The votes are in, and we have our very first winners for Muddy Color’s ‘Rising Stars’ Showcase! Each of these artists has won free display space at this year’s Spectrum Fantastic Art Live.

The winners are…

A former Librarian, Kimberly currently resides in Utah, where she spends her days in the studio nurturing her love of portraiture and fantasy art. As an aspiring artist who feels she still has much to learn, Kim is a devoted student who juggles her time between family, school and private commissions.

Ryan Lee is a freelance artist currently doing contract work for Ubisoft and contributing his works to the Safehouse Studios of San Francisco, CA. He is also a volunteer educator at the Safehouse Atelier where he provides instruction and tutelage for illustration, drawing, and painting.

Long fascinated by the complexity that makes each person unique, Mia’s work attempts to give shape to these unseen forces within her subjects; their thoughts, memories, emotions, and complex histories. In 2007, Mia graduated as Valedictorian from Otis College of Art and Design, with a BFA in Illustration. Her work has appeared in numerous periodicals, including Spectrum, Imagine FX and Juxtapoz magazine. Her fine arts have appeared in galleries across the country, and is currently represented by Corey Helford Gallery in Los Angeles.

Elisabeth A. Pulido is a recent graduate from Brigham Young University’s Illustration BFA program. Currently, she lives in the Los Angeles area, building her freelance career while studying with some of the artists she admires most. Liz will be attending MICA’s graduate program this fall, and looks forward to developing a career as a children’s book illustrator, graphic novelist, and concept designer.

Congratulations to all our winners. The competition was incredibly stiff.

And thank you to all who submitted! Our panel of 5 jurors (Arnie Fenner, Donato Giancola, Greg Manchess, Dan dos Santos, Justin Gerard) had a really difficult time culling our 257 entries down to just 4 artists.

Sadly, there were so many gorgeous pieces that missed the final running by just a vote or two. Below is just a small sampling of some of the stellar art that we received.

We sincerely hope all of you will continue to nurture your abilities, and consider submitting your art again for next year’s showcase.