomy of masculine and feminine paired together.”
Lynn Kibbe was inspired to paint Junco by the small gray bird that was always hopping around the ground scarfing up fallen seeds from above. “I saw that in certain light they had beautiful coloring,” she says. “I wanted to capture that in this artwork done in scratchboard. I scratched several layers for the bird before adding color, then did layers of scratching between layers of color.”
Lynn Kibbe, Junco, scratchboard, 7 x 5"
For Patsy Lindamood, who will be showing Coming at Ya!, the underlying story of a work of art becomes more poignant and arresting when the visual language is reduced to lines, shapes and values. “Absent the romance of color, working in shades of gray is like telling a short story versus writing a novel,” she shares. “I strive for my graphite art to evoke both story and emotion, to resonate with recollection and recognition.”
Cher Anderson, Beta Rainbow, acrylic, 13½ x 23"
As a portrait artist, Cynthia Feustel has always been intrigued with painting the honesty and emotion of the human figure and the story that each has to tell. Promise captures the elegance and grace of a woman dressed in a beautifully decorated vintage hanbok, a reflection of her Korean heritage. “The serenity of her expression spoke to me of hope and the boundless possibilities that lie ahead,” says Feustel. “The delicate orchids serve as a gentle reminder of the beauty that surrounds us and the promise of new beginnings that await us.”
Max Savaiko, Dodgers vs. Yankees, oil on linen, 16 x 24"
Alan Fink paints a variety of subjects but finds something uniquely captivating about people and faces that completely draws him in, as was the case with the two figures in Discussion. “Just as I am inspired by the play of light and color in nature, I find myself moved by the emotions and stories that faces convey,” he says. “The human expression offers endless possibilities for interpretation. The use of soft pastels with their vibrant richness allows me to express these qualities effectively.”
Patsy Lindamood, Coming at Ya!, graphite on cradled Claybord, 30 x 24"
Max Savaiko’s juried work Dodgers vs. Yankees is part of his Rivalry series, which was inspired by last year’s World Series, marking the 12th time the Dodgers and Yankees faced off since 1941. He says, “I aimed to tell a story blending rich history and nostalgia with the powerful bats of today’s titans, weaving it all together through iconic logos, bold color and intricate details, sparking deep emotion.”
Cynthia Feustel, Promise, oil on ACM panel, 30 x 20"
Inspired by the paintings of Vermeer, who specialized in domestic interior scenes of middle-class life, Victor Mordasov’s oil Unexpected Letter “captures a fragile instant—when truth is read, not spoken, and the heart responds before the mind can,” he explains. “The letter this young woman reads is more than ink on paper—it’s a doorway to a feeling too deep for words, too heavy for silence. Tears fall as she reads, each word unlocking a past she can feel but never change.”
Don’t miss the opportunity to see these works and so many more at the International Guild of Realism’s 19th Annual Juried Exhibitionon view for the majority of June. —
Victor Mordasov, Unexpected Letter, oil on canvas mounted on panel, 12 x 8"
International Guild of Realism 19th Annual Juried Exhibition
When: June 5-30, 2025Where: Sugarman-Peterson Gallery, 130 W. Palace Avenue, Suite A, Santa Fe, NM 87501
Info: www.realismguild.com, www.sugarmanpetersongallery.com
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