NAA 13th Annual
Regional Juried Show
April 30 - May 23, 2010
Oil, Acrylic, Watercolor, Pastel, Drawing, Mixed Media, Printmaking, Sculpture, Photography and Computer Art.
All artwork will be for sale. The awards will be presented at an opening reception to be held May 1, 7-9pm.
There were 389 entries from 171 artist members as well as non-members from Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine. 145 artworks were selected.
The Juror: William Stover, was Assistant Curator for the Department of Contemporary Art at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston from May 2002- February 2010. Prior to his appointment at the MFA, Stover was the Curatorial Administrator/Publications Manager at the New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York from October 1999 – October 2001. He is currently an independent curator and consultant to private collections in New York City.
Juror’s overall comments:
“It was a great pleasure for me to jury the Newburyport Art Association’s Regional Show this year. It is always fun and revealing to participate in a review of hundreds of images as it gives one the opportunity to become familiar with new work and I am pleased to have had this opportunity. The volume of submissions received is a wonderful acknowledgement of the thriving community of artists on the North Shore and their desire to share their visions with the rest of us. The diversity of materials as well as subject matter of the work submitted is a great testament to the wide ranging interests of the artists of this region. It was heartening to see everything from traditional oil on canvas to computer generated work included.”
“Choosing only a small selection of them for this exhibition was a challenge, and paring down the numbers made for a long, but exhilarating process. In choosing the works to be included, I chose those, which appeared to be made to the best of the ability of the artist, or revealed something distinct from the rest. Being an artist today is difficult enough before asking to be judged and every artist who submitted to this call for work deserve our appreciation for taking the time and for allowing their work to be critically reviewed. My congratulations and thanks go to those who submitted and those whose work was ultimately chosen.”
Awards:
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H. Patterson Hale, Jr. Charitable Foundation Award for Best in Show $400
Artist: Jan Roy
Town: Newburyport, MA
Title: Maine Harbor
Media: Oil
Juror’s Comments:
“This painting, while recognizable in its imagery, plays with shape and color in a way that imparts the artists’ impression of this place rather than a depiction of it. This work sums up much of the issues of contemporary painting practice with artists working between and among disparate kinds of practices and eschewing traditional notions of the medium.”
Mary Alice Arakelian Memorial Award for Oil $75
Artist: Georgia Fletcher
Town: Dublin, NH
Title: Summer Light
Media: Oil
Juror’s Comments:
“Quite beautiful in its handling of light and shadow, this painting truly suggests the special quality of light painters have been trying to capture for centuries. The stunning color and skillful brushwork add tremendous depth to the compositions evocation of a beautiful summer afternoon.”
Institution for Savings Charitable Foundation Award for Acrylic $75
Artist: Lisa Riordon
Town: Newburyport, MA
Title: Jungle Gym Rings
Media: Acrylic
Juror’s Comments:
“The colors, brushwork and wonderful perspective used in this painting give the scene a great sense of excitement – the viewer almost feels that the young boy is not climbing across playground equipment but rather, that he is trapped in the steel framework of a giant building under construction and surveying the world from high above.”
Newburyport Five Cent Savings Bank Award for Watercolor $75
Artist: Terry Del Percio
Town: Gloucester, MA
Title: Seeing Through Seaweed
Media: Watercolor
Juror’s Comments:
“The wonderful perspective of this work places the viewer directly in the heart of
the “action,” making us feel as if we are really under water and moving through the cluster of seaweed, while the colors perfectly capture the hues of the ocean and plant life.”
Newburyport Area Industrial Development Foundation Award for Pastel/Drawing $75
Artist: Leonard Joiner
Town: Methuen, MA
Title: Pickup Day
Media: Drawing
Juror’s Comments:
“This work demonstrates great craftsmanship and adept skill in the handling of the artists chosen medium. The intricate rendering in this work is quite remarkable - the artist not only depicts every minute detail, but simultaneously captures the sense of movement and action.”
Philip J. Stern Memorial Award for Printmaking/Mixed Media $75
Artist: Anne White
Town: Byfield, MA
Title: Mexican Memory
Media: Mixed Media
Juror’s Comments:
“The choice of colors and textures perfectly evoke the memory of a place that was clearly important to the artist. The collageing and layering of the paper gives a great sense of the landscape and buildings and brings the piece to life.”
Sam Sargent Award for Sculpture $75
Artist: Bettina Turner
Town: Newburyport, MA
Title: Cappella Clausura
Media: Sculpture
Juror’s Comments:
“For me, the shape of this piece has reference to the body, a cloak or shroud to be draped over the shoulders for some ritualistic purposes, but I am also intrigued by the shadows it casts, expanding both the physical and metaphorical space the work inhabits.”
Laura Coombs Hills Award for Digital Art $75
Artist: Buddy Pritchett
Town: Newburyport, MA
Title: Port Storm
Media: Computer Art
Juror’s Comments:
“As someone who uses a computer for it most basic functions – typing, email, Googling - I am always intrigued and impressed by artists who can use it to create works of art that feel as if they were created by brush to canvas or ink to paper – that they were created by a person and not a machine. This work fully does that.”
The Mildred Hartson Award for Photography $75
Artist: Dennis Skillman
Town: East Kingston, NH
Title: Natures Jewel
Media: Photography
Juror’s Comments:
“Photography’s ability to capture nature secrets up close and in full detail is inherent to the medium, but it take an artist’s eye to call our attention to the beauty in these secrets and this work has done just that.”
Honorable Mention
Artist: Howard Granat
Town: Merrimac, NH
Title: Cotton Candy
Media: Photography
Juror’s Comments:
“The bright colors of the concession stand really pop against the grey and white background and make me think of the possibilities of new beginnings.”
Honorable Mention
Artist: Janis Sanders
Town: West Peabody, MA
Title: Manana View
Media: Oil
Juror’s Comments:
“The relationship between figuration and abstraction in this work is quite wonderful and the artist reveals a tremendous sense of this particular place through color and shape.”
Honorable Mention
Artist: Margot Siegman
Town: Newburyport, MA
Title: Night – New Orleans
Media: Oil
Juror’s Comments:
“Having visited New Orleans recently for the first time, this painting, for me, portrays a certain beauty, mystery and melancholy that pervades the city. It makes me feel as if I am back there.”
Honorable Mention
Artist: Peggy Luderer
Town: West Newbury, MA
Title: Assembling with David Smith at MOMA
Media: Oil
Juror’s Comments:
“This painting is skillfully composed, capturing both the foreground and background in great detail. The figures are as sculptural as the David Smith, and the reflections on the floor accurately describe the light coming in through the window.”