January 18 - February 16, 2002
Painting, watercolor, pastel, mixed media, fine crafts

Juror’s Overall Comments:
"This was one of the most difficult exhibits I have ever juried. Each entry had qualities that provoked interest to my eclectic eye. The overall craftsmanship in the show was excellent! My final decisions were based on a variety of things: I was looking for a sense of rigor and life in all the work, be it bombastic or subtle! I also was interested in curating a range of viewpoints and imagery. I looked for strength in the touch and markmaking. I was impressed with all of the artworks, and am glad to have had the opportunity to observe the abundant talent of the members’ of the Newburyport Art Association."

Juror Biography
Jennifer Moses received her MFA in Painting from Indiana University, and is currently an Associate Professor at the University of New Hampshire. Her work has been exhibited widely, including the University Art Gallery at UNH, The Clark Gallery in Lincoln, MA, and Gallery Naga in Boston. From 1980 to 1982, Ms. Moses lived in Rome, Italy, where she was influenced by Pre-Renaissance Siennese paintings. She is inspired by the complexity of the narratives in Italian work, their religiosity and their social impact. Her interest in conveying oppositions, such as mobility and stasis, abstraction and representation, help guide the formal construction of her work. Ms. Moses’ work has been reviewed by various publications, among them the New American Paintings quarterly, the Boston Phoenix, the Boston Globe, and Art New England. Among her awards are a Faculty Fellowship to UNH in 1996, and the 1992 Blanche E. Colman Award.

Click on thumbnail for larger view.

Mary Alice Arakelian Memorial Prize for Best of Show
Jan Searle
Newbury, MA
Red Noon
Oil

Juror’s Comments: The strength of color and shape initially drew me to this painting. The welling intensity of the red on orange has an arresting quality, and the feeling of internal turmoil working in concert with the graphic imagery gives the work a sense of expansion and contraction, a breathing quality. The tree remains singular, despite its closeness in hue to the ground, creating a sense of pathos in the midst of bright color.


H. Patterson Hale, Jr. Memorial Prize for Excellence
Kerin Foley
Methuen, MA
Anima
Oil

Juror’s Comments: This is a beautifully crafted and elegant painting. It does supreme justice to the exotic delicacy of the orchids.




Institution for Savings Charitable Foundation Prize for Excellence
Ellen Rolli
Melrose, MA
‘Tis the Seasoning
Acrylic

Juror’s Comments: The confidence and freedom of the strokes made this picture jump out at me. The way the underpainting leaks through gives rhythm and life to the work.

Laura Coombs Hills Award for Excellence
Skip Motes
Newburyport, MA
Plum Island Refuge Evening Pastel

Juror’s Comments: This small gem covers an enormous terrain. The built-up surface brings the viewer back from an atmospheric world to the flatness of the picture plane.



Sam Sargent Award for General Excellence
Ernee Way, Boxford, MA
A Gift for Mama
Oil

Juror’s Comments: The liveliness of the surface, combined with all of the directions and swirls of the marks, leads the eye through this picture beautifully. The ultimate solidity of the still life image, created out of the agitated surface, is remarkable.

Newburyport Bank Award for General Excellence
Suzanne Brailey
Gloucester, MA
Massachusetts Maples
Watercolor

Juror’s Comments: This genre painting balances form and content beautifully.


Award for General Excellence
Charles Shurcliff
Ipswich, MA
Summer Light
Watercolor

Juror’s Comments: The variety of marks, long and short, curvy and straight, is what first drew me to this picture. It is aggressive and confident.


Honorable Mention
Ann Tucker
Merrimac, MA
Sienna Portrait
Alkyd

Juror’s Comments: This portrait depicts a strong and resolute woman, beautifully executed.



Honorable Mention
Linda Siwak, Topsfield, MA
September Tide on the Great Marsh
Pastel

Juror’s Comments: This large pastel is an ambitious and accomplished work of art.







Honorable Mention
Marilyn Sandau
Newburyport, MA
4666
Paper Collage

Juror’s Comments: The collage creates a surreal world with the juxtaposition of Eastern and Western iconography. It brings a strong, singular image together out of the disparate elements and textures.





Ruthanne Arbeit Youth Award
Emma Shea
Byfield, MA
Untitled
Watercolor

Juror’s Comments: The simplicity, color, and composition of this watercolor make it one of my favorite pieces in the show.




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