May 2026 Members Show “Nature’s Echo”
Juror Wanda Honeycutt
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Juror Commendations
“Mission Bay Tropics” by Jamie Wright
What a gorgeous landscape. I love the fluid nature of it. This artist knows how to use the medium of watercolor . It has all those beautiful, soft edges, and as well as crispness in some of the other parts of it, such as in the fence, going out into the pier, and in the figures below. I also really like the different colors. You don’t see that bright turquoise in a lot of landscape paintings, and she’s used the color very nicely.
“Venice Remembered” by Lorna Farmer
This is reminiscent, to me, of some place in France, or Italy due to the hat and the architecture and the background. I love the abstract nature of this painting. The figure is not clearly defined. There is an appealing lost edge in the cheek, where the viewer has to visually create the shape of the face. Everywhere I look in this painting, I find some interesting colors, and shapes. Also drama: the strong darks in the nose, the eyes, and the mouth. It’s a very intriguing and well-done painting. I would like it as an abstract, but it’s interesting that it is a figure as well.
“Spectrum” by Lorri Lynch
Wonderful, shape-based painting. This is a landscape that’s done in a different way than we usually see. A lot of big shapes in lovely, bold colors. There’s a reflection in the water below that’s not all that easy to accomplish, and I appreciate that. There’s also geometric shapes in the sky, which is a unique way to represent a landscape. Lovely.
Honorable Mentions
“Marionette Masquerade” by Stephanie Van de Wetering
Such a beautiful, light filled painting! The whole figure is illuminated in a glowing light, which is absolutely gorgeous. It could be just a whimsical painting, but it has more of a serious tone to it because of the mask on the figure. I love the contrast of the dark hair and the white mask. There’s a mystery behind it. It’s almost as if it’s telling a story of what this woman is experiencing. There seems to be a representation that’s greater than just what is portrayed as a woman with a marionette. The colors are beautiful. The drapery is so well done. The dark shape at the bottom helps to ground the whole painting. It’s a stunning and intriguing piece.
“Owl’s Message” by Cynthia Sue Kelly
This is a lovely painting. It’s so reminiscent of the qualities that I associate with Native Americans. It’s showcasing the blanket and is painted very well. The blanket looks soft and cozy and wrapped around the figure in a way that just exudes comfort and also protection. The owl adds a spiritual element to it, and I like the strong contrast with the white of the bird, and the dark of the blanket. She’s used some elements that really help pop out the shape of the bird, such as the very dark V shape to the right of the bird. She has done the face in a very soft way but suggests there’s a strength there as well. I love the way she’s done the hair. The background is interesting, as well. There are some mirroring abstract shapes above and below the figure, as well as light around the figure. Lovely.
“Just a Jester” by Joan Merrick
This is a fabulously unique and fun painting. I love the colors and shapes on the bodice and flowing skirt of this outfit she has on. The figure itself is just one big shape, and is almost all one color, which is an interesting and appealing approach. This is, then, both a color-based and a shape-based painting. The figure has a court jester hat on, which elicits a smile, it’s just so much fun. I’m not generally a fan of lots of pink in a painting. If I give an award to a painting that is predominantly pink, which this one is, it must be a very good painting.
Honorable Mentions, Miniatures
“Flight II” by Joan Boyer
This is a dramatic painting in that it has so much white background. All the color is concentrated in the abstract shape, which has a resemblance to a bird in flight. What I love about it is that it’s an abstract of nature, but it also is representative of a bird. It could represent freedom. I love the beautiful colors that the artist chose. The dark blue, and the violet around the blue, and these splashes of orange, and very delicate little marks of orange coming off the wing of the bird. It’s so beautiful. Well done!
“Best Friends” by Cynthia Roach
I didn’t know the title of this when I selected it, but I can see that it has animals in it, and then a figure that is possibly a person. But actually, the person looks like it may have the head of a dog also, so it’s very mysterious as to what these figures actually are. It’s a wonderful abstract, with a strong composition. I love the big block shapes, and the bold dark in the top left corner. That really holds its own, and it balances out the rest of the painting, making it much more dramatic. There are some little black lines that are left in the painting that lead our eye around the painting and separate the animals. It’s a very whimsical, interesting, and strong painting. I love it.
Best of Theme
“Join the Crowd” by Carol Mansfield
The theme is “Nature’s Echo”, and that’s what I see in this painting. There’s something to look at in every single space. I love all the different abstract shapes, and yet you get a real sense of nature. There are a lot of greens and shapes that are being echoed. You see the circular shapes echoing through the painting, being redone in different ways: different sizes, different colors, different values. It has strong value contrasts. The big, bold, dark shape in the top left corner would really be too much if it wasn’t for the fact that there’s so much going on, with such strong shapes and value contrast in the rest of the painting. Yet, we have some delicate areas as well. The top right corner has this delicate, pink shade, that is very appealing. Nice job.
Best of Miniatures
“I Stand Alone” by Cathryn Ward
This one jumped out at me from the start. It has such a strong composition. There are a lot of contrasts that are very strong. The lips are riveting because they are so solid, and they are juxtaposed against the lightness of her skin. And then there’s this whimsical white circle on her cheek. It’s such a different way of portraying a face that is quite unique. The headdress/ scarf is the real showstopper with it’s dramatic shape and covering one eye. The collar, with its little squares, leads right up into the face a strong compositional element. Even if the painting did not portray a person, it would be a beautiful abstract painting, because it has such a strong composition. The whimsical graphic flowers could easily have been overdone with too much business, but they’re not, because the other shapes are so strong that they all hold their own.
Third Place
“Canyon Hillside” by Kay Smith
Landscape paintings don’t usually command my attention when I’m walking around a gallery, but I definitely noticed this one. It’s bold, and the colors are bright. She’s used shapes that are bigger and simpler than most landscapes, which gives the painting an abstract nature. There’s some flowers or trees in the foreground that have these lovely, big, angular type of shapes. And then we have the yellow brick road that leads us around and up to the house. The house is very delicately done, so it’s a nice juxtaposition between the strong elements in the front, and then the delicate way that the house has been done. I like this painting a lot.
Second Place
“Stepping Out” by Judy Janc
I absolutely love this painting. It is full of rhythm. I like the fact that it’s unusual. The right hand is almost melting into the back of the painting. This is mysterious, and it’s really interesting that it’s done in a different sort of way from the rest of the painting. There’s a strong red line coming up her body, and then the strong red of the hair. The little spots of red up in the top left corner help to bring our eye around. There’s also a black line on the front of her body, which helps to define that space. It has beautiful rhythmic shapes, and there’s a white area at the bottom that leads us up into the figure, and the figure herself leads around the painting. There’s an abstract painting in the background to enjoy as well with line work and different shapes. It is a lovely painting.
First Place
“Another Encounter” by Jean Silva
This is a striking and dramatic piece. I love the strong, dark shapes. There are the black stripes in her skirt. a dark shape on her shoulder, and yet again, in the trees up above, leading the viewers eye through the painting. The composition is so dynamic. There is the delightful surprise of the golden leaves below the black trunks on the trees, offering visual interest. There’s also a little bit of line work there, giving the painting texture that is very unique. I like the mystery in this painting. She’s looking over her shoulder. What is she looking at? We don’t know, but it’s interesting to think about. The little bag that’s hanging very delicately from her wrist is another element of mystery. I also like the piece of white cloth that’s in the middle of her skirt. It looks like it’s folded over and very delicate with barely visible lettering added to the intrigue. So you have the juxtaposition with these delicate elements, and then the strong, bold blacks. It’s an absolutely stunning painting. I just love it.
