Best of ShowCaribbean Colors by Marsha Shelburn
This is a spontaneous painting of a typical rural SC scene. What I find very strong about this piece and the reason I chose it was because it pulled me across the gallery—it made me come look at it. The break up of color and patterning in this piece is just fantastic. I get a glimpse through the door behind the figure in the piece of the interior, and I can’t tell exactly what it is other than just a beautiful breakup of space in there. There’s a light coming in behind the building on the ground and along the top edge of the building that appears to be like a weathered tin roof. All of this is broken up into shape and color which I find quite fascinating. When it is all put back together again it becomes a narrative, a story of this child standing in the doorway of this home that looks like it has been added to and changed—evolved into this long horizontal shape of a building. It is quite a beautiful painting in a very spontaneous way. There is nothing that feels contrived or controlled about this. It feels very at ease. The only negative critical thing I would say is that I am not entirely crazy about the tree. That’s a personal opinion though. I don’t think it affects the overall tone or mood of the piece at all. I don’t think it alters the composition terribly. A lovely piece, quite strong. Congratulations on a very successful, loose, nice painting
Best Aiken SceneBus Station by Joan Suits
This is a nice little portrait of a building. It has a very strong Edward Hopper-like quality in mood. I am fascinated by the idea that a building, a very boxy, plain building, can evoke this sort of isolation and sense of calm. The one part of this piece that is really exceptionally strong is that very spot of red on the right, the decal on the window of the building. The little spot of red is the only primary color in the entire piece, and it is so beautifully balancing the rest of the more usual hues throughout the piece; this strengthens the composition. The very nice break up of space in this piece turns the building and the elements around it into simple shapes. It is just lovely.
First Place – 2D Watermelon Man by Deborah Tidwell Holtzscheiter
Wow, how do you not look at this piece? There is such perfection. Every bit of this piece commands my attention in its surface quality—every fold, every curve of the truck, every reflection in the glass, the pattern on the melons—every part of this painting deserves attention. I can’t find a space on this painting that is not a beauty to look at. It is a fine painting. The portrait in itself is a lovely painting of an elderly gentleman who could have been my grandfather in rural SC—it’s just beautiful. Congratulations to Tidwell who painted just masterfully.
Second Place – 2D
Wow, how do you not look at this piece? There is such perfection. Every bit of this piece commands my attention in its surface quality—every fold, every curve of the truck, every reflection in the glass, the pattern on the melons—every part of this painting deserves attention. I can’t find a space on this painting that is not a beauty to look at. It is a fine painting. The portrait in itself is a lovely painting of an elderly gentleman who could have been my grandfather in rural SC—it’s just beautiful. Congratulations to Tidwell who painted just masterfully.
Second Place – 2D Afternoon Ballet by Carol Roberts
This painting makes me look at it. The brush strokes are so impressionistic and there’s such life in the brush stroke itself that I feel the movement of these dancers. On top of that, their joy even without seeing much facial expression, there is such a sense of joy about the dance they are performing and that joyful quality, that sense of movement and activity. And the surface quality, the brush strokes, the paint on the surface of this painting is quite alive and makes me want to look at it over and over again. This painting is also very beautifully presented. The gold frame is an extension of the mood of the surface of the painting and it just contains the painting very nicely. Excellent choice in framing which is always a difficult thing to do.
Third Place – 2D
This painting makes me look at it. The brush strokes are so impressionistic and there’s such life in the brush stroke itself that I feel the movement of these dancers. On top of that, their joy even without seeing much facial expression, there is such a sense of joy about the dance they are performing and that joyful quality, that sense of movement and activity. And the surface quality, the brush strokes, the paint on the surface of this painting is quite alive and makes me want to look at it over and over again. This painting is also very beautifully presented. The gold frame is an extension of the mood of the surface of the painting and it just contains the painting very nicely. Excellent choice in framing which is always a difficult thing to do.
