Ian Morrison2026–27 fellow · Nov 5, 2026
The Seattle Prize · From the studios
Posts
145 posts from the fellows’ studios, both years, newest first. Tap a post to open it.
- I've been here in Seattle for a few weeks now and after some input from the other fellows and the public I've decided to pursue my Bishop and Queen Painting, a sort of chess inspired murder scene. I've played around with a few different compositions, but most people find the one…
Alright, second week of the fellowship, and I’m slowly settling in. Honestly, it’s been a little overwhelming being surrounded by so many talented artists, but in the best way! We’ve been pitching ideas for our paintings this round, and I looooved seeing how differently everyone…
Miriam Baranov2026–27 fellow · Oct 20, 2026
Last week I finished another painting from my year at the Seattle Prize—this one inspired by the landscape along the Columbia River in central Washington. Every time I cross the Cascade Mountains and enter the dry region far east of Seattle, I’m struck by the immense scale of…
Jackson Wrede2025–26 fellow · Aug 28, 2026
With the start of the new term, I transferred to a new studio space within the Union Trust Building next door. In order to transform the rather mundane space into a suitable artist studio, I painted the walls a neutral green-gray. This type of wall color has been preferred by…
Nick Eisele2025–26 fellow · Nov 1, 2026
The world cup watch party was right outside our studio door, so we were fully immersed in the Futbol experience. Having the fans cheering up and watching the matches outside really tested the concentration levels of the fellows at the studio. Also, I am so proud of my country’s…
Agustina Forest2025–26 fellow · Jul 21, 2026
I had a productive week in the studio last week and finished another painting for the Seattle Prize. "Still Standing" began as a small study that I ultimately decided to take all the way. The reference came from a photo shoot I did in Taos, New Mexico, while I was there for a…Jackson Wrede2025–26 fellow · Aug 20, 2026
The completed portrait of Colette and some behind the scenes photos. I had the privilege of meeting Colette at one of the events hosted by the Art Love Salon and from there was inspired to collaborate on a painting. Through this experience we’ve been able to laugh and process…
Emma Garay2025–26 fellow · Jul 15, 2026
Yesterday, I completed my latest painting as part of the Seattle Prize. The piece is titled “Cold Front” — a reference both to the winter landscape and to the psychology of the portrait itself. The woman stands alone on a snow-covered slope, her presence as quiet and ambiguous…Jackson Wrede2025–26 fellow · Aug 13, 2026
Continuation of the initial block-inThe First Horseman · the making →Nick Eisele2025–26 fellow · Jun 22, 2026
Spending some time on this small study this week to work out background for my new composition. This will be the third portrait in my homelessness series, and one that I am very excited about. John, the subject, is a fixture here in pioneer square and known by many of the…
Daniel Zalla2025–26 fellow · Jun 17, 2026Throughout this past year, I’ve found myself becoming increasingly captivated by the landscapes of Washington. When I began my time at the Seattle Prize, I never imagined how profoundly the Pacific Northwest would reshape the way I think about landscape painting. As I started…Read the post → Jackson Wrede2025–26 fellow · Jul 24, 2026
I’m finally getting into the fun stuff with this large canvas. The main structure of the painting is all set up, and now it’s time to get into the nitty gritty details and bring this thing to life, starting with the ornaments on and around the elephant’s head. I’ve been looking…The Distraction · the making →
Diego Glazer2025–26 fellow · Jun 15, 2026
Over the past few weeks, my fellowship responsibilities have kept me busier than ever, which has meant far less time in the studio than I'd like. While I haven't been painting as much, the upside has been having the opportunity to step back, think, and develop new ideas for…Jackson Wrede2025–26 fellow · Jul 9, 2026
Charcoal block-in using soft vine charcoal. Using a simple crisscross grid to help me place the important elements. I plan to paint directly over the vine charcoal without any sealant. Allowing the drawing to wipe away as I go and letting me adjust and redraw as needed. My goal…The First Horseman · the making →Nick Eisele2025–26 fellow · Jun 19, 2026
Half of the year show was a huge success! So many people came by that at some point there was a line to get in! My favorite thing about the show was the sense of collaboration among the fellows to make it happen. 5 minutes before the show we were still putting signs up. We took…Agustina Forest2025–26 fellow · Jun 11, 2026
Since moving to the Pacific Northwest, I've developed an unexpected passion for landscape painting. One of my goals over the coming years is to establish myself as a painter of the American West. This landscape has become a tremendous source of inspiration for me, and when I…Jackson Wrede2025–26 fellow · Jun 25, 2026
Self Portrait with the Promise of a Blue SkySelf Portrait with the Promise of a Blue Sky · the making →Daniel Zalla2025–26 fellow · May 21, 2026
