you've had an opportunity to view the wonderful work of our top twenty don't you think this year i would like to introduce each one of them to you all so please hold your applause till we get done talking about all twenty otherwise will be clapping really loud for the first five and then the last feel you know how that all goes silly a native of michigan and began her career in commercial art after raising her twin boys she started working with pastels oils and acrylics in fine art she has two paintings this year breeze and together seen nature as god's creation is her motivation for painting her first painting green this was inspired by a walk on seventh street scene the yellow and orange tulips blowing in the breeze her second piece came from an idea of together people come from all walks of life to come together to enjoy to have time and it's celebration cindy bender began painting after retiring from teaching and she started painting at the how in the area are council with other artists which she says has been instrumental in her growth as a person or as a preacher what color is her first love but she also loves painting in oil color slapped reflects the brightness of the tulips animated by wind and swept with color this piece is painted on a wooden panel combining ink and watercolor elizabeth bambara has enjoyed our in its many forms throughout her life her art sounds from a deep interest in the beauty of god's creation as well as modern and contemporary art her painting titled dulce paris was inspired by was a fascination of the dramatic taught by school are for thirty years this painting is a recessed method that involves many layers of melted wax and paint write a paper that of the bunch captures the beautiful colors of spring karen johnson is a native of west michigan and is a senior graphic designer a fine artist rock collector and jewelry maker graphic designer an artist who wonders if she should have been concentrating on textiles she has two pieces red to look and yellow to live these pieces play with texture color layers and a multitude of mediums carry pluto's is a third generation dutch american raised with dutch traditions and zealand she spent several years in the netherlands studied anthropology and linguistics this piece was titled line dance each pair of two looks are connected with one line celebrating the lineage of family roots the connection between the bulb in the tulip also signifies a connection between the netherlands and the city of home andrea lucas martin is inspired by vintage illustrations  century they say that one tulip bulb cost the same as a house and another in the seventeenth century marshall mary or works in finance and finds time to use her creativity in drying crafty woodworking and  she picked up painting again after raising her family and this is her first year entering are in bloom she has two paintings titled morning mist and scattered susan de martell has an interior design background and on her own business and chicago for twenty years after relocating to douglas she decided it was time to pursue her passion for art and has studied oil and acrylic painting with our educators around the country she was inspired to pay pedal power because she is intrigued by the different shapes colors and sizes of the chill of randall my half is a fourth generation dutch descended born in west michigan his piece dutch heritage is a tribute to his ancestry his approach to photograph took photography as a medium is that the camera is a tool much like a paint brush or a chisel he is content making an interpretation of what his i see and his mind in visions he learns to look and see within the capabilities of the camera and computer can accomplish gail rapper's has been involved until a time in many ways majorette and now through art in bloom her style is influenced by the beauty of nature to live trio is titled after a trio of blooming tulips in her backyard one day she saw the light shine through the tulips blasphemes blossom petals and decided to paint it and her snyder an accomplished artist an educator his work is featured in numerous corporate and private collections throughout the country time remains the festival's namesake the tulip searching for the perfect shot with his camera that conveys the beauty of the tulips at their peak he was struck by the solitary beauty of a single tulip growing with sunlight against the background of dappled green leaves the title the power of one is meant to convey the experience of that moment of discovery carolyn stitch a local gallery owner and artist credits her success and long gemini to the many wonderful people who had by her along the way and have given her great opportunities when you look closer at each individual to look you see not only one color but the many colors within each gla that create beauty her wishes to bring attention to the wonder of those many colors coming together to make one bold and beautiful time at the end about as an artist and graphic designer  vibrant colors shows and her work including acrylic paintings branding design and home interiors her hope for the viewer of her art is to break free of them for the moment to be uplifted and inspired by the video de that exists around us through her interpretation but irene does just there mary west decided to pursue our as a hobby and signed up for a watercolor class where she learned the basics she's been taking classes and painting with many groups of aspiring artists mary has two pieces this year the first free spirits as tools mature they go from standing up tall and straight to falling over and doing their own thing dancing in the wind and rain rest depicts tulips which is one of her nature spineless heralds of hope reminding us that light enjoy emerged from the ice and snow in the cold i hope you learned something about our top twenty artists and what inspires their art will all of our two thousand and eighteen top twenty artists please stand so we can recognize and thank you for your lovely pieces of  you've all been waiting for right all of you especially at the large table who i can say no one knows who the winner as many people said to me all the artist must know know they don't know it's a surprise to many cities there you go to would you like to say a few words place or pair big speech i was thinking i'm really shocked actually but i think