"COLOR SPLASH"
exhibit through December 11, 2009

 

Fall Exhibition Awards Presentation Night

 

by Connie Keithahn

Northstar Watercolor Society held its opening reception for its annual exhibition Nov. 12th at Century College. Comments on the 101 displayed paintings were extremely positive about the quality of work displayed, masterful techniques, and the new level evident for members in this show with its diverse subject-matter.

Judge Doug Lew began the presentation of awards with a brief statement about what he does as he judges a show. He commented about the excellence displayed in every genre from realistic to dreamy abstract. Composition, interesting design, color, shapes and edges are all part of his judging criteria.  He wanted to clearly see that the artist had worked out the shapes to give the painting strength and not be flat or monotonous.  He then looked at execution, that each was realistically painted, drawings were solid and hoped that old barns and flowers (which he said are overdone subjects) were done in a creative way.  He looked at abstract paintings by asking if the work goes beyond the surface.

 

The awards presentation was standing room only, with difficulty showing the work.   Lew began by presenting the eight honorable mentions to Julie Basche, Dar Bunde, Rebecca Cardinal, Barbara Duffy, Nels Femrite, Polly Olmstead, June Rott, and Marianne Schulze.

Lew next presented the Four Awards of Merit:  Dick Green, Frank Zeller, Ed Shimek and Lana Grow.
--He said that he liked the subtle colors displayed in Green’s Gents after seeing so much bright colored art!
--He asked Grow how she did her abstract painting and she explained that he will have to take her class!  He liked the consistency of the paint and the organic flow in her Cascading Beyond Landscape.  She said she used Murphy’s Oil soap with the paint on yuppo paper for her dramatic results.
--Lew thought that though Zellers’ Homestead was a traditional farmstead, he appreciated the abstract shapes, light shapes surrounded by mid-tones, and darks against lights giving the painting strength.
--Of Shimek’s painting, Lew commented that he knows that Ed uses just one brush and that he appreciated the light shape and design of Bassets Creek.

There were two Awards of Excellence:  Calvin deRuyter and Lisa Fertig,
--Lew offered his congratulations to Calvin for an excellent painting in Fall Shower Passing Us By, commenting on deRuyter’s application of paint and expressed a hope that deRuyter will now expand into figures and other subject matter.
--He said that Fertig’s paint applications are so well done in Yosemite, with her emphasis of lights against darks and her masterful placement of lights behind the trees.

Lew presented Best of Show to Karen Knutson for her abstract Rhythm of Life.  Lew commented that her use of lights flowing into mid-tones and darks held his attention.  He appreciated the mid-tones surrounded by lights which made this is an excellent painting.

 

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2009 Award Winners!

Photos by Lynn Berens (with our grateful thanks!)