2nd Place: Stewart Falls - Francis R Huffman
“At first glance this might seem nice but not necessarily special.  But when I enlarged it I saw how unique it was.  The design is wonderful…offsetting the falls so that nothing is really smack in the middle.  The lost and found of the rocks…some more detailed others just hinted at.  But the clincher for me was the gorgeous purple color on the rocks alongside the left of the bottom waterfall.  Because it is a bit more intense than the grays it creates a feeling of light within the shadows.  The sparing use of white also creates a feeling of movement…you can almost hear the splash as it cascades down.”

3rd Place: Morning Mist - Wendy Gallart
“As with most of the images that win awards, this one caught my attention immediately.  First the mood and atmosphere of a peaceful misty day brought me to a distinct place.  But then, the analysis of what works so well began.  There is a subtle harmony of colors from the yellow in the sky, the pink and then the blues in the water…finally echoed in the rocks as well.  The transition from the lost edges of the far away water to the details  in the foreground…the stillness far away to the movement of the water near the rocks is masterful.  The more I looked at this image the more I noticed and this is a quality I look for in a painting.” 

President’s Award: Her First Born - Teresa DeSeve
”This painting persuaded me to return to it, with its limited color scheme which draws attention to the light and dark patterns of the composition. For seated figures, it has a sense of movement and energy. with the varied hard and soft edges leading us to focus on the tangent between two faces. I wondered at the relationship between the figures, and about the chair they occupy, the light of the day, are they outdoors? What is going on around them? The title gives reference to the fragment of unease a new mother feels, mixed with the wonder, responsibility, and privilege of parenting. The old-timey feel of this painting, and the fact that the portraits are not tightly drawn, but diffused enough that we can relate to them, help to make me wander in it, which is the best response to a good painting. I feel I could invite this painting into my living space, enhanced by its presence and point of view.”

~ Mary Beth Morrison, President of Pastel Society of Maine

Laurinda O'Connor Memorial Award: Ordinary People's Residence No. 3 - Feng Wan 
“This image totally attracted me from the start.  Although it is less colorful than most, the design is incredibly appealing not just for the arrangement of the buildings and ground, but also for the way the minimum colors like the red and the blue bounce back from the most prominent places in the foreground to the hints that appear as  it takes us down the alley.  The sense of light is so strong, once again bouncing off of the alley with its yellowish green bright light of the sidewalk to the awning above the pedestrian.  This painting is so subtle and yet so intriguing.”

Pastel Society of America Award: Nantahala Forest - Jim Hallenbeck
”This was the first image I saw and I was immediately taken with the color and the design.  I like seeing a tree that transcends a tree. The hits of red among all the greens and blue really gives this painting a sparkle.  This is a color feast for the eyes.  But despite all the vivid colors the values keep it from being garish and the technique is diverse and lovely.  The tree trunks and branches are put down with so much authority of strokes and they play nicely against the softness of the clouds and sky.”

Connecticut Pastel Society Award: Below the Falls - Sharon Boisvert 
”This was an image that I first passed by as I was scrolling.  But when I started to look more carefully at each painting, I became enthralled with the foreground.  The strokes and the colors bring such a feeling of movement over the rocks.  But it isn’t just the movement, it is the creative handling of those strokes…the combination of the soft edges of the water as it approaches the rocks in beautiful contrast to the sharper more distinct strokes and edges of the water on the rocks in the foreground.  This painting, like in many successful paintings, invites the viewer to see more and more each time it is seen.”

Pastel Society of New Hampshire Award: Robson Street Shoppers - Andrew McDermott 
”There is a lot to love in this image.  First, it is designed not so much with objects but with values.  This painting is a great example of thinking in an abstract way…that is just as shapes…but creating an illustrative narrative.  There is a perfect harmony of color…the way the reds echo throughout bringing us into the frame.   I love how the figures on the right are mostly dark values defined only by their legs and umbrellas creating a wonderful group of people. The strokes and colors give us a wet pavement and the broken edges of the legs have the figures emerge from the painting rather than sitting on top of it like cut outs.”

Central Massachusetts Pastel Society Award: Poetic Transformation - Angelina Penev 
”I see a lot of beautiful ocean scenes, great waves crashing on the shore.  This one caught my eye initially because of its point of view. It evokes the feeling that your are standing right there, on the top of those rocks looking down at the crashing waves.  There is so much movement and “noise” in this painting.  The design, the colors and the use of the pastel medium are masterful in this piece.  The strokes give off so much energy they reflect the movement of the surf as well.   Finally, I like the way white is used…not a lot, not much pure white…just enough to bring you to the splash.”

Pastel Painters Society of Cape Cod Award: Where the Light Lingers - Tamara Swindler 
”At first glance I knew I liked this image but I didn’t yet know how much.  As is true of several of the pastels here, it drew me in more and more each time I looked at it.  A seemingly simple, ordinary landscape at first glance, I realized it was so well designed and has such a good combination of subtle and intense colors.  The path takes you back creating a wonderful perspective that defies its small size.  The sky also has such lovely subdued colors towards the horizon…the yellow, pinks and blues creating a wonderful foil for that intense orange sunset that then quietly goes into the purple…a sky that gives us both drama and rest.  Finally, the echo of the colors of the sky in the ground vegetation completes this beautiful painting.”

Comments by Aline Ordman, Judge