71st Annual Juried Art Show Opens
By David Josselyn
As the rebirth of jazz approaches, the Gilpin County Arts Association opened their 71st Annual Juried Art Show on June 2, 2018. This is the longest running juried show in Colorado. Acting President, Virginia Unseld, and Gallery Manager Michele Roussel, along with the arts board and several volunteers, logged hundreds of hours putting the show together.“The process takes about nine months,” stated Unseld. The event is open to artists from Colorado and surrounding states, although this year only Colorado artists entered. A juried show sees each artist submit a selection of pieces as outlined by the rules (no duplicate entries, no older than three years, number of pieces, etc.) and those pieces are reviewed by renowned artists that select from all entries to be in the show. An awards judge then determines the cream of the crop for first, second, and third place in each category, plus one best in show from all entries. The prizes for those awards, along with several awards for special inclusion, total more than $3,000. Prize money comes from donations, sales, entry fees, and memberships.
Three-dimensional clay artist Leona Lazar was honored with an honorable mention award for her “Guitar Woman” sculpture. She uses paper clay which infuses paper into clay making it easier to shape and bend. The paper is burned out of the clay during firing. She purposely distorts the reality and symmetry of her objects to caption the emotion and expression she desires. “I want viewers to connection emotionally with the piece,” said Lazar.
Two-dimensional artist Anastasia Horwith is a painter who lived in Fourmile Canyon outside of Boulder, Colorado. She was there during the fire of 2010 and remembers first smelling smoke; and then mere minutes later, fleeing the area. She lost every material thing in that fire, but she also lost a sense of self. Her whole world became unfamiliar and disconnected. What truly scared her is losing her sense of art, her “art-self” as she describes it. After spending some time on the Atlantic Ocean, she began the process of healing and decided to try painting again. Her artistic expression has changed, evolved, from before the fire and she is now an award-winning artist by her own right.
The gallery in historic Washington Hall is decked wall to wall with fabulous art in photography, oils, pastels, watercolor, jewelry, sculpture, glass, and more featuring the most talented artists in the state. Our Colorado artists are some of the best in the world; and is it any wonder that our beautiful state attracts so many artists? That artistic wonder is captured in the pieces at Washington Hall. The show will hang through August 10th.
Winners
2-Dimension: 3rd Place to Maureen Ravnik for “Death Becomes Her;” 2nd Place to Ruth Briggs for “Mending Fences III;” and 1st Place to Steve Griggs for “Time for a Brew.”
3-Dimension: 3rd Place to Gabrielle Gewirtz for “Night Mandala Platter;” 2nd Place to Amelia Marlowe for “Blue Globe Vase;” and 1st Place to Michele Berkey for “3 Stone Pendant.”
Photography: 3rd Place to Larry Robbenkamp for “Kansas Sky;” 2nd Place to Lorrie McAllister for “False Kiva;” and 1st Place to Mary Beth Sherrod for “Aspen Shadows.”
The Colorado Pastel Society Award winner, judged from solely pastel paintings, goes to Dawn Buckingham for “Sandstone Snow.”
The Josephine Schwartz memorial Award, judged from solely jewelry pieces, goes to Michelene Berkey for “3 Stone Pendant.”
And finally, the Elaine Schoelzel Memorial Best of Show Award, judged from every entry in every category, goes to Anastasia Horwith for “Big Sky.”
