In an act of charity, generosity, or whatever, the judge did something he says has never done before and would not normally do... he disqualified the previous winners of the competition for awards in the quick draw, opening up the field for the rest.
Me with my scrawny Ft. Concho sketch. Some of us felt fortunate to get Honorable Mentions, given the depth of the competition...Thanks to Jim Rogers for the great photo!
Not the judge's winners, you understand, but mine... Each artist had the two hours between cannon sound to produce his or her entry. Here are some of the best paintings turned in after the cannons shot off and we had to stop. Very few of them won Quick Draw awards, as they were done by most of the previous winners on Friday, and the judge decided to spread around the love... Thank you very much!
Another impeccable watercolor by David Csont...
Not one of the "29", Liz Bonham painted one of my favorites. I believe she did win a prize for this. The artists not involved in the En Plein Air TEXAS Competition were judged separately in their own category.
Jonathan Gaetke has a unique eye and a powerful knack for design- taking this otherwise mundane scene and painting a compelling city-scape.
It was Jason Sacran who earned the ultimate compliment from the judge, having painted an award winning painting which the judge "wished he had painted." But I liked his quick draw entry even better. The young painter smacks of the same genius we all admire in Sargent and Schmid.
John P. Lasater IV will always be one of the contenders wherever he goes. He relishes in architecture, rich hues, and sometimes complex designs like this one, which would buffalo your average plein air enthusiast... Why is it the leaning utility poles look so charming in his paintings, yet in real life I see them as eyesores? That is the "artist's touch" we always talk about.
Myra Knapp produced "Junk and Disorderly" for the quick draw, and it is anything but. With a more contemporary approach to design, this painting is evidence of true painting skill, especially use of temperature, and a great feel for the abstract qualities every painting should have underneath.
Tina Bohlman made this engaging watercolor out at Fort Concho. I painted it twice during my week at San Angelo- and always found it difficult to find a decent arrangement of buildings, where the artist can show depth and create a "sense of place" as Paul Strisik always strived for... and she did it here.
Once again Ray Hassard takes away the top honors... he always finds beauty in unexpected places. All week, while others were looking at the same alleys and trails, he was exploring the veritable wastelands of forgotten industrial discards. Saturday morning he saw the reflections in this grid-like tattoo shop window as a great quick draw subject... but it needed some reds. He moved his car so that it was reflected in the glass...
Congrats on getting the honorable mention! I'm recognizing a lot of well known names on here. I would have been humbled too! Great posts of the event!! I wish there was a way to get email notifications of a new post on here.
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