The Fire Within
TOUR ANNUAL ART CONTEST
THEME: The Fire Within
“One must never let the fire go out in one’s soul, but keep it burning.”
— Vincent van Gogh
THEME: Following on last year’s elemental series theme of Air, this year we invite registered Tour artists to ignite their creativity through works on the theme of Fire!
Artistic creativity is like a fire—sometimes burning brightly, sometimes becoming glowing embers that must be stirred back to life. Ignite your creativity and share the way you experience the poetic complexities of fire in your work. Are you drawn to its energy and vibrant colors? Do you see fire as a destructive force? Is it a metaphor for passion, lust, fury, anger, hate? Or do you see fire as an element that keeps us warm and nourished? Or as a metaphor for purification, rebirth, determination, transformation, love?
Because the fire of the sun brings the light that makes it possible to see, to create, and to perceive shape, fire is the element most closely associated with artists and eyes. Let this element help you experience the heat of creativity and spark new beginnings in your work.
Claudia Fiks, 2026 Annual Contest Juror
ABOUT THE JUROR: Claudia Fiks is an art administrator with more than 2 decades of experience working in the art sector in the US and abroad. She is an independent curator, and writer dedicated to supporting artists and strengthening creative communities. She is the Founder and Executive Director of the New England Art Center and TAG Gallery in Boston’s SoWa Arts & Design District. Claudia also serves as Executive Director of Newton Open Studios. In addition to her curatorial work, Claudia is a correspondent for Artscope Magazine. Through exhibitions, talks, and workshops, she is deeply committed to helping artists navigate today’s complex and evolving art landscape with clarity and confidence.
Congratulations to the Awardees!
First Prize
Dot Bergen
Fusion
12" x 18"
Encaustic and Fiber
Juror Comments:
This piece feels alive. It does not represent fire, it embodies it.
What makes Fusion so powerful is its ability to translate the invisible into something visceral. The reference to solar fusion, the origin of all life, anchors the work conceptually, but it is the physical presence of the piece that truly activates it. The glowing interior, the organic, almost cellular exterior, creates a tension between fragility and intensity. It pulses. It breathes.
There is a sense of constant becoming here. Fire is not static, it is energy, exchange, dependency, transformation. This work captures that complexity with remarkable clarity. It suggests a system rather than an object, a living condition rather than a fixed form.
I was particularly drawn to the way it navigates scale, both microscopic and cosmic at once. It feels like a fragment of something much larger, yet completely self-contained. It speaks to fire as origin, as sustenance, as an ongoing force that connects all living things.
This piece stood out because it fully inhabits the theme. It is bold, immersive, and conceptually rigorous, while remaining emotionally immediate. It doesn’t describe fire, it makes you feel it.
Second Prize
Serena Parente Charlebois
The Journey Home in The Golden Hour
15" x 13"
Photography - Alternative Process
Juror Comments:
This work captures fire in its most poetic and ephemeral form, light. Not flame, not destruction, but illumination. The use of gold leaf is not decorative; it is conceptual. It holds and reflects light in a way that feels almost sacred, echoing the presence of the sun as both a physical and symbolic force.
What stayed with me is the emotional temperature of the image. There is a stillness, a sense of quiet endurance. The solitary figure ascending the path suggests effort, repetition, and return, but within the golden hour, that journey becomes something elevated. Fire, here, is the sustaining force behind vision itself. It is what allows us to see, to perceive, to find our way.
I chose this piece because it expands the idea of fire beyond intensity into reflection. It reminds us that fire is not only what burns, it is also what guides, what softens, what holds space for contemplation. There is dignity in this work, and a subtle, enduring warmth that lingers.
Honorable Mention
Cali Almy
Fire Rings Vessel
8" x 8" x 8"
Clay
Juror Comments:
There is a quiet humility in this work that I found deeply compelling. Fire is not depicted here, it is embedded. It lives on the surface, in the unpredictable marks left behind by a process that resists full control. The vessel becomes a record of fire’s passage, a collaboration between the artist and the elemental forces she invites in.
What resonates most is the balance between intention and surrender. The pit-firing process, one of the oldest ceramic traditions, carries with it a sense of lineage and trust, an understanding that fire will leave its trace, but never in the same way twice. The resulting surface holds warmth, movement, and memory. It feels like something unearthed rather than made.
