I have some exciting news to share! I recently received the FAA Artistic Merit Award (fondly referred to as the FAA "Tony Award") for my artwork and contributions to the arts community.
Artist Nikki Smith, FAA Artistic Merit Award winner, 2013
(a.k.a. the "Tony" Award)
This award recognizes artists in FineArtAmerica.com, an online artists community with 170,000+ artists and a growing collection of over 5 million pieces of artwork. Since its inception in 2008, the FAA Artistic Merit Award (fondly known as the "Tony" Award after its creator, artist Tony Murray) has traveled from the United States through Canada, Mexico, Australia, Norway, the United Kingdom and many places in between.
I was nominated by fellow artist and award-winning nature photographer, Christina Rollo. In her nomination she stated: "Nikki's music series is highly creative, positively upbeat and artistic, with her own unique style. I continue to be inspired by Nikki's work and I enjoy her warm friendly personality. It's easy to see that all of her artful creations are an extension of herself."
You can read the full announcement of my award here.
Here is the list of all recipients of the FAA Artistic Merit Award (a.k.a. the "Tony Award").
Below are a few samples of my artwork that led to my winning this award:
The award travels from artist to artist, with each recipient engraving their name on the sculpture. I wasn't quite sure how to go about signing my name in metal as I've never done that before. So, I had a little fun with it -- you can see my thought process to the right. 🙂
I'm seriously pinching myself right now. I have this amazing sculpture that I'm turning around in my hands, running my fingers over the engraved names of the artists who received this award in the past. Now, my own name is engraved here, too. It feels a bit like a dream, but the metal is cool against my skin and there is such a presence to this trophy and the artists it represents. I cherish being a part of a such an amazingly creative and caring community. I'm truly honored and humbled to receive this award from my peers at Fine Art America, and to join this select group of very talented artists!