"Cutting Edges" Winners Announced

Lynn Adamo just phoned in from Lake Oswego with the award winners for "Cutting Edges". Here they are:

Best in Juried Show -- "Bricks and Mortar" by Jo Braun. 30" x 20" x 1". Hand-formed concrete substrate, recycled and found glass, tile, and stone.

From Braun's website: "I hand cut these gleanings with Roman-era technology and recombine pieces based on ancient Byzantine poetic grammar. Many still refer to this as 'mosaic' and I do too, sometimes . . . until the category becomes too limiting. Then I say I create art from hard garbage."














Patron's Choice Award -- "Zebra" by Raquel Stanek. 24" x 14" 3-D form, stained glass, seed beads on wire.

This is a genuine crowd-pleaser for all the right reasons. Whimsical, beautiful and technically superb, this work is delightfully engaging.



Curator's Award -- "Thumbtack" by Kate Jessup. 30" x 17" x 1" Stained glass.

Here is an artist who has definitely found her medium. Using andamento (flow), shaping, color, and reflectivity Jessup successfully creates the illusion of three-dimensions. (jessupkate@gmail.com)



Juror's Award, Sophie Drouin -- "Indian Madonna" by Diana Stevens. 22.8" x 15.7" x 1". Smalti, gold smalti.

This is a superb, painterly interpretation of a very powerful image. Her use of tone and shapes brings movement and pathos to the work. A native of the US, Stevens now resides in Ravenna, Italy, a city world-renown for its mosaic heritage . (dianastevens@mac.com)






Juror's Choice Award -- Sonia King "Skyward" by Lynn Ihsen Peterson. 7.5" x 43" x 2". Handmade ceramic and glass.

Peterson seems to create her own world in this complex piece composed of tesserae she made herself. This is one of those works that would take hours to explore. (lynniemcpeterson@aol.com)






Jurors included artists Sonia King and Sophie Drouin and artist/writer Steven Aimone. Curators were Lynn Adamo and Kath Jones.

Lynn tells us that the buzz around the Festival is that people are amazed at the variety of materials, the amazing flow, and the surprising texture of mosaic art. There have been several sales and the prospect of at least one commission.

Lynn says, "People now understand that you must see this work in person to fully appreciate it. Photos just don't do it justice." This will be the topic of tomorrow's post. In the meantime, here are some photos from tours and demonstrations from the Exhibit.

Enjoy -- Nancie