This year the Scribendi staff made the decision to split the Staff Choice Art Award into the Staff Choice Visual Art Award and Staff Choice Open Media Award. The Staff Choice Visual Art Award comprises of more traditional media such as painting, drawing, photography, and sculpture. This year’s recipient of the Staff Choice Visual Art Award is Krista Zimmerman, for her piece Three Ravens.

Three Ravens is a portrait of three white ravens done with copic marker. Krista shared her inspiration for creating her work:

Three Ravens is an artistic study of what I find to be a rare and fascinating creature. I have always been inspired by birds, and the white raven caught my eye with its unusual plumage and mysterious visage. A sharply intelligent scavenger, the raven is not unlike the artist – taking what it can from its surroundings (often what others have cast off or overlooked), and with it creating mystery and life.“

Krista attends Central Washington University. When asked to describe her creative process in word, Krista used “seeking.” That is evident when looking at her work. Each feather in the piece is colored with great delicacy. There is a feeling of individualism within each raven. It is very visually pleasing, and Krista clearly conveys her appreciation of this species.

Krista shared why she enjoys creating art:

“One thing I really enjoy about the work I do is that it helps me to see and understand the subject more deeply. Whether I am doing a study from a photograph or illustrating an abstract feeling or concept, the process of working causes me to think in new and unexplored ways about the subject. I analyze the forms, curves, and angles from which it is composed, or visualize the many different ways it could potentially be explored or expressed. I see art as not only a process of creation, but also of discovery, and that is something I deeply enjoy.”

Her love for art is clear. You can find Krista Zimmerman’s award winning piece Three Ravens in the new 2015 edition of Scribendi. Be sure to check out another captivating piece of hers entitled Watching Wolf.