I was drawn to this piece for its restraint. It does not insist. Instead, it asks viewers to come closer, to notice the subtle variations, the quiet glow of copper, the way fire lingers as a whisper rather than a spectacle. It speaks to fire as transformation, slow, intimate, and deeply rooted in process.
View all of the entries from our artists below:
Robert Abele Shoveling Toward Solace 16" x 12" OilMy painting “Shoveling Toward Solace” aims to capture the essence of "The Fire Within" by juxtaposing the brutal, cold exterior of the Great Northeast Blizzard of 2026 with the indomitable spirit of the hearth. My painting is dominated by sculptural snowdrifts rendered in cool violets and deep indigos, illustrating the sheer scale of the historic storm. A narrow, hand-shoveled path cuts through the frozen landscape, serving as a physical manifestation of human perseverance against the elements. While the sky remains a heavy, twilight blue, a sliver of sunset on the horizon hints at the passing of the storm, yet the true source of life in the painting is centered. The "fire" is found in the glowing amber light emanating from the home’s interior. The porch light and the front door become a singular, radiant beacon, casting a golden reflection onto the icy path. This warmth bleeds out into the snow, transforming a desolate winter scene into a sanctuary of safety. The contrast suggests that while the blizzard of '26 was devastating in its power, it could not extinguish the internal light of community and domestic life.
Ashley Ainsworth Fire Horse 2026 12" x 9" WatercolorI wanted to describe in paint the Fire Horse in honor of the extremely rare Chinese Zodiac cycle pairing of 2026. I thought watercolor would be an interesting medium to represent the intensity, singularity and driving force that is fire. The flame licks coming off of the Mare warn any bystander to steer clear of her path. Thank you for your consideration in the 2026 SCA Tour competition.
Cali Almy Fire Rings Vessel 8" x 8" x 8" ClayThere is always a little magic involved with ceramics, particularly when exploring surfaces. Whether through the process of glazing or via a certain type of firing, results can often be a calculated risk. The piece I am submitting for the SCA Fire themed contest was completed in a “pit fire”. Perhaps derived from one of the oldest methods of finishing ceramic work, the process involves placing the clay forms in a container surrounded by combustible materials (in this case, sawdust, dried flowers and grasses, string, seaweed and newspaper). Once all the elements are arranged in the container, the top of the “arrangement” is lit on fire and within a few minutes covered. This results in a slow burning down of the materials, and the carbon released is absorbed into the clay. I had also applied copper carbonate to the surface of this vessel which resulted in its dynamic color variation. What a joy it was to unload the pit that morning and find the enclosed results.
Melanie Anderson Ember's Soul 18" x 24" Acrylic and oil stickIn "Ember's Soul", my interpretation of "the fire within" appears as an inner force that ignites growth and creation. From a central core of energy, this transformation radiates outward reflecting evolution and emergence.
Kim Barry Wildfires on My Marsh 40" x 40" Oil on canvasLast year the Canadian wildfires struck me to my core. Fires raged out of control for months and we in the South Coast were affected by a sickly yellow grey smoke that lingered like a warning sign. Sadly, wildfires have long devastated dry, western, parts of our country, but we in New England, share the same climate as Canada. The world is now experiencing the results of Climate Change with rising water and intensifying weather; however, the image of wildfires here on our marshes, woods, fields, and homes is especially terrifying. The SCA Tour Competition theme this year of “Fire “prompted me to experience through my painting, what a wildfire on Our Marshes would look like.
Dot Bergen Fusion 12" x 18" Encaustic and FiberSunlight is the basis for all life on earth. The light and heat emitted from the sun is the result of solar fusion which occurs at the core of the star. This process warms our planet and drives all living ecosystems on earth. “Fusion” is a hanging sculpture composed of encaustic paint and fabric. This artwork is from a series entitled “Biolume: Between Host and Light” which explores light as both energy and synergy. Emitting light like a living system, “Fusion” suggests a nexus where growth, dependency and radiance are inseparable. Referencing both marine and terrestrial forms, “Fusion” serves as a metaphor for biological exchange and survival.
Marianne Boucher Surfer's Sunset 12" x 24" OilI like to capture the natural elements in my oil paintings. This sunset scene shows surfer's enjoying a rare treat of sizable waves off of Horseback Beach in Westport, MA due to an offshore hurricane.
