See the Light
Juror: Kathleen Westkaemper || Catalog || Flier
Awards:
- 1st Place: Empty Jars, acrylic painting by Tom Smagala of Spotsylvania, VA
- 2nd Place: Raw Sugar, photograph by Kenneth Lecky of Fredericksburg, VA
- 3rd Place: Distorted View, digital painting by Carolyn Beever of Stafford, VA
Honorable Mentions:
- Sun Rays, photograph by Norma Woodward of Fredericksburg, VA
- Fiber Optics, fiber quilt by Maria Shell of Anchorage, AK
- City Sunrise, soft pastel by Kay L. Roscoe of Fredericksburg, VA
- Two Moons, acrylic collage by Christina Boechler of Culpeper, VA
Juror's Statement:
It was an honor and a pleasure to be invited to juror FCCA's National Juried Exhibit, See the Light. Reviewing 150 or more submissions was quite a challenge, particularly since I was looking at actual work, slides and digital submissions created in a wide variety of media. The media varied from fiber, watercolor on yupo, lithography, photography, to neon and found objects. Of course I was drawn to more pieces than the exhibition space could allow which forced me to continually eliminate work that I would have preferred to include in the exhibition.
In my mind the selected work spoke to the theme, See the Light, and was strong, original work that I knew I would remember and want to view repeatedly. I looked at how the various media were handled and how confident the artist was in the application of the chosen media. I am attracted to work that makes me see the artist's way and gives me a glimpse of the artist's inspiration to create that piece of art. In addition to selecting for unique and well executed work, I was drawn to pieces that were enhanced by the framing or presentation the artists chose to display their work.
Many of the submissions succeeded in capturing gorgeous light in an interesting way. In both Empty Jars and Morning Light Tom Smagala uses highlights, shadows and reflected light beautifully. Light has energy in The Memory Sparkles by Michael Habina and Distorted View by Carolyn Beever. I couldn't resist the whimsical glow of Moroccan Box: The Speed Ticket by Cathy Herndon. Several artists created light by the interaction of glowing color such as Aina Nergaard-Nammack in #1277Guggenheim Interior, and Kenneth Lecky in Raw Sugar. The color and subject of Colorful East Shore, Kaua'i by Bro Halff seem to reflect light and warmth. Susan Krieg's Illuminating the Ordinary and Contradiction by Kerri Williams emphasize the duality of light and dark. These pieces and more let me see light in a unique way.
This is a national juried exhibit and though the majority of submissions for See the Light were from talented artists from Virginia and Mid Atlantic states, many other parts of the country are represented in the exhibition by work from Alaska, Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana, and California.
I would like to thank all the artists who submitted to See the Light. I was honored to view your work. My hope is that I have selected an exhibit that will be interesting for the viewers and that the people who come to See the Light can lose themselves in the light and go away with favorite pieces that they will remember and want to revisit.
