VERO BEACH — Artists and art lovers were packed shoulder to shoulder at the opening reception of the Art by the Sea 25th Anniversary Exhibition Friday night, presented by the Vero Beach Art Club and held annually in the Vero Beach Museum of Art Holmes Great Hall.
More than 220 artists participated in the judged show – all members of the Vero Beach Art Club or the Vero Beach Museum of Art; with many members of both organizations.
The first evening, drew a particularly large crowd of savvy buyers, each fully aware that works by Vero’s talented artists are quickly snapped up. Ribbons and prizes were awarded by event co-chairs Julianne Martensen & Judith Ragusa at a private VIP reception prior to the public arriving.
“We changed the room design this year; I really like the flow,” said Ragusa, crediting Nick Binghieri and Rita Zigler with the new layout. “The other thing we changed was we upped the quality of frames required. Our artists love their work; these are their creations and they’re ready for adoption.”
With artists allowed to exhibit just one piece at the weekend long exhibition, all clearly contributed their best works. The planning process begins in the fall, with artists completing applications for their original works, not previously exhibited at prior Art by the Sea shows.
Organizers utilize a different out-of-town judge each year; in this case noted watercolor artist Marian Heath Axley. She was tasked with determining winners in each of eight categories: oil, acrylic, watercolor, pastels/graphics, mixed media, sculpture/3D, jewelry and photography/digital, plus two special awards – the John Mazur Memorial Award for Best in Show and the Mulligan Merit Award.
Best in Show was awarded to George Beckman for “Charade,” a graceful kinetic sculpture made of stainless steel.
“The inspiration comes out of flying and freedom,” explained Beckman, who flew 14 years as a fighter pilot and another 30 as a Pan Am pilot.
“We would fly acrobatics; sometimes trailing smoke. I looked at the smoke trails and thought – they’re so beautiful. So I thought one day, when I’m not doing this, I’m going to do something more permanent. These represent the maneuvers that airplanes would do in mock dog fighting battles. I’m still flying you see?”
A lovely oil painting by Alice Ferguson titled “Heirloom,” which drew the eye with orchids and a ginger jar atop an exquisitely detailed lace tablecloth, received the first place Noel Rothmayer Award.
“I love oils; you can get such rich, deep colors,” said Ferguson. “This painting is special; personal. The heirloom is the lace tablecloth. My mother gave it to me last year; it was a wedding gift to her in 1946.”
“We are really trying to shake things up,” noted Martensen. “Every year the bar is raised and so is the caliber of the art. It’s evolutionary; it doesn’t happen overnight. You have to respect what has come before you.”
The Vero Beach Art Club has a long history in our community, formed in 1936 as the Vero Beach Sketch Club before incorporating in 1954 under its present name. A portion of the proceeds benefit the Vero Beach Art Club Scholarship Program, which awards scholarships towards degrees in fine arts to local high school students.
The exhibition, which is free and open to the public, will continue on Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
2013 Art by the Sea Award Winners
- John Mazur Memorial Award for Best in Show: George Beckman, “Charade” Kinetic Sculpture
Oil:
- 1st: Noel Rothmayer Award: Alice Ferguson “Heirloom”
- 2nd: Paul Davis “Rockport Harbor”
- 3rd: Susan O’Shea “California Dreaming”
Merit:
- Hector Cruz “Find My Eye”
- Ivo David “Jungle Trail”
- Emily Tremml “Indian River”
Acrylic:
- 1st: Barbara Clark “Eden Road”
- 2nd: Carol Staub “Subliminal Thoughts
- 3rd: Chris Shaw “Wildflowers
Merit Award:
- Minakshe De “Close to My Heart”
- Lee G. Smith “Kroegel Produce”
- Chris Beach ” “Quilted Landscape”
Watercolor:
- 1st: Mildred Benning “Under the Tents”
- 2nd: Joan Turner “Time is Money”
- 3rd: Delena Law-Smith “Misty Morning”
Pastel / Graphics:
- 1st: Sherry Haaland “Nice Ride”
- 2nd: Richard Lavin “Schooling Around”
- 3rd: Agnes Manganelli “At the Beach”
Mixed Media:
- 1st: Vanya Neer “Moonlight on Mountain Lake”
- 2nd: Kathleen Staiger “A La Carte”
- 3rd: Marilyn Crafa “Indian River Lagoon Series”
Merit Award:
- Susan Rienzo “Morning Dream”
Sculpture / 3D:
- 1st: Al Gustave “Winged Bowl”
- 2nd: George Paxton “Into Each Life…”
- 3rd: Charles Firth “Piecork”
Jewelry:
- Best in Category: Susan Gancher “Silver Necklace”
Photography / Digital:
- 1st: Betsy McKean “Butcher Paper & Corners”
- 2nd: Betsy Kurzinger “Tulip Row”
- 3rd: David Goodrich Rio Del Apostoli
Mulligan Merit Award:
- Soozi Schuble “Silent Morning”