June 6-July 8, 2003

Juror: Scott Schnepf, Head of the Department of Art and Art History at the University of New Hampshire

Juror’s Comments:
The overall quality of the art works entered for consideration in this show was excellent. That is both the good news and the bad – because it made it extremely difficult for this juror to make that "final cut." Those NAA volunteers who helped moved the works about the gallery (everyone who submitted work should thank them) will testify to how painful it was for all of us involved to trim the exhibit down to its present form. I think, however, that I have chosen a good show, one that will be representative of the exceptional regional work being created in a variety of mediums and techniques. "

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STREM CHEMICAL INC.
AWARD FOR BEST OF SHOW

"Rainy Afternoon", oil
Jeff Fichera
Cambridge MA

Jeff Fichera’s Rainy Afternoon is a fine example of what Marsden Hartley described as "using paint as paint", rather than "using paint to paint a picture." The broad, painterly brushstrokes reveal Fichera’s love of the process of moving paint on the canvas; the "juiciness" of his application of pigment makes it appear that the paint is still wet (a fine style suited to his subject). This type of painting has a directness and spontaneity that illustrates the importance of the process rather than the end product. No matter how well composed Fichera’s paintings may be (and Rainy Afternoon is masterfully done – look at the calculated positioning of splashes of red, blue and yellow, and the horizontal lines of the buildings, street and cars echoed by his brushstrokes), I would guess that the act of discovery lies at the heart of Fichera’s work. To witness that act of discovery is very appealing to me, because it allows the viewer the rare opportunity to see and to understand one of the most significant parts of the creative act.

H. PATTERSON HALE, JR. MEMORIAL
PRIZE FOR EXCELLENCE

"As the Crow Flies", oil
David Plante
Kingston, N.H.

As the Crow Flies is one of those paintings "where nothing happens." And that is the primary power of the piece. Plante has turned an artless scene into art. The wide pale blue sky is matched at the bottom by an equally expansive swath of shadowed snow, leaving the land set at middle-distance the important job of separating and joining the two. The trees and distance hills in mid-composition are done in muted tones (to match the tones of the sky and foreground) and without great detail, however they convey a fine sense of space going deep into the picture plane. The limited palette of pale blues, violets and umbers soften the scene, helping to add to the stillness that pervades this vast and isolated winter landscape. Everything about this painting is understated, except for its exceptional quiet beauty.

INSTITUTION FOR SAVINGS CHARITABLE FOUNDATION PRIZE FOR EXCELLENCE

"Katie", oil
Georgia Fletcher
Dublin, N.H.

Georgia Fletcher’s Katie has a sense of light and form that reminds me of the work of 17th century painters like Caravaggio and de la Tour, whose use of a single source of light and the resulting sharp edges gives a monumental quality to their figures. Fletcher’s subtle modeling of the clothes and face are great counterpoints to the almost geometric flatness of the forms and background. I like that the artist has chosen a limited palette of reds, greens and blacks that further "simplifies" the composition and adds to the overall solidity of the painting. Additionally, the color scheme acts to direct our eyes to the paleness of the model’s face, a face that also seems from another century. It is, however, the strong intersecting lines of the painting that I find most intriguing. Notice the left arm on the back of the couch and the lowered right shoulder which together form a diagonal; a diagonal that is echoed by the drooping neck of the blouse and the black coat, and finally by the angle of the head itself. These are counter-balanced by a diagonal formed by the pillow and hand; the horizontal line of the back of the couch; and the vertical lines of the dark background.

MARY ALICE ARAKELIAN AWARD FOR GENERAL EXCELLENCE
"Rainy Night" , photography
Al Hiltz
Medford MA

This photograph reminds us that there is something inherently pleasing about watching the rain from the comfort of a shelter – in the case of Rainy Night, from the inside of a car. Warm and dry, we are able to observe the beauty of colors and lights reflected on wet surfaces. Somehow rain makes an ordinary city street at night look extraordinary - we see a familiar scene through new eyes. And isn’t that what Art is supposed to do? Hiltz’s photo is illustrative of that phenomenon. The rain crawls across the car window to give an impressionistic effect to the environment on the outside. Background and foreground become one, helter-skelter color and lights infuse the wet surfaces with movement, and the rain itself takes on form. The side rearview mirror reflects another view from a different angle, almost in the manner of cubism.

