Thirty-three artists submitted 57 paintings which were beautifully displayed by the Lewistown Art Center.  Workshop Instructor Stan Miller and MTWS President Margo Voermans juried the awards for the show.

During the Gallery Talk on Saturday evening May 17, Stan emphasized that judging art is a subjective activity. However, design and composition are always the most important aspects of a painting.

Earlier in the day he stated that design is to painting as spiritual and moral principles are to civilization.

The following five artists are honored with awards for their paintings:

1st Place---Carol Spurgeon 'Shoo...fly Mules' Great Falls , MT A strong design using repetition of shapes to lead the viewer through the painting to the area of most contrast

2nd Place---Ron Paulick  'Nike of Samothrace' 
Great Falls,MT.  A powerful “X” composition delicately handled illuminating a golden statue which is almost centered. By resting the statue on a strong dark base, the focal point is shifted higher in the painting which makes it more appealing.

The Lee Morrison Award---Kris Shaw  'Singin' Dylan'
Havre , MT. The angles in this painting create a tension which is almost awkward. However, the repetition of the angles in the young man’s foot, arm, hand, and tilt of his head keeps bringing the viewer back to this painting. Several looks at the painting reminds one of a glass of wine which becomes more appealing with each sip.

1st  Honorable Mention---Ginnie Streeper 'Evening Flight' Havre , MT. A deceptively simple abstract with a bright point of entry leading to the small figure of a white bird pointing back through the painting

2nd Honorable Mention---Norma Lawrence 'A New Day' Great Falls , MT. A small well designed country scene. A “classic” in presentation.

Congratulations to each of our winners and to each of you who had the opportunity of exhibiting your art at the Lewistown Art Center .

Testimonial by a Workshop Attendee

Stan Miller is a very good speaker with a relaxed demeanor and funny stories that grabbed my attention right away.

As the workshop progressed, his delivery became less important as I got involved in the content of his presentation.   He compared painting styles to novelists, short story writers, and poets, which made me think about how I paint—am I fast and loose, slow and detailed, or some of each? Where am I at my best?

Stan’s theory is that for painters to be successful, we should be flexible; meaning that we must have the ability to paint slowly and create paintings that look like a photograph, as well as have the ability to paint fast in an abstract, loose style.

On the first day, Stan demonstrated painting a landscape in a short amount of time with a two-inch brush. On the second day, he demonstrated painting a portrait in a slow, detailed style. I learned so much about color value and design by watching him paint and listening to his explanations of why he used certain colors, values, or shapes as he was painting. I found his system of cutting out a half-inch square within a two-inch square to compare values very useful.

Stan emphasizes composition and design in his workshops because color and technique won’t work without them. Good design is very difficult to achieve and a concept that is even more difficult to teach.   His metaphor comparing rhythm in the composition of a painting to a musical score really helped me figure out what design is all about, and hopefully, will help my students, too. The whole painting is important and so are all the “notes” that make it up.

Thank you, Stan, for an enlightening workshop and gallery talk.

Susan Supola
Workshop attendee