Summer Serendipity Reception Recap

It’s the first day of fall and as we say goodbye to summer, we’d like to take a quick look back at our Summer Serendipity closing reception.

On Saturday, September 6, The Art Center transformed once again from a working classroom space to a classy event space. Gallery lights showcased the artwork, candles flickered on tables laden with delicious foods provided by our Guild (including Marlies Chapman’s famous cheesecake and berry topping), and upbeat music filled the air from the Porch Band playing in the corner of the main event space.

We counted at least 120 people in attendance that night, strolling through the space with small plates of hors d’oeuvres and glasses of wine, meeting the artists and discussing their work in a symphony of quiet, energetic murmurings.

The room was full to the brim by the time we made the announcement of the winners and distributed their awards. We have already shared most of the winners in our previous post on Summer Serendipity, but I want to now acknowledge the remaining sponsor award winners and the People’s Choice recipient.

Nilendra Chanda, Ribbon Sponsor

Nilendra Chanda’s ribbon award went to Fulfilled by Catalina Gomez. This piece hung in the front gallery, a portrait rendered in warm yellows and grays. The girl depicted gives a winsome look at her finger, sculpted out of paperclay and emerging from the canvas in a masterful display of mixed media technique. Upon the finger, a single delicate yellow butterfly rests.

Rich Ziegler of State Farm, Bronze Sponsor

Rich Ziegler’s ribbon was awarded to Janet Paszkowski for her piece, Hollow Tree Vista. This piece also hung in the front gallery and featured mixed media techniques to create three dimensions of depth. The piece gave the impression of looking out at a landscape from inside the hollow of a tree, with sculpted bark surrounding the warm, inviting scenery.

Fortune-Johnson General Contractors, Platinum Sponsor

The ribbon for our Platinum Sponsor, Fortune-Johnson, went to Arlaine Morrison for Clifftop Living. This was a large scale watercolor piece featuring a group of puffins gathered on a stony cliff. Watercolor can be a challenging medium to control, but this piece kept a balance between the soft and fluid spirit of the media and a careful rendering of the puffins.

People’s Choice

We had a full bowl of People's Choice votes for this show, but Veronica Moreno was a clear winner for the oil painting Only the Afternoon Arrived. This piece depicted an older woman in green, leaning against a wall outdoors with her shoes beside her. Her face is rendered in exquisite detail while the rest of the piece has a misty, impressionistic appearance that helps draw your focus where it needs to be.

Only the Afternoon Arrived by Veronica Moreno

Our next reception will be held on October 11 from 1:00-3:00 pm, for By a Thread: Contemporary Voices in Fiber. This reception will be a little different from our usual ones; in addition to the light refreshments and chance to meet the artists, artist Laura Leiden will be performing a live demonstration of the alcohol ink painting portion of her unique quilt process and then delivering an artist talk. It will be a special end to a special exhibition, and we encourage you to come see it!