Memories opened on Thursday, May 29th. Out of 143 entries, 61 pieces were carefully selected by our juror for entry Jim Chapman with awards given by artist Frank Norton, Jr. 

Juror Statements: 

“The prime challenge in sorting through the entries for the Memories: A Summer Juried Exhibition was not what to include, but rather, what to leave out. With such high quality work submitted – and so much of it – it was difficult to exclude any. What it came down to, finally, was not skill level, technique, style, subject or medium. Instead, I selected the works that pulled me by some intangible undertow into another place and time, into the murky waters of memory, where light seldom touches bottom.”” -Juror for Entries, Jim Chapman

“Art Selection for purchase or enjoyments is a matter of individual taste, my awards were based on emotion. Paintings, Photography or Sculpture that tugged at my heart, flashed glimpses in the electric currents of my brain and drew me closer to the artist’s message. Bravo to each memory.”-Juror for Awards: Frank Norton, Jr.

First Place Winner Fox Gradin for Walking in his Footsteps, photograph

Memories The 3^rd Annual Summer Juried Exhibition Awards & Artist Statements

1^st Place: “Walking in his Footsteps” photograph, Fox Gradin $1000  "This photograph is a snapshot in the life of my little boy.  His daddy means everything to him, and (he) follows him everywhere.  For me, his keen observation and admiration of my husband is a precious part of his growing up.  If he turns out to be even half the man that his father is, then we've struck gold. This piece is for anyone who has a child, knows a child or remembers their own childhood fondly.  My we never forget how they watch and learn from our example.  Speak gently and teach peace." 

2^nd Place: “Lord Love R.A.” tin, paint, brushes, Durwood Pepper $500 "The R A Miller piece was made to honor R.A. and his most famous art piece, Blow Oskar. RA has on his standard red plaid shirt, an Atlanta Braves hat, and a T-shirt that was sold in the House of Blues featuring one of his red devil cut outs. The clothing is spotted with paint and snuff. The RA cut out is made from tin from RA's home in Rabbittown. The paint can and brushes are actually ones used by RA. This piece was part of the RA display at his funeral. If you read closely on his left leg you will see my message written to RA at his death." 

3^rd Place: “Sea Cave” fiber, Catherine Hart, $250  " The subject of the show, Memories, is especially suited to my quilts as you cannot do "plein air" with quilts as you can with painting. Out of 120 quilts created in the past five years, I have only done one from a photo and one from a sketch. I work from a collection of memories of landscapes. I start with a piece of fabric and let it speak to me and the colors guide the direction that the quilt evolves. I work and hope that I recognize when the piece is done.

The quilt "Sea Cave" was actually an abstract done to test a piece of material for a manufacturer using the value study principles that I teach. As people looked at the quilt, I asked them what it reminded them of. All the people who had been scuba diving said it looked like being in a sea cave. One person said it looked like what moving into the light after death would be like. Another, who was a fighter jet crew member, thought it looked like outer space. So the title of this quilt was determined by other people's memories, instead of my own." 

Honorable Mentions ($50 each)

“Corner Café, Rousillon” oil, Nancy Franke "(I) wish I could have been at the opening, but I was in France gathering more memories in Provence.  That is where I saw the people in the cafe in my painting at the exhibit;  Roussillon is a small town of red rocks in the French countryside.  There is always time to sit and chat in the dappled sunlight." 

“Picking Pears” photographic montage, Sara Lindkrantz "Picking Pears is the story of a dream remembered....I was on my way to a garden party when, in the middle of my path, I came upon a singular, well-tended pear tree.  Unable to resist the temptation of the sweet, sun-ripened fruit, I kicked off my shoes, picked the pears, and ate my fill."

“Life, Revisited” photograph, J. Stone “Life, Revisited is very special to me as it is one of the first of my works that undoubtedly transcends the boundaries of race, gender and time, all the while being a universal reminder of an individual experience. This piece is an expression of the road we all must travel and how the journey is bittersweet.  Distance Slips Below The Horizon Leaving Streaks  Of Time And Lingering Memories"

“October Memories” oil, Philip Thomas “The painting October Memories was painted in the studio from a reference photo taken during a workshop in Clarkesville, GA in October of 2007. We had painted on the river all afternoon and I had finished a small plein air painting and walked upstream. When I turned around, I saw the most marvelous light on the water and trees. The photo supplied some of the detail but could not fully capture the late afternoon light coming across the water and hitting the trees, setting them aglow. The memory of that light inspired this painting.”

“Dad’s Hands” watercolor, Debra Yaun  "About a year ago I photographed my dad's hands holding a piece of rope, as well as some other things from his workshop. I wanted to capture his hands with all the interesting wrinkles because they would be fun to draw and paint, also because of all the interesting things I watched those hands do over the years.  My dad was not one to just sit around, those hands were always doing something. 

Before I was born his hands were trained in the navy to be a gunner on a PBM plane in WWII, then trained to work on TV sets when television was just becoming popular.  As a little girl, those hands braided my long hair and taught me how to swim as well as fish while growing up in Florida. Those hands were used to pack parachutes and fix them since he was a licensed parachute rigger, dad skydived 2463 tim es. Those hands worked on equipment and transmitters at several radio stations, where he was an engineer. Those were the hands of a sailor on his beloved boat PET and would reach into stone crab holes and pull out a feast for dinner or catch more than one fish on a fishing pole. As those hands got older they were used to collect stamps and tend all kinds of tropical plants. Those hands fed many a squirrel in his backyard and even a crazy blue jay he called Homer that would swoop down and grab a pecan.

It always seemed to me those hands could do anything. I told my dad the painting of his hands was accepted into an art show and he was glad to hear it. Unfortunately he passed away a few days before the show went up. He would have been proud that I received an award on the painting."