The Triton Museum of Art in Santa Clara, California, hosts an annual Salon, a statewide competition and exhibition of 2-D work, this year guest juried by Charlotte Eyerman, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Monterey Museum of Art! Out of the 1450 submissions, 124 pieces by 114 artists were selected for the show, my painting Wildflower among them.
The reception for the salon is always packed and is hard to get a good look at all the work while visiting with artists and friends but it always make for a memorable evening! (This is my third year in a row exhibiting – knock on wood).
This year was very special, I was honored to have Aušra, the daughter of Antanas Štarka (the man whose portrait I painted in Wildflower) and partner Ilan attend the reception with Aušra’s niece Laura, straight from her flight from Europe! Aušra is an amazing photographer whose photograph had inspired the painting. It was Aušra too that had made the wreath of Lithuanian wildflowers that he’s wearing in the painting and I was so touched when she brought me a matching bouquet of flowers! One day soon this painting will travel on to Lithuania!
Sometimes I have fun dressing like my paintings – this time my friend, artist Tom Yacoe, unknowingly did… I understand he is even half Lithuanian!
There was just too many people to enjoy talking with to do a comprehensive award report – I’m not even sure who won all the prizes and will have to go back for a quiet, studious look later. But I’ll share a few photos of artists I was able to catch:
Lauren Herzog Schwartz – Exuberance III – charcoal
Denise Howard – Tenuous – graphite on paper, Belinda Lima – On the Edge – collage, Deepali Kapatkar Race Against Time and Juxtaposed – pastel on paper.
Vanessa Callanta – One Breath – charcoal on paper
Peter Carey – Pienza – watercolor on board
Monica Valdez – First Place Painting – Phyllotopsis I, Trametes, T. Versicolor – gouache and graphtie over watercolor, acrylic and monotype
Elizabeth Barlow – Pas de Deux – oil on linen
Nabeela Sajaad – Heavenly Refuge – acrylic on canvas
Also a special year because I got to meet up with my girlfriends and hit a Thai restaurant after!
If you’d like to see the full list of exhibiting artists, please click here for the link.