Don Cadoret Fired Up! 11" x 18" Acrylic PaintingIllustration for a yet-unpublished children's book. Image explores the theme of warmth, whether it be inside by the fire or outside on a wintry evening.
Robert Dec Democracy on Fire 18" x 24” Acrylic, pastelMy recent series of fire paintings were Initially inspired by the flickering shapes and colors of the fires in pits, bonfires and fireplaces. I decided to express this one in a more abstract manner. While I was working on it I was listening to 60s and 70s music and various news programs. I realized after completing the painting that subconsciously it became a reflection of what I was hearing about the recent and past challenges to democracy in our country- with the protesting figures below in the towns on fire above.
Iria DeValles-Vieira Under the City 15" x 11" x 3" Acrylic Mixed MediaUnder the City was created by joining two cradled panels together to form a deeper, four-sided structure. The added depth suggests something hidden — a space beneath the visible surface where energy quietly gathers. Inspired by the theme of fire, this work does not depict open flame, but rather what lies below it: warmth, pressure, and slow transformation. Built with layered acrylic and mixed media, the surface evolved through repeated application, scraping, and distressing. Earthy ochres, muted reds, and smoky undertones reference embers, clay, and materials altered by heat over time. The textures evoke foundations, underground walls, and surfaces shaped by both natural and human forces. Fire here becomes a quiet presence — contained, yet active. It moves unseen, reshaping from within. The depth created by combining the two cradles allows the piece to physically hold that sense of interior heat. It feels grounded and architectural, yet organic. Fire, in this context, represents renewal and subtle ignition — the slow burn that transforms what we do not immediately see. Under the City reflects on hidden energy and the quiet processes of change happening beneath the surface.
Jade Donaldson Aries I 7" x 11" Encaustic and mixed media on woodWe tend to associate spring with green, but I would posit that red is the true harbinger of the season. Red is a sign that spring's furnace has turned on, warming and loosening long-frozen sap to begin to flow, both in nature and in our spirits. Tender new plant growth is red because it is rich in anthocyanins. This chemical layer protects vulnerable tissue from environmental stressors like UV and temperature damage, as well as making it appear less delectable to the ravenous grinding mouths of rabbits, deer and insects. Recently, I encountered a scene that struck me like a lightning bolt: a Japanese maple with young branches burning crimson against the muddled gray of the tree line, like a fire bursting out of snowy ground. The title of the piece – Aries I – refers to the astrological phase that begins on the vernal equinox. Aries is a fire sign and is considered in to be the first sign of the zodiac, beginning a new cycle and signifying the fiery spark of initiating energy and action. May we take inspiration from the Japanese maple and from the initiating fire of spring, shaking off the icy remnants of seasons past and blazing forth towards fresh visions and dreams.
Kris Donovan Fire in the Sky 10" x 8" WatercolorInspired by one of our amazing Sakonnet sunsets over the marsh and the river, this sky and reflection was one that I excitedly wanted to render in watercolor. I don't often paint sunsets, I feel they are better left to Mother Nature, but this composition and inspiration was something I felt I could translate into my language. In my 6 decades as a painter, I think I've only painted a few sunsets, always feeling that God could do a much better "job". There certainly was fire in the sky that night... a reminder of just how vast and extraordinary our universe is and how blessed we artists are to share it.
Charles Eastman Illuminated Night, Tarifa, Spain 10" x 15" Color Photography on Archival PaperBefore humans harnessed fire, they relied on the moon and stars to illuminate the night. Once they learned to control fire, they began to shape their destinies and overcome the fears and limitations of darkness. Over countless generations, fire evolved from a simple survival tool into a sophisticated means of lighting. This progression—from basic campfires and torches to more advanced organic lighting sources—transformed the way people lived. Illumination became a vital element in the development of societies. Today, we live in a world where the "City of Light" is celebrated, and we strive to become an enlightened society. In his design for the Ideal City, Leonardo da Vinci placed the greatest importance on areas closest to the light. The journey from darkness to light—both literal and figurative—has continually inspired humanity's desire to overcome the anxieties and limitations of life in the dark. This photograph of the rooftops in the medieval walled city of Tarifa, Spain, at the most southern tip of the European Continent, comprises the two elements of our living in the night. The ancient illumination of the full moon and our most modern electric light.
