Artists of the Month - November 2016

First place this month went to Jeanne Windoffer for her watercolor, “Santa Maria della Pieta.”  She says, “This painting is the first I’ve done since returning from my recent trip to Italy/France. I was so struck by the afternoon light shining on the church, in that gorgeous landscape, with those “almost” storm clouds! I couldn’t wait to paint it when I got home. We had such a wonderful time and I have so many scenes in my sketchbook, photo library and in my head, that I want to paint, paint, paint. I hope the resulting efforts will express the joy I had discovering such places.”

Jen Swain won 2nd place for her piece called “Women in the House of God.”  It is illustrated with colored pencil on a wood panel, and is the illustration for a short story from Lit For Life, an on-line literary magazine. The story article honors the stories and wisdom of Jamila Osman’s ancestors. Jamila is a Somali educator and writer. You can read the story here.

“Louie Startles the Burglar” by Esther Sullivan won 3rd place. Esther writes, “This piece uses colored pencil with pen and ink. Louie used to greet me at the door when I came home from work. One evening one of the glass panes to our back door was broken, and I saw Louie’s face looking at me with his solemn eyes. I guess those eyes scared the burglar away. I enjoy using different media and different subjects. Still life, nude portraits, landscapes. and animals are subject matter that I enjoy bringing to life. I am self taught in art, and I have learned a lot from VHAA. I am open to new ideas and positive suggestions from people and feel that giving positive feedback encourages people to enjoy their art. New challenges are exciting to me, and I always bring enthusiasm to any project I’m working on.”

“Louie Startles the Burglar” by Esther Sullivan won 3rd place. Esther writes, “This piece uses colored pencil with pen and ink. Louie used to greet me at the door when I came home from work. One evening one of the glass panes to our back door was broken, and I saw Louie’s face looking at me with his solemn eyes. I guess those eyes scared the burglar away. I enjoy using different media and different subjects. Still life, nude portraits, landscapes. and animals are subject matter that I enjoy bringing to life. I am self taught in art, and I have learned a lot from VHAA. I am open to new ideas and positive suggestions from people and feel that giving positive feedback encourages people to enjoy their art. New challenges are exciting to me, and I always bring enthusiasm to any project I’m working on.”