24th Annual Juried Art Exhibit

Tonight was the Jasper Community Arts reception and awards presentation for the 24th Annual Juried Art Exhibit at Krempp Gallery in Jasper, Indiana. This is an exhibit of two and three-dimensional artwork by artists from Indiana, its contiguous states, and former residents. The exhibit includes a wide variety of media and techniques: oil, acrylic, prints, photography, collage, fiber, sculpture, mixed media, graphite, and others. I'm VERY happy to announce that the Best of Show was awarded to a fiber piece called "Left Coast" by Kathy Loomis. Congrats Kathy!!! On the left (below), you can see a close up of the piece.

I always like to see fiber in all-media exhibits like this one, and I wasn't disappointed--there were four fiber pieces in this exhibit. That is the most I can ever remember being in this show. All of the fiber pieces were made by members of a group to which I belong--LAFTA (Louisville Fiber and Textile Artists). Kathy had two pieces chosen for this exhibit. Her second piece is "Hot Town". The insert shows it in detail. This is a two-color quilt, but it is REALLY hard to see that in the photograph.

My piece, "Remembrance," was in the exhibit. The quilt really looks cream colored in this picture, but it is actually stark white. It is hand quilted and hand embroidered.

Vickie Wheatley's quilt, "Anxiety Quilt 2-Cutting Corners," was a nice addition to the exhibit. It is machine quilted with VERY close straight-line quilting.

The final fiber piece, "My First Quilt," was made by Debby Levine. She labeled it mixed media. It has hand stitching and what I think is metal attached to what looks like a linen handkerchief.

There were lots of oil and acrylic paintings. Here are a few. (Top--"Promenade in Cologne" by Todd Snyder received an Honorable Mention, "Pray Station 2" by John DenHouter; Bottom--"Hot Springs" and "Resilient" Honorable Mention by Abby Laux)

There was sculpture and other three-dimensional work. (Top--"Snakeskin Stick Box Award of High Honor and "Hanging Stick Box" by Wendi Smith; Bottom--"Music" and "Cosmic Swirl" by Larry Beisler)

There were collages, drawings, mixed media, wood, and other pieces. (Top--"Father Studies II" is steel and wood by Matthew Boonstra, Bottom left to right--"Searching for Joan" is a monotype and received an Honorable Mention Award by Katherine Fries, "Black Widow" (acrylic) by Emily Meyer, and a photograph "Thou Art That" by Stacy Graan. I didn't know lady bugs had hair until I looked at this photo.)

(Left--"April 28" (hydrostone--I have no idea what this is.) by Kerri Mehringer, Top right--"Grey Skies, Blackbird, Rocky Road" (acylic) by Rhonda McEnroe, Bottom right--"My First Quilt" (mixed media) Debby Levine.

(Top--on the left and right are pieces by Curtis Uebelhor, left "Drive-by Archeology Henderson Train Depot" Honorable Mention, right "Latch Key II" (both pieces are mixed media), middle "Anxiety Quilt 2-Cutting Corners" (fiber) by Vickie Wheatley; Bottom--on the left is Kit Miracle's oil painting "Pumpkin Head", on the right is "Mask" Award of Excellence by Michael Nichols. The description said it is "Airbrushed Bruon Fresco on ceramic support.")   

Kremp Gallery is a really nice space, and they had a very nice reception.

There is a lot more art to see at this exhibit (and, of course, pictures don't do the pieces justice). If you get a chance, stop by. If you need hours and/or an address (or any other information about the exhibit) check out the Jasper Art Center website here.