Casein 2026 is a different kind of art competition. Competitors had to pre-register for an artwork entry and to receive a casein painting kit. Casein is a unique medium that we would love to see regain popularity. We hope that you have as much fun getting to know this unusual paint as we have in producing it. Long live Casein!
Casein 2026 was juried by award winning artist and instructor Gareth Jones. Gareth Jones’s piece “Dust on Atlantic Avenue” won the Best in Show award for Casein 2020.
Award Winners
BEST in Show
Ending Day
Marc Hanson
10×8
Juror’s Note: There are so many great things about this painting, including: the masterful handling of a very strong lighting situation, the simplification of a very complex environment into strong value patterns, the myriad different brush strokes to represent the character of all the different foliage, the great shape variety and design used to describe the many different forms, and the deft handling of all the greens on show. A painting that requires repeat viewings and an example of a master at work.
First Place
The Mask
Nick Eisele
8×8
Juror’s Note: I love the way this painting demonstrates the versatility of casein. The planes of the face are built using watercolor-like washes and glazes, while thicker opaque paint is dry brushed on to describe the bright lights. The forms are rendered beautifully, with sharp and soft edges where appropriate. The sense of three dimensionality is fantastic and it really leaps off the surface.
Second Place
Canyonlands
Charles Thomas
12×9
Juror’s Note: I really enjoy the subtlety of this painting with its well controlled palette and convincing sense of aerial perspective. There are very strong shape designs in every element from the trees and scrub, the canyons, and the clouds. The full value range of casein is on display, and the application of the paint in a thicker dry brush effect really sells the texture of the scene. Really great work.
Third Place
The Mechanic’s Lion
Danny Griego
15×11
Juror’s Note: A really nice painting of a difficult scene. All manner of complicated relationships are distilled down to their essentials so as not to cause the viewer too much confusion. Showing a combination of indoor and outdoor space in the same image can be a difficult task (as photographers are only too aware), but it’s handled very well in this painting. You really want to spend time looking in all the corners to see what you can find. The titular lion is a lovely touch.
Honorable Mentions
“Christ Chapel” by David Youngman • “Room for More” by Anshul Sharma
“Girl with a Dragon and a Pearl Earring” by Emily Pritchett • “Yachats Surf” by Lou Hurlbut
“Waiting ” by Sarah Schaller 12×6 • “Around the Corner” by Kathryn Wedge 24×24
Casein 2026 Selected Works
To view the paintings in a larger format, click on one of the images.
Paint….Experiment….Submit….