Congratulations to Dan Michael, the winner of our Creative Spark contest No. 7. The Mechanicsville, Va., artist submitted his painting, Fog After Freezing Rain, in response to Cheri Dunnigan's February 2009 challenge "Grappling With Grays."

Michael explains his approach to gray: "I used muted colors overlayed with purplish-blue grays and blue grays to keep the background and middle ground cooler. These were blended together and feathered with a brush to eliminate hard edges. In the foreground, I used less grays and more complementary colors to let the warm oranges and yellows show through and come forward."

The artist will receive a set of Terry Ludwig pastels (Maggie Price Essential Grays, valued at $90) along with a $50 gift certificate. Many thanks to Terry Ludwig for this generous prize donation!

We had great response to this Creative Spark challenge and received a number of wonderful pastels. Here's a few we'd like to share as honorable mentions: The Matriarch by Ariel Freeman; Leaving by Dawn E. Miller; Morning Light by Kathy Hirsh; Grey Barn, Red Trees by Mike Allen; and Broken by Brittany Lane Allen.

To see the past winners and challenges from all our Creative Spark contests, and the current challenge, visit the Creative Spark hub on our website.