1st Place -Established:
Tireless Wind
Tireless Wind is a contemporary painting with a unique use of pastel. There is an all-encompassing experience of being swept up in the wind. The movement of marks carry the viewer into this experience. This painting expresses something that is very difficult to portray realistically. It expresses an experience of intensity. I found this a unique and contemporary work in pastel,

2nd Place -Established:
Receding
Receding is such a beautiful work. I also see much movement and experience in this painting. The sense of light is ethereal and sublime. It takes a scene in nature and elevates it to another level. I also see mastery of pastel and the skill of the artist in its use.

3rd Place -Established:
Threads 4
Threads is both a stable and precarious arrangement. Any piece that falls could result in all pieces falling. The more I looked at this work the more I was fascinated by this balancing act. It also has a rhythm in its arrangement of shapes and color and has excellence in its use of pastel.

4th Place -Established:
Marsten House Garden
This is a beautiful landscape and a unique interpretation of the use of color. The artist used something seen and possibly on site but took it to another level in interpreting color and patterns. I truly admire an artist who can work in Plein air and interpret the landscape in such a unique style. I love the use of warm neutrals with pops of pure color in the foreground.

1st Place- Emerging:
Wood to Rock 1
I love how this artist took the inspiration from nature to create this impressive abstraction. So many have seen petrified wood, but it is an artist who can see and interpret this as a beautiful abstract. I wasn’t sure what the subject was or the inspiration, but I admire the various shapes and organic lines. The pastel application is very skillful. This painting reflects a mystery of the natural world. The color changes within the painting are subtle and balanced.

2nd Place- Emerging:
Father and Son Bonding
When I first viewed this painting, it had an emotional impact on me as the viewer. I sensed an emotional bond between father and son. The artist has used a very limited palette of black and white but has said so much in its execution. The artist has also used the black and white palette to explore many different textures and patterns in the painting. This has a unique vantage point of looking down as the father looks up at the artist.

3rd Place- Emerging:
Study in Delicacy
This is a floral painting but so much more. This has a similar feel as Tireless Wind with its swirling lines of movement. It draws me in and makes me want to look closely at this subject. Is it a flower or a meditation on a flower. It is so much more than a flower painting. I love the unusual composition and how the mark making follows the folds and movement of the flower and table.

4th Place- Emerging:
Breakfast Light
In Breakfast Light the artist looks at an arrangement on their table of pears and flowers. It is not a realistic representation of what the artist saw but an interpretation of shapes and color choices. I love seeing the drawing underlying the shapes in this piece and the artists personal choice of color scheme. It is both painterly in its use of texture and skillful in the use of pastels.

DAKOTA STAFF PICK Dakota has the unique privilege of supporting artists in their artistic journey every day. The Staff Pick is an Emerging artist who has made strong choices in design, color, and composition, and is taking great strides in their use of the pastel material. This quarter we congratulate Marilee Klosterman - keep painting!
WINNER Marilee Klosterman 'Sunday Snow'