Randy Higbee Gallery: December 2010

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Judge Jean Stern's Picks

And the last award is Jean Stern's (Director of the Irvine Museum) Judges Award.

I want to thank Jean and Jeff for there hard work. Believe me. They spent hours in here mumbling at the sensational artwork.

1st Place
Denise LaRue Mahlke "Lavender Twilight" $550

Denise's image captures the beautiful light in every aspect of this elegant pastel, a very difficult media.

2nd Place
Jennifer McChristian "Anticipating Alms" $900

The rich, confident colors and dramatic use of light define this rendition of an everyday French scene.

3rd Place
Mikel Wintermantel "Winter's Warm Welcome" SOLD

This is an extremely confident painting with a great use of color to capture the sunset against the snow.

Judge Jeff Horn's Award Picks

Jeff Horn is a very talented artist. He has chosen his three picks. I wish I had a video of him muttering around the gallery as he looked at all this beautiful work.

The awards are for $1000, $750 and $500 in that order.

1st Place
Andrew Bolam "Early Start" $950

Jeff's Comments
In the digital jpeg form his painting was not near as impressive as it was to me in person. I will remember that when viewing paintings on line in the future. The real thing is tonal gem. I was also drawn to the work for the beauty of it’s abstract design.

2nd Place
Kevin Courter "Dusk and the Crescent Moon" SOLD

Jeff's Comments
The mood evoked in this painting kept calling me back. A painting that takes the viewer there, is my definition of a successful painting.

3rd Place
Carol Marine "Abandoned" SOLD

Jeff's Comments
The economy of means with which this truck was painted required that I give this work an award. Every stroke is simple and direct. It appears to have been painted with ease and correctly the first time. Nothing is overworked.

Gallery Awards

These are the gallery awards for our 6 Inch Squared Show

Let me explain. I was too dysfunctional to get the ballots out so my very knowledgeable and capable staff (and I) made the choice.

These awards are $500 each.

Michael Godrey "Vroosh" $1,200

The title captures the feeling but you would have to see this work of art in person to grasp a sense of the emotion, movement, light and detail that Michael captures in this 6x6 panel. If this does not sell, it is going home with me. Magnificent!

David Teter "Vincent Thomas Bridge #1" SOLD

David's haunting image is dramatically powerful, a true tribute to a Long Beach monument.

Frank Gardner "Mexican Horseman" SOLD

Paint five more, please. The vivid color and strong shadows create a festive mood as you feel the warm Mexican light and hear the sound of the parade.

Terry Mirua "House on Horizon" SOLD

Less is indeed more. Terry's confident style is appreciated by every artist. These deft brush strokes in an almost unfinished panel lay a road map down for fellow artists to follow.

Scott Fitzgerald "California" $750

Scott's infinite attention to fine detail combined with a life time of studying the Masters made his works a standout in a very competitive field of artists.

Honorable Mentions

These are the honorable mentions for our 6 Inch Squared Show

Let me preface this by saying that any artist that had sold two or more pieces was not able to win an Honorable Mention. For God's sake. You sold two pieces. Let some other artists have some fun!

Honorable Mention receive a $100 dollar award.

And the winner of the Honorable Mentions are.......