Artists on Their Dan's Best of the Best Covers in 2013

The competition was fierce for this year’s 2013 Dan’s Best of the Best Cover contest, but after the dust cleared we were left with three worthy artists. Walter Bernard, Jocelyn Sandor and Charles Wildbank each painted a cover that was vastly different from the next, demonstrating the broad range of subject matter and artistic styles featured each week in Dan’s Papers. Congrats, artists!

Here’s what they had to say about their work and winning the vote. Click the links to see the “Honoring the Artist” story about each individual cover.

Platinum: Walter Bernard, August 16
“I’d been researching old photographs, and found a great photo with De Kooning and Howard Kanovitz and Franz Kline playing ball. And I also found a picture of Eric Ernst at bat. Eric is the son of Jimmy Ernst, who played in the original [Artist-Writer Softball] games, so he was a good connection to the past. I thought, the Dan’s cover should be a watercolor illustration, so I based it on the idea of Eric, the link to the past, at bat in the 2012 game.”

Gold: Jocelyn Sandor, August 30
“I had horses growing up in New Canaan, and we still have two horses now….There’s so much you can do with horses’ shapes. Horses will always be special. After all, horses helped build cities, pulled carts. Try to have World War II without horses….Look at history. Horses are held up as symbols, put on a pedestal. They’re not like a pig or goat. They are smart, incredible animals.”

Silver: Charles Wildbank, June 28
“Many artists pay homage to their life-giving friends, especially food, as portrayed in their still life. Strawberries for me represent, by their rich enticing color and freshness, the gusto and passion that I live, work and play for. Though paintings are not edible, they still offer that vibrant energy that we can welcome into our daily lives. Thank you for your votes!”

Dan’s Papers accepts cover art submissions year-round. To put your hat in the ring for Dan’s Best of the Best Cover 2014, submit here!