December 2025 Members Show “Passion and Purpose”
Juror Lori Mitchell
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Juror Commendations
“November Rain” by Jen Crenshaw
This one caught me because the first thing that I saw was the reflection on the pomegranates. This captured detail is just so nicely done. The red next to the more somber and subtle grays conveys a wintry feeling. Other details such as the drips of water on the twigs and all the little birds create such a nice feel. Beautiful composition.
“Multiple Figure Composition” by Ken Goldman
I like all the different colors – almost a rainbow of colors – and then the woman with the red hair showing up next to all of those colors and patterns. The figures are just so beautifully done, really, REALLY nicely captured using the whole figure and showing all of her gestures. It feels effortlessly drawn and painted with a variety of expressive colors.
“Twilight on Coronado” by Richard Glassman
This painting creates a story; it’s easy to feel that there’s something going on here. The gesture of the figure looks as though they are processing some thoughts. The turquoise sky and purple ocean are interesting, unexpected choices of color. These nice big, meaty brush strokes are beautifully done.
Honorable Mentions
“My World” by Jean Silva
The background is such an interesting contrast to the figure. She’s got this beautiful light on her face. She’s kind of turning to us but also turning away. There is a story there to me, seeing the way that she’s sort of turning back to see us. I don’t know what all is in the background, but I love the textures of it, and I like that it’s left to my imagination. Beautiful.
“Tiki Elizabeth” by Stephanie Van de Wetering
The light on her face is just so fantastic! With her hand, it looks like she’s kind of doing the queen wave. You can see the joy in her face. It’s easy to see that she’s having fun. There’s a story there. Nice touches include the brocade on her belt, which looks shiny and gold. The folds in the fabric show volume and I can just feel it blowing in the wind. The cool background pushes the warm figure into the foreground. Beautiful.
“Via Hofburg” by Fan Li
The first thing that attracted me to this painting was all the detail of the scrollwork on the iron arch on the top. I just love the way that’s so loosely done, and at the same time I can feel the solid metal structure. It gives me the feeling of being back in time somewhere, maybe in Europe. The overall feel of it is really nice, with the soft edges in the background and the hard edges in the foreground; the darks and the lights, the monochromatic palette. Those little bits of yellow here and there of the streetlamps are like sparks that give that feeling of the time of day. It’s beautiful.
Honorable Mention, Miniatures
“Surrounded by Paisley” by Susan Keith
Beautiful! This painting is really impressive. Getting all of those flowers on the fabric, bending and turning with all the folds took some patience. The lemons seem very fresh and bright. The dark, dark background is a really nice contrast to the lights of the yellows of the lemons and the material. The specific blue of the dark in the background makes for a very nice contrast.
Best of Theme
“Contemplation” by Wendy Kwasny
Of all the pieces, this one really tells a story of Passion and Purpose. The way that the subject is almost off the page and against the ledge really adds to that story. It is wonderful the way that she’s handled the sky so that you can tell what time of day it is. The subject is reading something so it’s easy to imagine a story of what she is reading, and where she might be going. There are boats in the background, so it seems she’s intending to travel. She’s young, she’s just starting out. She’s got some sort of purpose or passion to do whatever it is she is planning. Also, hands are tricky, and she mastered this one.
Best of Miniatures
“A Whale of an Inn” by Thomas Franco
I love this piece because it conveys a feeling of the time and place, a relaxing moment of weekend leisure. There is a whole mood to it. The way that he’s painted the sky is really nice, it’s very painterly. The whole painting in fact looks painterly and you can see the gestures and movements of all the people, each with a few brush strokes. Love the way the shadows and light are shown here.
Third Place
“Far Away Look” by Janice Cipriani-Willis
Second Place
“Cherries on Top” by Carolina Dealy
Great composition here. The colors are just gorgeous. This caught my eye the minute I turned the corner to see it. You can just fall right into the deep dark background. You can see all the wonderful reflections, and they caught the transparency of the glass. Really beautifully done.
First Place
“A Passion for Pigeons” by Edward Abrams
I am a big fan of a story in a painting, and I see one here, at least I have already made one up in my head. I love the composition, how the little girl is framed with the negative space behind her and she’s right at the middle of the cross. I love the reflections in the window and how that adds another layer to the story. Getting reflection in glass like this can be quite tricky. It has a mood and a real feel to it that invites me in. The simple palette works so well. Those pigeons are just so good too. I could look at it for hours.
