Contest art is on display at Galveston Art League

​Galveston Art League is currently exhibiting 112 works accepted into its Winter Juried Show.
Dozens of artists, many from Galveston and Harris counties, submitted entries to the
competition, which was judged by Houston artist and educator Daniela Koontz.
To see the contest art in person, visit the league’s physical gallery at 2117A Postoffice St. in
Galveston from noon to 6 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. To view and shop the works
online, visit www.GalvestonArtLeague.com (click on “February show” on the homepage).
The Best of Show honor went to Annika Farmer of Houston for her watercolor “Natasha
Looking for Boris.” Her painting was entered in the “works on paper” category, one of five
contest categories.
Farmer’s piece clearly wowed the judge. In her notes about the award winners, Koontz wrote
that “whoever painted this little crowd scene has an exceptional command of watercolor

technique. Every texture and pattern is delicately handled. There is a fun play between finished
and unfinished, between loose blooms and precision. The subject matter is also surprising and
original. Bravo!”
Koontz, a teacher in Alvin Independent School District, chose these additional honorees:

Works in 3-D
First: Becky Jolin, “David’s Gaze”; second: Casey Brechtel, “Snow Storm.”
Mixed Media Wall-Hung
First: Ariane Edmundson, “Flamenco Flower”; second: Don Henderson, “2020, A Time for
Hoarding.”
Works on Paper
First: Gay Paratore, “Beach Babes”; second: Lynn Burke, “Cosmic Chaos”; honorable mention:
Ruby E. Allen, “March Winds.”
Photography
First: Rebecah Thompson, “Head in the Clouds”; second: Gayle Pendergrass, “Foggy”;
honorable mention: Morten Lamoey, “The Guardian Hawk.”
Works on Canvas or Panel
First place: Lisette McClung, “Quarry of Lights”; second: Peggy Kingsbury, “Armand Bayou
Morning”; five honorable mentions: Jerry Bachman, “Black Cat’s Secret”; Ariane Edmundson,
“Giving Green”; Amy Faggard, “Move Over Hot Pink”; and Gay Paratore, “Fun with Fake
aattoos.”

Galveston Art League will hold its next juried show – the second of three that it hosts each year
– in May. A few weeks in advance of juried shows, the prospectus for the contest can be
accessed via a link on www.GalvestonArtLeague.com (see the black sidebar on the homepage).
Nonmember artists 15 years of age and older from inside and outside the region are eligible to
enter Art League-hosted competitions. Nonmembers pay an entry fee of $20 for each entry and
may enter up to three pieces. Galveston Art League members, who also are limited to three
entries, pay less to enter – only $15 apiece for their first two entries and $5 for the third. The
artist who is awarded the top prize, Best of Show, receives $300; first-place winners receive
$100; second place earns $50.
The Galveston Art League, turning 107 years old in June, is funded by contributions,
membership fees (artists and non-artists are encouraged to join), commissions on works sold in
the gallery, entry fees to the league’s 12 monthly shows, and an autumn gala (canceled in 2020
because of the Covid-19 pandemic). The nonprofit organization, which is run exclusively by
volunteers and has never had a salaried staff member, supports visual arts and art education in
the greater Galveston County region.

To find out more about the Art League, please check out www.GalvestonArtLeague.com. To
learn about membership benefits and various membership levels, please click on the website’s
“Join” tab. For any additional information about the league, please email
[email protected].