Thank you to my art collectors and supporters who have rallied behind me by voting for me daily in Johnny Depp’s The People’s Artist Competition. Because of you, I have received enough votes to remain in the Top 20 and therefore I have advanced to Round 2.
This means I am one step closer to winning $25,000, appearing in Artforum Magazine, and getting my work displayed in an exclusive exhibit at The Art of Elysium’s Art Salon in Los Angeles!
If you are visiting my page for the first time, here is the original post announcement to get you up to date:
Now its time to make the Top 15 so I can advance to round 3! 🗳️✨
So please continue to vote for me daily via MY ARTIST PROFILE, share this update, and use the flyer I created below to help spread the word.
Again, thank you for supporting me and my artist mission that: “the strange is beautiful, the weird is welcome, and being unapologetically yourself is the greatest masterpiece of all.“
When you support an artist, you’re supporting a dream. Thank you for supporting mine.
HUZZAH! I am thrilled to share that Sir Kadean Side Quests has added my artwork to their Realm Marketplace, a curated showcase to give creators a place to share their work and reach new audiences, while offering their side questers a space to discover handmade goods, original art, and independent makers from throughout “the realm”. ⚔️✨
For those not familiar with the Sir Kadean Side Quests, it is a fantasy-inspired community I discovered on Instagram. It was created to help people reconnect with joy, imagination, and purpose in everyday life. What began as a personal response to burnout and unhealthy productivity habits grew into a welcoming space where people can approach life like an adventure through interactive side quests, storytelling, journal prompts, creative challenges, artwork, and community connection. By encouraging reflection, creativity, and self-growth in a fun and approachable way, the project has helped people build healthier habits, rediscover motivation, support independent creators, and feel less alone while navigating life’s challenges.
I am honored to have my work on a website with such a fantastical vision, so please take a moment to check out my featured creator profile under the Illustrations section of the Realm Marketplace. You can also always find it bookmarked along with some of the other spotlights and features of my artwork on the Creature Features page of my portfolio website.
If you are interested in showcasing my work on your website, your next publication, exhibition, or creative venture let’s connect and make some magic together!
Earlier this year, I decided to rewatch the entire series of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I hadn’t seen it since high school, back when I was a real-life graduate of the class of ’99, just like the “Scooby Gang.” It was fun revisiting the show for nostalgic reasons, but my main focus was to be engulfed in the “Buffyverse” once again so I could finally check Alyson Hannigan as Willow Rosenberg off my art bucket list.
Willow was always my favorite character on the show. Despite being framed as the sidekick or best friend, I was always drawn to her more than Buffy. Maybe it was our shared 90’s fashion sense, her ability to research every monster-fighting scenario Buffy was faced with, or watching her grow into her powers, but I always saw her as the true emotional core of the series and the character I related to most. She always felt less like a fictional character and more like someone I would want to genuinely hang out with.
I really wanted to encapsulate Willow’s character growth from the beginning to the end of the series. An artistic reminder that we all have the battle of good and evil inside of us and that it is ultimately up to us to choose which path we take. With that in mind, I knew this had to be one of my signature split face portraits. One half representing the sweet, quirky and shy Willow, with the other side reflecting cold, broken hearted, “I’m the Slayer now” lethal Dark Willow. A part in the series that even though she becomes consumed by her overuse of power, she finally finds the courage to express so much of what Willow fans had always wanted her to say out loud, unfortunately pushing her toward nearly destroying the world with dark forces.
In the end, however, she recognizes the darkness she is heading toward and learns to control her powers. By doing so, she evolves into her true strength as a white witch, bringing light back into the world by activating all potential Slayers and saving humanity. The underdog ultimately becoming the true hero of the series in the show’s finale.
A storyline worth picking up the drawing pencils for, I completed the piece last week and am excited to share it with my art collectors. Done in pencil and chalk pastels, I call it “I Am The Magics”….
For my art collectors who never underestimate the “side-kick”, “I have made-to-order* prints and wearable art t-shirts listed in my Etsy shop. Apply coupon code BUCKLEUPRUPERT to manifest a spell that will magically take 10% off your order! ✨
Giclee and canvas prints are currently in production with my printer for my art collectors to see in person and purchase at a discounted price* at Closet Collectibles (in Crete, IL.) as well as at the upcoming Unruly Art Market on May 31st.
I am excited to announce that I have been selected to participate in Johnny Depp’s The People’s Artist Competition. This means I am in the running to win $25,000, appear in Artforum Magazine, and get my work displayed in an exclusive exhibit at The Art of Elysium’s Art Salon in Los Angeles!
To win the competition, I must receive votes from “the people” via MY PROFILE. Each day you can vote once for free, You can also increase my chances of winning by adding a donation with your vote for The Art of Elysium, an organization that empowers artists and communities through tailor-made art programs designed to help people overcome social and emotional challenges. Each $1 donation = 1 extra vote!
After losing my job and navigating this dumpster fire job market, the universe continues to send me signs to focus my energy on my Artrepreneur dreams. Winning this would not only provide the financial support I need to do so, but could also open doors I never could’ve imagined. So in other words, I need my art collectors and supporters to rally behind me by voting on MY PROFILE daily and sharing this post. Let’s show the world you support my artist mission: “that the strange is beautiful, the weird is welcome, and being unapologetically yourself is the greatest masterpiece of all.“
When you support an artist, you’re supporting a dream. Thank you for supporting mine.
