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Jurors Statement – Victoria Guerina
Warwick Center for the Arts 38 th Annual RI Open
October 5 – November 23, 2024

I found the collection of work submitted by RI artists to this exhibit to be
subdued, with subtle meanings and strong emotional content. Color wasn’t a
prominent player and layered intensity seemed to weave through the artwork. I
found the photographs submitted to be especially compelling in this group. But I
was pleased to also find a wide variety of mediums represented including
painting, sculpture, fiber art, jewelry, assemblage, and digital art. The very high
quality of the submissions made this a difficult job deciding which artworks to
include in the exhibit and even more difficult choosing award winners. I used
three general criteria for deciding on which pieces would create an engaging
exhibit: Technical Skill (the artist’s familiarity with and mastery of their chosen
medium), Emotional Content (the artist expression of an emotional quality that
resonates with the viewer), and Personal Response (my connection with the
artwork and its effect on me as a viewer). I chose award winners with the
following thoughts in mind, though another juror might choose differently as
there were so many beautiful and intriguing submissions.

HONORABLE MENTION (4)
In Tension by Eric Hovermale is a striking photograph of subtle color and light,
and beautiful composition. The balance of the two figures both leaning away from
each other and pulling together while looking directly at each other creates a
tension both physical and emotional. The soft overhead lighting with directional
beams seems to add to the weight and tension of the figures.

Exterminator by Krzysztof Mathews is an amazing collection of what seems like
hundreds of metal and plastic pieces from machinery or household appliances
masterfully brought together to create two organic forms: a cat and mouse. The
tension between the two figures is intense with the cat about to devour the
mouse. What got me in this artwork was the little mouse fallen on its side in fear.
It’s tiny face an expression of horror. I could feel the heartbreaking panic of this
little creature. I find it magical that the artist is able to create such feeling and
emotion from detritus that most of us would have thrown away.

Division by Cynthia DiDonato is a dystopian digital artwork evoking fear, anxiety,
hate, violence and depression with roiling clouds of grey and black smoke or
smog. Beneath these choking billows is a falling curtain of what could be rain or
tears. This image brings forward aspects of our country’s current social, political
and environmental state that many of us feel. However, all is not lost. Within the
grey and black there are tiny specks of color and light that allow us to feel that
somewhere in this crazy world there is still hope.

No Way by Paul Murray was at first just a photograph of three guys playing
basketball. But on closer examination I found a joyful playfulness in addition to
the basketball game. First is the strong diagonal dividing the image into shadow
and light. I notice all three players in spite of their stretching and reaching, are
completely contained within the shadow. Their attention is directed at the
basketball which has escaped the shadow and is arcing toward the basket on the
right side of the picture. But to reach the basket, the ball will need to fly up and
out of the frame of the photograph before it reaches the basket and falls through
it as we hope it will. As we imagine the ball swishing through the hoop and falling
downward and out of the photograph, our eye catches the red shirt of one of the
players and we’re brought back to the group of three figures. One is in profile,
one has his back to us, one faces us, and on his face is the expression that names
the photograph. The image is dynamic, and the photograph itself is dynamic as
well.

THIRD PLACE
Green Back by Liz Kilduff is a lovely and sensitive painting of a young woman. I
immediately feel the connection between the artist and the model. This doesn’t
feel like a painting of just any model, but more like a portrait. The pose is relaxed
with the model’s back turned toward us and her face in profile, yet we can see the
uniqueness of her profile and the naturalness of the pose. The colors are
subdued, the brush strokes loose and gentle with a delicate light falling on her
face and shoulders. I appreciate the lost and found aspect where parts of the
form blend with the background and other areas that pull toward the viewer.
Though she is carefully rendered as a solid figure, she appears to float within the
frame of the painting creating a pleasant tension of form and light. I find this a
beautiful little gem of a painting.

SECOND PLACE
Isolation by Jean Duffy is an arresting photograph. An odd, overstuffed, armless
chair sits in a small space with two shoes on the floor in front of it. The black and
white medium adds to the feeling of intense isolation and a separation from the
present time. The empty chair and abandoned shoes could mean someone has
just left for a few minutes or it could be that someone has died and may never
come back. The oddness of the chair is an isolating feature as well. The chair with
the shoes in front of it create an image of a strange, squat, empty figure.
However, the space is suffused with a soft light from two large windows covered
with filmy white curtains that gives a sense of hope and possibilities beyond this
small, lonely vignette.

FIRST PLACE
Mother Dragon by Susan Kelley Scotti is a ceramic artwork of a mother dragon
protecting her egg, and it completely charmed me. I found the technical skill in
creating this piece extraordinary. But, also, the composition of the piece, the
glazes, the expression of the pose, and details are all beautiful. The weight of the
piece, both visually and emotionally, is at the front with the egg and the dragon’s
paws over it. The rest of the form, in spite of being made of stone, seems to be
magically weightless. The thin, floating wings, raised in anticipation of warding off
danger, the tail slightly elevated above the pedestal, the whole body feels tense
with the possibility of conflict. I can imagine, at the least provocation, this mother
could turn into the ferocious, fire breathing monster we usually think of as a
dragon. A magical and imaginary transformation totally appropriate for a mythical
creature.