Starkville artist garners international award, success in exhibitions

Mississippi painter Brent Funderburk has had recent notice in several national and international art exhibitions, including being awarded the “International Society of Experimental Artists Award” and merchandise prizes in the 2020 National Watercolor Society (NWS) Centennial International Open Exhibition, now on display, through December 20, 2020.

The 100th competitive exhibition of the NWS features 107 works of artists chosen by jurors Catherine Chang Liu, Dean Mitchell, and John Salminen from 1100 entries internationally.
Awards juror, Mary Whyte, selected Funderburk’s “From Who I am to Where I am Going” for the $1700 honor. As well, a Funderburk watermedia painting, “Soul House Blue”, has been juried into the national competitive show “National Watercolor Society- The First 100 Years” at the Hilbert Museum of California Art in Orange, CA., where the painting will show with 81 contemporary artists’ works and artwork by classic California watercolor artists from November 14 to February 20, 2021. A virtual opening will be broadcast on November 14 at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time.

Two Funderburk works, “Blood Moon” and “Soul House Red”, are currently presented in the “Splash 21: The Best of Watercolor” publication with 124 paintings juried by Keiko Wanabe. According to Artist Network; “For more than 20 years the annual Splash Watercolor Competition has been celebrating outstanding work being done in watermedia by contemporary artists from around the globe.” “Blood Moon” was also juried into the 50th Annual International Exhibition of the Louisiana Watercolor Society in fall, 2020.

Funderburk is a retired emeritus professor of Art and W.L. Giles Distinguished Professor from Mississippi State University, where he taught for 36 years. He resides with his wife Deborah in Starkville, Mississippi.