High Road Fall 09 Show


BEST OF SHOW		FIRST PLACE
Susanne Betz Gallagher		Ernest Lockridge

2ND PLACE		3RD PLACE
Charles Rowland		Ninfa Osei

HONORABLE MENTIONS
Ginny Baughman Vivian Ripley Inga Smith

PEOPLE'S CHOICE
Peggi Batchek
HEALTHY WORTHINGTON COALITION AWARD
Peggi Batchek
Liz DeLacey from the Healthy Worthington Coalition presented a ribbon and monetary award for their selection: Finale, Transparent Watercolor, by Peggi Batchek. This is HWC’s first participation in a WAAL show. They plan to make a similar award at our Spring Show at High Road. We welcome their participation in our events. Healthy Worthington Coalition, Inc, is a membership organization promoting the physical, intellectual, emotional, social and spiritual health and well-being of all who live, work, learn and play in the greater Worthington area. We promote living in harmony with our natural environment and embracing change by navigating toward a future that enriches people’s lives. Learn more at healthyworthington.org

Co-Chair Siebahn Gallagher		Siebahn & Liz DeLacy, Healthy Worthington Coalition
JUDGE'S COMMENTS
Honorable Mentions Adam and Eve, Acrylic and Plaster, Ginny Baughman “What a surprise! I peered into the High Road bathroom and found near-life-sized Adam and Eve! Tall, simply painted and iconic, the two figures were, or seemed to be ‘separate but equal’.” Sea Vista, Watercolor, Vivian Ripley “Sea Vista captures in watercolor the intricacy of waves of the sea. Watercolor is a very difficult medium and this artist has done the impossible. Sometimes the simplest venues are the most striking and here the difficult has been surmounted by apparent, if not actual, ease.” Leaves, Photography, Inga Smith “Although this is a comparatively small work, it grabbed me from across the room. I thought at first I was looking at a small but striking abstract painting. Congratulations for the distillation of leaf patters and for combining the disciplines of photography and painterly abstraction.” Third Place: Mom Mom and Pop Pop, Sharpies/Watercolor, Ninfa Osei “Essentially, this is a line drawing and, despite a bit of crowded paper, it is excellent and expressive. In one instant I saw Mom Mom and Pop Pop and I liked them very much. Osei makes things look too easy, but the lines say it all.” Second Place: JAW Inglehart Unloading at Dusk, Watercolor, Charles Rowland “Everything about this rather too small watercolor – it could have been larger – is perfect. Whether the artist painted from a photograph or not is unimportant. He has anchored us into a space and time that captures the magical realism of the sea. Watercolor is difficult and this guy knows how to paint with it!” First Place: The Fire This Time, Acrylic, Earnest Lockridge “This painting, like Gallagher’s, becomes a tribute to painting. The bold and deliberate use of texture and shape forms an unusual ‘scape’. This work, deriving its title from a James Baldwin book, is textural with a large T, and, like Gallagher’s large work, becomes a tribute to brush work, to painting. As I judge I like to find technical prowess combined with uniqueness. This painting, like Gallagher’s, presents originality and daring, yet is grounded in painterly skill.” Best of Show: Sun Poem, Acrylic, S. Betz Gallagher “Sun Poem grabs our attention. This work is a gorgeous, well-wrought tableau. It dances like the sun! The play of color is striking, not brash, and the creator knows about color and technique. Here is a vivid dance of abstraction, a design that goes beyond the design. And it’s an optimistic painting!”
ABOUT THE JUDGE
Elizabeth Ann James Liz James is widely recognized as a poet of extraordinary gifts. Her poems are written with the eye and sensibility of a visual artist, and many of them deal directly with artists, their vision and their work. In recent years she has turned to reviewing the visual arts for local publications and has created her own outstanding blog, Liz James Artscene. We are particularly honored that she judged our fall exhibit at High Road Gallery. She said, “Autumn Joy is a lively and varied show. I could spend hours just looking (and I did!). Originality and skill dance, like the autumn leaves! I am so very proud of Worthington Area Art League and its artists. You represent the best and there were no boring or inept works in this show.