Artists and art lovers gathered at Boothbay Region Art Foundation Oct. 3 for the opening reception of ARTinME, BRAF’s annual juried show, and announcements of awarded work. Juror Dennis Gleason of Gleason Fine Art noted that of the approximately 110 entries for the large format show, 50-55 “caught (his) eye immediately.”

Best In Show: Winslow Myer’s “Overpass + River.”

"I was familiar with the the paintings of Winslow Meyers. I was just really struck by the overpass painting, just in terms of style and draftsmanship and light and color, I thought it was a real accomplishment," said Gleason.

Second Place: Missy Asen for “Briny in Manhattan.”

"A fun well done composition;  just a very accomplished picture. The draftsmanship was really good, and it was also kind of painterly in terms of the confident, loose but precise brushwork, and the coloring was really good."

Third Place: Sonja Weber Gilkey for her marine sisal rope sculpture, “Infinite Sun and Moon Rising.”

"I chose this piece not just because it was different, but because it was really good," Gleason said. "It's not an example of something that people get to see very often. It's quite an accomplishment."

Honorable Mentions

Philp Bascal - "Southern Nights"

"I really loved that picture. It had a great folkiness to it. I thought it captured the feeling of the of the islands, and was a really clever and pleasing composition. He managed the space confidently and brilliantly,  the way he fit the figure in with the the conga drum and and so forth."

Allison Bishop - "Lively"

"I really liked the painting on the first run through of just looking. I learned during the process that she was a young and enthusiastic painter, and I thought, well, let's give her a boost."

Charlie Nowell - "Birds of Paradise"

"A very old, old school Boston traditional still life that was technically very, very precise and planned out. The way he painted the porcelain and arranged the composition (was) a beautiful accomplishment."

The People's Choice Award

"Divine Mother," by Georjean Machulis was the People's Choice. Framed within an old headboard are three panels, one for each aspect of the Triple Goddess archetype that symbolizes the three stages of women's lives: the maiden, mother, and crone, and their correspondence to the phases of the moon. 

Machulis was also inspired by a global gathering she attended. "I just spent time with indigenous people from all over the world; shamans and healers and teachers and activists. We prayed two days for the healing of the Earth.” 

Inspiration for this work was also derived from a verse from a song written by Benedictine nun Macrina Whittaker: "May the candle of my life burn brightly this night into all the places where light is needed."

As she worked, her thoughts wrapped around her daughter, tragically killed at 17 in a hit and run. “She looked like an angel ... So this (first pane) is 'Your daughters are everywhere...their light (continues) shining everywhere.'”

The second panel, the mother, is surrounded byeancestors, angels and those yet to be born. The third is of the crone: Eyes reflect the ancient wisdom she possesses, her past incarnations connected by the life force, kundalini seen in crystal-like shapes and colors rising up past the heart and into the akasha.

ARTinME will be exhibited through Nov. 7 at Boothbay Region Art Foundation, 1 Townsend Ave. in downtown Boothbay Harbor. Gallery hours: Wednesday - Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.