Juror’s comments about the winning artworks:

First Place – Suzanne Montresor, Music in my Mind

This work caught my attention from the moment I walked into the gallery, and kept drawing my eye each time I did a circle to decide on my choices. I think that’s what a great work of art does, speaks to you in some way that you can’t really describe but you just know deep down in your gut that you’ve connected with it and that you love it. It can be the visual appeal, the technique, the medium, but something is just there, the untouchable, indescribable element that makes it worth looking at again and again.

Technique wise this piece looks simple, but isn’t, and that also for me is always what makes a great work of art. How does the artist show us how good they are, while “fooling us” into thinking the process is effortless. 

I also think the expressive movement of the lines is just beautiful, it makes me think of dancers, or ripples on water or scarves blowing in the wind. There is an organic, peaceful quality to the composition and lines that allows the viewer to have a quiet moment with the work.

Second Place – Diane Cherr, Left Hand Jenny

I’m a historian by nature, so this piece drew my attention as I want to know more about the postage stamps and gloves used in the composition. Technically it is so well done with the various printmaking techniques used, and I love printmaking as a medium. One could think it was a photograph upon first view since the details are so crisp and clean. Very well done, and the balance of colors is nicely organized too. 

Third Place – Myra Hafetz, Monday Morning

Sometimes the smallest pieces are the ones that grab your attention first, and it was the case with this piece. The miniature quality adds to the intimate feel of peeking into someone’s home and life. The precise nature of how the artist developed the composition, leaving the top half blank, is very well done, and the viewer can sense the quiet, the breeze through the clothesline and potentially hearing music or talking through the window. The colors, muted tones and hazy outlines lend a dream-like quality to the piece, which makes the viewer want to learn more about the scene we are viewing. 

Honorable Mention 1 – Mittul Mishra, The Looks

This work is both playful and a little off-putting at the same time, which is why I liked it and it kept drawing my eye. The iconic look of Audrey Hepburn in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” becomes very voyeuristic as we, the viewer, are pierced with the female’s gaze, something that normally is the reverse as women in artwork are generally the passive object of our gaze. I also enjoyed the play of the horizontal versus vertical elements of the blinds versus her hairdo. The scale also makes the piece reminiscent of Pop Art with the larger scale of a popular culture icon, the details of her nails and the crystals add to this feeling.

Honorable Mention 2 – Christine Vogensen, Holding the Weight of the World

I always appreciate three dimensional objects, and how artists develop their skills to think about the viewer’s experience holistically walking around the object. Felt is such an interesting medium, and the fact that this piece is woven shows the extraordinary talent of the artist. I enjoyed the checkerboard design, which seems simple but is very complex at the same time. And the fact that the piece is not standing upright, it is a visual representation of the title, and one feels that the piece has seen and gone through some things, adding to its story.