HIGH ROAD GALLERY SPRING EXHIBIT 2011

Worthington  Area Art League

“Spice of Life”  Show Results

 Judge’s Comment:

 The variety of technique, subject matter, and media provided the spice of life for me but made it difficult to judge the exhibit. There were so many excellent pieces. I chose work that spoke to me and I looked for a deeply personal spice with a flavor of its own.

 Best of Show: Dinner at La Roche Guyan.  Jeri Ellis Platt. This painting is impressive in size and has a whimsical painterly quality. I loved the carefully broken up colors of the flowers in the foreground and the depth created by the simplicity of the cool colored background.

 First Place: Parting at Evening. Ernest Lockridge. I see a bold silhouette and a woman’s face against a frozen background of water and sky. I like the strong feeling of parting and cold that I get from this painting.

 Second Place: Sophia. S. Betz Gallagher. We are looking down on an expressive and colorful young lady. The painting expresses the spunk and liveliness of the subject.

 Third Place: I Don’t Wanna Go. Dennis Zimmerman. I like the movement, freedom and immediacy of the painting along with the composition and use of negative space. This is a beautiful way to tell a story. Great use of Yupo!

 Honorable Mentions

 Life Journeys # 1 . Jeanie Auseon. Warm colors, repeated varied circles and the contrast of hard edge lines and soft painterly areas make this painting work. Hydrangea in the Snow. Deb Haller. What gets my attention is the intriguing subject matter and unusual composition that has lots of depth without unnecessary detail.  Moon Over the Louvre. Inga H. Smith. Wonderful mysterious image that suggests there must be a story behind this moment. Winter Birches. Elena Filshtinska. She creates a glowing surrealistic environment with the substantial birches and hazy background. Two Pairs of Pears. Charles Rowland. Beautiful, subtle color clearly shows the forms with light and shadow in a quiet moment. Koi # 1. Betty Thompson. A fresh painting with movement and color that seems effortless.

Awards From Community Groups

 Partnership For Citizenship & Character Award: Variations, Bob Davitian

 Leadership Worthington Award: Spot Spies Danger, Sherry Mullett

Judge’s Biography

After graduating from Tyler School of Art  (B.F.A in painting) and Temple University (M.Ed in art education), Lynda Elias spent her life creating art and teaching art on all levels.  Before her retirement she was head of the Art Department at Hayes High School in Delaware, Ohio, where she taught 14 years and helped create the current art curriculum. 

Lynda has received various awards such as the Marie Walsh Sharpe Fellowship for exemplary teaching and artistic achievement in 1998. This is awarded to only six art teachers around the country each year by the National Art Education Association and the Marie Walsh Sharpe Association.  In 1999 the Ohio Arts Education Association named her Excellent Art Teacher of the Year for the Central Region. Lynda received an award for excellence in teaching from the Rotary Club of Delaware Ohio for 2000 and 2001. While she taught at Hayes High School she received several grants from the Ohio Arts Council to bring in professional artists in various fields to help expand her knowledge as well as the student’s.

 As for her personal artist work, her experience in several mediums results in part from skills she acquired to teach art on all levels. Lynda has used weaving, sewing, printing and painting to create her own mixed media vision. Her wide experience has allowed her to experiment and play with many media. Nature is a source of inspiration for Lynda’s work. Lynda hopes to transform her choice of subject matter and materials into something more than the sum of its parts so that the odd choice of materials becomes a work of art. Thus, she likes using recycled materials such as burlap or rusty metal, trying to layer the materials to create works that give the viewer a new view of nature. She wants viewers to bring their own experiences to the works and possibly be inspired to come up with their own meanings and feelings. Lynda’s experimentation is an attempt to stimulate the creativity of the viewer as well as affirm her personal vision. Like nature, she wants her work to be both complex and varied. As a judge, she has a wide range of experience and interest in a variety of approaches. She enjoyed seeing the work of our diverse and talented group and appreciated the privilege of judging our exhibition.

Citizenship/Character Award