Peninsula Art League exhibition features some amazing talent

“JESSICA” BY MIKE CORCORAN

The Gig Harbor Civic Center is hosting Peninsula Art League’s Sixth Annual Open Juried Art Exhibition this month, and it is definitely worth checking out. Featuring works from 44 Northwest artists in a wide variety of mediums, the exhibit includes many stunning framed pieces by gifted local artists.

Opening night was June 3, with awards announced by nationally respected watercolorist Judy Morris, who acted as juror. The top $1,000 prize for best in show went to Beverly Hanson for her photograph “Reflection On An Urn – India.” Mary McInnis took the $700 first place prize for her pastel “Campsite Path;” Linda Lindner’s oil painting “At The Beach” was awarded $500 for second prize; and Marshall Perrow’s big detailed watercolor “Spring Tide St. Mark’s Square” won the $200 third prize award.

Four additional artists received honorable mention: Trudy Rose, Pat Graham, George Milliken and Donna Trent.

Morris said it wasn’t easy choosing the winners, as the exhibit “is a beautiful mixed media show. Overall, the quality was excellent,” she said. “There should have been many more awards but that’s how it always is.”

According to Peninsula Art League President Myrna Binion, “This is really a step out for us to do a show like this one.” The league’s other shows are member shows but once a year an open call is announced and artists are invited to participate in this juried art exhibition, which gives viewers a great idea of the high level of talent that’s out there. Binion said she is very pleased with how this year’s exhibition turned out.

Among the artwork from the 44 artists included in the exhibition, most are paintings but there are other media as well. Anne Reilly contributed several sculptures to the show. Her blue and purple “Mystical Flower” stands about four feet high and appears to be made of fired clay material. In another corner are her three “Atlantis Warriors” sculptures, which also appear to be of a fired clay material. Looking like silent guardians, they stand three to five feet tall each and resemble fat bamboo poles but with a face staring out stoically from the top.

Beverly Hanson’s photographs add a nice element of realism to the collection. Upon first glance, one may mistake Hanson’s photographs for paintings, as their composition and artistic detail are exquisitely done. Her “Elephant Waterhole – Africa” is a head-on shot of two elephants at water’s edge, their reflections mottled in the ripples. Her piece that won first prize, “Reflection On An Urn – India,” is full of interesting detail. The reflection on the curved metal urn that she captured on film resembles that of a fun house mirror.

The paintings that make up the bulk of the exhibit run the gamut – landscapes, portraits, and classic still life. All the artwork will be on view at the Civic Center (3510 Grandview St.) until June 25. On June 7, the center will be open from 1-4 p.m. for the Gig Harbor Art Walk.

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