Awards and Comments

drawing of green gourd

Best in Show

Tammy S. Mcentee
Green Gourd
25x21x2
Colored pencil

Judge’s comment: Incredible technique, beautiful variation in tones, simple yet confident composition. I know this was supposed to represent a green fruit, but it could be a caterpillar, a circle of life, with the heavy fruit on the bottom and light slender tendrils on the top of the frame. Realistic and abstract at the same time.

abstract darwing in reds, grean and black

Award of Excellence

Chas Palminteri
Xango ll
36x48x2
Acrylic

Judge’s comment: Mesmerizing combination of energizing strokes, areas of solid color, and lines. Abstraction at its best. Beautiful color, filled with contrasts. Emotionally heavy and light at the same time.

Wave Study Painting

Award of Excellence

Paula Pearl
Wave Study
12x12x1
Oil paint

Judge’s comment: Almost monochromatic, yet incredibly complex nuances in tones. Warm center of the wave contrasted with the cool ocean and skies tells a layered visual story.

After the Rain Painting

Award of Merit

Richard William Haynes
After The Rain
29x36x2
Gouache

Judge’s comment: Wonderful technique, incredible sense of light. Fascinating contrast between the white soft flower and the dark hard grid in the background.

The Day Breaks Painting

Award of Merit

Kat Block
The Day Breaks
18x36x1
Mixed media

Judge’s comment: Lovely nature scene that goes beyond just depicting trees and leaves. Unusual angle of view and composition. The piece seems to be a conglomerate of individual abstracted moments that beautifully translate the experience.

California Fire Painting

Honorable Mention

Leina’Ala Schwartz
California Fire
24x18x1
Oli Paint

Judge’s comment: Turner-like sky and a documentary photograph. Because of that contrast, the piece feels oddly contemporary. The burning landscape is a metaphor and combination of the above-mentioned conventions is alluring.

New Baby Painting

Honorable Mention

June Fisher-Markowitz
New baby
18x24x1
Watercolor

Judge’s comment: Dark, mysterious, almost de-skilled scene that should be sweet and tender. I’m fascinated by the tension between what this should be and what it is.

Days End Painting

Honorable Mention

Justin Brubaker
Day’s End
14x18x0.25
Oil paint

Judge’s comment: Captivating technique. The scene is incredibly simple, but I am taken by the amount of details. Beautiful use of selective contrast to create a 3D effect.