2024 National Show Awards and Accepted Entries

Here are the winners,
with Desmond O’Hagan’s comments!

Best in Show

Serenity by Angela Liu
Interesting approach to the figure—found it very intriguing and mysterious and very nice handling of color but very subtle. The incredible gaze of the eyes pulls you in.

First Place

Tea for Two by Elizabeth Amacher
The composition jumped out. It has a nice balanced feel to it. I like the shadows and perspective. The table top is a nice temperature change from the dinnerware.

Second Place

Abandoned by Janet Johnson
What attracted me to this piece was the contrast in colors between the bright sun and the shadow areas and love the use of pastel where the sky is carved from the trees, really handled well. Great balance of muted and intense colors and great composition where the house is off center.

Honorable Mention

PB&J by Katie Cassidy
Nice combination of muted and intense colors. Like the subject matter.

Honorable Mention

Out There by Betsy Cook
Like the balance of color and the composition; nice swirl; it is unusual and grabs the eye’s view.

Honorable Mention

Septembers Gifts by Katerina Kostin
Love the composition and the stylization of the pears. Nice balance of colors; almost a metallic quality of the colors.

Honorable Mention

In the Shade of Recovery by Margie Miller
Great stylization of the figure. Hits me that its like the East Coast painters from the turn of the 20^th century. Great colors; love the background; painted the figure somewhat in shade.

Sponsor Awards

Royal Talens/Rembrandt Award

After the Rain by Patrick Kochanaz
Really nice use of color—balance between muted and intense. Love the graphic quality; very bold.

Blick Award

August Memory by Becky Johnson
Very tranquil painting; like the Hudson River painters. Good use of warms and cools and light bounding off the clouds.