Third Place – 2D
Surfline by Sally Donovan
While the figures in this painting are both very well done, not overly meticulous, without any awkwardness in any way, I selected this piece because of the water and the quality of painting in the waves which is really fabulous. If this had been a painting of waves without the beach sitters I think I still would have picked this painting. I think that is a difficult subject you have chosen with the water. Your choice not to include the horizon was very, very wise. It focuses my attention back to the foreground; the people and then the waves become a frame around in which these people are included. I think the male figure’s hair mimicking the sort of texture of the wave cap is quite nice. And then the pink chair and purple chair of the female figure mimicking the pink and purple reflections in the water surface is a very nice choice—compositionally sound—very strong use of color relationship. Quite nicely done. Congratulations on a beautiful piece. The cast shadows from the chairs are very nice and give me that nice sense of time of day when the beach is so pleasant in the late afternoon.
Honorable Mention – 2D
While the figures in this painting are both very well done, not overly meticulous, without any awkwardness in any way, I selected this piece because of the water and the quality of painting in the waves which is really fabulous. If this had been a painting of waves without the beach sitters I think I still would have picked this painting. I think that is a difficult subject you have chosen with the water. Your choice not to include the horizon was very, very wise. It focuses my attention back to the foreground; the people and then the waves become a frame around in which these people are included. I think the male figure’s hair mimicking the sort of texture of the wave cap is quite nice. And then the pink chair and purple chair of the female figure mimicking the pink and purple reflections in the water surface is a very nice choice—compositionally sound—very strong use of color relationship. Quite nicely done. Congratulations on a beautiful piece. The cast shadows from the chairs are very nice and give me that nice sense of time of day when the beach is so pleasant in the late afternoon.
Honorable Mention – 2D Harbour Town by Andrew Vincent III
This piece for me becomes more about space and less about its narrative or story line. There is the curved break of the sea wall and the angular break up of space of the boats. Then there is a similar kind of angular break up of space of the condominiums on the hill. While those two surfaces are angled, they are angled in a very different ways and that causes me to want to look at both parts of this painting. I want to make that sort of comparison – the flat, plain way the angles are broken up in a sort of Cezanne fashion on the buildings as opposed to the boats which become much more abstract when you look at them closely. All that is balanced very nicely when you look at the trees—very circular and popping up through those buildings. A very successful piece.
This piece for me becomes more about space and less about its narrative or story line. There is the curved break of the sea wall and the angular break up of space of the boats. Then there is a similar kind of angular break up of space of the condominiums on the hill. While those two surfaces are angled, they are angled in a very different ways and that causes me to want to look at both parts of this painting. I want to make that sort of comparison – the flat, plain way the angles are broken up in a sort of Cezanne fashion on the buildings as opposed to the boats which become much more abstract when you look at them closely. All that is balanced very nicely when you look at the trees—very circular and popping up through those buildings. A very successful piece.
Honorable Mention – 2DMystery II by Barbara Yon
The color use in this piece is quite nice—it kind of mimics in a way a sort of line that Georgia O’Keefe used in some of her flower paintings except this one doesn’t go anywhere near a flower — it just exists solely in the realm of color and texture and space. I am very pleased with it. I don’t have the need to find any sort of subject beyond those things of color, texture, and space. There is a beautiful interplay of the red to orange tones working, creating tension with the turquoise to blue tones and those complements are creating a fine harmonious relationship. I want to wander through this painting and look at all those nice edges and then I find the surface texture mimicking those edges. The surface of this painting is alive and exciting, very electric.
Honorable Mention – 2D
The color use in this piece is quite nice—it kind of mimics in a way a sort of line that Georgia O’Keefe used in some of her flower paintings except this one doesn’t go anywhere near a flower — it just exists solely in the realm of color and texture and space. I am very pleased with it. I don’t have the need to find any sort of subject beyond those things of color, texture, and space. There is a beautiful interplay of the red to orange tones working, creating tension with the turquoise to blue tones and those complements are creating a fine harmonious relationship. I want to wander through this painting and look at all those nice edges and then I find the surface texture mimicking those edges. The surface of this painting is alive and exciting, very electric.