Heidi O'Donnell Eastman Feu sur l'Eau (Fire on the Water) 20" x 20" OilFeu sur l'Eau (Fire on the Water) captures the moment when the rising sun ignites the sea, electrifying everything in its path with vibrant energy. The sailboat seems to draw power from this spectacular fire and brilliant light, as if propelled by the sun itself. The intense oranges and yellows enveloping the scene support the sailboat, resembling the buttresses of a cathedral. Each day, we are welcomed by the raw power of this blazing sphere.
Lindsey Epstein Forged by Fire 9.5" x 11.5" Paper clay, porcelainThis raku-fired ceramic horse emerges from fire not simply as a subject, but as a record of the element itself. The surface bears the unpredictable signatures of flame. Smoke, flashes of metallic luster, and scorched earth tones- each mark created through direct exposure to heat, oxygen, and sudden cooling. In this way, the work is less a controlled object and more collaboration with fire, embracing both its volatility and its generative power. The horse, long associated with vitality, movement, and instinct, becomes a vessel for the emotional spectrum of fire. Its form suggests forward motion, echoing the restless energy of flames that refuse stillness. At the same time, the lustered glaze evokes a body that has endured trial, carrying the memory of burning without being consumed. Fire operates here as both creator and destroyer. It threatens collapse, testing the limits of the clay, yet it also hardens and transforms, giving permanence to what was once soft and vulnerable. This piece explores fire as transformation– of material, of form, and of self. The horse does not flee the flames; it is born from them. In its surface and stance, it embodies resilience, passion, and the continuous cycle of ignition and renewal that fuels artistic practice, which is relevant in the year of the fire horse. Through raku’s immediacy and unpredictability, the work invites viewers to witness not just an image of fire, but its presence– alive, volatile, and essential.
RoseMarie Escobar Firing Up The Goddess 8" x 12" Digital Photo Montage on Metal"Firing Up the Goddess" is a symbolic montage inspired by "The Year of the Fire Horse”, the year of bold change. The Fire-Horse planetary energetic charge only comes every 60 years. The last time it was ignited was 1966. Major ground breaking changes for humanity included political upheavals, civil rights and social unrest, war, etc. It is a time of high speed change. This digital montage reminds to seek more powerfully intense yet nurturing feminine energies while embracing the Goddess spreading more compassion and love. Firing Up the Goddess swirls fiery light to call in higher vibrations for the new stage we are entering. Acts as a reminder to hold strong presence even in this chaotic, disruptive and volatile period. And to increase, burn and activate creative ambitions during this super empowering and transformative time. The element of fire heralds in more passion to embrace spiraling rapid change. The strength, independence and leadership qualities of horses as spirit guides, carry the burdens and help do the hard work needed. And adding the divine Goddess Venus to help illuminate harmony and fertility for brilliance, abundance, nurturing virtues, beauty and especially more peace, love and light. This visual work inspires to ask how does one embrace the fire and power; do we run from it or do we ride it to the highest level possible, especially during these profound and revolutionary social upheaval and transformative times we are in. Fire up the goddess, take the reins, begin again with come-passion.
Sherri Feld Sousa Circle of Fire and Family 6" x 7.5" Fused GlassThis fused glass piece honors three generations—my Mom, my Daughter and I—each connected through a shared creative spark. The layered glass colors and varied textures symbolize the passion for art that moves through our family. The figure holds a glowing, fiery heart, representing how creativity is passed down and radiates outward like rising heat. Circle of Fire and Family reflects how artistic energy is born in one generation, carried by the next, and continues to shine brightly into the future.
Jonathan French Palace (Diptych) 20" x 32" Acrylic on woodInspired by Barnett Newan's "Zip" paintings" and James Turrell's light spaces. I am interested in the hypnotic effects of color and space on the eye. For the leaves, I referred to a photograph I took of a tree among the towering vertical hedges around Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna, where moments later my 8-year-old daughter came within a hair's breadth of being run over by a fast-moving tractor. I enhanced the wood grain as if it represented water. The orange was thick yellow with horizontal brush stokes but it made the image feel more about the war in the Ukraine, so I wove vertical red over the yellow creating a textured weave. I wanted to evoke a contemplative sense of calm water and nature, disturbed by potential disaster and the endless news of dreadful human behavior around the world.
