March 2026 Members Show “Singing Colors”
Juror Shuang Li
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Juror Commendations
“Fountain Kiss” by Lynette Bredow
This unique piece really shows how to use color as a focal point. Most of the figure and the fountain are painted in monochrome, which makes the colorful bird really stand out. What I love is how the artist used that little splash of yellow to highlight the tiny bird and capture the tenderness of her kiss. It’s so well done—you can tell the artist put a lot of thought into using that concentrated yellow to create such a great contrast.
“Beach Pirouette” by Mirjam Schippers
As artists, we often feel like we have to paint every single thing from our reference, a tendency to overfill our work with ‘stuff.’ But what I love about this piece is the simplicity of the two figures; they aren’t even really painted as completed figures. The first things you notice are their heads and hats, which are the only details treated as truly important. Everything else is left as these beautiful abstract washes, letting the viewer’s imagination fill in the rest. It’s very well done.
“Clouded Concepts” by Kathleen Scoggin
This piece feels semi-abstract to me. The artist really nailed the balance by placing the focus right where the highest contrast is—where the darks and lights meet. I love the variety of techniques the artist used here, from the gestural lines and shapes to the mix of hard and soft edges and splashes of colorful pigments. The whole thing is tied together with a warm, bright color palette and a clever pop of muted green. The painting is really well-designed and sophisticated.
Honorable Mentions
“Lagoon Bloom” by Kay Smith
The reason I picked this one for an honorable mention is that I just love the freshness the artist brought to it. It’s a traditional landscape—foreground, middle ground, background—and the artist placed that small red figure in exactly the right spot. What’s great overall is that the painting doesn’t feel overworked or labored at all. Between the fresh colors and those energetic brushstrokes, you can really tell the artist enjoyed every bit of it while working on it. I love that!
“Considering” by Joan Merrick
I’m not sure what medium the artist used here, but I love the warm tone and the way the painting is designed. There’s this really rich, colorful, and textured background—like a blanket—draped over the figure. In contrast, the figure itself is painted so simply, with almost no detail at all. That design choice makes such a strong visual statement, and the warm palette reinforces that while still keeping things feeling soft and intimate. It’s a beautiful balance.
“Euphoria” by Amber Newsome
This is such a great freestyle abstract piece. I really love the brushstrokes—they have so much energy behind them. Even though the painting is filled with these splashes of scattered color, the overall shapes are connected so well. It never feels like it’s falling apart; instead, everything feels cohesive. It’s simple, colorful, and just very well put together.
Honorable Mention, Miniatures
“Desert Under Yellow Sky” by Carrie Markello
The reason I gave this wonderful miniature painting an honorable mention is that I just love the abstract treatment of the landscape. The freestyle brushstrokes are so bold and powerful—especially on such a small canvas—and they show the depth of the scene in a really unique way. Between the intense use of pigment, the variety of thick and thin textures, and the mix of complementary warm and cool colors, this piece truly stands out. Well done!
Best of Theme
“Papa, Mama, Babies” by Fan Li
This is such a fun piece! You can almost hear the whole family—the papa rooster, mama hen, and their chicks—singing through the artist’s colorful brushstrokes. It’s incredibly joyful subject matter, and I love how the rooster, with the richest colors of the group, stands there as the guardian and protector of the family. The composition is very well-balanced, and I can tell that there’s a beautiful Asian influence here, with the artist using traditional brushwork and washes. It’s simple yet rich at the same time—very well executed!
Best of Miniatures
“Bowled Over” by Susan Keith
The reason I picked this piece out of all the wonderful entries is how the composition perfectly maximizes the small space. It avoids a boring, symmetrical layout with the bows; instead, it’s full of directional lines and shapes that overlap and connect with one another. The rich colors—stretching from the butterfly to the bows—really enhance the diagonal power of the piece. It creates a cleverly balanced composition with so much visual movement. I truly appreciate the artist’s ability to create such a big visual impact in a miniature painting.
Third Place
“Summer Storm” by Jane Mitchell
This piece sits almost in an abstract style, but it still keeps some representational elements. Since it’s a large painting, the artist used powerful, large brushstrokes to make it as ‘painterly’ as possible, which adds so much visual interest and impact. I also love the limited and muted palette—it’s clean and very disciplined. The darks are positioned from the foreground all the way to the background with subtle value changes that tie the sky and land together perfectly. It creates such a good sense of unity. Very well done!
Second Place
“One of the Left” by Caroline Dealy
This piece takes a very different approach with its super-realism. First off, the artist designed the still life composition beautifully—the way the cherries, the glass, and even the background are positioned keeps the painting perfectly balanced from left to right. There’s a great variety of visual weight that keeps it interesting, so it never feels stiff or overly symmetrical. I really like that. The colors aren’t just rich on their own; they actually relate to one another, and the playful mix of warm reds and cool blues adds an extra layer of richness to the whole piece. Plus, that strong value contrast against the background really makes everything pop. Such a nice piece!
First Place
“Lady in Waiting” by Janice Cipriani-Willis
The reason I picked this work for first place is that it shows the artist has reached a truly sophisticated level as a watercolorist. From the composition and use of value to the color and technical mastery of the medium itself, everything is handled beautifully. Using that large white shape of the figure against a muted, dark background creates such a powerful composition and a deep emotional impact. Technically speaking, the face, the expression, the way the figure leans against the fence, and the hand gestures are all wonderfully rendered with expressive brushstrokes and colorful touches. I love this piece—it’s a very powerful work.
