EBAG’s 2010 John Muir Show runs through January 7th and features 23 artists and 53 pieces of art, including a painting by our guest juror, Marcy Wheeler. Many thanks go to Kay Andrade and the JMMC Auxiliary group who allow local art groups to hang shows at this venue. Thanks also go out to our EBAG volunteers who helped hang the show; namely, Walter Crew, Joan Alexander, Nina Tyksinski, Barbara Hall, Leslie Norgren, and Aileen Nichols.
After the show was hung, Marcy Wheeler arrived to perform the judging. Her judging process was thorough and methodical as she moved up and down the corridor, taking notes as she studied each piece. She paid close attention to formal aspects such as composition as well as the finer techniques artists use to communicate their personal vision.
After many passes up and down the corridor, Marcy made her decisions.
First Place was awarded to Beach Ladies by Christopher Georgeovich. Marcy stated she was pulled in by its evocative nature. While enjoying the subtle repetition of colors and the balanced vertical and horizontal forms, she came to appreciate most the way the composition leaves a lot of space for us to use as we remember our own seashore images. It’s remarkable when a piece of art can evoke such an illusory response.
1st Place - Beach Ladies by Christopher Georgeovich
2nd Place - Sugar Pine Tree at Pinecrest by Colin Hall
Second Place went to Colin Hall’s Sugar Pine Tree at Pinecrest, California. The judge marveled at the controlled use of desaturated color for the forest along with the beautiful negative shapes produced by the treetops against the sky–and then the appearance of a sudden yet subtle pale trunk of another color.
Third Place was given to a colorful figurative painting called The Green Strip by Nancy Robinson. Marcy applauded how the artist caught the figure in so few strokes. She also gave a thumbs up to the fun color changes dancing across the canvas, not only the bit of red here and the stroke of blue there, but how each of the reds were varied–the mark of a master. She described how the green strip along the right side creates a necessary tension that makes the painting work. She was impressed at how the artist was able to add this accent deliberately.
3rd Place - The Green Strip by Nancy Robinson
Honorable Mentions were awarded to Walter Crew’s Africa, Wendy Oliver’s Reflections on Lace, Cheryl Crews’ Vineyard Glow, Christopher Georgeovich’s Chapel, Kabir Adejare’s The King, and the handling of texture in George Rammell’s Not so Still Life’s 1 and 2.
Finally, the judge paused at Wenda Pyman’s Lost Summer and described how it managed to create the very feeling of memory in its unusual composition, and she was thankful that Wenda had paused to capture this image rather than passing it by as many people might in their hurry to get from one place to another.
We hope everyone will find the time to view the exhibit during the Aspen Surgery Center’s normal working hours M-F until 5pm.
John Muir Aspen Surgery Center
133 La Casa Via, Walnut Creek
M-F, 9 am to 5 pm
