Celebrating the Summer Serendipity Winners

Summer Serendipity, our annual juried show, has returned to The Art Center for its eleventh year! We have been enjoying the incredible and varied pieces of Southeast regional artists throughout all of August, from oil paintings to wood sculptures, from bronze casts to quilts.

Summer Serendipity is our only open call juried exhibition, which means all artists had to meet the selection criteria of the chosen juror in order to display their work at this show.

This year’s juror is Inam M. Inamullah, known for his unique highly textural oil paintings of nature. He has been exhibiting worldwide for two decades and has a piece as a permanent install at Carnegie Hall in New York. He had the unenviable task of picking 70 pieces from the 248 works submitted, and then picking the final prize winners from the works displayed. We’d like to offer our heartfelt congratulations to all the selected winners!

Honorable Mentions

We had two Honorable Mentions awarded. The first went to Rae Prall for The Sixth Day. This large scale watercolor piece depicts a close-up of an elephant’s face. Rendered in warm colors and taking advantage of the complexities created when watercolor is allowed to bloom upon a page, this piece has a potent but peaceful energy to it.

The second Honorable Mention was awarded to Veronica Moreno for Without Ties. This large-scale oil painting depicts a man sleeping in peaceful repose. The warm tones of the man’s clothing and skin contrast vividly with the vibrant cool teals of the cushion on which he rests. The piece makes clever use of negative space and active brush strokes, contrasting lively details with the calm composition and subject matter. The overall effect draws you in and keeps you engaged with the piece.

Third Place

Third place was awarded to Haiqi Carr for Gentle Glow, a charcoal portrait on toned paper. Inam selected this piece for “its stunning attention to detail and masterful shading that brings the young woman’s radiant smile to life.” Inam was drawn to the emotion of the piece and how Carr’s craftsmanship reinforced its emotional core.

Second Place

Second place was awarded to Marjorie Osheroff for the sculptural portrait The Maiden. Inam was drawn to the traditional portrayal and classical skills on display, saying that the “fine ceramic details evoke a powerful connection to history, bringing to life the grace and dignity of a maiden from 2000 years ago.” Osheroff’s sculpture work uses thoughtful attention to deliberate artistic choice to create evocative and emotive portraits.

First Place

First place was awarded to Gail Wegodsky for Fleur-va-lise. This cleverly titled oil painting, which also features on the front of the show’s brochure, is a moody still life that leaps off the canvas and invites the viewer to consider the life of the person behind the objects. Inam says “I selected this painting for its exquisite attention to detail that vividly captures the spirit of an explorer. The carefully rendered suitcase, clothing, hat, and binoculars tell a compelling story of adventure and curiosity.”

Fleur-va-lise by Gail Wegodsky

The juror was not the only person who had to make tough choices to choose a winner. Summer Serendipity, as our largest show of the year, also features several generous sponsors who selected their favorite pieces to win a ribbon. Over the past several weeks, our sponsors have been coming in to examine all the work in the show and award their ribbons to the artists.

Ribbon Sponsors

Viewfinders (Michael VanPatten), Silver Sponsor

Michael VanPatten selected Beyond Stripes by Yelena Portman, a striking close up portrait of a zebra. The unusual choice of a teal eye creates a striking focal point on this unusual black and white composition.

Denise Quinlan, Realtor, Silver Sponsor

Denise Quinlan selected She Listens by Joyce Reese. This ceramic piece is a whimsical self portrait of Reese. With simple lines and forms, it conveys powerful emotion and character.

Sandra Teepen, Ribbon Sponsor

Sandra Teepen selected The Teacher’s Apple by Bruno Villanveva. This oil painting depicts a still life of an apple atop a classic leather book nestled on satin fabric. The textural work is exquisite, particularly the satin fabric with its complicated folds and eye-catching sheen.

Peachtree Hill Gallery, Ribbon Sponsor

Peachtree Hill Gallery selected Here Comes the Sun Antarctic Fur Seal by Mary Albert. This oil painting is a portrait of a seal blissfully basking in sunlight. It’s a cozy, cheerful piece with beautiful details in the seal’s thick, insulating fur.

We still have three sponsor ribbons to give, from Nil Chandra (Ribbon Sponsor), Rich Ziegler of State Farm (Bronze Sponsor), and our Platinum Sponsor, Fortune Johnson. We can’t wait to see who they select! Thank you also to Diana Clement Fine Art for your donation to the exhibition!

Thank you to all our sponsors for making this show possible. Your generosity has touched the lives of so many regional artists and all the people who have been able to view their work. Thank you also to the Fulton County Board of Commissioners, to whom the show is dedicated. We appreciate your long support of our center and its mission.

For our last award, we will need your help. People’s Choice voting is still going on this week, and the winner of the People’s Choice Award will be announced at our closing reception this Saturday, September 6. Join us from 6-7:30 pm to meet the artists and enjoy wine, hors d’oeuvres, and live music!