Barbara Edlund Healy Dance of the Fire Flies 40" x 30" Oil"Dance of the Fireflies" is inspired by the magic of nature. It’s amazing how such tiny insects can create something so beautiful. This painting is a reminder that no creature is too small to matter. Much like the butterfly effect, it shows how even a little flicker of life can make a big difference in the world around us.
Eric Lintala Feel The Heat 8.5" x 11" Didital PhotographyDeep in the canyons of southeast Utah the temperatures reach well over one hundred degrees. Being there is like being in an oven. The mid-day heat is unbearable. On this day my shadow felt like it was baked into the canyon wall.
Azin Majooni She Who Revives the Flame 43.5" x 43" x 29" Handmade paper, flax, and kozoThis work is rooted in the chant Woman, Life, Freedom, a declaration that life cannot exist without the freedom of women. In Iran, a woman’s body has become a site of control, punishment, and resistance, policed down to hair, voice, and movement. Here, she stands not as a symbol, but as a living frontline. The fire inside her is born from accumulated injustice, the slow burn of laws, surveillance, and violence that attempt to reduce her existence. It is also the fire seen in the streets, where women burned headscarves, transforming imposed modesty into ash and protest into light. This flame is grief, rage, and love of life fused together. The bullets in her body are both wounds and inscriptions. Fired to silence, they become a second kind of fire: hot metal entering flesh, searing but not extinguishing. In this work, each bullet remains inside her like a lodged spark, continuing to burn. Rather than destroying her, the violence turns her body into a furnace of memory and defiance. Woman is the body targeted. Life is what persists despite attempts to erase it. Freedom is the flame that cannot be contained. This piece refuses the narrative of victimhood. Like fire, she is dangerous to control and impossible to hold. A woman set on fire by the injustice of her own existence does not simply burn, she illuminates. Scarred yet incandescent, she becomes both witness and warning, carrying a heat powerful enough to ignite others and expose the darkness around her.
Karen Melanson Sunflowers in Blue Vase 16" x 20" PastelIt is the very energy of fire, the most active and volatile energy, that compels me to paint sunflowers. Always moving toward the sun, sunflowers with their red, orange and yellow petals pay homage to this energy bringing me happiness and joy.
Felice Mendell Aflame 24" x 36" Acrylic on canvasLeo is a fire sign. As a Leo, I identify with many of its supposed characteristics – passion and desire, creativity and ambition, strength and leadership. Those are some of the warm and glowing aspects of fire. But fire can also represent fear, anxiety, anger, aggression, volatility, chaos and destruction. As a young child I was horrified to witness a devastating fire in my neighborhood. Exploring the next day’s remains of the charred apartments with dinner interrupted on the kitchen tables, I realized how fire can disrupt a family’s life and it left me with nightmares for months. Lately, listening to daily news reports and seeing the awe-inspiring images of conflagration in the oil fields, I am feeling fearful, angry and powerless. My escape is to creatively represent these emotions in abstract and colorful but controlled geometries, and right now I am feeling aflame.
Kelly Milukas Electricity 8" x 6" Eatercolor, gouache, ink, sgraffito"Electricity" fires are typically caused by faulty "mental "wiring, overloaded "care for one another" circuits, or "malfunctioning" humans. Hazardous arcs and sparks are generated, igniting the people who surround. Do not use water. CUTTING POWER helps to eliminate the dangerous flames, the horrid odors, extinguishing the burning King, and cutting the severe Autocrat. Consider using the ancient technology called LOVE for any smoldering.
Vania Novercça Passion Road 20" x 20" Oil on canvas"Passion Road" I created this painting for my son AJ; he's a musician and has been working on an album for more than a decade. He is thirty and music has been a passion of his since he was 6; he was born with 40% bilateral hearing loss and was always drawn to music so we encouraged him to play multiple instruments. He first played clarinet in elementary school then was inspired to play guitar so we sent him to music school, he is a natural! he continued following his passion by learning to play clarinet, guitar piano and sing! I am always inspired when I listen to him practice and perform. he told me he is just about finished with his collection of originals and wants to make an album. so, I was inspired to create an album cover to represent his personality and his love of music, the road has been long. As his parent I know how devoted he is to his artistry and as an artist myself, I understand that passion comes from within. Inspiration is everywhere and it's that fire burning inside that keeps us centered and connected to what is important for our well being. My son is a beautiful soul who loves nature and has a passion for music and it has been a long road. Creating this painting has allowed me to share in his passion and love for music by representing his journey through my own passion and love for art!
