By Cissy Geigerman, Gallery Co-Director
Our theme this month is Borders and Fences, real or rhetorical. As always, our members love to apply the themes in many creative ways, including puns! You will have to study Katie Steck’s painting for a minute to get it, but it will hit you. After such a fabulous IWE show, it is nice to relax and enjoy the offerings from our members. As volunteers this month we had Mansueto Fabugais, and our incoming Gallery Directors, Leisa Patin and Linda Flowers. It takes a village to make this event go smoothly and we appreciate everyone’s help.
Our judgewas Diane Brahm. She is academically trained in art at the University of Texas at Austin and continues to develop and test a contemporary approach to modern portraiture and design. She strives to progress toward a fresher presentation. Ms. Brahm is adept handling oils, pastels, charcoal, and mixed watercolor. Her art has won numerous awards in both regional and national shows and has been published in national art magazines. She shares her gifts teaching art, currently in the west Houston area. She also holds workshops for adults, teens, and school aged children. Ms. Brahm has previously served on the boards of the Houston Civic Arts Association, Houston Art Society, and West Houston Area Artists.
Ms. Brahm did a thoughtful review of the entries. She used our simple system of placing yellow sticky notes on her favorites and then narrowing it down. “Such difficult choices!” she said. There were many, many notes affixed. Even though watercolor is not her primary choice of medium, she admires the versatility and look of watercolors.
First Place
Tamara Kontrimas “Shoring the Dunes”
DB: This is a lovely play of lights and darks in an unexpected way, and an abstract representation of a very realistic subject. This artist can draw, paint, and design.
TK: I had been entertaining the idea for painting the beach fences for a while, and now was the time to do it. I would love to paint more loosely like the painting next to mine, but it is more natural for me to approach it in a calculated way. To make the fences, I thought about masking, but decided to trim some brushes to the exact width.
Second Place
Larry Spitzberg “Seaside Village”
DB: I noticed several of your paintings in the gallery today, and I chose this one because I was drawn in. I love the looseness, the primary color palette, and the people in the painting. I could look at it a long time and would enjoy it in my house.
LS: I have been trying to paint like Frank Webb who, many times, uses straight lines in his works. I actually bought a ruler and used it in this one. Frank’s first step is to splash on a bunch of color and then carry on from there. That was my approach but I think I failed because I don’t know how to paint.
Cissy Geigerman: I beg to differ. Also, I enjoyed talking to Larry’s wife and she shared with me that Larry painted several of these especially for this show. The one that is recognized is actually the one that he kept going back to for tweaking. It is always hard to know when to call it done.
Third Place
L. Lynn Adamson “Peace on Earth”
DB: In spite of the small size, this is a little gem. The colors are beautiful with plenty of realism. We are glad you submitted this, keep it up!
LA: I am new to WASH from Minnesota, and this is my first entry.
Honorable Mention
Laurie Hammons “Good Fences Make Good Neighbors”
DB: I love the limited color scheme, the washes, and splashes. Just beautiful. A good title too!
LH: I started with the houses, then later got the idea for the fences and kind of went crazy.
Honorable Mention
Irene Sheytman “Walls”
DB: This is a large stone road and buildings. I love the way the roughness of the stonework and brickwork is displayed. The composition draws you in, my eyes follow all the way up the road.
IS: This is from a photograph for reference, but I changed the composition quite a bit. I added more walls, staircases, and of course railings to go with the stairs.
Honorable Mention
Carla Gauthier “Hiking Near Austin”
DB: This artist has control of the medium. It is a lovely landscape and I love the depth shown from the transition of foreground to background.
Cissy Geigerman: Carla Gauthier could not attend the reception, but is very pleased to be recognized. She is a popular instructor here at WASH and contributes in many ways. We appreciate her enthusiastic response when the Gallery puts out a call for entries.
