The winners of the Naperville (Illinois) Art League’s 14th annual public art competition were announced at a reception held at the Naperville Fine Art Center and Gallery on Sunday, March 19, 2017.
The exhibit, entitled “#SillySerious-ness,” caught the attention of regional artists of all ages who submitted work reflective of the theme. Fifty entries, encompassing original work in a variety of media, were displayed and considered for the awards.
Artist Pamela Carron was selected to judge this competition. She had the difficult task of selecting winners out of the 50 entries. Prizes were awarded to sixteen individual winners:
Best of Show:
Patricia Melekus “Rape of Europa” Acrylic
Awards of Excellence:
Jeannail Carter Too Many to Choose From” Colored Pencil, Pen, Ink
Scott Harding “Pumpkin Top” Oil on Linen
Gary Schirmer “The Ripley Effect” Oil
Honorable Mentions:
Cynthia Boudreau“Bubbling Up” Fiber
Marissa Burch “Treehouse” Mixed
Kathleen Geisinger “Winter at Geneva Lake” Photography
Tatiana Guarino “Tatiana Guarino” Oil
Beth Hobby “Mask: Autoportrait” Assemblage
Valerie Lorimer “Her Life Was a Circus” Mixed
Judy MacLeod “The Sisters” Mixed Media
Kevin Pranaitis “Am I Brave, Daddy” Photography
Sally Sharp “Seriously?” Oil & Cold Wax
Judy Tucker “Picasso in Piecing” (pictured above) Fabric
Marita Valdizan “Life as it Happens” Mixed Media Wire Crochet
Charles Williams, Jr. “Maze” Acrylic
“I was very impressed with the quality of artwork we received for our ‘#SillySeriousness’ competition. Even more amazing is the depth of intimacy that the pieces exude,” said Debbie Venezia, Executive Director of the Naperville Art League.
“#SillySeriousness” runs through Friday, March 30, 2017.
Lake House Quilts & Art Retreat 