Juror: William Hemmerdinger
Abut the Juror: William Hemmerdinger
Juror’s statement:
Congratulations to all the participants in the exhibition, the winners, all those accepted and also those I chose not to include this time. It was a pleasure to see over 100 works at Falmouth Art Center. The quality is extraordinarily high and I’m suitably impressed.
For five decades, I’ve taken abstraction very seriously and I’m happy and grateful to have studied with many of the 20th century’s masters in the medium or their students. I look for an internal structural discipline within each work. To clarify for you the standards that I’m applying to the work, my recommendation if you wish to understand is to look at “Basic Principles of Design by Manfred Maier from the Basel School of Art and Design; “The Art of Color” by Johannes Itten; and “Search for the Real and Other Essays” by Hans Hofmann.
The works selected for the show are filtered through the juror’s interests and passions. All of the works submitted showed character, effort, intensity and admirable qualities, each and every one. The final selection was difficult but rewarding. It clearly shows the preferences both tactile and art historical for some works over others.
AWARDS
Best in Show:
Jesse Ensling, Leaning Back, limestone
I think the piece is a handsomely carved manifestation of the best spirit of abstraction. The artist has taken natural forms and adapted them into a winning composition. It has gravitas and authority.
Juror’s awards:
Arthur Fritz, Old vs. New, mixed media
That little piece once again manifests in the sculptural or low relief idiom, some of the best aspects of modernist abstraction. It seems to refer to not only jazz and modern architecture but also the great modernist sculptors Barbara Hepworth, Ben Nicholson and Victor Pasmore. Once again, the work has gravity and clarity.
Saralee Marshall, Ribbon Journey, fiber
The quilt as a form refers to a very old tradition and yet this artist has brought to the coloration and the cut of the shapes a modernist sensibility that speaks more to non-objective art than it does abstraction.
Heather Pilchard, The Elements, cold wax & oil
This painting speaks to the genuine spirit of abstract painting. It has the suggestion of landscape and natural elements, while at the same time, moving toward pattern and suggestion of light. It’s nicely painted with excellent color harmonies throughout and the sgraffito in the lower left is quite handsome.
Alice N. Galick, White Out, oil, stencil and collage
This particular piece was one of the most surprising in the show. The color harmonies and the use of pattern and collage makes a very positive impression. It reminds us of the best of casual arrangements found in some of the best abstraction, as the forms float across the surface above pools of color.
Honorable Mentions
Herb Edwards, Wetlands, acrylic on canvas
I think the use of the band explores an honored tradition amongst abstract painters as a suggestion of landscape, architectural forms and yet at the same time it has to do with blocks of color.
I like the color and the use of the band.
Karen Pinard, Nocturne I & Nocturne II, mixed media
This pair have an extraordinary intimacy and charm that not only bespeaks modernist painting but paraphrases much of the spirit of self-expression found in painting since 1945.
Liz Dodds Trimbach, Lens Series #2, water, graphite, pen & pastel
This piece is also an expression of the grand intimacy of abstraction since 1945. It has the feel of some of the best drawings of Richard Haines and Lucian Freud, a kind of searching line full of character and integrity.
All Accepted Works:
| Greg | Anderson | Light and Shadows | photo |
| Ashleigh | Black | Daydream Doodle | pastel & marker |
| Kelly | Broderick | Left Unsupervised Redux | acrylic |
| JoAnna | Brooks | Flight | papier mache & plaster |
| Carolyn | Dunford | Gossamer Blue Green | oil |
| Herb | Edwards | Wetlands | acrylic |
| Jesse | Ensling | Leaning Back | limestone |
| Christine | Frisbee | Living on the Green | oil |
| Arthur | Fritz | Old vs. New | mixed media |
| Alice N. | Galick | White Out | oil, stencil & collage |
| Kai | Godhwani | Points and Curves | rubber bands & nails |
| Ashley | Heaton | Aztec Weave | stained glass |
| Ashley | Heaton | Emerald City | paper & wood |
| Nigel | Heaton | Tidal Flow | acrylic pour |
| Denise | Jean-Claude | My Garden | acrylic & pastel |
| Sarah | Kahn | Inside the Pebbles | mixed media |
| Jeannine | Lavoie | Monet-ish | photo |
| Saralee | Marshall | Ribbon Journey | fiber |
| Jane | Parhiala | An Eye on You | wood & acrylic |
| Heather | Pilchard | The Elements | oil & cold wax |
| Karen M. | Pinard | Reflection | watercolor |
| Karen M. | Pinard | Nocturne I & Nocturne II | mixed media |
| John | Polakowski | High Tide | acrylic |
| Linda | Pollen | Moving Through Space | pastel, watercolor & pencil |
| Laura | Puopolo | El Morro | photo |
| Laura | Puopolo | Red Skies at Night | photo |
| Amy | Rader | And So It Flows | photo |
| Amy | Rader | Frost Tide | photo |
| Peggy | Richard | Buoyant | acrylic |
| Georgene | Riedl | Eye Candy | mixed media |
| Kelly | Russo | Crossroads | acrylic |
| Mack | Ryan | Dizzy Reign | acrylic & pastel on aluminum foil |
| Kenneth | Santiago | Flower Blooming | colored pencil & fountain pen |
| Robert | Scutt | Chestnut Constellation | wire & chestnut |
| Elena | Seliverstov | Somewhere Far Away | mixed media |
| Elaine R. | Tata | The Dancers | acrylic |
| Liz Dodds | Trimbach | Lens Series #2 | watercolor,graphite, pen, pastel |
| David E. | Williamson | Road Map to the Future | photo |
| Denise | Zompa | Navigating the Deep | oil & cold wax |
