2022
I
t’s honestly hard to feel all that good about anything these days, what with SCOTUS seemingly dead-set on stripping rights from anyone but straight, cis, white men. But that’s what’s great about art—it provides a respite and helps folks work out their feelings; it can tell a story or be a distraction. For this year’s Illustrator’s Cup, many of the winning images (and honorable mentions) do just that. Take 1st Place
winner Odessa Sawyer’s “Night Drive,” an ethereal and haunting piece that feels a little bit X-Files, a whole lot gorgeous. Or look to 2nd Place’s “Poppy Love” by Andrea Soorikian, a complex piece that feels new while recalling old Sunset Magazine covers. Cynthia Young’s 3rd Place-winning “Self” hits a little harder, though, especially in this moment. That’s the other thing about art—it isn’t afraid to help us confront the hard truths.
1st Place
NIGHT DRIVE By Odessa Sawyer Odessa Sawyer is an illustrator and doll maker from Santa Fe, where she lives with her husband, mom and two sons. Her artwork has been seen in and on the covers of middle-grade and young-adult books, ad campaigns, posters, film and television projects and album covers. Her work was published in Lurzer’s Archive as one of the 200 best illustrators worldwide for 2011 and 2014, and won the 2019 best cover award in fiction by the New Mexico-Arizona Book Awards. 10
JULY JULY 6-12, 6-12, 2022 2022
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