About the Artist
Based in
Grafton, WI
Website
http://acunaarts.com
Instagram
hectoracuna.pleinair
Biography

Hector Acuna is an artist and educator living in Grafton, Wisconsin. He studied at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point where he earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2015 before completing his Master of Fine Arts from Michigan State University in 2020. Hector has taught art classes in drawing, painting, sculpture, and color/design for private lessons, group workshops, and at the university level. 

Hector has had small group and solo exhibitions at the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum, Scarabocchio Art Museum, Saugatuck Center for the Arts, and Noel Fine Arts Center. His work has also been juried into exhibitions at the Wisconsin Museum of Art, Site:Brooklyn Gallery, Trout Museum of Art, Baton Rouge Gallery, South Haven Center for the Arts, and Wheaton College. Hector's work has received various awards and grants including the Hipstamatic Entrepreneurship Award. Since 2013 Hector has been an active participant in various art organizations. He currently serves as a volunteer committee member in the Cedarburg Artists Guild. Hector has participated in numerous art residency programs and is currently one of 12 juried artists for the 2024 Artservancy residency program organized by Gallery 224 in Port Washington, WI.

Hector's paintings are held in public and private collections and have received numerous awards including Best New Artist at the 2023 Bath County Plein Air Festival, First Place at 2023 Paint the Point, 2nd Place at 2023 Plein Air Texas, Best of Show at the 2022 Door County Plein Air Festival, and Best of Show at Paint Cedarburg 2022. At the 2023 Plein Air Convention & Expo Hector was invited to receive the M. Stephen Doherty Breakthrough Artist of the Year award. Plein Air Magazine published an article titled Age of Exploration on his work, process, and influences in the 2023 Oct/Nov issue. Hector is one of eighty invited faculty artists at the 2024 Plein Air Convention & Expo in Cherokee, NC.

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Exhibitions and Events

2023      

M. Stephen Doherty Breakthrough Artist of the Year, Plein Air Magazine, Presented at PACE23

Best New Artist, Bath County Plein Air Festival, Warm Springs Gallery, Judge Randy Sexton

Second Place, Plein Air Texas, San Angelo, TX, Judge Michael Grauer 

Honorable Mention, Door County Plein Air Festival, Peninsula School of Art, Fish Creek, WI, Judge Lori Putnam

First Place, Main Event Category, Paint the Point, Mineral Point, Judges Marc Anderson, Christopher Reno, Richard Moninski

First Place, Nocturne Category, Paint the Point, Mineral Point, Judges same as main event

Second Place, Postcard Category, Paint the Point, Mineral Point, Judges same as main event

Honorable Mention, Quick Paint Category, Paint the Point, Mineral Point, Judges same as main event

2022      

Best of Show, Door County Plein Air Festival, Peninsula School of Art, Fish Creek WI, Judge Don Demers 

Best of Show Cedarburg Art Museum Purchase Award, Paint Cedarburg Plein Air Event, Judges Tom Kubala, Andy Fletcher, James Hempel

First Place "Outside of the Box", Bluff Strokes Paint Out, Dubuque, IA Judge Lorin Willey

Best Render the Vendor Award, Walworth County Fair Plein Air Event, Elkhorn, WI

First Place, Quick Paint, Paint the Point, Mineral Point, WI

First Place, Postcard Event, Paint the Point, Mineral Point, WI

Grand Champion, WI State Fair Quick Paint, Plein Air Festival State Fair, West Allis, WI

First Place, Quick Paint Jefferson Plein Air Festival, Jefferson, WI, Judges same as main event

2nd Place, Main Event Jefferson Plein Air Festival, Judges Lori Beringer, Bethann Moran-Handzlik

            

2021      

First Place, Paint the Town Barrington Plein Air Festival, Barrington, IL, Judge Nancie King Mertz

Award of Excellence, Between the Bluffs Plein Air Festival, La Crosse, WI, Judge Ben Bauer

Best of Show, Port Wing Plein Air Festival, Port Wing, WI

Grand Champion, WI State Fair Plein Air Festival, West Allis, WI

Grand Champion, WI State Fair Quick Paint, Plein Air Festival State Fair, West Allis, WI

Third Place, Between the Bluffs Plein Air Quick Paint, La Crosse, WI, Judge Jon Erickson

Sunshine Award, Paint the Towns En Plein Air, Plymouth, WI, Judge James P. Neilson

Honorable Mention, Paint Cedarburg, Cedarburg, WI, Judge Lori Beringer, Antwan Ramar, Paul Bergquist

 

Recent Publications

2023

Age of Exploration Feature Article, Plein AIr Magazine, October/November issue, written by Bob Bahr

Vining Gallery Podcast with Justin Vining, https://www.vininggallery.com/podcast/43s4uhdi3cpcg9yvvzqnfh8ok1yeis

2022

Three Artists to Watch feature, Plein Air Magazine, October/November issue

Reasonably Fine Art Talk Podcast with Charlie Hunter, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKelVxDcvJ8&t=1151s 

Cover Artist and "View from the Studio" Feature, Artdose Magazine, Vol 32, Winter 2022 https://artdosemagazine.com/