Honorable Mention – 2D Maine Storefront by Carolyn Bohn
Like Bus Station by Jan Suits, which won the Aiken Scene Award, this piece shares the qualities of an architectural structure. I think my interest in this piece is the architecture, not the figures or mannequins that appear to be the main focus. There is sort of a question for me in this piece about the primary subject matter—is it the building, is it the models—and I don’t care that I don’t know the answer. I’m enjoying looking at the piece and thinking about whether the subject matter is the mannequins or the building. There still continues to be kind of a Hopper like reference to portraits of buildings, portraits of architectural structures and the interest that those structures just in and of themselves create, the mood that it creates with the absence of any kind of animation. Some very lovely use of color here. Quite a nice enjoyable piece to float in and out of, to go deeper into and then step back and look at over and over again.
Like Bus Station by Jan Suits, which won the Aiken Scene Award, this piece shares the qualities of an architectural structure. I think my interest in this piece is the architecture, not the figures or mannequins that appear to be the main focus. There is sort of a question for me in this piece about the primary subject matter—is it the building, is it the models—and I don’t care that I don’t know the answer. I’m enjoying looking at the piece and thinking about whether the subject matter is the mannequins or the building. There still continues to be kind of a Hopper like reference to portraits of buildings, portraits of architectural structures and the interest that those structures just in and of themselves create, the mood that it creates with the absence of any kind of animation. Some very lovely use of color here. Quite a nice enjoyable piece to float in and out of, to go deeper into and then step back and look at over and over again.
Honorable Mention – 2D Sleet Storm by Karen Snider
The reason this piece appeals to me very, very strongly is the umbrella, the red cardinal sitting on the bench (very understated), and the discarded can over on the right side that makes a very effective compositional use of color. The umbrella, the cardinal, and the Pepsi can uses red in three separate spaces. The alternating of turns in the stripe across the back of the figure holding the umbrella is quite nice too. The satchel strap gives a nice break up of pattern in this piece, which is very effective.
First Place – Photography
The reason this piece appeals to me very, very strongly is the umbrella, the red cardinal sitting on the bench (very understated), and the discarded can over on the right side that makes a very effective compositional use of color. The umbrella, the cardinal, and the Pepsi can uses red in three separate spaces. The alternating of turns in the stripe across the back of the figure holding the umbrella is quite nice too. The satchel strap gives a nice break up of pattern in this piece, which is very effective.
First Place – Photography Cabin’s Caretaker by Shannon Jennings
It is a lovely balance of light and texture. The light and texture on this piece is creating a quiet space that feels very comfortable—very isolated. It is that mood that draws me to it.
Second Place – Photography
It is a lovely balance of light and texture. The light and texture on this piece is creating a quiet space that feels very comfortable—very isolated. It is that mood that draws me to it.
Second Place – Photography The Fishing Lesson by George E. Buggs
I am drawn to this piece because of the red hat. It makes the whole compositional balance work. I don’t think it would work without that spot of red mixing up that monochromatic palette. The subject is a nice generational type narrative that doesn’t move over into sentimentality, and it draws me in because of that.
Third Place – Photography Antartic Ice by Forrest Roberts
Anybody who is willing to travel to this landscape to take this picture certainly gets some commendation for the travel alone. But beyond that, this artist was able to pick out of this very rugged landscape a beautiful sculptural abstract form that reinforces nature’s beauty and ability to make perfectly balanced compositions. The artist here gets great big points on selecting what part of nature to photograph in that very rugged and beautiful environment.
Honorable Mention – Photography
Spring’s Café by George E. Buggs
I am drawn to this piece because of the red hat. It makes the whole compositional balance work. I don’t think it would work without that spot of red mixing up that monochromatic palette. The subject is a nice generational type narrative that doesn’t move over into sentimentality, and it draws me in because of that.
Third Place – Photography Antartic Ice by Forrest Roberts
Anybody who is willing to travel to this landscape to take this picture certainly gets some commendation for the travel alone. But beyond that, this artist was able to pick out of this very rugged landscape a beautiful sculptural abstract form that reinforces nature’s beauty and ability to make perfectly balanced compositions. The artist here gets great big points on selecting what part of nature to photograph in that very rugged and beautiful environment.
Honorable Mention – PhotographySpring’s Café by George E. Buggs
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