Hampton Arts League Member Exhibition 2020
Hampton Arts League Member Exhibition 2020
This diverse annual exhibition showcases the talented and unique artists of The Charles H. Taylor Visual Arts Center’s member organization. Both emerging and established artists working in a wide range of media are represented.
James Warwick Jones Judge’s Statement:
It was a pleasure to judge this exhibition and have the opportunity to see the artwork of many familiar artists as well as new artists and artworks. This process also helps sharpen the discerning eye and requires me to interpret, evaluate, make decisions and comparisons and enunciate those impressions and judgements, a good exercise for every artist. In judging, I like to begin with a quick tour or viewing of all the artworks to get an overall sense of the entries. On this first viewing, a few pieces will usually stand out with an immediate impact, and these may well be included as ones which may receive an award after several subsequent viewings. Further and closer multiple viewings continue to refine the selection process. In ranking the artworks I usually use a system such as a number of stars or checks similar to movie reviews. This helps to compare the works and rank them in order to select the award winners.
My criteria for judging includes: impact, composition, content, style, craftsmanship or command of medium, style and presentation. Impact is a combination of all these elements. For this particular exhibition, I was very impressed with the quality of the artworks, the diversity of subjects and content, and the range of approaches from purely non-objective to abstract, representational and realistic. I enjoyed the personal styles of the artists and also the range of techniques and the variety of the various forms of media. Congratulations to all the artists who participated in this exhibition and especially the award winners listed below. I would like to thank Jennifer Morningstar, Visual Arts Center Manager for inviting me to judge this year’s HAL Open Members Exhibition. Congratulations to its staff, volunteers, artist members and Donors on this long running tradition.
About the Judge: 
James Warwick Jones was born in Hampton, Virginia in 1946. He studied with Jack Whitney Clifton from 1959-62 and then with Will Barnet, Walter Stuempfig and others at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts from 1965-68. He holds a BS in Secondary Art Education from Old Dominion University. After teaching in the public schools and working 36 years in curatorial and programming at Peninsula Fine Art Center and the Charles Taylor Visual Arts Center, he retired as Gallery Manager at CTVAC in 2018. Over the past 54 years, this realist painter has exhibited in more than 250 exhibitions and won over 150 awards, including Best Traditional Painting at The Virginia Beach Boardwalk Art Show, Mariner’s Museum Award, Best in Show and Mayor’s Award at the Bay Days Juried Exhibition and PFAC Award at Peninsula Fine Arts Center. His work is represented in over twenty public and corporate collections including VMFA, Phillip Morris, Portsmouth Museums, Wachovia Bank, CSX Corporation, and the Charles H. Taylor Visual Arts Center. His work is represented in The Virginia Landscape: A Cultural History, published by the Virginia Historical Society. He has over 47 years teaching experience, including Christopher Newport University, The Chrysler Museum and most recently at The Charles H. Taylor Visual Arts Center. He was the recipient of the 2006 Alli Award given by the Cultural Alliance of Greater Hampton Roads for Achievement in the Arts.
Awards
James Warwick Jones Best in Show | Wade Mickley, Nevertheless (pictured above)
Beverly Levinson Award for Craft or Folk Arts | Judith Saunders, Diamonds Galore (pictured above)
First Place | Akiko Tanaka, Wandering Flower
Second Place | Sue Danehey, Laura
Third Place | Sheila Simons, The Happiness of Kel (pictured above)
Award of Merit | David T. Wilson, Tall Doors
Award of Merit | George Lamb, Active
Award of Merit | John Alan Stock, Where Have All the Children Gone?
Award of Merit | John Tobin, Soaring
Award of Merit | Lynne Sward, Scroll Series
Honorable Mention| LaRhue Mitchell, Rolling Waters Beyond the Wall
Honorable Mention | Johnny Mack, Pearl
Honorable Mention| Pat Kirby, On the Edge
Honorable Mention | Nancy Hewitt, After the Rain
Honorable Mention | Fred Freeman, If You Could Read My Mind
Honorable Mention | Judy Travers, Encounters
Honorable Mention | Cynthia Baker, Riddick’s Folly
Honorable Mention | Mary Lee Ruff, Reflections
Honorable Mention | Arthur Wycoff, Jr., Mist of Time
Honorable Mention | Paula Dooley, Virginia Blueberries