CONGRATULATIONS, FIRST QUARTER WINNERS!

THANK YOU TO ALL WHO ENTERED.

Congratulations to everyone that took a chance and entered their work into this online exhibition. It is a humbling task to be asked to set in judgement of another artist’s work. Our paintings are the visual language we utilize to connect with other human beings and thus become very personal. When approaching the selections, I evaluate each painting by the fundamentals of design: composition of shape, value, color, etc., and then look at how the artist has utilized the medium of pastel. Finally, subject matter is assessed. What I look for in conclusion is the individual voice of the artist. Both of these divisions had an abundance of very well-done works. When this occurs it then becomes one person’s opinion on a given day. Tomorrow, I may see the placements in a different order, but for today, this is what I saw.

Richard McKinley: PSA-MP & HFH, PSWC-PL
First Quarter 2021 Dakota Competition Judge

 

ESTABLISHED ARTIST WINNERS

 
FIRST PLACE
Carol Strockwasson
Dissipating Winter Haze
SECOND PLACE
Corey Pitkin
An Introduction
THIRD PLACE
Pirkko Mäkelä-Haapalinna
Letting Go
FOURTH PLACE
Loriann Signori
Sapphire through the Trees
Honorable Mention
Linda Mutti
California Gold
Honorable Mention
Dawn Emerson
Mistral Mirage
           
Honorable Mention
Pamela Hamilton
Glistening Reflections
Honorable Mention
Anna Lapygina
Agnia, Fox, and Tangerines
Honorable Mention
Elena Prudnikova
Mirror
Honorable Mention
Nancy Ness
Aldo
Honorable Mention
Maceo Mitchell
Maceo Lemons
Honorable Mention
Yael Maimon
There She Goes
           
 

First Place: Carol Strockwasson  Some paintings defy explanation; they are meant to be experienced and felt. This is such a piece. The profound mystery and portrayal of atmospheric space elevate this pastel painting to a level often strived for, but frequently missed in traditional landscape painting. This painting should hang in a museum next to Whistler, Inness, Carlsen, and Harrison as an example of Tonalism at its best.

Second Place: Corey Pitkin  A triumph of classical realism. From the masterful use of edges, to the exquisite use of color and tonality, this artist has complete control. The design is a tour de force. Everything is there, yet detail is lacking. This is the essence of human vision, the heartfelt experience, versus the encyclopedic minds eye. The photograph has robbed many of the ability to truly see; this artist sees.

Third Place: Pirkko Mäkelä-Haapalinna  Movement and mark making characterize this luminous pastel painting. A kaleidoscope of variation in color temperature, light and dark, and thin and thick application of pastel, add a musicality. When a pastelist is asked what it is they love about pastel, they most often reference its tactile nature; the push and pull of the stick of pigment across the surface and its ability to be spontaneously applied is seductive. This painting has all of that and so much more.

Fourth Place: Loriann Signori  As the poet employs a few words to express what could fill an entire bookshelf, so too can the artist. The soulful use of color and economy of application manifest in this simple pastel painting stops us in our tracks. Nothing is descriptive, it is felt. It’s a question we all should ask ourselves while painting, will more make it better? This artist has found their poetic voice and understands the secrets within the saying, Less is More.

           

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EMERGING ARTIST WINNERS

 

           
FIRST PLACE
Jennifer Blackburn
Sunset on Lincoln Hill
SECOND PLACE
Fred Fielding
Spring Light
THIRD PLACE
Chris Atkinson
Self Portrait
FOURTH PLACE
Mary Jo Roys Drueke
Winter into Spring
Honorable Mention
Barbara Gill
A Little Mischief
Honorable Mention
Anne Milligan
Fetching
           
Honorable Mention
Sharon Matisoff
Marty and His Horn
Honorable Mention
Paul Kneece
Tumalo Morning
Honorable Mention
Ivette Paz
Old Man
Honorable Mention
Greg Stone
Winter Slough
Honorable Mention
Steve Patton
Vamp
Honorable Mention
Jill Glassman
Mid-Day Marsh

 

 

First Place: Jennifer Blackburn  This painting ticked every box on what I love to see in a pastel landscape painting. Great composition of shape, line, value and color. They all work together to support the visual design and engage the viewer. The spontaneity of the pastel application is confident and free, allowing the painting to become so much more than just another picture of a beautiful landscape.

Second Place: Fred Fielding  When the simplest of subject matter is painted with sensitivity, we get to experience it from the artist’s insightful perspective. This is the gift every painter gives to their audience. The lost and found edges throughout this painting are masterful. Everything represented within the painting shares air and space. This elevates the painting well above a competent rendering, it becomes artwork.

Third Place: Chris Atkinson  As a fine art medium, pastel is unparalleled in its capacity for creative application. While it is capable of being applied in the fashion of paint, it also facilitates a multitude of gestural line drawing and mark-making techniques. This pastel painting demonstrates perfectly pastel’s versatility. The confidence of the artist’s hand is manifest in every mark. It is the embodiment of pastel expression.

Fourth Place: Mary Jo Roys Drueke  Capturing the spontaneous dance of light across the landscape is never easy. This artist has not only captured that dance but invoked considerable emotional feeling with their compositional choices. There is a sense of intimacy, a moment of pause and internal reflection, as we explore the bits and pieces of light and texture threaded throughout the painting.

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