Artist Heather Thornton, with her piece Dichotomy (Best in Show)

North Charleston Arts Fest Judged Fine Art & Photography Competition Winners Announced

Fine artists and amateur and professional photographers from across the state were invited to participate in the 2016 Judged Fine Art and Judged Photography Competitions & Exhibitions, organized annually by the City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department and presented April 29-May 6 as a component of the 2016 North Charleston Arts Fest.  A total of 226 fine art entries were accepted in the categories of oil, acrylic, watercolor, drawing/pastel, and 2D mixed media.  Cash awards totaling $3,175 were made at the sole discretion of the judge, Amiri Gueka Farris. Farris is a contemporary mixed media artist and who currently teaches Foundation Studies at the Savannah College of Art & Design.

A total of 107 entries were accepted in photography, which were split into the divisions of Professional/Advanced and Amateur and categorized as color, monochrome, or photo illustration.  Cash awards totaling $1,925 were made at the sole discretion of the judge, Michelle Van Parys. Michelle has been the recipient of the Virginia Museum Fellowship and the South Carolina Arts Commission Fellowship and is currently a professor at the College of Charleston in the Studio Art Department.

In addition to awards given by the judges, three art pieces were selected for City of North Charleston Purchase Awards. These pieces will be added to the City of North Charleston’s Permanent Public Art Collection, which is on display within North Charleston City Hall throughout most of the year.

Congratulations to the winners:

Best in Show – Fine Art
Dichotomy (acrylic) by Heather Thornton (Charleston, SC)

City of North Charleston Purchase Awards
Harvesting Duckweed at Middleton Place (acrylic) by Brenda Gilliam (Charleston, SC)
Wabi-Sabi (2-D Mixed Media) by Denise Greer (Rembert, SC)
Arts My Bag (watercolor) by Adelia Pruet (Saluda, SC)

Fine Art - Acrylic
1st Place - Exposed Innocent by Jarrett Davis (Pamplico, SC)
2nd place - Red IBM by Daniel Kurtis Whitehead (North Charleston, SC)
3rd Place - Harvesting Duckweed at Middleton Place by Brenda Gilliam (Charleston, SC)
Honorable Mention - Kaudi 3005 by Davina Felder (Orangeburg, SC)
Honorable Mention - Projector with Sunflower by Daniel Kurtis Whitehead (North Charleston, SC)
Honorable Mention - School of Fish by Lee Wieland (Charleston, SC)
Honorable Mention - Wash Me by Rosemary Giusti Dillon (Charleston, SC)
Honorable Mention - Wild About Coffee by Calley Hille (Charleston, SC)
Honorable Mention - Emanuel Forever 9 by Kelvin Bluffton Sr. (Hollywood, SC)
Honorable Mention - El Corozon de la Sabana by Kolepeace (Ladson, SC)

 Fine Art - Oil
1st Place - A Father's Love by Robert Maniscalco (North Charleston, SC)
2nd Place - Water the Old Way by Marvin Youngblood (Charleston, SC)
3rd Place - Annie by Jean Spencer (Charleston, SC)
Honorable Mention - Leaving Moma by Peter Scala (North Charleston, SC)
Honorable Mention - Night Cup by Keith Van Zant (Goose Creek, SC)
Honorable Mention - Toby by Sherri Bardsley (Summerville, SC)
Honorable Mention - Beach Peace by Dorothy Alston Rogers (North Charleston, SC)

Fine Art - Drawing/Pastel
1st place - Strike of an Eye by Bob Graham (Mt. Pleasant, SC)
2nd Place - Rough Girls by Daniel Diehl (North Charleston, SC)
3rd Place - The Abstraction by Catherine Case (Summerville, SC)
Honorable Mention - Chucked by Susan Everitt (Summerville, SC)
Honorable Mention – Untitled by Elliott B. West (Bonneau, SC)
Honorable Mention - Paved Paradise by Michelle Brooks Bank (Mt. Pleasant, SC)
Honorable Mention - Love at First Sight by Calley Hille (Charleston, SC)