SAM SARGENT AWARD
FOR PAINTING

Ellen Rolli
Melrose, MA

COW PEN
Acrylic

There is a beauty to the delicate balance of this sagger fired bowl, as it grows upward from a narrow base to a widening top. The paper-thin rim of the top seems almost incapable of supporting the wide expanse of clay, like a piece of architecture that defies the law of gravity. The smooth surface of the bowl is covered with a marbleized-like pattern of pale orange, black, and white seems perfectly suited to the "lightness" of the piece.

NEWBURYPORT BANK AWARD
FOR WATER-BASED MEDIA

Betty Maresca
Amesbury, MA

A GOLDEN POND
Casein

This encaustic and oil painting uses the medium to great advantage. The thick, soft texture of the wax is built up in layers so that the colors beneath seem suspended in the translucent material. The dark brown square that floats in the whitish background of Quiet IV emerges forward from the wax, and is balanced by the light brown strip on the left. Or is the brown square moving back into the wax? Spatial relationships, movement and texture make this small painting an intriguing work.

AWARD FOR PHOTOGRAPHY

Gail Handelmann
Marblehead, MA

SANCTUARY
Photograph

This is a fine example of the traditional use of watercolor. Well drawn and composed, the painting reflects the artist’s complete control of the fluid medium. What interests me is the manner in which he has used light and color to convey one of those last wonderful fall days before the arrival of winter. Many of the trees are already bare, but there are several that hold tight to their bright orange leaves. There are a few people walking along the sidewalks, like the leaves determined not to give into the lengthening shadows that lay on the sides of houses and reach into the street. But the sun has disappeared, and the heavy purple and gray sky forecasts the coming chill. The artist has captured that special
ambience of fall – the beauty and the sadness of another passing season and another year.


AWARD FOR SCULPTURE/3D

Susan Kapuscinski Gaylord
Newburyport, MA

SPIRIT BOOK #30: IXCHEL’S DREAM
Mixed Media

Movement captured. In Puffins in Flight the viewer can almost hear the clapping and feel the rush of wings. One almost feels compelled to duck! Splashes of black and white and orange set against a hard blue sky create moving patterns of shapes and colors. Gray rocks (which should be hard edged) are blurred so that even these solid forms seem part of the overall symphony of movement.

AWARD FOR MIXED MEDIA
DRAWING/PRINTMAKING/PASTEL

Marilyn Sandau
Newburyport, MA

PISCES DREAMING
Paper Collage

Organic, yet figurative, Synthesis rises up from its narrow base, with swelling hips and broad shoulders. The head is proudly held up and seems slightly turned to look toward the sky, adding to the upward sweep of the sculpture. Undulating planes fold within and expose spaces that become shapes, and shapes that read as spaces. The bronze-like patina suggests a heavy solidity, but the intertwining planes and angles convey movement and fragility. There is a mystery about the piece, one that prompts us to examine it from every angle. And makes this viewer wish it were life-sized.

This is a fine example of what is meant by "less is more." Using the gray color of the pastel paper itself and an economic use of line and color, Reedy has produced a wonderful pastel drawing. The delicate strokes she uses for the trees is balanced by the more solidily drawn areas of pastel that indicate snow and grass. This rhythmic pattern continues in her use of the gray paper to suggest shadows, and white pastel to indicate the flickering sun on the snow. The gray road holds the drawing together and creates a fine sense of front-to-back depth. Sunlit Snow reminds me of the watercolors of Whistler who used colored paper in a similar.

This boldly drawn animal is made even more dramatic due to its almost life-sized proportions. With widening and narrowing lines, numerous shading techniques, and the velvet smoothness of the charcoal medium, the artist has masterfully portrayed the elegant grace and controlled power that is so characteristic of horses. With ears perked up and intelligent dark eyes directed at us, this is a portrait of a loved friend rather than a drawing of an animal. I especially admire how the artist has subtly used his kneaded eraser to indicate the bone structure of the face and the horse’s mane.


HONORABLE MENTION

Debra Corbett
Melrose, MA

CAPE COTTAGE
Oil


HONORABLE MENTION

Lauri Fielding
Gloucester, MA

SALT SHAKER & EGGS
Media: Oil

HONORABLE MENTION

Mary Rogers
Salem, MA

BEYOND THE STONE WALL
Watercolor



HONORABLE MENTION

Paul Weiner
Somerville, MA

SAFE HAVEN
Cibachrome Print


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