“The New Purple is Black”
Linda Doll, Juror
Juror Commendations
“Funny Fish 2”
by Joanne Newman
I love black and white with a little bit of color. And this one is very well done. I love all those little critters floating through and I just think it is very creative and whimsical. It is a fun piece, and it makes me smile.
“Liberty Station, Morning Walk”
by Gabriel Stockton
This really looks like San Diego. I love the morning gray that we get here in San Diego. In a departure from the typical sunny day scenes, this painting captures that wonderful “June gloom” kind of day that we have here, and I think it is depicted and handled beautifully.
“With a Grateful Heart”
by Susan Keith
Glass is not easy to do, and this is an absolutely magnificent piece of glass. I love the reflection of the glass and then the shadow of the pear. Just very well done. The values are good, the colors are good, the glass is magnificent.
Honorable Mentions
“The Portal”
by Carol Mansfield
This is a busy piece, where reality is fractured and depicted in an abstract way, but still shows me representational pieces. I get the feeling of the house and the door; but still, it is totally an abstract piece. I love the colors and the values. The greens are luscious. Greens are not easy to work with, and she’s done a beautiful job with them.
“Partly Veiled”
by Betty Hock
This piece is a quiet piece, and although there is a lot of movement in the paint and the paint action, I found it very soothing. I could look at it all day and daydream, almost fly into the clouds. This one intrigues me, as a beautiful meditative piece.
“Squall Line”
by Melodie Tune
This has subtle color and quiet movement. The shapes are gorgeous, the value tones and the value changes and the scribble lines really work well with together. It makes me almost feel like the woods and a waterfall and nature. It’s a beautiful piece.
Best of Theme
“Returning Light”
by Elaine Harvey
This painting has energy, with both subtle color and brilliant color, it has the movement of butterflies or of fireflies. There is always something moving, making it an energetic piece. Definitely a beautiful painting.
Honorable Mention, Miniatures
“Restless”
by Julie Anderson
I had an emotional first reaction to the piece, pulling me into it. The grays are absolutely gorgeous. Gray is a hard color to work with, and the warm and cool grays are balanced with the greens and turquoises. It is a triad color harmony with orange, purple and green. The artist understands color and color harmony. I love the shape, the design, and the colors. It is a beautiful piece.
Best of Miniatures
“Retro Red”
by Joanne Newman
The feeling, the color harmony and the design, are extremely appealing to me. The large, middle and small shapes and the way they are integrated appeals to me as well. I look at it and it makes me smile.
Third Place
“Rough Terrain”
by Nell Bartlett
Abstracts are not necessarily easy to do. This abstract has gorgeous big, middle-sized, and small shapes. It has a beautiful value range, and a beautiful color range. It is one of the most gorgeous abstracts I’ve ever seen, just a beautiful piece.
Second Place
“Colorful Reflections”
by Karen Weir
I particularly love sunlight, shade and shadow. The light coming through that beautiful stained-glass window and then reflecting color against the wall and against the statue. I think that it is well designed, a beautiful rendition of an interior and the light inside this building. Just a gorgeous piece.
First Place
“Z1”
by Edward Abrams
It is extremely difficult to capture the personality and the soul in a portrait like this artist did. Technically it is exquisite, but emotionally and visually it is very exciting. The large shapes ,the middle shapes, the small little shapes in the hair, the light on the figure, the eyes. They say you can see a person’s soul through the eyes, and I feel that I know this person just by looking at this painting. I think it is absolutely gorgeous.
