Excellence Awards

Individual Vision Award
Derek Stehlin, Grade 7, Newburyport, MA
“Untitled”
acrylic
“Clarity and inventiveness…dreamlike and exciting!”





Achievement in Compositional Invention Award
Corey St. Onge, Grade 9, Newburyport, MA
“Untitled”(toaster)
Pencil
“ So daring to have an open space in the middle of this piece. Not only that, but we get to seethe back of that bottle reflected in the toaster and the front edge of the table as well. Not to mention the fact that the toaster is defined by some high contrast and some close value shifts. Bravo!”

Digital Achievement Award
Jenna Beaudoin, Grade 9, Byfield, MA
“Millenium of Death”
Computer Art from Original Painting”
“Great originality and inventiveness”










Legacy of the Fauves Award
Johanna Frost, Grade 10, Amesbury, MA
“Another Day Out of the Ordinary”
Watercolor
“Fauvism was the first movement of the modern time in which color ruled supreme. Here we see a lovely expression of Johanna’s use of color.”

Bombastic Composition Award
Liz Cain, Grade 11, Newburyport, MA
“Big Mac”
Acrylic on Canvas
“Wonderful dynamic composition”




Text and Image Award
Kyle Crisham, Grade 12, Salisbury, MA
“My Glow”
“Great to see this invention integrating poetic text and image.”

Anita Rancatore Awards

Anita Rancatore Awards Grades 5&6 $50
Matthew Mooradian, Grade 6, Haverhill, MA
“The Thinker”
Pastel Pencils
“Sensitive and wonderful handling coaxed from a limited palette. An exquisite gem of a drawing.”




Anita Rancatore Awards Grades 7&8 $50
Ryan McCarty, Grade 8, Newburyport, MA
“La Bec Rouge”
photograph
“Photograph literally means “light drawing” and this nocturne is just that. A challanging subject to capture, practical light after dark, makes for an intriguing, almost abstract piece.”

Anita Rancatore Awards Grades 9&10 $50
Daniel Rossetti, Grade 10, Rowley
“Western Reflection”
photograph
“Great experimentation, stretching the possibilities inherent in using lenses as an imaging aid. Particularly intelligent and exciting work. The work compels by way of its beauty and innovation. “




Anita Rancatore Awards Grades 11&12 $50
Bianca Lopez, Grade 12, Newbury, MA
“Lauren”
Permanent Marker
“Confident, direct, lyrical, and inventive”


The Howard Dalton Memorial Awards

The Howard Dalton Memorial Award $50
Meghan Howland, Grade 12, Kingston, NH
“Self Pouring Pitcher”
A perfect piece. Form, function, content, concept, humor and elegance, all working together. The idea is terrific and the execution is as terrific...a remarkably well-articulated hand and a surface patina that is exciting and that enhances the work.”


The Howard Dalton Memorial Award $50
Brittany Hill, Grade 12, Georgetown, MA
“Sweet Sneaks”
Handmade Paper
“Fantastically conceived and masterfully executed. Wonderful integration of printed paper and hand-hewn pulp. Great invention!”

The Howard Dalton Memorial Award $50
April Odell, Grade 12, Newbury, MA
“Still Life”
Pencil
“A perfectly orchestrated piece on every level; composition , positive and negative spacial relationships, value, pattern, surface texture…every aspect of this drawing is handled with the utmost care. And yet the artist never becomes a slave to representing what she sees before her. Instead, her sense of wonder and engagement is present in every mark.”

Awards for Drawing

Chris Breen, Grade 8,Rowley, MA
“Kramer”
ink
“ Wonderful use of medium”

Anne Livermore, Grade 9, Newburyport, MA
“Walking By”
Pencil
“Ambitious scale, marvelous modulation of value over large expanses of space. Well done from corner to corner, edge to edge.”

Matt du Pere, Grade 10, Salisbury, MA
“Le Rue de Chambreaux”
Watercolor and Pastel
“Very mature handling of media, composition and space, and exciting use of materials.”

Brian Fernald, Grade 10, Newbury, MA
“John Lennon”
Pen and Ink
“Magnificent, lively, stipple drawing.”

Jesse St. Onge, Grade 11, Newburyport, MA
“Studio #2
Pen and Ink

Jennifer Cohen, Grade 12, Rowley, MA
“Feminine Elegance”
Pencil
“Wonderful, thorough handling of materials. Challanging close value-shifts captured expertly.”

Lauren Nickou, Grade 12, Newbury, MA
“Metallic Light”
Pencil
“Marvelous handling of materials to render reflective surfaces to create a dynamic abstract composition”

Awards for Oil and Acrylic

Grades 5&6
Abby Holden, Grade 5, Newburyport
“Like Magic”
Abstract Painting
“Surreal and dreamlike…the three forms in the middle seem to grow up from the borrom and dance.”

