Color Sphere
Juried by Lee Boynton
October 3–November 5, 2012
Opening Reception: Thursday, October 11, 6:30-8:00 pm
On Exhibit until Nov. 5, 2012Color is most often used for the literal representation of the visual world, but it can be so much more than that. Artists for "Color Sphere" were encouraged to explore the use & meaning of color, its capacity to communicate, and the power it can exercise.

Juror’s Dialogue with Erica Fortwengler
“The artist’s use of light and dark, design, color, and visual narrative all work together to create visual drama,” explained juror Lee Boynton. “Visual drama” was what Boynton was looking for as he contemplated the 532 works of art submitted for the October 2012 “Color Sphere” exhibit. 

Boynton was also looking for the trinity of “goodness, truth, and beauty.” Boynton defined goodness as “the successful use of media and combination of skills.” Truth as “consistency, the underlying principle of integrity, and how the piece is done.” And said beauty is “hard to define, but you know it when you see it.”

The 98 selected works stood out as having purpose and intentionality in addition to that visual drama. “A successful artist selects, edits, and simplifies – they know how to do more with less.” Boynton remarked that there was real strength in the oil paintings, with artists demonstrating a strong handling of the medium and the work showing a great depth of color. 

Boynton noted that the unselected works lacked focus and were visually chaotic. “Artists need to be aware of what they’re doing and why. Everything you do has a purpose. Visual art is a narrative between the artist and the viewer,” explained Boynton. 

The pieces Boynton selected as award winners all have visual drama, excitement, and strong color and light. These artists have excelled in “doing more with less,” remarked Boynton.Boynton selected Christine Lashley’s “Margaret” for the Gilham Award for best in show. “The direct, alla prima painting portrait is evocative and full of great color and emotion,” said Boynton.