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"Winter Laughter" 20x30, Oil on Canvas by Paula Waterman

A Note From Our Judge Paula G. Waterman

"Thank you for the honor of jurying this show of animal art. I am humbled and also impressed with what has been put in front of me to view and to judge.

 

"I see a broad range of style, technique and a lovely array of approaches to the challenge of making animal art.  As in any genre there are countless ways to approach and portray the subject, whether straight portraiture or allegorical storytelling, and all the shades in between.

 

"Animal art in particular can come across as scientific illustration or be as emotive as any abstract expressionism; just depends upon what the artist wants to say.  There is room for both.

 

"For the most part my selections are influenced by a number of things that guide ME as an artist: composition, use of light, some degree of understanding of how a thing is put together . I do not look for photorealism and there are things that can put me off (see THAT discussion after my picks!) . I do hope for some accuracy of anatomy and color relationships if the artist is being representational. All the work in this show fits my definition of ‘representational’ though the subject might be more than simply ‘here is an animal’ lol.

 

"I also have learned to try to view art in a way that does not start out as ‘fault judging’, a term and concept I borrow from a hobby of mine that involves sorting out and judging something. Fault judging can too often lead to mediocre choices with no outstanding virtues. I try to think about that when judging art (my own and other), dogs, tv shows, the lot. So I first look for what is outstanding. I can nitpick shortcomings but I try to first identify strengths.

"There were as many other artworks I could have included in this list, some very excellent work. I wish I could have known media and sizes of the artworks, and had second viewpoints of the sculptures, but not because I might change my choices. Just interesting to know sizes to envision them on the wall; this was juried by jpeg due to pandemic issues. 
 

"A few comments: I loved the varying viewpoints and styles and media used. In all my choices and many more that I couldn’t formally recognize, I saw excellent use of light,  excellent handling of media (several lovely drawn works) and good rendering of anatomy, fine draftsmanship. Some lovely still lifes I wanted to also be able to use but ran out of awards. In artwork I did not choose, there were varying reasons, but as I said, I could have handed out a number of additional awards given the quality."

635WinterLaughter(20x30).jpeg

The Schuler School of Fine Arts is honored to have so many beautiful pieces this year in our annual Fur to Feathers Juried Exhibition. As a safety procaution for our Schuler community we have chosen to keep this gallery online this year. Please feel free to contact us with any inquiries on paintings, everything is available for purchase. Stay healthy and creative! -The Schuler Faculty

FROM FUR

TO FEATHERS

10th Annual

Juried Art Exhibition

1st PLACE 

"Sun Worshippers"

Joyce Danko

14"x18", Oil $800

"This painting makes excellent use of light and the composition brings one’s eye all around the image. The anatomy is accurate which is most important if painting in a truly representational style as this artist is. There is also the hint of a story here with one animal dozing in the warmth and the other keeping an eye out for changes in the action .The shadows read correctly and that light reflection in the foreground shadowed floor reads perfectly." - Paula Waterman

Joyce Danko,Sun Worshippers.jpeg

2nd PLACE 

"Fox (Block Print)"

Shelia Myers

8"x10" Etching, Unframed, $50

 "This exudes ‘fox’ just as March Hare exudes a hare. I don’t know the size of this block print but in the presumably small confines of the print the artist got expression, those fox feet, and overall attitude. Cutting into wood to make fur can easily confuse the picture, literally, when simplicity is the answer . While I THINK I’d like a bit more space around the fox, in this particular case the very tight box he is fitted into somehow works." - Paula Waterman

Sheila Myers, Fox Block Print.jpg

3rd PLACE 

"March Hare" 

Laura Trent Stein

Terracotta, $200

 "I wish I could see a second view of the sculptures offered in the show!  March hare has movement, a bit of whimsy without veering into caricature ,a  clearly identifiable species . I like the textures showing hair without going into too much detail (which can be redundant without improving the piece)." - Paula Waterman

HONORABLE MENTION 

"Bobcat" 6x8"

Nick Eisele

6"x8", Scratchboard $500

"A skull rendered beautifully in graphite (I think? Or else charcoal?) with rich dramatic light. The gradation in light from rich dark black to the highlights on the skull (and the reflected highlights on the table surface) are dynamic and dramatic. Anatomy is right on as well. The medium is handled most skillfully" - Paula Waterman

Laura Trent Stein, March Hare.jpg
NickEisele_BobcatScratchboard.jpg

HONORABLE MENTION 

"It Will Pass El Hefe" 

Marichi Capino 

6"x8", Oil $250

"This White faced monkey is well rendered and the painting is styled in a classic fashion, almost formal in composition with the local vegetation framing him. I am drawn to the almost-diorama feel of it, what I would see perhaps in a  Victorian museum collection. No idea if that was the goal of this artist but I find the formal composition appealing and effective. This is a case where a dead-center subject works well where I might otherwise be bothered by such a centered composition." - Paula Waterman

Marichi Capino, It Will Pass Elhefe.jpg

HONORABLE MENTION 

"Sitting Pretty"

Lauren Carlo

16"x20", Oil $485

"I love this piece. Another deliberately dead center positioning but absolutely proper for an image like this. It is VERY well painted, interesting and amusing . Reminiscent of Scott Fraser, a painter of toys in interesting story-telling paintings." - Paula Waterman

Lauren Carlo, Duck.jpg

ABOUT THE JUDGE

Paula G Waterman

Paula Waterman can’t remember a time she wasn’t making art. For the past 2 decades she has been doing just that on a full-time basis . Her subject matter is mostly the animals she sees in the wild and in the company of people. She has a particular interest in birds, and of dog subjects, though landscape and marine subjects are also important to her. This work is sometimes on commission, other times borne simply of a love for the subject. A common thread in all her work in both media probably is the critical importance of light source and light color; In fact, she feels that light is the true subject in all her work.    

 

Paula’s artworks can be found in hundreds of private and corporate collections, and in several  museum collections. She is an Artist (‘Signature’) Member of the American Society of Marine Artists. She served for a time on the executive board of the Society of Animal Artists as well as having been a signature member, and has participated in the Woodson Art Museum’s flagship exhibition ‘Birds in Art’ 22 of the past 26 years; and Several of her works are in the permanent collection of the museum. In 2009 she was the resident artist at Woodson Art Museum as she shared the medium of Scratchboard with visiting school children as a part of the museum’s ongoing education program. Her work is represented in galleries in Maryland, Connecticut and New York. 

Click to Expand Images

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Drifters Paula Waterman
Late To The Party- Paula Waterman
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