I submitted 3 paintings to my first juried art show this past weekend (My 3 paintings are on the very far right top corner. Sorry I didn’t get a better picture.). I chose this show because it’s in Newport, Va – ever heard of it? I’m guessing not, unless you are local. It’s a tiny little town in SW VA that doesn’t even have a stop light. They were having their 2nd Annual Community Celebration which included a juried art show, animal swap, musicians, and good Italian cooking. I was guessing a handful of local artist would submit some work – boy was I wrong – They had received over 100 submissions by some amazing artists! Being new to the local art community, I had no idea how much local talent there is. Needless to say I did not win Best in Show nor did I win second place. However, it was a great experience! I volunteered to help set up the show and with that, I got to meet some wonderful artist and local people who care about their community. The Best in Show winner was local colored pencil artist Jennifer Carpenter. Her winning entry was called “Let Me Out” (more on coming up with titles in a upcoming blog post). Her piece showed parts of a face and hands coming through a cloth. It was quite creative and sorry but I’m not doing it justice with this description. She has been working in colored pencil for over 30 years – I’ve got a long way to go! The second place winner was Sally Mook another very creative local artist who has been painting since 1990 in a variety of mediums and techniques. I was humbled by the depth of the other artists work and yet encouraged and inspired to see what I can create with several years behind me!
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