You are all brave, fearless creatives! As your Third Quarter Awards Judge, I am amazed at the quality of art created by established and emerging artists. The originality of this show will move some to tears, puzzle others, and inspire many. The overarching theme is brilliant storytelling - many of these unique paintings tell a story that will live on in the mind of the viewer.  

When considering a work of art, I put a lot of weight on my first impressions, those I return to again and again. I then look for paintings in which the artist was willing to take a risk - with color, design, edges, pastel application, point of view and/or subject matter. Does the artist paint with confidence? Does she have a unique style? Was he willing to break ‘rules’ for the success of the piece? And, of course, there are the tried-and-true elements and principles of design to consider.

Congratulations to all whose work received an award. There were over 750 entries, presenting a real challenge for yours truly! For those of you who did not receive an award this time, let these winning images inspire you to keep painting and enter again sometime down the road!

Jen Evenhus, IAPS-MC, PSA-MP, NPS-DP, PSWC
Dakota 3rd Quarter 2021 Competition Judge

First Place: Nori Thorne “Floating Fossil Creek” is one of those “first-impression” pieces that I returned to again and again because of the visceral anxiety I experience each time I see it. There is a story here … why is this person floating, fully clothed, in a body of cold, green water? He/she looks a bit perplexed and anxious about floating, or being swept along - or am I, the viewer, anxious for her? The position of the arms and legs indicate movement as do the waves above the head and the painterly effects of a fully clothed body under water. The artist used color to portray the temperature of the water and I love the masterful use of mark-making throughout this intriguing piece. Congratulations!

Second Place: Fabio Cuffari The human body is hard to ignore and the artist took full advantage of the beauty and the agony shown in this story of L'ultimo peccato del re, The King’s Last Sin. We can only imagine what happened here, but we’re quite sure the Betrayed had the last word! This was another I could not ignore - not only for the story it tells, but for the masterful application of pastel and the harmony of color. The composition pulls your eye in at her toes and up the sword toward her face, down to the blood on her breast and her wrist and then back up again to the crown and cape. I love the use of lost edges to create depth and the high contrast of the light creates drama. Amazing piece!

Third Place: Carrie Moore “Wanbergs Gold” is a show-stopper! It caught my eye first time through the jury process with its clean, pure, confident application of pastel. I love the tilt of the abode, combined with energetic mark-making to create the palm and wonderful deep, graphic shadows. The artist employs an economy of joyful strokes in this fresh, sunny painting portraying a vignette of Southern living. 

Fourth Place: TaiMeng Lim "4th Light” is one of those paintings that tells a story that almost everyone can relate to. I imagine a story from the past, present, and future. Lanterns were used hundreds of years ago and are still in use today. A small bird, or spirit, returning home, visiting a loved one, bringing light into their life. What does it mean to you? You will be hard-pressed to find a better composition than we see here - the lanterns placed in the perfect angle to pull your eye up to the frame of the window surrounding the little bird who is waiting, perhaps, for the occupants of the house to notice him. The sun shines warmly on the home and window shade, the black of the interior lends eye-catching contrast and the mostly analogous color scheme is perfect for this story. Exquisite!

First Place: Louise Chandler-Hones The ethereal feel of “In the Woods” is what first attracted me. I then discovered it was painted on velour paper.  It leaves much to the imagination – for me, it’s a small creek in the woods, or a path in sunlight with steppingstones leading us into the unknown. The mark-making is seemingly random and the values spot-on, as sunlight filters through the trees. Even though the palette is subdued, unlike what I’m usually attracted to, it is perfect for this subject… and the story continues – where does this lead? I love a mystery! Congratulations!

Second Place: Sarah Rose “Aspen Dance” is truly alive and dancing! With its unique point of view, it encourages you to look up, to be hopeful, celebrate the changing season and dance! This small piece leaves a big impact! The composition (can you tell composition is important to me?) is exemplary! The trunk pulls you up, guiding you around and around in the picture plane, keeping you engrossed in the juxtaposition between leaves and sky. The variety of values used in the leaves create a jewel-like effect, making them pop out of the azure sky, as we experience the leaves quivering in an autumn breeze.

Third Place: Toby Reid “Wave Dance” is not just another wave painting! I love the chunky colorful strokes, the juxtaposition of warm and cool when the sunlight hits, and how the white crown on the furthest wave is in the shadow, turning it bluish purple, even though we know it’s “white.” Pastel is the perfect medium for this dynamic, exciting design, revealing a plethora of colors, textures, light, transparency, and movement only a confident artist can achieve. I am mesmerized by the beige ochre color in the front wave as it pulls the sand up into liquid sunshine, accentuated by the complementary purple shadow that makes it pop! Wonderful!

Fourth Place: Carolina Dalmas “Orange Peel” is a perfect example of the magic of experimentation. This homemade surface offers endless possibilities when underpainting and layers of pure color are added. Our eyes are rewarded with texture we can feel virtually, through the computer screen - we know it is palpable and delicious! This artist’s palette is one of my favorites - orange and turquoise, with bits of green and yellow, adding a sunlight effect to the upper left corner. This still life is alive with movement and depth as you explore the trajectory of the peel, dance over random marks, and breathe in the tangy orange aroma! This subject could be an analogy of a lazy Sunday morning with breakfast in bed. What do you think?

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