Making unusual choices leads to excellence
Rance Jones, Gecko, watercolor, 38 x 30.
Welcome to this special issue in which we celebrate the winners and finalists of our 10th annual Artistic Excellence competition. The process of selecting these winners seems to get more grueling every year, as the quality of the entries continues to impress us. Comparing artworks against one another is a profoundly difficult task, but it’s a joy to have so many beautiful and striking pieces to choose from.
Once we settled on this year’s winners and I had a chance to reflect upon them as a group (see page 56), what stood out most was how many of them surprised me in one way or another. They are often unconventional, reflecting creative decisions made by the artists that are outside the norm and perhaps a little more risky than average.
A terrific example of this is GECKO by Rance Jones, our first-place winner. When I saw this watercolor for the first time, I was immediately struck by its vivid color palette. The intense green of the doorway, paired with the pinkish cast of the sky and the building’s façade—this is not a combination one often sees, and it made a strong impression. As far as I’m concerned, it vies for prominence with the figure in the lower right, who has a commanding presence all his own and adds an additional layer of meaning and intrigue to the artwork.
Two other pieces surprised me with their unusual perspective and composition. QUEEN IN TRAINING I, a charcoal drawing by Tanja Gant that won third place, packs a punch in part because this fierce female face is positioned above the viewer, putting her in a position of strength and authority that’s reinforced by her unwavering gaze. On the other hand, THEY MADE MAPS OF THE SKY by Kim VanDerHoek places the viewer above the landscape, putting us in the unique position of seeing clouds from their tops—and what beautiful clouds they are.
Perhaps the most unusual piece in the group is KRILLING ME SOFTLY, a masterful watercolor by Luis F. Pérez. This gorgeous painting of fresh shrimp in a silver colander stopped me in my tracks. The translucency, textures, and colors are all beautifully captured; this may be one of the strongest examples I’ve seen of truly appreciating the overlooked beauty that surrounds us in our daily lives. I hope you’ll join me in applauding this piece and all the winners, who have found meaningful new ways to capture our world on canvas and paper. —Kristin Hoerth
This story appeared in the December 2020/January 2021 issue of Southwest Art magazine.