The Cedarburg Artists Guild is in the midst of their Annual Fall Show at the Cedarburg Cultural Show. It’s a juried show which means that jurors (judges) decide whose work is accepted into the show, and ribbons are awarded for the most exceptional pieces. The 2011 Fall Show jurors were Steve Horvath of the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) and Tom Lidtke of the Museum of Wisconsin Art.

This is from the Jurors’ Notes: “The jurors’ first impression of the show was that the overall quality of the work submitted was excellent.” They cited “freshness in the approach to traditional subject matter” and complimented the artists on the “variety and stylistic diversity” of the artwork. When you come to see the show, you will no doubt agree: This year’s show is an embarrassment of riches.

Three Blue Ribbons were awarded to Tracy Ferrence, Jean Crane, and Patrick Doughman. They represent three dramatically different styles and subject matter.

Tracy’s “Head in the Clouds” portrays a young boy brought to life with pencil, the perfect soft medium for this dreamy piece. Judges pronounced it “a technically superb drawing.” “Calla Lilies in Space” by Jean Crane is “a mystic way to present flowers…outside their environment.” Jean’s watercolors are technically superb, and this piece is a show-stopper. Patrick Doughman’s “Rivoli Restoration,” a 4-color reduction linoleum print, “speaks of everything good about small town America.” There’s just something warm and comforting about it.

Red Ribbon Award Winners are an impressive group, any of which (all of which!) I would love to take home to hang on my own walls:
· Tom Kubala’s “Snow Path”
· Claudette Lee-Roseland “Migration Series – Speeding South”
· Mary Ulm Mayhew “Mon Ami”
· Christopher Behrs “Restless Wake”
· Nancy Camden “Crowing”

The CAG Fall Show will be on the walls of the Cedarburg Cultural Center through October 9, 2011.