RayMar Art, Inc., manufacturer of RayMar Art Panels

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July  18, 2006

Phoenix, AZ

 

$10,000 Grand Prize Awarded in RayMar’s 1^st Annual Online Painting Competition
Robert Coombs wins with a warm, backlit figurative work, “First Leaves of Autumn.”

Judges Kevin Macpherson and Joe Anna Arnett have announced the winners of the year-long RayMar Internet painting competition.  Artists and patrons alike have anxiously awaited the results following the end of the  twelth monthly competition on March 31^st.  Logistics and the difficulty of selecting the winners from 144 high quality monthly finalists conspired to delay the announcement results.  “We had such a difficult time deciding the final award winners but  somehow managed to narrow the field to sixteen (16).,” said judge, Kevin Macpherson . After requiring those 16 be shipped in to be viewed  and validated , several hours of debate ensued to determine the final rankings. “Although the variety of entries made judging difficult, we were delighted at the wide range of styles and subject matter.  I can’t imagine seeing a higher-quality group of paintings in any juried gallery or juried museum show anywhere in the country,” continued Arnette.  The final winners are:

 

Grand Prize ($10,000):                       
Robert Coombs “First Leaves of Autumn”
                       

Second Place ($5,000 value): 
Jim Wodark “Morro Bay Fishing Boats”

Third Place ($2,500):              
Jeffrey Watts “The Eccentric”

In addition to the first, second and third prizes, $1,000 was awarded to each of the 4^th through 12^th place winners: 4^th place Mark Hemleben, 5^th place Aaron Westerberg, 6^th place Susan Astleford, 7^th place Robert Coombs, 8^th place Robert Coombs, 9^th place Jim Wodark, 10^th place Pang-Yen Chou, 11^th place Elizabeth Pollie and 12^th place Janice Yow Hindes.

A merchanise award of $250. went to the following artists:  13^th place Robert Coombs, 14^th place Betsey Nelson, 15^th place Jim Wodark and 16^th place Dean Shelton.

Each month the digital entries were judged by a different well-known and respected master artist. (see list below).  Each master artist chose 12 finalists and wrote a critique for each painting.  At the end of the twelve months, RayMar had 144 finalists from which Kevin Macpherson and Jo Anna Arnette picked the 12 winners.

 “We wanted to create a competition that gave something back to the artists who support us.”   said RayMar co-owner Cathy Dietrich (an artist herself) “In addition to the $26,500 in prizes that we committed to funding, we have also posted all 144 finalists’ works with their names on our web site. We wanted the works to be submitted and judged on merit and requested artists refrain from signing their paintings.   Images of their artworks appear on every single page of our web site, which is visited by approximately 100 visitors per day.  We hope that the additional exposure helps our artist/customers in their own promotional efforts.”

John Dietrich, co-owner and president of RayMar  said, “I am excited about the diverse range of artwork represented in the 1700 plus entries we received. Our goal was to challenge artists to create their best work and for the judges to write critiques to enhance our understanding of their choices.”   RayMar,  a manufacturer of high-quality plein air panels from Phoenix, Arizona, wanted artists to understand their panels  are  a versatile support for ALL types of painting…Not only plein air painting. 

The competition was unique in that it was conducted entirely online.  This approach presented several technical challenges.  RayMar worked with WebArtSites.com, an Internet firm  whose specialty is working with artists and art galleries.  “It was a challenge to make it all  coordinate smoothly”,  admitted WebArtSites.com developer, Clint Watson. “We  designed the contest so RayMar’s customers  could easily submit an entry, upload images of their artworks and charge the entry fees in real time.  In addition, we created a special login areafor each month’s judge to see the entries  in his or her specific month and give the judge an interface to choose the finalists.” 

Everyone involved enjoyed the new concept.  RayMar is  excited about the response to the first competition and is planning  to beginthe second annual competition August1^st.  “This will become an annual event,”  said the Dietrichs “We  plan to add additional features to future contests. It could evolve into a physical exhibition  of artwork,  with an opportunity for patrons to meet the artists and   purchase some paintings.   ATTN: Art Gallery owners:  Anyone Interested?

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WHO:
Sponsor:  RayMar Art, Inc.

Winners:

Grand Prize ($10,000):           
Robert Coombs “First Leaves of Autumn”

Second Place ($5,000 value): 
Jim Wodark “Morro Bay Fishing Boats”

Third Place ($2,500):              
Jeffrey Watts “The Eccentric”

4^th through 12^th  place$1,000 each:   4^th  Mark Hemleben, 5^th Aaron Westerberg, 6^th Susan Astleford, 7^th Robert Coombs,8^th Robert Coombs, 9th Jim Wodark, 10^th Pang-yen Chou, 11^th Elizabeth Polllie, 12^th Janice Yow Hindes.

Monthly Judges:  C.W. Mundy, Jeremy Lipking, Scott Burdick, Robert Burridge, John Cosby, Kenn Backhaus, Gay Faulkenberry, John Burton, Betty Carr, Huihan Liu, Gregg Kreutz, Don Demers

WHAT:
Unique Internet Painting Competition

 

WHEN:
Winners Announced:  June  ^9th, 2006

Competition Dates:  April 1, 2005 – March 31, 2006

 

WHERE:
www.RayMarArt.com