Ernie Barnes

Ernie Barnes

Using elongated figures, the paintings of Ernie Barnes come to life with their representations of athletic competition. One cannot help but take notice of the colorful portrayals of sports presented by the former pro-football lineman himself. The Academy's two-time Sport Artist of the Year deserves much recognition.

It was his incredible devotion, persistence and support that first won him the highly famed honor as ASAMA's first Sport Artist of the Year and Official Artist of the 1984 XXIII Olympiad. His latest work, Olympic Finish, won in the graphics category in November 2003 in the United States Olympic Committee's Sport Art Competition, held locally at the Academy in Daphne, Alabama.

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Sergey Eylanbekov

Sergey Eylanbekov

Russian sculptor, Sergey Eylanbekov celebrates sports through his sculptures. Most recently, his three-dimensional work The Five Continents, won in the United States Olympic Committee's Olympic Sport Art Competition (USOC) held November 2003 at the Academy in Daphne, Alabama. Eylanbekov's sculpture will compete this spring in the International Olympic Committee competition in Lausanne, Switzerland.

As an established sculptor, he worked mainly with bronze and was highly skilled in the manipulation of light and shadow through the distribution of masses and volumes and the creation of negative space. Eylanbekov gained inspiration from the art of Frederick Hart, who pioneered the use of acrylic in sculpting. It was in the mid-1990s that he first began to experiment with acrylic forms.

Learn more and view the artwork of Sergey Eylanbekov.