Portraits: Creatures Great or Small

The theme of this show is portraits.
From man’s best friend to a person of interest. A beloved friend or family member, a personable pet, a neighbor, a passerby, a classroom model, a frequent visitor to one's yard, park or in the wilds, or even the one seen in the mirror. Perhaps endearing, influential, beautiful, or whimsical, with a story to tell. The artists in this show offer their unique portrayals of these special creatures in a variety of mediums.

This show is sponsored by the Rockville Art League and the City of Rockville.

We are honored to have renown portrait artist Maud Taber-Thomas award prizes of recognition.
This show is on display at Glenview Mansion Art Gallery Jan. 21- Feb. 16. The show is free and open to the public.

The gallery is open weekdays, Mon. - Fri., 9:00am-4:30pm. Please call 240-314-8681 (or 8660) or check the Glenview Mansion website before coming out.

Located on the second floor of Glenview Mansion at the Rockville Civic Center Park, 603 Edmonston Drive in Rockville, there is an elevator to all levels of the gallery with accessible parking near the back entrance and plenty of parking in the lot below.

Judge Maud Taber-Thomas Remarks:

I want to thank the Rockville Art League for inviting me to judge this wonderful show. It has been a delight to see and get to know the wide variety of work represented here, exploring the portrait in all its forms, from humans to animals, from the meticulously scientifically accurate to the expressively abstract, from the adorable to the poignant to the terrifying. Congratulations to everyone!

Portraits are different from other kinds of artwork, because the viewer has an instant, visceral, and instinctive connection with the person or creature represented, the same sort of connection we feel when meeting someone in real life. It’s hard to describe or quantify, but for me, this quality of life is the most important thing in a portrait—is there a real sense of a soul and presence emanating from the artwork? Often this quality comes not from the literal subject matter but from the formal, technical, and expressive qualities of how the person or animal is represented. The colors, composition, scale, and brushstrokes can give just as much of a sense of personality and energy as the image itself. This sense of a soul really inhabiting the artwork can come from the simplest or the most complex composition, the most detailed and faithful rendering, or the loosest and sketchiest, the most traditional techniques, or the most innovative.

It’s hard to describe precisely, but I think we all know it when we look at and examine a painting, and we feel that the painting is looking back at us.

1st Place: "Take these Broken Wings" by Isabella Martire
I first saw this portrait in a photograph, and when I finally saw it in person, I realized that the photo had only given me a small inkling of the effect that this portrait creates. When I saw it in person, it blew me away. This is a phenomenon that I have noticed in many great paintings—that they have ineffable qualities not captured by a photographic reproduction. It’s always hard to pin down what exactly these qualities are, but with this painting, the first thing that struck me was the scale of the artwork. The larger-than-life size creates a sense of power that instantly grabs the attention of the viewer and projects energy and strength. The quiet, poised expression on the young woman’s face contrasts with this, and simultaneously gives her a sense of thoughtful, wise, and quiet command. The physical use of paint is also something that is hard for the camera to capture: the softness of some of the edges in this painting, contrasting with the sharp paint strokes of the highlighted areas create a sense of depth; so that the painting seems to leap out from the surface of the canvas. The use of color in this painting is also unexpected and stunning; the blues in the shadows contrast with the warmth in the highlights, allowing the skin to glow in an extra-luminous way.

In writing this, I realize that I’m using the word “contrast” a lot—the contrast of the scale with the woman’s expression, the contrast between different painting techniques, and color contrasts. These elements make the portrait subject feel like a multidimensional and complex personality. She’s not simply an attractive young woman, but a person with depth, a person whom it would take a long time to get to know. That’s what makes this a compelling portrait—just like meeting someone in person, we are drawn to her and want to spend time getting to know her better and unraveling the mysteries of her character.

2nd Place: "Zelda in Nature" by Ally Morgan
This striking portrait combines a faithful representation of an individual dog with an innovative, vibrant, and magical use of colors. The dog’s expression is instantly recognizable, joyously adorable, and meticulously rendered. The variety of marks beautifully creates the textures of tactile fur, a shiny nose, and soft background. The colors are surprising and unexpected, but they unquestionably work to create a sense of luminosity throughout the composition, balancing every color of the rainbow in a magical, yet believable way.

3rd Place: "Plantain Queen II" by Jordan Henson
This photograph uses color, composition, and subject matter to create a very striking and iconic image. The woman at the center of the image seems to have chosen her outfit to perfectly harmonize with the plantains she is carrying, and the blues in the distant background work perfectly to set these off. The light area surrounding her sets off the strength of her silhouette. The pose and composition of this photograph evoke the caryatids of Classical architecture, but in a totally new setting and environment. While not a traditional portrait, we get a strong sense of this woman just by seeing her back—from her amazing fashion choices, to her assured, purposeful posture, and her comfort and confidence in the environment.

Honorable Mention:

"Nest" by Barbara Bell
"Swimmer Collage" by Colleen Bennett
"Envision" by Stephanie Chang
"Lise" by Linda Greigg
"Love of Baseball" by Stephanie Gustavson
"Curious" by Nancy Jakubowski
"Poet" by Isabella Martire
"Slight of Hand" by Patrick Sieg
"Jennie and Sho" by Sonia Sniderman
"Old Soldier" by Sonia Sniderman
"Connection – Mated Pair of White Egrets" by Freddi Weiner
"Still Here" by Stacy Yochum