Juror: Sky Power
Juror’s overall comment: It was my pleasure to be the Juror for the 2026 Juried Abstract Exhibition at the Falmouth Art Center with the support of Director, Laura Reckford and her posse.
I had a selection of accomplished work to choose from that allowed me to formulate a cohesive group of art that would show well together in the Hermann Gallery. Due to space limitations, two thirds of the submissions had to be left behind. In addition to merit and entry parameters, I prioritized composition, color, concept, technical skill, emotional quality, and work that would offset one another. Opposite work can be complimentary: black and white in relation to vivid colors, solid areas near patterns, and variations in sizes keep the eye moving. A well hung installation can showcase individual work.
I want to thank all of the artists who submitted their work, and congratulate those included.
Sky Power
Award winners
Best of Show: Elizabeth Wilder, Blue and Orange, acrylic
The painting is fresh, not overworked, and the colors are dynamic and sensual. The punch of the indigo line dissecting the lemon yellow creates an anchor for the other color relationships. – Sky Power
“A very good picture looks as if it’s happened at once.” – Helen Frankenthaler (1928-2011), American painter
Best Photography: Carol Ann Knox, Golden Botanical Abstraction, photo printed on canvas
The ethereal, painterly forms create a motion as if light is dancing on water. – Sky Power
“The camera became an extension of myself, and allowed me to express what I wanted to say with and about light.” – Carlotta Cordon (1901-1988) American photographer
Best Composition: diane s. scotti, Not Orange?!, monoprint
The strong line and color composition with depth and mystery is hard to achieve. My mind swims in between the layers of paint and does not tire. – Sky Power
“As soon as I left subject, I was able to go more deeply into content. Now I am trying to find my own internal world rather than the world that is across the street or down the stairs.” – Grace Hartigan (1922-2008) American painter
Most Poetic: Anita Hodges-Zand, Textured Silence, mixed media
The black circles draw me into what feels like a dim enchanted forest, yet the light prevails. – Sky Power
“I paint from remembered landscapes that I carry with me—and remembered feelings of them, which of course become transformed. I could certainly never mirror nature. I would more like to paint what it leaves with me.” – Joan Mitchell (1925-1992) American painter
Best Color as Form: James Bowen, Another Day, acrylic, 400
The compelling color relationships hold up well as composition and the soothing blues and green create a complimentary contrast with the yellows and dark blues. – Sky Power
“The thing is that a person who wants to explore painting naturally reflects: ‘How can I in my work be most expressive?’ Then the forms develop.” – Franz Kline (1910-1962), American painter
Honorable Mentions:
Karyn Phares, Like Losing Consciousness, acrylic/mixed media
I love the dominant red and mark-making with the pink, yellow, and blue-greens.-Sky Power
“The emotion of beauty is always obscured by the appearance of the object. Therefore the object must be eliminated from the picture.” – Piet Mondrian (1872-1944) Dutch painter
Ron Zweig, Origami, watercolor on paper, NFS
The beautiful monochromatic values of the structure juxtaposed with the soft, translucent background is comforting and inviting. – Sky Power
“I inform the painting of my ideas; the painting informs me of my desires.” – Elaine de Kooning (1918-1989) American painter
Valerie Gates, Verdant, acrylic
Rumi has a poem about a field where the soul lies down in that grass…
This painting makes me want to go there. -Sky Power
“There is no such thing as inanimate matter…there is God or divinity in all matter and it is all living energy.” – Jay DeFeo (1929-1989) American painter
Accepted Works:
congratulations to all accepted artists!
| Pam | Abrams-Warnick | Wondering and Wandering | mixed media, collage, acrylic, marker | $450 |
| Lysbeth | Abrams | The Sound of Someone brushing their teeth in the Diningroom | acrylic | NFS |
| Corine | Adams | Untitled | ceramic | $375 |
| Therese | Bilodeau | Reconciled | acrylic | $300 |
| Gary | Boehk | Next to Blue | acrylic | $2,400 |
| James | Bowen | Another Day | acrylic | $400 |
| Lynne | Carreiro | Echoing | acrylic | $300 |
| A. | Carroll | Aura | acrylic, graphite, pastel, oil | $600 |
| Sally | Casper | Remains of the Day | mixed media | $150 |
| Catherine | Cetta | Green | monoprint | $195 |
| Wendy | Christern | The Twilight Dimension | mixed, gel print, collage | $400 |
| Iria | DeValles-Vieira | In the Thick of It | acrylic/mixed media | $240 |
| Karen | Dutton | Pink October | acrylic | $375 |
| Joyce | Dwyer | The Blues | acrylic | $400 |
| Herb | Edwards | Tomorrow’s Another Day | acrylic | $600 |
| Susan | Fornaro | Let It Go | acrylic | $500 |
| Valerie | Gates | Verdant | acrylic | $400 |
| Sara Jane | Gould | Nor’easter | acrylic | $125 |
| Wendy | Grunin | Celebration | acrylic | $800 |
| Sigrid | Hecker | Dancing Genie | oil | $450 |
| Anita | Hodges-Zand | Textured Silence | mixed media | $375 |
| Sarah | Kahn | Start Begin Again | mixed media collage | $500 |
| Jen | Kano | Copper Color Explosion | photography | $250 |
| Stephanie | King | Night Watch | mixed media | $500 |
| Lauren Karp | Kinghorn | Anarchy | ceramics | $99 |
| Carol Ann | Knox | Golden Botanical Abstraction | photo printed on canvas | $250 |
| Ruth | Leech | Laetiporus I | pastel | $250 |
| Preston Russell | MacAndrews | Anxiety #47 | handmade paper and chicken wire | $150 |
| Saralee | Marshall | Blue Skies | beadwork | NFS |
| Heather | McBride | No | paper acrylic | $50 |
| Laurel | Moore | Daybreak on Moosehead Lake | fiber | $100 |
| Andrea | Moore | Fiddlesticks | monoprint with wood | $500 |
| Kathleen | Morel | Gift of a Summer Rain | acrylic, gold leaf | $1,800 |
| Peter | Morrison | Abstract #10 | acrylic | $300 |
| Karyn | Phares | Like Losing Consciousness | acrylic/mixed media | $2,800 |
| Carl | Richards | Dark Snow Matter | mixed, ink graphite | $450 |
| Philip | Richardson | Gestalt | photography | $200 |
| Tina | Rood | Ebb | photography | $75 |
| Linda | Sattel | Fall | acrylic | NFS |
| Rowland | Scherman | Abstract #1 | photography | $300 |
| diane s. | scotti | Not Orange?! | monoprint | $995 |
| Robert | Scutt | Street Scene | acrylic/paper | $350 |
| Elizabeth | Wilder | Blue and Orange | acrylic | $400 |
| David E. | Williamson | Explosion of Fantasy’s Dream | photography | 200 |
| Joan | Zagrobelny | Family | ceramics | $785 |
| Elizabeth | Zaitsev | Asphalt Wave | photography | $125 |
| Ron | Zweig | Origami | watercolor on paper | NFS |
