Newburyport Art Association
2nd Regional Juried show
Painting - Oil/Acrylic Prize, $100
“Family of Four”

Judge's comments: “Family of Four” is a physically small painting that packs a large punch. From the loose, confident manner of the artist's brushstrokes, to the choice of the bright sun-drenched colors, to the wonderfully tight composition, it has a power that surpasses any work submitted. Whenever I see a painting like this, which seems so simple and so direct on the surface, I know how hard the artist has worked to make it so. I also like the fact that the artist did not attempt to give any definition to the faces, it strengthens the abstract quality of the composition; and it finally serves to remind us of old photos of our own families.”
- Michael Culver, Judge
  (Michael Culver is the curator at the
  Museum of American Art, Ogunquit, ME)

Newburyport Art Association
Winter Juried show
Mary Alice Arakelian Memorial Prize for
Best of Show, $100
“Red Moon”

Jan Searle’s use of intense color captured the eye of the judge, earning top honors in the Newburyport Art Association’s Members Winter Juried Show.

Searle’s oil piece "Red Moon" topped a field of about 200 works to win the $100 Mary Alice Arakelian Memorial Prize for Best of Show in the annual show.

In her written comments, the show's judge, Jennifer Moses, and associate professor at the University of New Hampshire, said the strength of color and shape initially drew her to Searle's painting. "The welling intensity of the red and orange has an arresting quality." Writes Moses, "and the feeling of internal turmoil working in concert with the graphic imagery gives the work a sense of expansion and contraction, a breathing quality.

"The tree remains singular, despite its closeness in hue to the ground, creating a sense of pathos in the midst of bright color."

Saying every entry had qualities that provoked interest, Moses called the show one of the most difficult she's ever judged. While she commended the overall craftsmanship in the show, she said her final decisions were based on a variety of things. "I was looking for a sense of rigor and life in all the work, be it bombastic or subtle," she wrote. "I also was interested in curating a range of viewpoints and imagery. I looked for strength in the touch and mark-making."

Methuen's Kevin Foley took second-place honors, scoring the $75 H. Patterson Hale Jr. Memorial Prize for Excellence for the oil painting.