On Friday, June 27th, Tappahannock Art Gallery opened their Wild and Wacky juried show which will be up until July 19th. Fifteen artists from around Virginia contributed works to the show.
The judge for this show, Gloucester resident and award-winning artist Juli Schuszler, offered her thoughts on the entries. “First, I want to say that the show is full of well-crafted and imaginative works. It was a challenge to select awards” she said. “I looked at the following criteria when judging the show. First, I looked at the work for alignment to the theme. Is the work “Wild and Wacky?” Next, I examined the work for craftsmanship in the execution of the work’s concept even though a perfectly executed work is not always a winning work. It must also be fresh and unique and seem to be a personal expression. Does it somehow push the boundaries of art and add to the body of knowledge? Finally, presentation is also important. For example, the correct choice of framing can enhance a work or break a work. Most importantly, the work must speak to me.”
TAG offered five cash awards for this show. The First prize of $300 went to Urbanna artist Carol Chandler for her multimedia delight, A New Tweet. “The multi-layered surface quality is intriguing, with soft suggestions of clouds, flowers, and branches all rendered in a delightfully loose manner,” noted the judge, “While it appears chaotic, the work is organized by a subtle visual path. Your eye is led around the work by suggestions of branches and twigs to land on the focal point, the only clean edged object in the collage, a little yellow headed bird.”
TAG Guild Artist member Leslie Rennolds won the Second prize of $125 for her collage Italian Villa. “I was drawn to this smaller work because of its striking presentation, said Schuszler. “ The collage is floating in a frame on a neatly patterned mosaic. This orderly mosaic contrasts nicely with the collage, emphasizing the loose construction of a landscape. The collage has multiple perspective points and breaks out onto the mat in a wild abandon.”
Third prize went to Newport News artist Teri Willis for her acrylic painting Peace in Chaos. Two merit awards went to Ginny Neil for her Midnight Fox collage, and to TAG Guild Artist Robert Placky for his mysterious acrylic collage The Twenty Two (priced at $222.22). Placky did reveal that 22 was the number on his high school football jersey.
Find up-to-date information for events, classes and more on TAG’s website tapparts.org.
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Carol Chandler with her First Prize winner, A New Tweet.
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Leslie Rennolds with her Second Place winner, Italian Villa.
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Robert Placky with his Honorable Mention, The Twenty-two.
About TAG: Tappahannock Artists Guild, also known as Tappahannock Art Gallery or TAG, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. The mission of TAG is to build and maintain a community art center, to promote artists and their work, and to offer opportunities for art education, cultural enrichment, and creative expression to all citizens and visitors by sharing and celebrating diverse talents, traditions, and lifestyles.
