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Blossom II

Gallery 1

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Founder’s Purchase Award

Huli Wigman of Papua New Guinea

Sue Clanton

22” x 15” watercolor
In preparation for their ceremonial dances, the Huli Wigmen visit the forest to gather flowers and leaves to adorn their wigs of human hair.  They express pride in themselves and their culture with each step of their dance.  I tried to capture the excitement of preparation for this display of masculinity.

 

Best Botanical Award

Convallaria Majalis

Milly Acharya

11” x 15.5″ watercolor

Convallaria majalis (Lily-of-the-valley) Myosotis sylvatica (Forget-me-not) Polygonatum multiflorum (Solomon’s seal) are three spring flowers across the street from me. My friend Lauren’s majestic old tree shelters an established bed of shade plants – a delectable springtime display of fragrant lily-of-the-valley, stately solomon’s seal, timid forget-me-not. The lily-of-the-valley, a long-time candidate for inclusion in my portfolio, resisted being a sole specimen, free from the embrace of its companions! Therefore, the trio of bedfellows entered my studio for a group portrait. Following time-honored botanical convention, I illustrate only single individual plants; but since these particular spring flowers grew clustered together, roots intertwined, inseparable, like siblings or close friends, I hadn’t the heart to sunder them!

 

 

Best of Show

Blue with Oleanders

Berry Fritz

12” x 12″ oil
I am often inspired by the 17th Century Dutch still-life painters and frequently use dark shadowy backgrounds for my paintings. For this painting however, I decided to lighten up. I was aiming for a balanced composition that served to showcase the delftware ceramics and at the same time celebrate the flowers. All the objects in the painting have an inherent delicacy, especially the flowers, so I thought they would be best served by a subtly neutral color scheme.
 

 

Best of Small Work

Firecracker Mumms

Susan Elwart Hall

8” x 10″ oil
Two lonely mumms awaiting their final resting place. I gave them one last look and they seemed to speak to me. With a brush in my hand and a dark background from another still-life I gave them another chance. To my surprise I rather liked the outcome. So, I present to you a new conception “Firecracker Mumms.”
 

 

Award of Exellence

Spring

Nilton Mendonca

24.5″ x 20” oil
“My paintings are realistic and detailed and I lend much of my feeling to them. I work a lot with the contrast of chiaroscuro and the creation of a scene begins when some object attracts me: a photo, a vase, a flower, a bird… I try to create an event for this object and a small story begins to be told, with the objective of motivating some feeling within the spectator. In the painting “Spring” I tried to symbolize on the labels of jars, the delicacy of a hummingbird preparing to absorb not only the nectar from flowers, but also a possible sweetness that still exists within those candy jars. Indifferent to all this, a little nuthatch bird plays with the ball that it found…”