Art show winners announced
By Winkie Lee
Published in News on June 6, 2006 1:51 PM
Joyce Cambron of Beaufort and Jacquelynn Buck of Goldsboro were among the winners in the Arts Council of Wayne County's 27th Annual National Juried Fine Arts Exhibition Monday.
Ms. Cambron won Best in Show for her oil on linen on panel work entitled "Trailer Series: Bedroom," while Ms. Buck won the Best in Wayne County award for her photography and graphite entitled "Shadowdancer."
News-Argus/Mitch Loeber
"Trailer Series: Bedroom" by Joyce Cambron of Beaufort won Best in Show in the Art Council of Wayne County's annual juried art exhibition.
Dr. Eric Denker, curator of Prints and Drawings at the Corcoran Gallery of Art and senior lecturer at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., served as juror.
Joining him in the judging process was Jeffrey N. Meizlik, a sculptor whose work has been exhibited in numerous shows, including in Washington, D.C., and New York, and who served for two years as studio assistant to Willem de Kooning.
The men were impressed with the show's entries.
"There's a lot of very good work," Denker said. "One thing I think was interesting was that the representational work dominated both the applicants and the ones we chose.
"There were a lot of good figures, too. It's nice that we have returned to that interest in our lives and in human beings."
"It was very good, very good," Meizlik said about the entries. "There were a lot more we wanted to give awards to, but we just can't."
A total of 295 works were entered from a total of 153 artists in six states. Fifty-one of those artists were from Wayne County. Seventy-seven works were selected for the exhibition; of those, 18 were by Wayne County artists.
The top winners, and why they impressed the judges, are:
*Best in Show, $1,000 cash prize: "Trailer Series: Bedroom."
"This is really well done," Denker said. "The subject is appealing, and it's beautifully painted."
The passages -- areas of paint that showed blending -- were handled well, he added, saying that better artists blend their paints instead of just applying them. This results in a more interesting look.
Denker said that, as he and Meizlik looked at the entries, they immediately decided that the painting was a strong contender for Best in Show.
*Best Wayne County Artist, $100 cash prize: "Shadowdancers."
Several photographs were entered in the competition, and it was challenging for the jurors to choose just one. What led them to pick "Shadowdancers" was how well designed and composed it was, Denker said. "It is an interesting combination of photography with a little bit of graphite added to the paper."
*Second Place, $500 cash prize: "Recycled Table," a wagon wheel, mild steel, mahogany and leather creation by Timothy Lazure of Greenville.
Meizlik said he liked the combination of toughness and delicacy. He was also impressed with how Lazure used a found object in his work.
Too often, people use found objects, but it is too obvious what that object is, he said. "Recycled Table" incorporated the wagon wheel nicely into the overall design.
"It blends in well with the other pieces" in the work, Meizlik said.
Also impressive were the patinas (surface finishes) the artist used, he added.
*Third Place, $250 cash prize: "Subjugate," a graphite, acrylic and oil by Keith Farish of Rocky Mount.
This work has "a nice handling of great draftmanship," Denker said. He was impressed with the use of light and shadow, the use of the line, and the contrast between the shoes portrayed in the work.
Pointing out an area with numerous lines, Meizlik said the speed of the line was a sign of "someone who draws well, who knows what he's doing.
"You can tell the person's touch is very competent," he said. "The wire element (in the piece) is actually an acrylic paint. It's not pencil like the rest" of the work. "It fits well ..."
*Fourth Place, $100 cash prize: "Harmony of the Spheres," a cast iron sculpture by Hanna Jubran of Grimesland. Meizlik was impressed with how massive and compact the sculpture is, and said that, even though there are some fine lines, it still retains its massive power.
Honorable mentions were awarded to Estelle Jennings and Nelda Sharkey, both of Goldsboro; David Cacote, Adam Egenolf, Paul Gianino and Elizabeth Henley, all of Greenville; Don Miller of Blounts Creek, Mary Ann Purser of Raleigh, Sally Anger of Gloucester and Doug Strickland of Benson.
Wayne County artists whose works were selected for the exhibition include Vance Allen, Andrea Barnes, Richard Brashear, Frank Fleischman, Lauren Jennings, Judi Lambert, Jennifer Martin, Sophia McHarney, Leslie Payne, Diana Smith, Jane Smith, Zeno Spence, Ruby Wallace and Vanessa Woodlock, all of Goldsboro, and Rudine Aycock of Pikeville.
The public will get its first chance to see all of the 295 entries at a preview reception Friday at the art center, 2406 E. Ash St., from 5:30 until 7:30 p.m. The entries will also be on display from 1 until 5 p.m. Sundays, June 11 and 25, and 9 a.m. until 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday, through June 25. Selected entries will remain on view Mondays through Fridays through July 21.
More information can be obtained by calling 736-3300.