Art in a Garden this year has 69 beautiful pieces from 38 artists from around the Bay Area. Our judge this year was Diane Harm. She is a Certified Botanical Artist and a founding member of the Florida Society of Botanical Artists. Diane uses mainly color pencil in her botanical renderings and is a Master Gardner. To see her lovely work, please check out her website.
Here's what Diane had to say about this year's Art in a Garden:
The depth of the quality paintings in the Art in the Garden exhibit made for a challenging award selection. There were many more fine paintings than there were awards available.
Overall ‘Art in the Garden’ was a very fine exhibit.
The criteria using judging included: Interpretation of the Theme, Creativity or Originality, Composition, Execution of the Medium and Presentation. The award winners received high marks in four or more of the five criteria. Finally, evoking an emotion or telling a story was an important element in judging the exhibit. The majority of the paintings scored well in Interpretation of the Theme. Several fine paintings lost points because of poor presentation (dirty or poorly cut mats, scratched frames or mats and frames that did not enhance the piece or even detracted from it)
Congratulations to the winners in this year's botanical themed show! See what the judge Diane said about each piece.
First -- Joose Hadley, Tree Bound
Second -- Marie Rice, Lillies in Val St. Lambert
Third -- Ralph Lopez, How Does Your Garden Grow?
Honorable Mentions -- Lionel Sanchez, Poppies
Mel Robinson, Orchids
Donna Morrison, Palm Seed Study
First Place: "Tree Bound" by Joose Hadley
‘Tree Bound’ is a little jewel of a painting. It scored high in all five criteria. The painting kept drawing me back for another look. The artist really understood the subject, how it grows and he/she pulls the viewer into the lush tropical setting. The frame enhanced the small painting and gave it presence.
Second Place: "Lillies in Val St. Lambert" by Marie Rice.
This still life of Lilies had a great impact from across the room. It was not just that the painting is large and colorful, but the unusual view from slightly above and the complexity of the piece kept me wanting to spend time to see it all. I wanted to know the story. The simple frame let the painting be the star and yet gave it boundaries.
Third Place: "How Does Your Garden Grow?" by Ralph Lopez
"How Does Your Garden Grow" was very creative in both composition and color. Again, I wanted to know the story. Although a bright or dark mat often detracts from the painting, in this case the rich brown mat enhanced the overall effect.
Honorable Mention: "Poppies" by Lionel Sanchez
"Poppies" is a lovely little painting. The composition works well and the medium is well executed.
Honorable Mention: "Orchids" by Mel Robinson
In “Orchids”the range of values, use of light and simplification of the subject made this painting work. It was executed with confidence.
Honorable Mention: "Palm Seed Study" by Donna Morrison
"Palm Seed Study" leads the eye to the focal point from every direction. An original way of looking at a plant we all see everyday, the painting speaks of garden renewal.
To see this colorful exhibit in person, visit the Old Hyde Park Art Center from noon to 3 PM every day but Monday. We are also sharing some other works on our Facebook Page as well. Follow us to see more artwork and calls for the next show: Faces and Figures.