 Photo provided. Artist Marilyn Witt with her award-winning pastel, A Bow to Summer's End. She's also the cover artist for my two books and an all-around class act. Here's a shout out to Indiana artist Marilyn Witt of Straughn who received the Award of Excellence and $1,000 in prize money for her painting, A Bow to Summer’s End, a 24’x18” pastel, at the 40th annual Indiana Heritage Arts Exhibition and Sale. It is a juried fine art exhibit of Indiana artists. The paintings are displayed at the Brown County Art Gallery downtown Nashville, Indiana through Saturday.
According to the materials I received, this show has grown from a small, casual exhibition into one of the best art exhibitions of its kind in the country, with prize money rivaling any national show. Judge is Stapleton Kearns, a nationally-known artist, and due to having associated and studied with many of the past best artists, a vital link to America's fine art history. He said that although about 300 paintings were submitted, there is only enough wall space for about 100 to be hung. Since two thirds of the submitted paintings had to be juried out, this was an extremely competitive show. "As the juror, I tried to choose those works that were technically sound, well designed, and held together as a unified whole,” said Kearns. “I looked for paintings that made a strong visual statement, were confidently executed and were individual and original, even if they showed the influence of historical artists or were of familiar subjects. I am more concerned with how it is a picture of than what it is a picture of." Marilyn says of her inspiration, “Growing up on a farm in Indiana has given me a love of nature and the beauty of the land. This has been the inspiration for many of my oil and pastel landscapes. The balance, rhythm, color and light of the seasons find their way into my paintings. I also enjoy figurative, urban, and garden scenes and subjects inspired by my travels to the southwest, the east coast, and Europe.” Marilyn continues. “I hope to give the viewer a heightened awareness of the beauty of the world around us. The greatest compliment is when someone sees my painting and says, ‘I feel this place.”’ Marilyn has lived most of her life in Indiana, but has traveled extensively. She attended Indiana University East and studied art under the instruction of Professor Tom Thomas. She continued her studies with Internationally known artists, Maggie Price, Kim Lordier, Richard McKinley, Kenn Backhaus, Scott Christensen, Barbara Jaenicke, Nancy Foureman, David Slonim and others. She has painted professionally since 1999 and her paintings have been accepted in local, regional, and national juried shows and have won many awards in both oil and pastel. Her style is impressionistic with an emphasis on color and light. Marilyn’s paintings are included in collections in Indiana, Florida, Texas, Pennsylvania, New Mexico, and India. Marilyn’s work has been featured in a local women’s magazine and on the covers of three books: two novels and one children’s book. Her work may be seen at Brown County Art Gallery, Nashville, Indiana; Hoosier Salon, Indianapolis and locally at ERA Integrity Real Estate, and The Artistry Annex in New Castle. She is a regional ambassador for International Plein Air Painters and her memberships include Indiana Plein Air Painters, American Impressionist Society, Great Lakes Pastel Society, Hoosier Salon, Indiana Artists, Indiana Heritage Arts, Richmond Art Museum, Art Association of Henry County, and other local art associations. Have a look at her work on her website - www.marilynwittart.com. Email her at mjw4arts@nltc.net. Phone - 765-524-1339. I'm so happy that when I asked Marilyn to do my covers, she said yes! She was fabulous to work with and I remain in awe of her talent as well as her class! Selected juried exhibitions and awards include:
4 Comments
Marilyn Witt
6/27/2018 06:09:22 pm
Thank you so much, Donna. I truly enjoyed working with you for your book covers and to have my paintings on the covers of books by a very talented writer. It was a great learning experience for me.
Donna Cronk
6/27/2018 06:46:45 pm
Awww thanks Marilyn. I admire you so much. Leave a Reply. |