Belleville Art Association Annual Juried Show "Mindscapes"

The BAA show is on now at the John M. Parrott gallery in the Library in Belleville. The opening was last Thursday evening and there was a record number of people attending, as far as I could tell.
Unfortunately, I did not enter any paintings this year, as I was away, but here is a copy of the painting that I would have entered. It is called "Spooky Maples" a sort of Halloween, semi-abstract version of maple trees.

Here are some of the jurors comments on the show:

Some of the works depicted here are, in essence, landscapes with the usual expectations of trees, hills, water, etc. and some artists have taken risks by abstracting these shapes; forming them into brilliantly rendered “Mindscapes”.

Some of the most exciting paintings in “Mindscapes” are devoid of extraneous features. One just gets to enjoy the pure colour and composition. Let it wash over you and see the landscape through the artists’ eyes. The bold colour sense and colour selections evoke the true spirit of abstract expressionism. You can feel and witness the memories of landscapes that have been distilled into bold bands of colour.

The diversity of the submissions and the talented manner in which the artists took on the challenge of the “Mindscapes” theme is brilliant! Paring down the works to a specific number to form the show was very challenging. Many wonderful works had to be set aside.

The selection of the final categorical awards as suggested by the show committee, were a little difficult to ascertain. Many of the works overlapped the specific categories as set out. We have tried to abide by their suggestions and at the same time be fair in the awards selections.

As jurors we enjoyed the opportunity of seeing close-up the impressive artistic talent of Belleville artists. We hope that viewing the artwork that we have selected will also be a wonderful experience for visitors to this show.

---Shirley Erskine and Gerry de Jong

Congratulations to the following award winners:

2 Jurors’ Choice: Bob Pennycook Strength and Patience, Mandy Bing Dangling Conversation Wilma Alexander/Drawing Skill: Roger Turrall Eunice Bea Williamson/Innovative Use of Colour: Sue Panko One Lump or Two Muriel Andrews/Excellence in Design: Reta Brooks Eclectic Neighbourhood Honourable Mentions: Joan Reive Out Of My Mind #1, Sharon Bower In My Mind David Brown Memorial Award/Best Theme Related: Sharon Kennedy Lost President’s Award /Impact Factor: Nadine Goulet A Hot Idea Non-representational: Marion Casson Brainwaves Past Chair Choice/ Impressionism: Bob MacIntosh Purple Hills Best Use of Light: Ilona Mayer Perfect Day’s Ending

Congratulations to the award winners