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Painting |
Judge's Critique |
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1st Place - $10,000 Cash
Robert Coombs
First Leaves of Autumn - 16 x 11
Finalist for Jan 2006 |
Overall, this painting is done beautifully. Good technique and skill. Nice composition with the figure against back light. Fewer warm color accents on the leaves brings up the excitement level.
Hui Han Liu |
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2nd Place - Week at Chateau des Art ($5,000 Value)
Jim Wodark
Morro Bay Fishing Boats - 16 x 20
Finalist for Nov 2005 |
I love painting Morro Bay. You tackled an intricate problem and came out with a well-built painting. Good sense of the fleeting light.
John Burton |
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3rd Place - $2,500 Cash
Jeffrey Watts
The Eccentric - 16 x 8
Finalist for Jan 2006 |
This is a simplistic piece with limited color palette which unifies the shapes. The hightlight accents on the glasses create the dramatic focus. The dashed paint was fun to look at!
Hui Han Liu |
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4th Place - $1,000 Cash
Mark Hemleben
Wildflowers - 16 x 20
Finalist for Jan 2006 |
Strong pattern design in loose paint application!
Hui Han Liu |
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5th Place - $1,000 Cash
Aaron Westerberg
Jewler - 16 x 12
Finalist for Nov 2005 |
Terrific painting. Alert the presses!! If you are not well known you can be. I wish I were painting next to you with this model. I like the brushwork and the confident modeling of the face and beard.
John Burton |
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6th Place - $1,000 Cash
Susan Astleford
Patio Roses with Green Shutter, Cetona, Italy - 16 x 12
Finalist for Oct 2005 |
This painting gives the viewer a nice feel of light and shadow in a subtle way. I especially like the textural qualitiy of the paint here. Nice use of color with emphasis in the right place for the focal. The sunlit areas streak across in a diagonal which is a nice contrast to alot of verticals.The strong darks at the bottom keep this grounded.
Gay Faulkenberry |
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7th Place - $1,000 Cash
Robert Coombs
Reverie In Firelight - 6 x 8
Finalist for Jan 2006 |
Beautiful setting and paint application! Good color and tonal arrangement. It would be better if angle of the arm stretched out on the floor looked more comfortable.
Hui Han Liu |
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8th Place - $1,000 Cash
Robert Coombs
Fatherhood - 16 x 12
Finalist for Jan 2006 |
This is a good piece to set the emotional mood in an autumn scene! Beautiful arrangement and technique as well. The unity of the white shirts between father and son was skillful, and artfully broken up by the shape of the vest.
Hui Han Liu |
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9th Place - $1,000 Cash
Jim Wodark
Myrtle's Flowers - 18 x 14
Finalist for May 2005 |
I like intimate paintings like this, A good job of massing flower shapes together to create bigger shapes and simpler design.
Jeremy Lipking |
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10th Place - $1,000 Cash
Pan-Yen Chou
The Old Boat - 16 x 16
Finalist for Dec 2005 |
The artist caught, using loose painterly strokes the textural effects of old weathered painted surfaces using great dry brushwork- works very well. The variation in warm browns and greys adds effectively to the scene. The execution of simple brushwork for the background strengthens the center of interest.
Betty Carr |
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11th Place - $1,000 Cash
Elizabeth Pollie
Day of Rest - 16 x 20
Finalist for Jan 2006 |
Beautiful mood in this abstract design.
Hui Han Liu |
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12th Place - $1,000 Cash
Janice Yow Hindes
Tall Texas Sun - 16 x 8
Finalist for Feb 2006 |
Effective treatment of light. I like the unusual composition and the painterly treatment of the foreground cacti. It's possible (although it might be the fault of the reproduction) that the back tree--the tall one-- is a little dark and would go back better if it was lightened up and cooled down a little. All in all, a very good job. |
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13th Place (Honorable Mention) - $250 Merchandise Award
Robert Coombs
Shining Bright - 16 x 12
Finalist for Mar 2006 |
Although this work has very expressive brushwork which can overpower a subject, there is nothing that detracts from the beautiful expression and gesture in the figure. There is an ease and truth to the figure which has been masterfully expressed and the advanced technique enhances the subject.
D. Demers |
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14th Place (Honorable Mention) - $250 Merchandise Award
Betsey Nelson
Pink Sandles - 8 x 6
Finalist for Oct 2005 |
This painting exhibits all the qualities of a successful outdoor figure study. Wonderful use of color and emphasis on light and shadow, nice planes of the figure and a loose approach that really works! The dark of her hair is balanced nicely with another dark note under her knee that keeps the viewer moving around the painting. Super small painting!
Gay Faulkenberry |
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15th Place (Honorable Mention) - $250 Merchandise Award
Jim Wodark
Balboa Fun Zone - 16 x 12
Finalist for Sep 2005 |
A great design through the artist's use of a dark and light pattern. A reserved use of color allows the values to more carry the message. Just enough use of a human element to give scale to the painting. Good use of a variety of edges. |
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16th Place (Honorable Mention) - $250 Merchandise Award
Dean Shelton
Fly Fishing - 9 x 12
Finalist for May 2006 |
This work creates great atmosphere and energy by juxtaposing abstraction with realism. The contrasts in value and the dynamic design create the sense of the “great outdoors”. There is also a very effective use of atmospheric perspective in the scene. The gestures in the brushwork give the painting movement and life.
D. Demers |
