Best in show? Meet the winners of 35th Art in Gadsden exhibit

If you haven’t been to the Gadsden Arts Center & Museum lately, now is a great time to go! This year’s Art in Gadsden presents 100 beautifully made works of art, made possible in part by Presenting Sponsors Thomas Howell Ferguson P.A. and Black Fig.

This year’s juror, arts professional Katee Tully advised the crowd of 226 people at the opening reception and awards ceremony, to “Walk through this exhibition slowly, stop, and look. You will find art that inspires you, art that makes you laugh, art that makes you ask questions, art that touches you. This exhibition is a visual treat. Spend some time with it.”

Tully is an installation artist and ceramic artist, and former Executive Director of the Morean Arts Center who orchestrated the Chihuly project in St. Petersburg. Tully said selecting works of art for awards is difficult. In the end, she chose art that spoke to her.

Sponsored by Doug Croley Insurance Services, Inc., Mary Katherine Lawler and Will Croley, the Best of Show award went to Dean Gioia for his acrylic painting titled "Summer Twilight, Posey’s." Of this piece, Gioia said, “My artistic goals here are to simply present the twilight scene with as much passion and understanding as I can.”

First place, sponsored by Iron Oak Wealth Management, Alexander Hinson, was awarded to Janice Ecinja McCaskill for two acrylic paintings – "Gramps," and "Tall Timbers Eclipse."

Of these pieces, McCaskill said, “Through my family genealogy research, I discovered that my Gramps, Jim, was a dog trainer who managed fox hunts. I imagined him being the fox whisperer and a fox trainer as well. Gramps told me a story about the day the sun disappeared from the sky while walking his dog in the woods. This is my depiction of that day of the solar eclipse that Gramps witnessed amid the red hills and tall pine trees of South Georgia.”

Second place, sponsored by Lines, Hinson, and Lines, Alex Hinson, was awarded to Eluster Richardson for his panoramic oil painting titled "Peace." Of this painting, Eluster said “This piece is an oil on canvas, featuring people kayaking in Sandestin and giving the peace sign. This and the piece above it capture the importance of water in our lives, a resource that is being lost.”

Sponsored by Full Earth Farm, Lucy Harris, the Third Place award was given to Marina Brown for her watercolor, "Sun Bath with Water." Of this piece, Brown said, “How to capture what moves, what disappears, what provokes momentary joy? Water (and sunlight) and our reaction to them is a universal delight that I try to capture…if but for a fleeting moment.”

Tully recognized four additional, very remarkable pieces for Honorable Mentions this year:

Joe Johnson, "Hurricane," oil on canvas. Of his work, Johnson said, “This painting was inspired by the crazy weather we've had in the past - especially Hurricane Katrina and Michael. The painting suggests the wind, waves and destruction caused by these storms.”

Joan Kanan, "Conversation over Cuban Coffee," oil. Kanan said of this painting, “The inspiration was from a picture sent to me by my daughter of two men drinking coffee in a Cuban Cafe. To me they symbolized the companionship of elderly men sharing a conversation and remembering past glories.”

Lucrezia Bieler, "Sheltered," single sheet of black paper cut with scissors. Bieler said, “Looking at this work, one feels close to the ground, surrounded by the tall grass. Weaving in and out through the tall grass a covey of quail is surrounding and protecting a sheltered quail.”

Larry McIntosh, "Coffee Roasters," digital photograph. McIntosh said of this image, “Coffee Roasters is part of an experimental portraiture series currently in progress. The portraits highlight people living and working along Florida's Forgotten Coast. Portraits are digitally manipulated to give a ‘wet plate’ look and feel.”

The 35th Art in Gadsden exhibition, Fletcher Museum Shop, and three additional exhibitions are on view at Gadsden Arts through Sept.16, Tuesdays – Saturdays, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Admission is free for members and children, and $5 for nonmembers. The ArtZone family studio is open every Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., with free admission. For information about guided group visits, featured events, and more, visit gadsdenarts.org.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Meet the winners of 35th Art in Gadsden exhibit