Juror Wanda Honeycutt
Juror Commendations
“ Cute as a Button” by Carolina Dealy
This is a very strong painting. I love the composition, the dark up above and the light on the tablecloth below. It is very whimsical in that it depicts a jar full of cute little buttons. The composition is wonderful, that tape measure that is a path of gold leading up to the top of the painting but not out, and we come right back to the bold blue ribbon that catches the eye and the blue that is in the string and in the buttons. This makes a triangular shape that is very strong compositionally. The intricate painting style is something to be appreciated.
“Seeing is Believing” by Sandy Linn
This is a really strong painting. You don’t often see portraits that are this strong. I love the boldness that the artist used in her choices of colors and contrast. The glasses are so interesting and there is a lot of color in those glasses as well. There is something for me to enjoy everywhere I look in this painting. It is eye-catching from the get-go, with strong color and shapes throughout. It is bold and well done.
“Red Dirt Road II” by marty atwell
I love this painting! I appreciate the limited palette, and the division of space. The horizontal lines grounding the painting contrasting with the vertical upsweep to the cliff-like abstract shapes works very well. The addition of some words that are obscured at the top of the painting adds mystery. I love the little cracks in the mountain shapes, dark on the left and light on the right, integrate the painting. The top of the painting is a resting area but has a lot of texture.
Honorable Mentions
“Forest of Gold II” by Kathleen Scoggin
What a strong composition! My eye immediately went to this! There are so many interesting shapes in this painting. I love that it is a limited palette with gold, black and neutrals. There is something for me to be interested in everywhere I look. There are strong verticals and also broken diagonals and horizontals for interest. The soft area of yellow- gold behind the tree on the left gives our eyes a place to rest and is critical to the composition.
“Just So You Know” Helen Hayes
This is a very strong painting; the composition is awesome. One of my favorite things about this is the doorknob. It is so striking and unusual to have a doorknob in prominence and it is such a strong compositional element. Also, the dogs’ noses are pointing right up to the figure, enhancing that connection. The limited palette works, with the bold white and dark areas. I also love the patches of red that really make the painting pop. There is mystery to the painting, as we don’t know who the woman is, so a lot of people who love animals and people and even doorknobs can relate to it!
“Black Velvet Chaise” by Roberta Dyer
What a strong painting! I love so much about this, starting with the bold dark area behind the figure that makes the figure pop, and divides the space. The composition is wonderful, with the leg leading us into the painting. I also like the lost edge of the head. There is an area where the line of the head is not clearly defined. It adds interest to the painting. I love the strong black lines on the neck of the figure that evokes strength. I can tell that the artist has a lot of courage and boldness when she applies paints and marks. The painting has a limited palette, but it is very strong because of that. I enjoy the loose scribbly lines, and those lines are employed throughout so we have a consistency of lines and types of texture, but it is not overdone.
Honorable Mention, Miniatures
“Winter Afternoon” by Sarah Sullivan
This one captured my attention immediately. It is reminiscent of post-impressionist and fauvist work. I love how the artist has made these red and white stripes that bring us right into the painting. There are two figures, probably women. Because they are abstracted, it allows the viewer to imagine what might be happening with their interaction. Then we have a vase, with striking red flowers. The leaves in the vase create a circular swooping motion that leads the eye up and around and back, right into the focal area. I think it is just stunning.
This one captured my attention immediately. It is reminiscent of post-impressionist and fauvist work. I love how the artist has made these red and white stripes that bring us right into the painting. There are two figures, probably women. Because they are abstracted, it allows the viewer to imagine what might be happening with their interaction. Then we have a vase, with striking red flowers. The leaves in the vase create a circular swooping motion that leads the eye up and around and back, right into the focal area. I think it is just stunning.
Best of Miniatures
“A Tale of Serendipity” by Fan Li
I adore this painting! I was attracted to it from the very first moment. It is gorgeous. I love how the artist made this dark area in front; it left a window for us to go through into the beautiful landscape. There is a person in a boat, and the softness of the background contrasts to the dark figure which attracts your attention. It is soft but also very powerful.
Best of Theme
“Borderlands” by Tim Coleman
The theme is “serendipity”, which means to have something happen that is good or fortuitous without expecting it. This painting speaks to that, especially when I realized that this represents the wall that separates Tijuana and San Diego. It is serendipitous which side you are born on. So, this painting, even though it is a whimsical painting, it has a lot of meaning.
Third Place
“Next Stop” by Jean Silva
A wonderful abstract! Abstracts must have a strong composition, to make a go of it, and this one certainly does. It has a focal point in a wonderful area; there are circles that are dark but surrounded by the light, so there is nice value contrast. One circle over on the left is superimposed on the other shapes. There is repetition of shapes which brings our eye around, and there is also a repetition of color. There are a lot of beautiful textures in the painting too. Finally, it gives us places for our eye to rest. I really enjoy this stunning painting.
Second Place
“Tease” by Denise Tverdoch
This is a stunning, beautiful piece. I love the softness of the figure. She is holding a cloth in front of her that is covering up just the right places for modesty, but yet she has a look on her face that is ambiguous. We don’t know what she is thinking, we don’t know what her life is like, so that mystery draws me to it. I love the limited palette, with the gold and the flesh tones. There are some mysterious looking marks in the background that are intriguing as well, giving the viewer a lot to wonder about. The composition is beautiful as well. It is evocative of some of the old masters, it is gorgeous.
First Place
“Memory of Taiwan” by Fan Li
This is a gorgeous piece. It drew me in immediately. The artist is able to create a soft painting that has a strength to it as well. The boat in the foreground is dark in value, contrasting with the light sea around it. It is a place where I can imagine myself being, so I believe it will draw other viewers in as well. Although there is a mystery to it, it is probably a real place. It has a wonderful composition: the area is divided up as a one third, two thirds composition, which is really strong. It is a wonderful painting.
