My thanks to Melanie Smith, owner and director of the Seaside Art Gallery, for trusting me to serve as the sole judge of the Sixteenth International Miniature Art Show, a superb collection of approximately 600 entries.
 
Selecting ten top works from such a large exhibit is indeed a challenge, especially when the overall quality is so high. I spent a long time - magnifying glass in hand – examining every entry, and was impressed with the skill of each artist, the variety of media and content, and with the fact that submissions were from many countries around the world.
Ultimately, of course, your juror had the very difficult job of selecting a winner in each category and the pleasure of adding five additional works for juror recognition.
 
Artists will be the first to agree that any judge’s choices are highly subjective, but there are a number of basic standards that must first be met. Content is always the most important to me… I am looking for a unique visual interpretation of the world and personal experience that the artist offers for others to connect with. Mastery of the media is essential, and in the case of this exhibit, creating a true miniature rather than just a small painting. The Sixteenth International Miniature Art Show demonstrates these criteria to a high degree.
 
First place winner H.Francis Sellers’ Cow Behind a Deere captures the dappled light, flickering brush strokes and rural beauty of an Impressionist painting while incorporating a note of humor in the title; you’ll need a magnifying glass to fully appreciate the miniaturist’s skill with watercolors. Second place winner Susan Hayes-Murani’s The Raven is a marvel of precise brush- work that captures an entire landscape within a few square inches. Again, sharp eyesight is required to see the tiny bird perched on a post that inspires the title. Third place winner James Warrick Jones focuses on a few feet of mooring rope and translates it into a bold, high value, semi-abstract composition that evokes the smell of salt air in Sunlit Stern Line. 
 
There are seven additional winners in the same number of categories. Thomas Lee’s Assembled XIV (Mixed Media) demonstrates an understated elegance of abstract form, composition and line, while Catherine Constantino’s My Dad (Drawing) is a tender portrait that captures the sitter’s wisdom and the artist’s love. Valerij Demianyshyn’s evocative The Stamp (Etching) demonstrates the skill of a master print maker while capturing a sense of distance and separation that are implicit in the tiny stamp that is necessary to send or receive a long awaited letter. Ruby Throated Hummingbird (Watercolor) by Rebecca Latham is a tour-de-force of light and dark; the columbine blossoms contrast brilliantly against the dark background while the hummingbird is so precisely painted that the viewer can almost hear the whirr of wings. Sue Wall’s Paying Homage (Oil) is a charmer with a limited palette; the artist’s talent is on full display in the two paintings behind the sleepy cat. The female nude is elegantly captured in Dorothy Dunsmore’s beautifully proportioned Contemplation (Sculpture), while Barbara Beatrice’s 9/11(Metal Sculpture) evokes the terrible emotions of that momentous day in the simple gesture of gathering in and protecting those that we love.
 
Congratulations to each of the hundreds of artists whose assembled works will provide each viewer of the Seaside Art Gallery’s Miniature Art Show with a delightful and meaningful viewing experience. 

Ann Dearsley-Vernon

1st Place –Harry Sellers (UT), “Cow Behind a Deere”, watercolor
2nd Place – Susan Hayes-Murani (NC), “A Raven”, oil
3rd Place – James Warwick Jones (VA), “Sunlit Stern Line”, acrylic

Best In:
Watercolor- Rebecca Latham (MN), “Ruby Throated Hummingbird”
Oil/Acrylic- Sue Wall (NY), “Paying Homage”
Etching/Engraving/Graphic- Valerij Demianyshyn (Ukraine), “The Stamp”
Drawing/Pencil- Catherine Constantino (MA), “My Dad”
Sculpture/Metal- Barbara Beatrice (KY), “Nine-Eleven”
Sculpture/Other- Dorothy Dunsmore (MD), “Contemplation”
Mixed/Encaustic/Collage- Thomas Lee (IA), “Assembled XIV”

Judge’s Recognition: (Honorable Mention Ribbon)
Angela Gage (OH), “Adrienne”, oil
Julian M. Ives (MD), “Stream”, oil
Zeinab Rosta (Iran), “Drink Party – Old Persian Design”, watercolor
Louisa Matturro (IL), “Dolly”, oil
Kathy Unrath (MO), “Wishing on a Wire”, mixed
These are works of art that the judge wished to acknowledge. These are not cash awards but are awards of recognition