Regional Exhibition
Juror: Jon McMillan || Catalog || Flier
Awards:
- Side Walk Story oil, charcoal and enamel painting by Sarah Lapp of Fredericksburg, VA
- Jill oil painting by Charlotte Richards of Fredericksburg, VA
- Extinction mixed media painting by Patricia Smith of Locust Grove, VA
Honorable Mentions:
- Sunset on the Open Field oil painting by Lynn Mehta of Alexandria, VA
- Window View mixed media artwork by Shellie Ridder of Fredericksburg, VA
- Of Space and Time III mixed media painting by Barbara Taylor Hall of Fredericksburg, VA
- Morning Ripple photograph by Darren Barnes of Dahlgren, VA
Juror's Statement:
It is always an honor to be asked to jury an exhibition, so thank you to the FCCA for bestowing such an honor on me. The task of Juror is often tough, and selecting work for this exhibition was made more difficult by the amount of excellent submissions. It was a pleasure to be able to view each piece, and I thank all of the artists (accepted or not) for their efforts. It is exciting to see such a diversity of great work representing the region.
After an initial viewing of the works, I was struck by the variety of approaches, subject matter and content within the group. As I studied each piece more carefully, I began to envision a connection between the works that immediately stood out to me. Upon further reflection and time spent with the submissions, I noticed that the works I was drawn to were not bound by style or media, but shared a sense of conflict or tension. This tension might exist in the juxtaposition of two colors, the rendering of a line or mark, the representation of a particular subject or idea, the way in which a material is manipulated, etc. As I whittled my way down to the most successful pieces in the group, I selected the work that harnessed this tension while also resolving the inherent problems created by it. These artworks allow contrast and harmony to coexist in the same form, and to be strengthened by each other instead of diminished.
Some of my final selections were made to help give the show cohesion through the interplay of color, media and subject matter. My intention was to represent the great diversity of the submitted work while also linking these disparate expressions in some way. I hope that viewers will enjoy seeing the pieces together as much as I do.
