Outside my WindowThis was a juried online member art show. The Juror was Guy Magallanes. |
1st Place Afternoon Stroll Juror's Comments: I appreciate the bold simplicity and use of color wet on wet giving the shapes movement and spontaneity. This image is so energetic. |
2nd Place Garden Wren Juror's Comments: I'm so intrigued by the design of all the swooping ribbon shapes and the careful handling of color inter-mixing the shapes and you placed the little Wren in the perfect spot. |
3rd Place Got Milk? Juror's Comments: The little fawn just jumps out and grabs the viewer's attention the background supports the fawn. I can feel the heat of the light. The title really worked well for this image. |
Honorable Mention Saturday Brunch Juror's Comments: I'm enjoying the mix of looseness and tightness, the mingling of colors and the mix of light and dark values along with the setting. Nicely set-up design and the mix of bold and restrained brush strokes. |
Honorable Mention Rosemary Juror's Comments: The composition is weighted so well, allowing the cat to be featured, you handled the window view and reflection well, we can look out and see the reflection and come back to Rosemary the cat. |
Honorable Mention I don't give a shirt Juror's Comments: The simple element isn't so simple - Look at the analogous colors, the mix of textures from the wall to the shirt. The use of value as the light hits the shirt and leaves shadows in the shirt as well as the wall. Look at all the continuous and broken lines. |
Every Leaf Speaks Bliss To MeThis was a juried in-person member art show. The Juror was John Giannotti. SCVWS members chose the winner of the People's Choice award. |
First place $100 Sweet Smells of Summer |
Second Place $75 Hidden Barns at Harvey Ranch |
Third Place $50 The Coast Beckons |
Honorable Mention $20 September Shiraz |
Honorable Mention $20 Maui Goat |
People's Choice Award $20 Every Leaf Speaks |
JuxtapositionJuxtapositions is an online show with winners chosen by popular vote from SCVWS members. Juxtaposition means placing two or more things side-by-side, often with the intent of comparing or contrasting the elements. The elements could be anything desired, such as warm/cool colors, textures, patterns, materials etc. |
First Place - $75 My Rose |
Second Place $50 Confusion |
Third Place (tie) $25 Enjoying the Light |
Third Place (tie) $25 Big Boat Little Boat |
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paintsites 2020 online showArtists submitted images of a Watercolor painting completed at a Santa Clara Valley Watercolor Society Paint Site during the past three years. Awards were given for first, second, third place and honorable mention. |
1st Place ($100) Hayes Mansion |
2nd Place ($75) Portola Vineyard |
3rd Place ($50) Nina at Moss Landing |
Honorable Mention Campbell Water Tower |
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Simply the BestArtists submitted images of their best work in watercolor from the past three years. Awards were presented for First, Second, Third Place and Honorable Mention. |
1st Place ($100) Song Writer Juror's comments: “Song Writer” by Dmitry Grudsky depicts a young woman with green highlights in her hair surrounded by blues. Everything, from the loose watercolor work in the girl’s shirt and background (leading the viewer to the girl’s exceptionally crafted face), to the coloring of the girl’s almost translucent skin, and a dreamy look on her face, all work together compositionally - and with it’s unique coloring choices - to create an unearthly quality to this piece. Everything pulls the viewer to the girl’s eyes; which look dreamily out at the world and leave us wondering what she must be thinking. Exceptional in every way. |
2nd Place ($75) Hamilton Juror's Comments: Susan Jochheim shows the viewer the Orpheum theater with its “Hamilton” sign thus giving the work its name. Susan shows what watercolor can do with an experienced hand at the helm. Gently adding the bold orange of the sign into the details of the building’s face Susan pulls the viewer's sight up, ever higher in the work, until one almost seems to crane their neck to take in the view. The light watercolor work, the composition, the details, clever use of washes, the bold orange of the sign, and the expert touches all work together to make “Hamilton” a wonderfully executed watercolor that produces a “lifting” experience in the observer. |
3rd Place ($50) Sunny Centerpiece Juror's Comments: Susan Butler-Graham’s “Sunny Centerpiece” spotlights the floral arrangement of sunflowers in a clear vessel. At first look, a viewer might conclude the painting’s focus is in the middle of this artwork - which is normally not suggested. However, the skilled techniques and the title of this work has this viewer second-guessing as to whether Susan deliberately centered the “centerpiece” or is cleverly pulling the eyes towards the true focus which is the dome of sunflowers. While each may be true, the petals at the base of the centerpiece and the long stems pulling the eyes up, suggests the latter. Susan’s use of bold, bursting colors in the sunflowers exhibits an undeniable colorist at work in this painting which is also evidenced by the use of purple (complimenting the yellow petals) in the flower’s centers instead of a brown. The refraction of the stems through the glassware is slight but also demonstrates the mastery of the artist and all of these unique features come together to make this piece stand out. |
Honorable Mention Fresh Juror's Comments: “Fresh” by Zhi Su seems to depict a table at a farmer’s market. Zhi uses colors very effectively in this detailed artwork and her composition draws the viewer’s eyes across the page expertly. The painting might have had a greater feeling of depth had Zhi “blurred” the patrons in the background (upper right-hand corner) with light washes and less detail, however, that is a subtle issue and there are many more highlights in this work to draw the focus. One such detail being the chalkboard on the box that Zhi expertly illustrates. One can imagine the work necessary to create, not only the chalk writing, but the detail of previously erased chalk. Another highlight is the way the viewer can clearly see the effects of the weight of the basket on the cardboard box. These rich details and the contrast, in lights and darks, in this work merge effectively to show a masterful still life. |
