On display in the Betty and Art Robins Group Gallery
11/12/24 - 1/2/25
Reception: Friday, November 15, 6-8 pm
This un-themed, Members-only show is always a holiday delight! We invite our artists to showcase the work they are most proud of, allowing you the opportunity to snatch it up as a holiday gift! This show will be judges, with ribbons to be given out at the reception.
Congratulations to the ribbon winners! And an extra special thanks to our judge, Lee Ann Garrison. See below for her Judge’s statement.
1st: Nate Halwel, Waiting for Chips
2nd: Mike Sleadd, Hand of An Aging Artist
3rd: Jadi Davis, Crystal Labeija from “For Those Who Dared” Series
Honorable Mentions
Kate Gray, Black and Gold Sunset
Randall McDermit, Distinguishing Yourself
Gennie Pfannenstiel, Dancing in the Rain
Judge’s Statement:
Columbia is a city that wholeheartedly embraces the arts, exemplified by its vibrant Arts District, the First Friday events, and the ongoing contributions of the Columbia Art League. I am honored to have been invited a second time to jury a members’ exhibition at the Columbia Art League. This exhibition showcases the remarkable diversity of artistic expression within our community, encompassing everything from fine arts to high-level crafts. Featured works include paintings, photographs, drawings, collages, ceramics, sculptures, fiber art, functional wooden objects, and captivating jewelry. It is always a pleasure to witness the extensive range of skills, techniques, and creative concepts that our local artists present. Spending time in the gallery today was truly a rewarding experience.
Jurying an exhibition is always difficult because there are so many great choices. As with any jury, artists know selections are just the juror’s opinion and a different juror would surely select other works.
I was drawn to Nate Halwel’s portrait by the quality of the paint, especially the edges where the hair meets the background on the right. The pensive gaze of the quiet woman captures a moment of stillness and thought. The frame also intrigued me. It becomes part of the painting. The soft blue line of the frame on the left dissolves into white along the bottom and right side while blending with the background color across the top. The strong vertical of the blue echoes the verticals of the thicker light brown on the right with is set off by the whitish blue frame and the dark green verticals that border it. To me, the painting showed more than the title, Waiting for Chips, implied.
Mike Sleadd’s Hands of the Aging Artist, intrigued me with its intricate pen and ink lines and marks in the central image set off by the dark background. A viewer could spend a long time moving through the image following the intricate pathways created by the chiaroscuro light and shadow of the strange collection that loosely resembles a hand.
Jadi Davis’s Crystal Labeija from “For Those Who Dared” Series brought a moment of joy when I turned to that wall. The felted portrait of a woman created in monochromatic grays and blacks against the patterned blue woven background pushed out of the black mat in the white frame, then pushed even closer to the viewer with the furry black and white collar or scarf that extends over the frame and invades the viewer’s space.
I know I selected a large number of Honorable Mentions, but any one of them could easily have been in the top three. And many more could have been added. I enjoyed each and every piece in this exhibit.
