Juror:  Susan A. Schaub MacKay 

Juror Statement 

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 It was a great honor to be invited to award prizes to the Artist Members of Norwich Arts Center. Both galleries are filled with interesting, creative, and well-executed work, so choosing was difficult. 

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The cool, calm, greenness of first place winner, ‘Clearing’ (Oil) by Al Mathes, transported me instantly to a trail I have hiked a hundred times, while at the same time, the painting maintains an overall looseness. Second place, ‘Quiet Time on the Front Pond’ (Acrylic} by Susan Rosenstone Barrow is stunning in its clarity, with beautiful composition and color. Third place, ‘Monochromatic Block Island Vacationers’ by Jacqueline Phillips, captures the grassy bluffs of Block Island in a mastery of pastel that evokes a hot summer day perfectly. Honorable Mentions go to Michael McCarter ‘Symphony in Blue’ (Photograph); ‘Watchin’ the Tide’ by Joyce E. Greene (Pastel); Samantha Long’s ‘Finds Along the Shore’ (Ink on Paper); ‘Sailor’s Delight’ by Bryan Tyler (Oil on Panel); and ‘Picture Perfectly’ by Virginia Chase (Stained Glass Mosaic). 

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The show is alive with colors, textures, skill, imagination, and creative uses of traditional as well as new mediums. Congratulations to all Norwich Artist Members on a fantastic exhibition!