Honorable Mention Clementina's Garden Juror's Comments: “Clementina’s Garten” by Eileen Logsdon Bugée is a fearless floral work that has bold brushwork, brilliant colors, and patterning; all of which summate to provide the piece with depth, texture, and atmosphere. By laying a “field” of muted greens in patterns, flower buds, and swirls to frame and contrast with the bright, eye-catching purple of the flowers, Eileen makes those flowers “pop” off of the page at the viewer. Compositionally effective, Eileen’s work generates a contrast between the muted greens and the bright purple; which expertly focus the viewer on the flowers while allowing for the discovery of ethereal quality underlining their beauty. |
Honorable Mention Dance on a Branch Juror's Comments: Edna Acri’s “Dance on a Branch” is a wonderful example of why watercolors are a perfect medium for floral art. In this piece, Edna demonstrates a mastery of watercolor techniques and composition. The washes - both light and dark - in the background, drive the flowers of this work to the foreground where Edna’s light brushwork of barely colored washes in the flower’s petals generate the translucence of which watercolors are so famous and to which so many watercolorists strive to capture in their works. |
Best of 2020Artists submitted one of their best works that were painted in 2020. Entries were posted to instagram and members voted for their favorites. Awards were announced at the Annual Member Meeting Feb 6, 2021 |
1st Place Kaia by Beth Grant |
2nd Place Poppy Dance by Marie Gabrielle |
3rd Place (tie) Sleeping in Plein Air by Margaret Washington |
3rd Place (tie) Bob and Banji by Annie Haines |
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Summer PaletteThe show was open to all watermedia, including collage, on paper or canvas. Judging for the show was by Popular Choice, and awards were presented at the Annual Holiday Luncheon in January, 2017. |
1st Place - Summer Holiday by Caroline McClintic |
2nd Place - Have a Ball by Bridget Geiger |
3rd Place - Shut Up by John Ediger This was a tie award! |
3rd Place - Summer Palette by Candy Yu This was a tie award! |
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No Limits - Freedom to CreateArtwork could be watermedia, mixed media, and or collage. The surface could be paper, canvas, wood, plexiglass, cardboard, etc. No size limit on paintings. Framing need not be conventional. This was an opportunity to challenge our creativity. The juror was Linda Covella. |
First Place - Stick With Your Old Tools by Kaaren Marquez Juror's comments: I saw two versions of this image in the show entries. I thought it was an interesting composition in both using simple everyday objects. The first one was well done, but then in this one the artist took a chance, letting things go and using materials in a different way. I was impressed that this one had pushed the limits of what that image and materials could do in such an interesting way. The colors all hold together really well. It is loose enough that you can see the paint and see the artist hand, but it is also clear. |
Honorable Mention - Fire and Ice #2 by Sonia Siccardo Juror's comments: The strength of this composition is surprising. In some ways, it is traditional. There is this overlapping that happens with the mountain and the trees; but it is the way the watercolor is handled that is so pleasing. The contrast of the complementary colors is really good - I wouldn’t have thought to use it in this way. There is an element of surprise in this one, a gentle surprise that is not trying to bowl you over with shapes or color. It is a very simple, clean composition. |
Honorable Mention - Kaleidoscope by Peter Taber Juror's comments: I really appreciate the textures within this one and the way they work with the colors. There are beautiful color shapes but then the texture moves the composition through these little linear shapes up in the corner. It has rich color against more subtle muted colors, lots of contrast – dark light as well – there is a lot going on, but it all holds together in a nice way. It feels almost like a flower blooming out from the dark to the light, but still holds on to the abstraction. |
Most Creative - Passing Through by Taryn Curiel Juror's comments: This one is so interesting. It appears to be a reflection in a window seen from the street. It has movement and really strong horizontal and vertical elements happening – a limited palette keeps it uncomplicated and clean. It has a lot of texture that doesn’t fight with the composition, it just adds interest and more movement. This one I could spend a lot of time with. The abstract shapes let the figures reveal themselves slowly. |
Second Place - How Grape Thou Art by Nancy Near Juror's comments: The artist used this layering of color and texture that pushes the composition in ways that are really beautiful. The creation of textures that are similar but have variety create interesting spatial relationships. I like the way the thin line of blue happens against these big circular shapes and then the way the colors are layered but still kept clear and rich. |
Third Place - Shadowed Iris by Edna Acri Juror's comments: This painting has rich, intense color against the dark ground that creates a mood of mystery. Nice. There are many very well done flowers in here – I have seen this kind of style before – but I feel that this one pushes the depth of color in a way that is so interesting. Then there is all the darkness in the ground color. There are subtle shapes happening, leaf shapes that appear and disappear. The blending of the colors is really beautiful. Very nicely done. |