PICTURE OF THE WEEK: Best of the Best Winner 2026: Darlene Hoekstra's "The Lake District" in Oil at DuPage Art League Takes Top Prize

Darlene poses with her amazing oil painting judged as Best of the Best in the recent show featuring 2026 award winners from West Suburban Chicago art leagues and art guilds. DuPage Art League is located at 218 W. Front Street in downtown Wheaton, IL.

Here's what the judge wrote about Darlene's work: This landscape of a pastoral countryside stood out for its masterful execution of atmospheric perspective. The rich, green palette of the patchwork fields against the soft, luminous cloudscape are an exploration of light and its effects on color. The application of contrasts -- the deep shades of green against the soft hues of the sky, the tangible nature of the grazing sheep in the foreground and the ephemeral nature of the moving clouds -- ultimately unifies the scene to create a sensation of harmony and balance. ###