Serena Parente Charlebois The Journey Home in The Golden Hour 15" x 13" Photography - Alternative ProcessThe Journey Home is printed on archival cotton vellum and gilded with 23K gold leaf, its surface catching and holding light as though it remembers the sun. The gilding evokes the fleeting radiance of the golden hour—when marble facades glow and the day softens into reflection. In this luminous hush, a solitary figure makes his ascent along a steep, winding path. It is a passage worn by repetition, a ritual of return. The gold does not merely embellish the image; it echoes the quiet dignity of his journey—transforming an ordinary homecoming into something reverent, suspended between labor and rest.
Lauren Quinn Hot Lava Float 12" x 9" x 7.5" Pit fired clay and fused glassHot Lava Float embraces my love of fire. The clay briquettes were pit fired 20" under the ground with many combustibles such as wood chips, seaweed, salt, eggshells, banana peels etc. They are wood fired in the earth with items from the earth. After the fire slows down the pit is then covered and sealed to reduce the oxygen which gives them the nice charcoal effect. In contrast the bright colors of the floating lava table was made from fused glass and colored frits then slow fired in an electric kiln. This shows the power of heat to melt glass, the fluidity of the color to move and defy gravity. This piece combines my two great loves clay and fused glass.
Josie Richmond Water's Rising! Climate Change ice bucket 10" x 10" x 10" Etchings w/encaustic on recycled ice bucketThe ice bucket has been waiting for its moment for a few years. Fire and Ice seem to go hand in hand.
Kadie Salfi Gun : Hunter : Fire 16" x 20" Mixed MediaMy work explores fire not as a literal flame, but as a catalyst for action and a tool of the hunter. By layering a photographic image of a handgun over the constellation Orion—the celestial archetype of the Hunter—I am looking at the long trajectory of human tools and the "spark" that triggers them. The gun is an engine of internal combustion; it relies on a controlled explosion of fire to project its force. In this piece, the weapon is held upside down, subverting its traditional power and inviting the viewer to see it instead as an artifact of our own making. The two red lines act as a visual disruption—a reminder of the heat, danger, and passion that fire represents. Through this layering of ancient myth and modern machinery, I am questioning our relationship with the tools we create to survive, to hunt, and to destroy. Fire, in this context, is the ignition of intent—a force that has the power to both protect us and to leave everything in glowing embers.
Melynda Schudrich Gathered Radiance 14" x 4" Fused glassThis fused glass menorah incorporates pulled vitrigraph glass arranged in flowing forms that echo the flames of the candles traditionally lit during Hanukkah. Each line of glass suggests movement, warmth, and the quiet spread of light. The vitrigraph process—pulling molten glass into long, fluid strands—creates organic shapes that feel both spontaneous and intentional, mirroring the lively character of flame. Glass is uniquely suited to exploring light. Through transparency, reflection, and subtle variations in thickness and color, the material captures and transforms illumination as it passes through the form. As light moves across and through the piece, the layered strands create shifting reflections and soft glows, reinforcing the idea of light multiplying and extending outward. The flowing elements also reference the act of kindling the menorah itself, where one flame lights the next. The gesture of repeated curves and rising lines suggests both the physical presence of flame and the symbolic continuity of the ritual. The structure holds space for the traditional candles while visually expressing the warmth and energy they produce. By combining sculptural glass techniques with a traditional form, this piece explores the relationship between craft, material, and ritual. It celebrates both the expressive qualities of fused glass and the enduring tradition of gathering around light.
Kitt Shaffer Bridge Sunset 20" x 16" Oil on canvasAs I was driving away from Padanarum, over the drawbridge in the evening, there was an amazing blazing sunset. I yanked out my phone and shot a couple of blurry images while driving (dangerous, I know), as I had never seen such colors. Flocks of birds were flying over and it was all surreal. I thought I could pull over on the other side of the bridge to get a better image, but there was no view to the west along that stretch of road, and by the time I got to a spot with a western view, the fireworks were over. In fact, I often find that the worse the photo I work from, the more free I feel as a painter to interpret the scene. So I often snap casual shots while driving, walking, or riding in a car, not worrying about framing, composition or motion. Some of my favorite paintings have been based on very limited photographs. While I prefer to work from life, many situations (like this sunset) are not suited for that, so I often work from photographs as well. Both painting from life and from poor quality photographs require a lot of artistic interpretation, which forces me to be less meticulous and more free.
