2021 BWS Member Exhibit at Strathmore

January 16 through March 13, 2021

Strathmore Mansion
10701 Rockville Pike
North Bethesda, MD 20852-3224

Exhibition Complete

Judge of Awards: Galvin Glakas

Glakas began showing his work in galleries almost immediately and has won numerous honors for his artwork, including awards from the Portrait Society of America and the Butler Institute of American Art. His paintings have been featured on NBC News and in American Art Collector, International Artist, Art Business News, Elan and The Strand magazines and exhibited at museums and galleries throughout the country. 

Glakas’ paintings hang in the United States Capitol, the House of Representatives’ Armed Forces Committee, Georgetown University, The Society of the Four Arts in Palm Beach and the Ratner Museum in Bethesda, as well as numerous private collections.

Enjoy the Juror's statement on the award Winners

I want to thank the Baltimore Watercolor Society for inviting me to judge their 2020 Signature Member Exhibit at Strathmore Mansion. I really enjoyed seeing so much excellent artwork.

When I judge a show, I’m basically looking for two elements: idea and execution. I want to see work done with a high level of talent that is depicting visual or psychological ideas that I find interesting and challenging. I want to see an artist set up a difficult or intriguing problem and then try to solve it in a unique way.

Sometimes I am drawn to work that looks like it was a stretch for the artist - an ambitious reach for something that is just beyond their grasp. Other times, I respond to the seeming ease and masterful handling of something simple and concise. Sometimes the idea is better, sometimes the execution is better, and every once in a while, when lightning strikes, creativity and execution exist in a perfect harmony of excellence.

I try to remain impartial and to judge pieces strictly based on their artistic merits, but at times the sheer enjoyment I get out of a piece supersedes any other criteria.

1st Place - “St. Nicholas and the Wedding of the Three Sisters” by Christine Duke 
I was drawn to the sheer ambition and very successful execution of this piece. It is a very difficult assignment that was beautifully composed and excellently rendered.

Second Place - “Keys and Glass” by Karen Norman
I was really impressed by this piece for its flawless execution and the artist’s ability to create both a very classical and a very contemporary feel.

Third Place - “Clang Clang Clang” by Deb Cohan This is just a brilliantly composed image and the sketchy and painterly execution combined with the accurate drawing and minimal application of paint make for an interesting juxtaposition.

Honorable Mention - “On a Mission” by Kathy Daywalt
I responded to the juxtaposition of two and three dimensional imagery here and I thought the type of patterns throughout the piece worked both abstractly and in terms of helping set the tone for the subject matter.

Honorable Mention - “Oranges for J. Albers” Gloria Tseng Fischer
I thought this was a flawless piece that couldn’t be improved upon. Classical and contemporary. Accurate and explosively loose. 3-dimensional depiction of space with an overall sense of 2-dimensional design. A fully realized work of art.

Honorable Mention - “Lucern, Switzerland” by Antonia Tiu
The sense of aerial perspective gives this scene a real sense of space and believability and the subtle colors communicate the feel of cold winter direct sunlight.

Life Artist Award, "Georgetown University from Key Bridge" by Barry Lindley
I thought this was a nicely composed piece where the artist communicated the light on the buildings and the color harmonies between buildings and sky very well.

Congratulations to all!

Award Winning Paintings - Slide Show

The slide show below will provide a closeup view of each of the Award Winning Paintings. The slide show is followed by a presentation of each of the paintings included in this exhibition. 

COPYRIGHT STATEMENT

All images are the property of the artists and protected by copyright. No image can be used without the written permission of the artist.

Full Gallery of the 2021 BWS Member Exhibit at Strathmore

COPYRIGHT STATEMENT

All images are the property of the artists and protected by copyright. No image can be used without the written permission of the artist.