Founded 1943

I would like to congratulate the members of the Toledo Artist’s Club on the fine body of work submitted for the 2024 Portraits, People and Pets Show. I am honored to have been invited to judge and thank you for the opportunity to be part of your experience. 

Overall, the work was very strong and exciting to see! This speaks to the caliber of artists in your club, the flow of teaching, learning and practice, and significantly, the commitment of the group. I’d also like to add that I found it very difficult to judge diverse media against each other, so I did my best to focus on originality of subject, mastery of media, composition, scale, and professional presentation. As with any competition, there is a stack-ranking of award-winning pieces given within the context of the assignment and peer group participation. Going into the show, I rejected several pieces based on my opinion, that these pieces should be further worked to be completed. To those artists, I applaud your journey and offer my encouragement for your focus and dedication to making art. It’s an important and worthy pursuit.

Lastly, I do want to comment on profession presentation of artwork. How you present, frame, and display your work directly affects how your work is seen and how the quality of your work is perceived. There were several pieces that I really admired which I dismissed for that reason. There were many pieces that looked as if they were stuffed into old frames, or not carefully considered for exhibit. It’s truly better to have no frame than one that is inappropriate for show. This is my life’s work: Helping artists show their work in its best light, beautifully, easily, and at a value, so I do put an importance on how the pieces are presented. Please consider this for future exhibitions. 

For this exhibit, I have awarded the following:

BEST OF SHOW

Dark Princess by John Swihart

This is simply a stunning and compelling portrait. The artist showed a mastery of the medium, artistry in the subject, and coupled with the scale of the work, stood out among the rest. The detail in the drawing, range of tones from white to dark charcoal and use of light and shadow shows skill, passion and imagination. 

FIRST PLACE

Woman of the Falling Snow by Randi Lowry

This small piece makes a big impact again showing mastery of the medium, spare palette, an interesting subject. Her gaze shows a somber wisdom that one might expect of an elder and honors the heritage of Native American peoples. 

SECOND PLACE

Christina-Nathalie and a Chicken by Mary Recknagel

Movement, nostalgia, whimsy, mastery of the medium topped with a bit of humor captured my attention and imagination.

THIRD PLACE

Moo Moon by Laura Williams

What an irresistible pet portrait! In this piece, I see beauty in the composition, use of a limited palette with a large range of tones, mastery of the media and impact of scale.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Little Fisherman by Kay Kocher

Peace and serenity define this watercolor with beautiful use of tone and light. The simplicity of the composition defines the simplicity of the act, as if this young person is meditating.

Art by Christina Canham

A strong pastel with personality! Great use of light, shadow and glimmer in Art’s eye.

Is This the One? by Leslie Watza

A unique way to use an unexpected medium to portray the anticipation and pure delight a bride feels in the right dress.

Beauty by Mahasti Jenabi

Aptly named ‘Beauty’, this portrait is compelling and inviting. While still and beautifully composed, the color and brushstrokes move and drew me in.

Laryce by Sarah Speer

Pure jazz, pure joy. The color choices convey personality and risk-taking associated with performing jazz music. The drawing is exquisite.

Congratulations!

Laura Jajko, Juror