January 6 – February 14, 2010
Sponsored by Halt, Buzas, and Powell.
Best in Show
Balloon over Tuscany — Viviane De Kosinsky
The Tom Wright Award
Stormy Morning — Diane McClaugherty
Honorable Mention
Sunrise Over the Potomac — George Bowles
Winter Berries — Penny Champagne
There's Always One — Don Cicconi
Haybales — Chris Crum
Surf and Turf — Wendy Donahoe
Where Land Meets Sea — Kathleen Best Gillman
High Meadow — Pamela Patrick
The Three Sisters of the Potomac — Jean Schwartz
Young Man — Ruth Sievers
The Wetland — Parisa Tirnaz
Show Info: Opening Reception, Thursday, January 14, 6:30–8:00 pm, in the gallery. Awards presented at 7:00 pm.
Entered 608, Accepted 182
Juror's Statement:
with Erica Fortwengler
Ad Reinhardt once said, “Looking is not as simple as it looks.” And while there are many aspects when considering works for acceptance into a juried show, from subject matter to composition to execution, juror Steven Munoz believes that the overall presentation of a piece is of the utmost importance when considering works for acceptance.
For this exhibition, Munoz looked for works that were well executed, presented neatly and professionally, showing the time and care the artist placed in their submissions. Generally, works not presented well could not be accepted.
Munoz generally prefers representational works as opposed to abstract, color field pieces. He’s drawn to landscape, figurative work, and black and white work. A strong sense of line is important. Overall, he evaluated the presentation and execution. “It’s a balance between composition, color, line, and presentation.”
The works Munoz selected as award winners were the stand out pieces for him. For best in show Munoz chose Viviane de Kosinksy’s “Balloon Over Tuscany.” He loved the balance of light, line, the richness of the black and the small touch of color. The Thomas Wright Award was awarded to Diane McClaugherty for “Stormy Morning.” This award was reserved for the best oil landscape in the show, and Munoz while noting the title of the piece was drawn to the soothing, calm, serene, and realistic sense of this piece.
Munoz studied at The American University in Washington, DC and received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with a concentration in printmaking.
He was the recipient of the Allen M. Carney Memorial Scholarship in Fine Arts and the Elizabeth Van Swinderen Award. His work is in the permanent collections of the Western Railroad and Mining Museum in Helper, Utah and Arlington County Government in Virginia.
Munoz has always been interested in the human figure and social issues. He is the director of the Lee Arts Center, a program of Arlington Cultural Affairs. For several years prior to assuming the directorship of the Lee Arts Center in early 2009, Munoz was the Grants Officer for Arlington Cultural Affairs managing the grant program for the arts, which supports arts organizations and individual artists in Arlington County.