Taylor Smith Wellfleet 16" x 12" oilViewing the sun directly through the scrub pines of Cape Cod.
Galen Snow ...there is always hope... 15.5" x 25.5" Paper MontageI work in paper. Small shards of transparent and opaque high-end papers cut, torn then pasted to gatorboard to create the image I have in my mind. It is tedious but satisfying work. I often make landscapes, birds and florals in realistic formats. The past two years, however, have been a challenge, to say the least. I was absolutely stuck. A few emotionally charged events veered me off course and I couldn't see my way around the bend; I was depressed. Then, I met Chris Gustin at a talk he gave at a SCA gathering. He talked about pivoting in your medium. All my antennae went up... and at the end of the night, I went home totally energized and inspired. In the next 2 weeks, I worked. I completed one large montage and began another, the second piece being a real outcome of the emotional events, the condition of the world and our struggling country. I have always loved fiery sunsets and by using bigger pieces of transparent papers that practically glued themselves to the gatorboard, the sunset colors for my contest submission, "...there is always hope..." literally flew into place. Instead of cutting and pasting the usual tiny textural pieces under the Crows, I found and used the textures from the papers themselves. They did the job for me!! I was on fire!! A pivot so that I could spend time creating the Mama crow and her baby w the intricate detail my work is known for.
Stephanie Stroud Fiery Sunrise Over Frenchman Bay 6.25" x 8.25" Decorative FiberIn June of 2018 my husband and I spent a week in Maine, exploring and photographing the beauty of Acadia National Park, and celebrating my birthday and our anniversary. I had been wallowing in a creative rut, desperate for new inspiration and Acadia delivered! In the early morning hours of my 50th birthday we watched the sunrise over Frenchman Bay from the top of Cadillac Mountain. Every moment of changing light was one breathtaking photo after another! Born at the infancy of summer, I am a child of the sun. I love the long light filled days of summer. Feeling the warm sun on my face and shoulders and watching our backyard oasis come back to life, nourished by its warmth and light, providing the idyllic setting for one of my favorite past times, sitting by the firepit. But that day was about the dawn of the next chapter in my life. With our children grown, the responsibilities of motherhood changed and more time for me meant the opportunity for more time to create. All I needed was something to light that fire within. Since then, every wool felt painting I create from photos taken on this trip to Maine remind me of that special time. But as I choose my colors and carefully layer the wool to capture the fire in the sky of that magnificent sunrise, I’m returned to that moment of renewal and with a grateful heart, celebrate the burning desire to create it restored.
Amy Thurber Ghost Pumpkin Candle Stick 14" x 5.5" x 5.5" CeramicThe light from a flame has the power to enchant. It soothes the soul, but fire also consumes. It reminds us that everything in nature is ephemeral. This candlestick was inspired by ghost pumpkins. It became an inside out jack-o'-lantern, who's flame traditionally wards off evil spirits. Historically, the Jack-o'-lantern represents the legend of a man named Jack who was denied entry to both heaven and hell, and forced to create a lantern from a turnip and roam the earth with only a burning ember. This candle stick creates a more up-beat version. While pumpkins slowly decay and return to the earth to nourish the next generation of growing things, this ghost pumpkin is ceramic and will hold the candle light aloft giving us hope for the future.
Raquel Valcourt deCosta Summer set 18" x 36" Contemporary frescoLayers of metallic plaster, paint and some stenciling gives this piece depth.
Michael Walden Dark Matter 10.5" x 8.5" Lithographic mono printDark Matter approaches fire as a felt condition rather than an image. A figure seen from behind emerges through a reversal of light and dark, unsettling the body and placing it in quiet flux. The form holds, but only just. Heat is not shown directly. It gathers in the surface—in the weight of layered marks, in the friction between tones, in the sense that something is building without fully revealing itself. The body becomes a kind of boundary, where an inner force presses outward but remains contained. The image resists a fixed reading. At moments it feels solid; at others, it begins to slip, dissolving into a more abstract field. What remains is a steady intensity—subtle, persistent, and unresolved. In Dark Matter, fire is not something we see, but something we sense: a quiet force shaping the image from within.
Nancy Whitin Racing the Wind 12 " x 27.5" Pastel