4 days ago the Herald-Tribune ran an article about me...
The interesting thing about this story is that I didn’t know about it. Yesterday, my mentor, Kalman Gasztonyi, congratulated me. He said that an uncle of his, living in America, had shared on Facebook that a Hungarian girl from Budapest had won the EOD 2024 Audience Award in California. My mentor commented that I am his student… what a small world…
The Sarasota Herald-Tribune is a daily newspaper based in Sarasota, Florida, founded in 1925 as the Sarasota Herald.
This is what the article says:
Budapest artist Ruth Schmidt won the People's Choice Award for her work "Friendships" at Embracing Our Differences 2024, an outdoor exhibition celebrating kindness, respect and inclusion at Bayfront Park in Sarasota and Poynter Park in St. Petersburg.
"I want to make paintings that say the unspeakable," Schmidt said. "I don't just want to see the visible world, I want to convey thoughts and feelings. I like to paint the reality behind the perceivable world, I want to see the invisible things like childlike faith, attachment, human-human feelings, God-human relationship, passing, hope, love, love, pain, humour...
I draw these paintings from my own experiences, events, impressions and because each one is a little piece of my soul, they are the closest to my heart."
Schmidt received a cash prize of $2,000 for his work. The People’s Choice Award is determined by a survey that was open to nearly 42,500 visitors who attended this year’s exhibitions held between January 21 and April 14.
"The Friendships serves as a compelling representation of respect for differences, beautifully showcasing the beauty of individuality within a harmonious collective," said Sarah Wertheimer, Executive Director of Embracing Our Differences, "by highlighting the unique characteristics of each sheep while emphasizing their commonalities. The work poignantly promotes acceptance, reminding viewers that despite our differences, we can come together, support each other, and form meaningful relationships based on mutual respect and understanding."