WSAG Members' Show

Members' Exhibit Award Winners—2011

The West Suburban Artists Guild’s

83rd Annual Members Art Exhibition

Show Theme "SERENITY"

Awards and commentary by Jonathan Frankliln

Best of Show, Katie Mussio Into the Woods
Theme Award, Maureen McKee Sunset Pinks
Excellence Award, Cherie Salerno, Nine Muses
Excellence Award, Steve Johnson Rainy Afternoon,
Award of Merit, Carol Friedle Unknown Weed
Award of Merit, Marge Zwadlo The Missing Link
Walgren Watercolor Award, Vashti Varnado Their Eyes Were Watching God
People's Choice, Bonnie Getz Power Outage
Music was provided by the Ringshout musicians

Best of Show Award

Kate Mussie, ‘Into the Woods’
Obviously this piece stood out from the others because of its larger proportion. Good or bad it would have been hard to ignore. But in this case it was well worth the attention. I was immediately struck by the Kate’s use of delicate translucency and her subtle use of color. The overlapping shapes of birds and insects seem to reaffirm their separate fragilities as interconnected creatures. Only the owl, who is either about to lift off or settle down, seems to be interrupting the serenity of the moment. Defying scale and natural space Kate has invited viewer’s eyes to wander about and discover the various layers of activity. I also enjoyed how Kate technically defined some of the insects and birds, letting the background shape them as opposed to being imposed upon it. Viewing Kate’s painting one could

Theme Award

Maureen McKee, ‘Sunset Pinks’
Here is an artist who is a master of her craft. Her two other pieces in the show confirm this. Both of them tempted me. But finally, and fortunately, I settled upon this piece. What is the nature of Nature? What is serenity? Maureen has answered these questions in ‘Sunset Pinks.’ She not only described the essence of such an impression, she ably created its literal representation as well. This work can be seen as a beautiful abstraction that deals with the subtle treatment of pastel and nuances of color. But it is also with effortless skill that she captures the spirit of a specific place and time. I immediately thought of the works by the British landscape artist Joseph Turner who turned sunsets into vibrant but diffused clouds of colored light. Maureen’s light touch has turned that light into reflection that begs for more. But in this case, less is much, much more.

Walgren Water Color Award

Vashti Varnado “ Their Eyes Were Watching God”
As I studied Vashti’s watercolor I began asking questions as to whom these people are? What is their relationship with one another? Where are they from? Is this a local scene or is it an entirely different region of the world? Why is the woman holding a picture? And who is it? And on and on.
I was immediately drawn to the narrative behind Vashti’s work and realized that her use of watercolor was more of a means to an end rather than an end in itself. She was using the watercolor not so much as a technique but more as a tool to push the narrative forward. I had to then ask myself what it was that I was actually supposed to be awarding. Technique? Subject Matter? I finally decided that Vashti’s piece was simply put, an intriguing story and a beautiful watercolor.

Cherie Salerno, “Nine Muses”
This is where my own subjectivity impedes on my objectivity. Being one who is partial to spontaneity and impulse I was intrigued with Cherie’s unselfconscious play with washes and layering of overlapping colors. That alone compositionally would have been plenty. But it was her simple and wonderfully spare pencil meanderings in the ‘Nine Muses’ that revealed her subjects like ghosts. As our eyes wander across the drawing, her muses keep appearing and disappearing, but always with mischievous smiles that translate inwards and outwards.

Excellence Award

Steve Johnson “Rainy Afternoon”
I have been to this farm. I have walked in the tall wet grass that soaked my shoes. Steve’s drawing is an uncanny entry into this landscape. Compositionally it is a brilliantly rendered scene. He bisects the horizontal planes with two vertical diagonals just off center and turns them into a tree so real it begs to be climbed. We can almost count the blades of grass, walk around the fence and peel off strips of old

Merit Award

Carole Friedle ‘Unknown Weed’
My first reaction to Carole’s work was to the warm washes of color and the interesting treatment of the wild plant. And then as studied it more closely I realized that it was not a watercolor as I had assumed but a print. Printmaking is about putting pieces together in a specific order. It is also about layering textures and lines, and colors and shapes. Carole’s ‘Unknown Weed’ is an apt example of all of these elements. She makes each step tangible, immediate and resolved. But I particularly enjoyed how she enhanced the weed with shades of green to bring it into the foreground. It’s the sum of all the parts that brings it all together.

Merit Award

Marge Zwaldo ‘The Missing Link’
Sometimes big surprises come in small packages. Marge’s ‘The Missing Link’ is just that. It is a tiny jewel and it caught my eye as soon as I entered the show. Were these abstract blue patterned spots suggestions of some link to the past or future? Footprints? It was very organic. The opaque earth tones vied for space amidst the spotted textured fields of gray, in a way reminding me of the surface of an ancient rock. I enjoyed how the colors seemed to be both pushing and pulling at the same time. The presence of the Marge’s work is commanding. But its overall effect is quite intimate which is no small feat to accomplish.

Merit Award

Ken Salerno ‘6 Dollars and a Clean Shirt’
Whimsy and humor are great attributes but when they are combined with art they make wonderful partners. Ken’s ‘6 Dollars and a Clean Shirt’ elevates the discussion to another level that includes a wry sense of irony in terms of what he is representing, and a distinct sense of (at least in my case) awe as to how he managed to create the piece in the first place. Ken’s piece also stands out because it is one of a kind in this exhibit, and quite an excellent specimen at that. He could just as easily created the shirt as a two dimensional collage but its three dimensionality gives it a sense of tactile immediacy and accessibility. The curiosity is piqued, the questions are many, and Ken’s skill and vision are undeniable.

Peoples Choice Bonnie Getz "Power Outage"	rphosis Music was provided by the Ringshout musicians
Mary Meike was in charge of the wonderful food	'Hmm- delicious food, including a donation from Edible Arrangements!!