Julia McDonald, Grade 6, Amesbury
“Nightime Paradise”
Acrylic
“Rich color, bold form”

Grades 7&8
Michelle Steinel, Grade 7, Newburyport, MA
“Untitled”
Oil
“Transparency and luminous quality of the paint is remarkable”

Rebecca Baker, Grade 8, North Andover MA
“Study Buddy”
Oil
“The dog’s face is so convincingly asleep. The floral pattern at the top is handled with great confidence and sensitivity to the textural quality of the paint.”

Grades 9&10
Alicia Sprecht, grade 9, North Andover MA
“Sunset”
Oil
“Emblematic use of color and design. Great use of emphatic value”

Grades 11&12
Lauren Nickou, Grade 12, Newbury, MA
“Face Paint”
oil

Gabriela Maurier, Grade 11, Plaistow, NH
“Jane Doe”
Acrylic
“Daring use of stencil strategies and working from photo sources while still being inventive.”

Jennifer Cohen, Grade 12, Rowley, MA
“Golden Onion”
Oil
“Wonderful luminosity”

Award for Sculpture

Grades 7&8
Michael Bucuzzo, grade 7, Haverhill, MA
“Left in the Catacombs”
“Genuinely creepy and quite convincing.”

Grades 11&12
April Odell, grade 12, Newbury, MA
“Cuddly Cod”
Wire
“Lyrically and painstakingly created.”

Awards for Photography

Grades 9&10
Thomas Schwartz, Grade 10, Amesbury, MA
“untitled” (stairs)
“Humorous and evocative”

Tabitha Silva, Grade 10, Newbury, MA
“Untitiled” (bench)
“Takes us to an unexpected point of view and shows an exciting, rapid scale shift.”

Grades 11&12

Vanessa Haroutunian, grade 11, Newburyport, MA
“The Graveyard”
Pinhole Photograph- Ink Jet Printing
“Very encouraging to see a young artist use a traditional bare-bones photo process (the pinhole camera) and exploit it’s ability to create a particular king of distortion. Also exciting to see her willingness to engage digital technology’s ability to combine, format and print these images”

Awards for Pastel and Colored Pencil

Grades 5&6
Ryan Gibbons, Grade 6, Newburyport, MA
“Refection”
Pastel
“Explosive and dynamic use of the medium”

Delia Durgin, Grade 6, Newburyport, MA
“Buscuit”
oil pastel
“That face is so sensitively handled. Drawn from the heart.”

Matthew Mooradian, Grade 6, Haverhill, MA
“The Thinker”
Pastel Pencils
“Sensitive and wonderful handling coaxed from a limited palette. An exquisite gem of a drawing.”

Grades 7&8
Wes Davis, Grade 7, Haverhill, MA
“Dude”
Pastel
“Very rich and sensitive handling of complex form and color.”

David Marino, Grade 7, West Newbury, MA
“Skating on the Boston Frog Pond”
Colored Pencil
“Wonderful, handling of colored pencil on a colored ground. Captures luminescence and patterns of dark and light with a sensitive touch.”

Elizabeth LaJoie, Grade 8, Bradford, MA
“Charlotte”
Pastel
“Great touch, wonderful gestural qualities that one can feel throughout the piece, in the bear, the shadow and the background.”

Grades 9&10
Michaela Early, Grade 9, Bradford, MA
“Lunch”
Pastel
“Dynamite, dynamic scale, use of high key color on a neutral ground. Grotesque and humorous – a joy to look at.”

Rebecca Knight, Grade 9, Newbury, MA
“Into the woods”
Pastel
“Wonderful painterly use of the materials, so dense and lavish. Deep rich areas alternate with luminous sparkling passages….And the background is so rich and atmospheric. Wonderful handling.”

Awards for Mixed Media

Elizabeth Russell, Grade 11, Byfield, MA
“Love”
Mixed Media
“Incredibly inventive use of materials matched with wonderful conceptual clarity. Very exciting drawing with found line.”

Brittany Hill, Grade 12, Georgetown, MA
“Graff-style”
Paint

Awards for Watercolor

Grades 5&6
Madison Moran, Grade 5, Newburyport, MA
“Untitled”
Watercolor
“Captures the excitement of the surf with confidence and aplomb.”

Amanda Coe, Grade 6, Hampton Falls, NH
“Mountains and Sunset”
Watercolor
“Gorgeous and atmospheric with out being vague or generalized. Very strong conception and control of a medium that can often literally “run away” when handled so fluidly. Great work!”

Vittoria Penna, Grade 6, Newbury, MA
“Pagoda”
Watercolor
“Nice handling of watercolor medium”

Grades 9&10
Matt du Pere, Grade 10, Salisbury, MA
“Strings”
Watercolor and Pastel
“Exciting and risky use of watercolor medium. Lyrical and confident.”

Lisse Salvo, Grade 10, Newbury, MA
“Untitled” (cranes)
Watercolor
“Great integration of linear work with washes. Very strong and confident handling of compositional pattern coupled with variety of mark making.”