Local artist Angela Bandurka received news recently that she won Best in Show at the Fifth Annual International Association of Acrylic Painter’s (ISAP) Signature Member’s Show for her painting, “Insomniac.”

“Insomniac” is a nod to the artist’s late-night bursts of creativity, depicting a mug of coffee, pastry, and a book with reading glasses. Bandurka, who works part-time at ARTspot, used acrylic paints to create the piece and employed a distinct perspective and bright colors.

ISAP juror Robert Burridge commented: “I judge a painting of merit not on technical expertise and skill, but more importantly on its concept: the story. What is the artist saying? What’s the big idea? And finally, I look for the ‘fire in the belly.’ Ordinary and tired subjects did not get a second look. The painters who were clearly focused on their theme and who painted their best personal stuff — not someone else’s — will always be winners to me.”

For more information on Bandurka’s work, see her website or visit Cole Gallery. More information on the ISAP show can be found here.