The 61st Annual Labor Day Art Show, chaired by Juli Schuszler, Barbara Kershner and Mary Ellis will be on display until October 1 at the RAL Art Center, 19 N Main Street, Kilmarnock. This annual event is one of the longest standing art shows in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is a must-see for artists, collectors, and all who are in the area during the month of September - Tuesday through Saturday from 10 am to 4 pm.
Matt Lively, Richmond sculptor, painter, and muralist judged this 132 piece exhibit. As a multi-media art maker, Matt said that he truly appreciated all the work that was put into the pieces of this show. He was intrigued, amazed, curious, delighted, and sometimes jealous of the work he had the honor to see and judge.
A special awards ceremony for participating artists was held on Friday, September 2 where Doug Mock, Executive Director of the RAL Art Center, presented a visual presentation and Matt Lively gave his comments on the award winning art. This was followed by a First Friday’s Reception, where the public was invited to view and admire all the exciting Labor Day Art Show artwork and it‘s winners.
The judge chose “Old World Boats V,” an oil by Sarah Marshall Elliott for Best in Show. Matt remarked that the confident brushstrokes with generous amounts of paint and a lack of horizon made the boats feel like they were bumping into one another on heavy water. Elliott has won numerous first place awards for her paintings at the RAL Art Center, and in 2020 she also won the annual Labor Day Art Show People’s Choice Award.
Memorial Awards were awarded to the following:
Donald R. Kennedy Memorial Award for Most Creative Use of Color
Lara Brady, acrylic and mixed media, “Bright Day at the Beach”
Patricia F. O’Shaughnessy Memorial Award for Best Traditional
Thomas Bradshaw, oil, “Humpback Bridge”
Lella Lee Edwards Memorial Award for Excellence Overall
Wende Szyperski, oil, “Underestimated”
Anne D. Hayes Memorial Award for Excellence in Watercolor
Linda LaVigne-Long, watercolor, “St. Paul’s Cathedral”
Sharon K. Mundy Memorial Award for Best Use of Media
Joan Willoughby, acrylic, “Imagine This!”
Marge Alderson Memorial Award for Best Interpretation of Landscape
Mel Neale, pastel, “Spring Break”
First Place -
Cheryl Mihills, punchneddle - fiber art, “Take Flight”
Mary Ellen Huennekens, fabric art, “Bali Blues”
Juli Schuszler, oil, “Joyce’s Magnolia”
Second Place -
Maggie Gilman, digital composite, “Ruby through Time”
Laurie Breakwell, fused glass, “Pisces Rising”
Alexandria Pittman, charcoal & pastels, “Dog Portrait
Third Place -
Patty Richards, wood carving, “Female: Holding the Space”
Joyce Satterwhite, acrylic, “Meems Bottom Bridge”
Harold Burnley, photograph, “Low Country’s Treasure
Honorable Mention -
Joan Bevelaqua, oil, “The Green Dress”
Martha Gilbert, fiber, “Whatcha Eatin?”
Pamela Bowers, watercolor, “Rising Fog, Salinas, CA”