Each year, the Portrait Society of America’s Members Only Competition offers a glimpse into the depth, diversity and evolving excellence of contemporary painting. Exclusively for our members, this competition celebrates artists who are deeply committed to their craft. From thousands of submissions, these winners exemplify not only skill, but intention, sensitivity and voice.

This year’s First Place winners represent the very best of that achievement in five categories: Commissioned Portrait, Non-Commissioned Portrait, Outside the Box, Animals as the Subject and Landscape. We are honored to showcase these outstanding artists and their award-winning works. Their success reflects both individual dedication and the strength of the Portrait Society community as a whole, united by shared standards of excellence and a passion for elevating the art of portraiture and beyond. 

Michael Shane Neal
Chairman

 

First Place Commissioned Portrait

Joseph Daily, Milo E. Riverso, oil, 38 x 29" (96 x 73 cm)
Dr. Riverso’s portrait was commissioned by Manhattan University, where he was both an alumnus and later the president. Although our initial sitting was brief, I was immediately inspired by the warmth of his character, and I feel that some of that character shines through in the painting. Dr. Riverso and I are both partial to wood paneling, so we settled on the university boardroom as a makeshift studio. I darkened the room and set up lights to illuminate Dr. Riverso as if he were stepping on stage. While I was happy with the lighting on his face, there were strong reflections bouncing off the paneling behind him. Using an additional light stand and boom arm, I positioned a reflector in front of my key light, casting a shadow across the left side of the composition, essentially creating a shadowbox effect. I thought Dr. Riverso’s cane made for an interesting pose, and his smile made for a captivating portrait.

 

First Place Non-Commissioned Portrait

Sally Ryan, Fifty Shades of Pink, Annette Innis, oil on board, 47.2 x 35.4" (119 x 89 cm)
My portrait is of Annette Innis, an artist I met when she came to one of my studio workshops. With her brightly colored hair and wonderfully unconventional style, she immediately caught my eye and made me want to know more about her. Nettie is passionate about recycling, and that passion runs through everything she does creatively. She puts her outfits together using collected objects and vintage clothing, reworking them into something completely her own. Colorful in every sense, I knew she’d be fun to paint, and I was so pleased when she said yes to sitting for a portrait.

 

First Place Outside the Box

Ryan Pancoast, Waking World, oil, 24 x 36" (91 x 60 cm)
After working as an illustrator for many years, I’ve finally decided that it’s time to move on and commit to painting what is most important to me. In Waking World, I chose my son as the subject, dressing him in an outfit with modern and antique elements to suggest a kind of timelessness. I’ve been thinking a lot about my children’s future in a rapidly changing world, our connection to the environment, and finding beauty in troubled times. Robins, as harbingers of a changing season here in New England, seemed to fit those themes well.

 

First Place Animals as the Subject

Yelena Lamm, Yin and Yang, oil, 30 x 20" (76 x 50 cm)
Yin and Yang is a tribute to contrast and connection—light and shadow, stillness and curiosity, softness and strength. I’ve always been drawn to the expressive nature of cows, and in this piece, the pairing of these two animals felt deeply symbolic. The gentle white cow, eyes nearly closed, radiates calm, while the darker companion gazes outward, alert and steady. From a compositional standpoint, I brought the white and black cows together, so their interlocking shapes subtly echo the yin-yang symbol, reinforcing the idea of balance and interdependence. The close cropping and overlapping forms create an intimate, unified presence, while directional brushwork and a warm, earthy palette guide the eye between the two figures. I spent time observing cows on a dairy farm and gathered numerous reference photographs, which allowed me to study their gestures, interactions and quiet rhythms.

 

First Place Landscape

Lori Putnam, Spring Morning, oil, 30 x 36" (76 x 91 cm)
Spring Morning is a painting inspired by plein air studies in Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta, Canada. After my 2017 painting trip, much of this area was lost to fire. I began this piece the following year. It changed repeatedly—through scraping, sanding and rearranging—as I worked to capture my feelings for this view and the days I spent there. I finally finished the current version in 2025. Painting on location makes the place a permanent part of me. I am grateful for the chance to embrace nature so intimately. Though saddened by the fire’s destruction, I look forward to returning and seeing the new growth and hope emerging. Inspired by the work of Edward Harrison Compton, I revised Spring Morning through several stages: increasing contrast to emphasize space and distance, enlarging and redesigning the river to add movement and highlight the “s-curve” design, and applying glazes to make the clouds more luminous.