DeKALB | One of NIU’s very own has been named a finalist for the 2007 Illinois Annual Collegiate Artists Competition.

Senior drawing major Bryan Winemiller’s piece titled “Grass Fairy I” was selected out of 719 entries as one of the 51 finalists in the competition.

The piece was painted on a bedsheet, measuring 30 inches by 44 inches.

“It is a good piece done well, painted very nicely,” Winemiller said. “It is a humoristic depiction of two soccer players in a split-second of action.”

The Peoria-area native has been involved in art and painting nearly all his life.

“When I was little, I played sports, namely soccer, and liked to draw,” he said.

Despite teachers’ pleas to be influenced by more modern artists, Winemiller says the works of Da Vinci and Michelangelo have been his greatest influences.

Throughout his art career, Winemiller has created more than 100 different pieces, many for his own portrait business.

“People send me photographs, and then I draw them and send the drawing back to them,” he said.

This has not been his only nomination, as he has won three previous “Best of Show” awards and numerous honorable mentions since high school.

At NIU, Winemiller has been involved in many activities across campus, including being an NI Guide, being a part of the Honors Program, competing in intramural sports, and being active in Campus Crusade for Christ.

After graduating, Winemiller hopes to land a job with the Niles, Ill.-based Bradford Group as an associate product developer.

“It sounds like I got the job. I’m pretty excited,” he said.

NIU has shown Winemiller a new direction with his art.

“I used to plan out all of my work, which limits your outcomes,” he said. “The teachers here have always told me to just let it go.”

The awards ceremony for the nominated pieces will take place May 5 at the Koehnline Gallery of Oakton Community College in Des Plaines, at which four of the nominated pieces will be purchased for $1,000 each.