2022 Regional Juried Exhibit Prize Winners!

Congratulations to all the fantastic artists from this year’s Regional Juried Exhibit!

This year’s show was juried by Claude Elliott, Arts Consultant and Independent Curator. Artists from the DMV were invited to submit original hanging work, in any medium, to be considered. Response from the call was significant, with 157 artists submitting over 700 pieces. Elliott selected 118 pieces for the show, all from different artists.

On Monday, February 7th, Elliott spent several hours making the tough decision on who would be awarded the First, Second, and Third Prizes, along with several Honorable Mentions. Here are his selections.

On Thursday, March 24 at 6:30pm, Elliott will host a conversation between the top three prize winners: Nipun Manda (First Prize), Cheryl Foster (Second Prize), and Jay Durrah (Third Prize). The conversation will cover a wide range, touching on the artists’ process, inspiration, background, being an artist in the DMV, and more. Elliott and the artists will also discuss the value of a juried art exhibit, the selection process at Hill Center, and the challenges presented to artists in an evolving virtual landscape amongst the Covid-19 pandemic. Join us for a lively conversation between our Juror Claude Elliott and the first, second, and third place winners of this exhibition. 

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR THE CONVERSATION.

FIRST PRIZE: “Untitled” by Nipun Manda

About the Piece: For me, creating art is the most satisfying way of working the combination of the abstract and the figure. The freedom of abstraction and the emotions that the figure can carry with the symbolic potential of the objective world and the possibilities abstraction presents in suggesting the unknown. My paintings operate somewhere between abstraction and the cognitive world, between the unknown

Artist Statement: My work is a contemporary statement through the perception on Inner space and Outer space juxtaposing with time and space of life experience, I incorporate visual, emotional and psychological impressions of urban tension, raw emotions and harsh realities tempered with gentle optimism and beauty seeking the combination of objective and nonobjective serves as a matrix between social and cultural spaces. 

Click HERE to purchase this piece. See more of Nipun’s work HERE.

SECOND PRIZE: “Golden Crows” by Cheryl Foster

About the Piece: Circling the sky punctuating the gold of dawn, raucous, boisterous, throat scorching shrieks of delight they come, drive by thugs, joined in purpose, stealing randomly with over confidence, parade tinsel, a plastic barrette, weave hair, mango skins

Artist Statement: Shortly after birth, art chose to be Cheryl Foster’s close and constant companion and has always been by her side, providing comfort and distraction. She is a multimedia, visual artist whose large-scale public art can be seen in exterior and interior environments across the country. Her materials range from sparkling, stained glass to soft oil paintings and the subject matter always involves everyday people doing everyday things. Imagination and flexibility serve her well as an artist and arts educator and she can be found knee deep in color in classrooms throughout the nation serving as an “artist in residence”. 

Click HERE to purchase this piece. See more of Cheryl’s work HERE.

THIRD PRIZE: “Hattie” by Jay Durrah

About the Piece: Period piece of Great-great-grandmother

Artist Statement: I am a modern day impressionist. who paints portraits of people using multiple layers of vibrant colors applied generously to the canvas. When I work with multiple layers of color in my portraits, I am reminded of the multiple layers of ethnicities that make us uniquely beautiful. I notice that all ethnic groups are drawn in by my application of colors. It is my aspiration, that if just only for those few moments, people can focus on the beauty of humanity; forgetting about the divisions of society.

My subjects are based on my interests. I love history and other art forms such as music and dance. I also see beauty in faces I see daily. I prefer to work in oils on large canvases; however, oils dry slow and large canvases take up space. Depending on my time or space limitations, I am appreciating acrylics on smaller canvases more and more. The majority of my pieces are done with a flat brush, which allows me to get the detail I desire. On occasion, I substitute the flat brush for a palate knife, which increases the texture of the piece, while decreasing the amount of detail.

In some of my recent works, I am applying my technique to canvases painted with black gesso as a base. This forces me to apply lighter colors and leaving the black to define my details. I am using smaller canvases until I master the effect. So far, I am pleased with the outcome.

Click HERE to purchase this piece. See more of Jay’s work HERE.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

The 2022 Regional Juried Exhibit runs until June 4, 2022. You can view all pieces virtually here. Or call (202)-549-4172 for a viewing appointment at Hill Center.