Now that our exhibition has been on display for a few weeks, it's time for me to begin committing to the major projects that will carry me through the remainder of my first year of the Seattle Prize. Last week I presented several studies and ideas to the cohort. The feedback was…Jackson Wrede2025–26 fellow · Jun 18, 2026
I’ve been working on my self portrait, almost done with it! Also Ive been workikg on some last little changes to the drawing before I jump into the big canvas. I’ve been learning from Tenaya to solve the problems in this stage rather than on the big canvas. I am really eager to…Agustina Forest2025–26 fellow · May 6, 2026
This is a William appreciation post. Good Ol’ William as we call him. A wee Scottish lad with a big heart. A friend and rock solid painter with whom I was honored to spend some time this weekend painting in the Olympic Peninsula. He’s also a ravenous billiards player, religious…Daniel Zalla2025–26 fellow · May 1, 2026
Last Thursday marked a major milestone for our fellowship as we officially opened our inaugural exhibition to the public during Seattle’s First Thursday Art Walk. The exhibition, Beautiful Things, was our first opportunity to share the work we’ve been creating over the past…Jackson Wrede2025–26 fellow · Jun 11, 2026
Working away on all the details. Sometimes a week goes by and the changes done are so subtle yet they add so much to the final piece. Having fellows in the studio means you get to learn from each other and also they are there when you need them the most. Emma brought me over a…Agustina Forest2025–26 fellow · Apr 24, 2026
Nearing the finish line on this portrait. My first in a series of homeless portraits- people of Seattle. I felt good about this painting, making some interesting changes to my usual technique which seemed to pay off. My studio mates have been using psychological methods to peer…Sean · the making →Daniel Zalla2025–26 fellow · Apr 24, 2026
Last week, we hosted our third master workshop of the year, welcoming renowned painter Steven Assel from New York to demonstrate his painting process from life. This workshop felt a little different from the others we've had. The instruction was more observational than direct…Jackson Wrede2025–26 fellow · Jun 5, 2026
Having done a fairly meticulous drawing on the final canvas, I continued by doing a color wash and a block in. The goal is to get the big shapes and colors to work in conjunction before getting into several detail passes in the coming weeks.The Distraction · the making →Diego Glazer2025–26 fellow · Apr 23, 2026
Composition variations. I did these by digitally painting in photoshop. Using my own references and poses to build the composition from scratch. The composition is getting close, but it needs more. More dynamic movement and energy. Time to experiment and solve this problem. Not…The First Horseman · the making →Nick Eisele2025–26 fellow · Apr 23, 2026
Things are officially entering crunch time here at the Occidental Fine Arts Center as we prepare for our soft opening exhibition at the beginning of next month. The entire studio has shifted into that familiar final stretch where everyone is racing to push paintings across the…Jackson Wrede2025–26 fellow · May 21, 2026
A few photos from the start of a series that I am doing on homelessness and addiction in Seattle. I have started with this portrait of Sean, a homeless man who I have gotten to know a bit over the months and who was willing to pose for me. Between painting on this portrait, I am…Sean · the making →Daniel Zalla2025–26 fellow · Apr 18, 2026
No new updates. Simply hard at work trying to finish up this giant painting before our World Cup opening exhibition next month. I’m very excited for this show and hope that the locals feel a strong sense of Seattle pride when they see this freshly completed canvas.The Fishmongers of Pike Place Market · the making →Jackson Wrede2025–26 fellow · May 7, 2026
This week I started adding color to the self portrait. Sometimes paintings need time to dry before you can work on them again so you can oil it out and see it alive fully again. Since I had to wait for it to dry, I started doing a drawing study for my next big painting. I will…Agustina Forest2025–26 fellow · Apr 16, 2026
Here is the general composition agreed on. In order to sell the idea I used my photoshop skills and a collage of AI generated images as well as hand painting digitally over the image to create this mock up. With the project approved, The next step is to rid the image of AI and…The First Horseman · the making →Nick Eisele2025–26 fellow · Apr 23, 2026
I’m nearing the end of the second pass across the entire surface of this painting, which is an important step and really the meat and potatoes of my entire painting process. The underpainting is now mostly buried, though I’m still keeping things deliberately thin in places so…The Fishmongers of Pike Place Market · the making →Jackson Wrede2025–26 fellow · Apr 30, 2026
