Poudre Studio Artists & Galleries

Heart art is at the core of every true artist’s work. At the core of every piece of art is the artist, who they are, their experiences, emotions…

The artist’s presence is most prominent when the artist is working through something. That artwork, for me, is the most impactful for the viewer. It is when the artist has the most influence and power to create change. This is how I juried this show. These pieces made the most emotional impact on me, had more depth and a story.

First Place:  Bonnie Lebesch, Love Letters #3
This piece is the ultimate expression of an artist’s emotional process. This is the outward expression of working through a rough time, turning it into something positive and beautiful.

Second Place:  Julie Janney, All I Want is You
Standing in front of this piece I could feel the sense of yearning. This piece sucked me in and did not want to let go.

Third Place:  Becky Hawley, It’s Complicated

This is such a strong expression of who she is as a person and artist.  It is difficult as an artist to let yourself be completely vulnerable and I admire her for it.

Honorable Mentions: 

Mickey Bookstaber, Heart Squared
Such beautiful craftsmanship, which I could not let go unrecognized.

Karen Cannon, Be Mine
Wonderfully done and even though I hate chocolate, I want one of these chocolates.  Now that’s expressive power!

Amanda Szopinski, Adored
Her loose expressive use of brush strokes and color seems to be done by being present in the moment allowing the painting to come to life.  Telling us their story.

Evie Tilley, The Color of Passion
A true expression of deep rich passion that is so inviting that I want to keep coming back to it.

Juror’s Statement

My process for judging this show was based mostly upon the quality of artistic composition, overall design based on the theme of the show, originality, color and value, degree of difficulty, use of materials and textures, presentation, and somewhat on my initial reaction to the art pieces.

I am completely comfortable with the process I used and the decisions I have made. Please be aware that the results of my judging are my opinions, to be agreed with or disagreed with.

First Award: 1947 Ford by Jeff Gibford

Composition, color, value, and all of the other judging factors are very important, but there is something indefinable about this piece! ‘1947 Ford’ stands out, to me, the most and shows me that the artist has a complete understanding of all the criteria for successful artwork. This is a great piece of photographic work.

Second Award: Bowling Pin-up by Kelley C. Jones
This piece of three dimensional art is just plain fun! This work is one of the most unique I have had the pleasure to judge. I believe there is a great humorous story behind this wonderful piece.

Third Award: Flower Car for a Living Detroit by Stephanie Gallison
This is a beautiful painting with an inherent social message that brings attention to an issue that is important to the artist.

Honorable Mention:
Vast is the Sky by Ed Gauss
Looking by David Hartman
Wing Warp by Gene Michieli

To wrap-up this statement, I will recommend to you not to let a numbering system completely control your final decision when choosing award winners. Always follow your instincts and educated judgment in regard to good art.

Robert E. Matthews

Industrial Heart 1 by Barbara Gilhooly won the People’s Choice Award for Heart Art in February. Congratulations, Barbara!

Juror’s Statement: Suzanne Frazier

The basis upon which I selected the following works of art for first, second and third place is a combination of elements. First, the work demonstrates a skill level for the media, in that the artist easily expresses an intention. Second, the artistic techniques add to the theme of the work. Third, the artist successfully expresses the theme of the show. Finally, the work has a presence, in terms of, it draws the viewer into the conception of the artist.

First Place: “Forgiven” by Carrie Johansing-Heintzelman

Second Place: “Dawn Mother” by Iryiel A. Cochran

Third Place: “First Love” by Evelyn Tilley

Honorable Mention: “Portal” by Annie Johnson

Honorable Mention: “Mother Earth”  by Tracey Kazimir-Cree

To see all of the winning pieces and to read more about them, visit our show page.

The People’s Choice Award from the November 2011 Harvest Time exhibition at Poudre River Gallery goes to Pam Brown’s painted gourd “Global’ (seen in the foreground). The color and designs compliment both the global theme as well as the contours of the gourd as painting substrate.  Congratulations to Pam Brown.

Artists from around the world were invited to display work in the Harvest Time exhibit which runs through 3 pm today.  All artwork inspired by or representing images of autumn, bounty, the harvest, abundance, gratitude, and related themes were considered. Exhibit juried by Marcy Silverstein.

Jurors Awards

1st Place - “Still Life with Grapes”, oil
Patrick McKee
The glow of the pottery and cloth in relation to the golden leaves is spectacular. The composition uses the area very well.

Still Life, Patrick McKee

2nd Place - “Fruit Stand”, digital photo
Doug Johnson
The way that Mr. Johnson adapted the photo to look old is very well done.  Since I don’t know if he set up the Fruit Stand, whoever did it had a good sense of composition and variety.

Fruit Stand, Doug Johnson

3rd Place - “After the Summer”, marino felt book
Susan Reynolds
The wonderful colors of fall and a great use of texture in the felted wool makes this journal a joy to look at.

After the Summer, Susan Reynolds