Fine Art - Watercolor

1st Place - Jen by Johnny Sandler (Goose Creek, SC)
2nd Place - Ciara x4 by Carolyn Epperly (Charleston, SC)
3rd Place - Arts My Bag by Adelia Pruet (Saluda, SC)
Honorable Mention - They Are Waiting by M. Faith Cuda (Summerville, SC)

Fine Art - 2D Mixed Media
1st Place - Frozen in Time by Denise Greer (Rembert, SC)
2nd Place - Qualia by Ashley Pruitt (Goose Creek, SC)
3rd Place - All My Life by Linda Wasielewski (Isle of Palms, SC)
Honorable Mention - Believe Me, I Woke Upon by Ashley Pruitt (Goose Creek, SC)
Honorable Mention - Sinnamon by Belle Anderson (Goose Creek, SC)
Honorable Mention - Network by Susanna Frenzel (Mt. Pleasant, SC)

Professional Photography - Color
1st Place - Great Blue Heron Pair by Leah Sparks (Charleston, SC)
2nd Place - Devine Light by Jim Miller (Mt. Pleasant, SC)
3rd Place - Waiting Patiently by Leah Sparks (Charleston, SC)
Honorable Mention - Orchid Study 1 by Larry Gale (Mt. Pleasant, SC)

Professional Photography - Monochrome
1st Place - The Cooper’s Barrel by Raymond Colin Murray (Charleston, SC)
2nd Place - Step into Liquid by Jim Miller (Mt. Pleasant, SC)
3rd Place - Poppy #2 by Larry Gale (Mt. Pleasant, SC)
Honorable Mention - Clearing November Storm by Charleston W. Hooker (Charleston, SC)
Honorable Mention - Hats! by Larry Gale (Mt Pleasant, SC)
Honorable Mention - Cobwebbed Anchor by Christine Jones (Goose Creek, SC)

Professional Photography – Photo Illustration
1st Place - Sleep Walker by Samantha Goss (Charleston, SC)
2nd Place - Tale of the Seas by Samantha Goss (Charleston, SC)
3rd Place - Calls and Echoes by Samantha Goss (Charleston, SC)
Honorable Mention - Taking Flight by Samantha Goss (Charleston, SC)

Amateur Photography - Color
1st Place - By the Sea by Steven Ives (Moncks Corner, SC)
2nd Place - Fulfilling Our Promises by Ron Malec (Charleston, SC)
3rd Place - Stars by Heike Helbig (Summerville, SC)
Honorable Mention - At Sea by Steven Ives by (Moncks Corner, SC)
Honorable Mention - A Pumpkin Spider! by Nancy Nellis (North Charleston, SC)
Honorable Mention - Corsair Reflection by Ron Malec (Charleston, SC)
Honorable Mention - Empty Seats by Tom Beck (Charleston, SC)
Honorable Mention - Sun Escape by Daisy Torres Figuredo (Orangeburg, SC)
Honorable Mention - Hidden by Daisy Torres Figuredo (Orangeburg, SC)

Amateur Photography - Monochrome
1st Place - Iris by Michael D. Summer (Dalzell, SC)
2nd Place - Double by Heike Helbig (Summerville, SC)
3rd Place - Smokin’ by Nicole Robinson (Charleston, SC)
Honorable Mention - Isolation by Melissa Honour (Summerville, SC)
Honorable Mention - Preparation by Dean Connor (Mt. Pleasant, SC)
Honorable Mention - Stump of Time by Jimmy Hartnett (Summerville, SC)
Honorable Mention - Spokes by Rudy Lutge (North Charleston, SC)

Amateur Photography – Photo Illustration
1st Place - On Display by Dean Connor (Mt. Pleasant, SC)

For information about additional exhibition opportunities offered by the City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department, call 843-740-5854, email culturalarts@northcharleston.org, or the Arts & Culture section of northcharleston.org. For details on the North Charleston Arts Fest, visit NorthCharlestonArtsFest.com.