An update on my painting of Michaela playing the violin and the beginnings of laying the setting for my covenant painting. Most likely I will be having to pivot from this idea and hope to have a new composition and finalized and approved soon. In the meantime working on the…Rest between Movements · the making →Emma Garay2025–26 fellow · Apr 16, 2026
This week I finished the underpainting for my self-portrait. Next I will add color, and I am so happy to see it come to life this way. ai am basically following this super traditional way that painters like William-Adolphe Bouguereau used. With each new painting/project I make I…Self-portrait · the making →Agustina Forest2025–26 fellow · Apr 9, 2026As I move deeper into the second layer of this painting, my attention is shifting. With the drawing and value structure becoming more established, I’m starting to focus more carefully on the surface quality and edge control. This is usually the point where I step back and look online to study high-resolution images of paintings I admire to better understand how those artists handled form, transitions, and the paint itself. I’m not trying to imitate these works directly, but rather to absorb something of their character. The collection of images I’m sharing today reflects that. Close-up views of paintings where the edges, shapes, and brushwork carry a kind of authority and subtlety that I’m aiming toward in my own way. Working from a photograph gives me access to more visual information than I could ever need, but it also encourages a certain tightness and predictability in the rendering. As I continue refining the structure and locking in accuracy, I’m increasingly aware of the need to counterbalance that tendency. Ironically, it’s often in the later stages once my fundamentals are secure that I’ll reach for larger brushes and begin to introduce more expressive decisions. That might mean pushing background shapes into foreground contours, sharpening or totally loosing edges, or allowing small irregularities to emerge across the surface. These are qualities I admire in older paintings, many of which were not built from photographic reference and instead evolved through a more exploratory, responsive process. While they may lack the exacting fidelity we associate with contemporary realism, they possess a kind of vitality an unevenness that gives the image life, especially at scale. Of course, the standard set by these artists is incredibly high. But if I can capture even a fraction of that energy and intelligence in my own work, I’ll consider this painting a success.Read the post → 
Covering one of the many stretched canvases from two weeks ago. I have the honour to paint my friend and fellow painter Michaela Alexander as the musician that she is. A woman of integrity and many giftings. Grateful for the space and time to pursue multiple projects…Rest between Movements · the making →Emma Garay2025–26 fellow · Apr 3, 2026
Well this past week, my idea of Death Playing Fetch with Cerberus has been buried. Andrew has suggested that I do a series on homeless dignity. I am desperate to get painting after so long away from the easel. I have made some connections with the organizers of different…Daniel Zalla2025–26 fellow · Apr 3, 2026
On Monday I returned to Seattle after a weekend in Atlanta for the Portrait Society of America’s annual conference. I had the privilege of serving as a faculty member this year, including a live portrait demonstration on Friday evening. Painting from life in front of an audience…Jackson Wrede2025–26 fellow · Apr 16, 2026
Re-starting my self-portrait, this time working the indirect way. I am incredibly blessed to be learning from Tenaya how to work this way. I am loving it since it involves drawing at first, which was my first love. Then I did the transfer, a wipeout and then I started working on…Agustina Forest2025–26 fellow · Apr 2, 2026
Work in progress update: Shape of us is a tribute to my mom and all of us, women. It celebrates and reflects on the four seasons that have shaped our life—bright, curious spring as a child; the bold, restless bloom of her teenage years; the generous, steady summer of motherhood…Shape of us · the making →
Larine ChungLove Portrait · Apr 2, 2026
After what felt like an eternity (though really it was only a few weeks) I’ve finally brought the entire surface of the painting to a unified base underpainting. At this stage, every area of the canvas has been addressed, with the major value relationships established across the…The Fishmongers of Pike Place Market · the making →Jackson Wrede2025–26 fellow · Apr 2, 2026
After doing several color studies from imagination for my next painting, I’ve been taking my time to create the references I need to make the piece convincing on a large scale. So I bought several faux plants and flowers, as well as some fruit from Pike Place Market and got to…The Distraction · the making →Diego Glazer2025–26 fellow · Apr 2, 2026
I feel like a follow-up post is warranted after my previous declaration that I was in “hot pursuit” of a new large-scale canvas. At the time of that post I felt that I was smooth sailing with clear skies and the wind billowing in my sails- my vision as a North Star to guide me…Daniel Zalla2025–26 fellow · Mar 26, 2026
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