This painting was awarded Third Place in Oil Painting at the River City Art Association Annual Juried Show in August.
12 x 16, oil paint on linen panel.
Out of The Shadows
Category award
Speed
I painted this for the Library Big Read 2025 Art Exhibit at the Vigo County Public Library, Indiana, which was based on the book ‘Sitting Pretty’ by Rebekah Taussig. I read the book, and found it enlightening and thought provoking.
From her viewpoint of life in a wheel chair, she thinks that mobile people view the disabled as either heroes to be admired or victims to be pitied. I wanted to illustrate what can be possible in a wheelchair, I hope not in a heroic sense but in the same sense as celebrating anybody else’s achievements.
This painting received the People’s Choice award.
Plein Air award
I was delighted to receive an Award of Merit for one of my paintings from the Swope Art Museum Plein Air Event, at the awards ceremony yesterday evening.
The juror was Julio Suarez, professor of Art at Hillsdale College, MI. He gave an enjoyable and interesting plein air demo yesterday evening, accompanied by thunder, but we never felt rain.
This was painted in one session on the morning of 6/24/25. The main part of the building pictured here is the Dining Hall in the Union building.
I painted from the small beach on the side of the lake— a great way to spend a morning!
People’s Choice Award
This painting was recently awarded People’s Choice Award at our RCAA member Show in Marshall, IL, at the Gaslight Art Colony. The Show is over, but this painting is still on display there until the end of December.
It’s the first time I’ve received a People’s Choice Award, and I’m delighted!
William Turman Plein Air Event, Terre Haute, June 2024
On June 13-16, 2024 I took part in the second Plein Air Event in Terre Haute. This year we were allowed 10 blank canvases, up from 5 last year. I could not manage to paint 10! I ended up with 5 paintings.
I decided to have the Courthouse as my focal point this year, painting it from different directions at different times of day.
I decided to try this view again on Gessobord, so I went back later on the second day to block in the shapes, and then returned on the morning of the third day to finish it.
I also painted to the west of the Courthouse, at Dewey Point at the Wabashiki wetland, over two evenings:
My third location was in Fairbanks Bank, on the banks of the Wabash River, but this year I turned my attention to the Courthouse instead of the river. I painted two paintings from slightly different locations.
When I returned to complete it the next evening, lots of people started arriving for a family concert (a local Wind Band) playing in the Amphitheater! I had not expected this, and it was a very different atmosphere! It turned out to be really fun. Lots of people stopped to look at what I was doing and make comments, or tell me their story; children were especially vocal and engaged. A girl told me she loved my painting and it ought to be in an art museum, and then she picked a clover and gave it to me as my award! Beautiful experiences!
Holding On—No Longer
(I wrote this post earlier this year, but then did not want to publish it, as my mum was declining. Now that she is gone, I feel I can honor her by publishing it. She liked the painting and had a print of it made and kept it in her kitchen).
I miss her. This painting brings me good memories.
Oil on Canvas Panel, 16 x 20 ins
This is a painting of someone very dear to me. She was widowed at age 74, survived a lymphoma at age 79, and here in this painting at 86 is still living a brave, determined and out-ward focused life.
The painting won First Place in Oil Painting at the Wabash Valley Art Guild Spring Show this year.
William T. Thurman Plein Air competition
Oil on panel, 9 x 12 ins
This Plein Air competition, the first of its kind in Terre Haute, was run by the Swope Art Museum and the Indiana Plein Air Painter’s Association, 6/22-6/24, 2023.
I have not done much plein air painting, but was keen to join in because I thought it was an encouragement to do more, and support this community event.
All participants had to present their blank canvases (max #5) to the Swope Art Museum for a stamp on the back to verify it was blank.
I was delighted to find that my painting of the White Chapel was given an Award of Recognition!
The winning paintings from the event (including this one) are on display at the Swope Art Museum from July 14-Aug 19, and all others painted over those 3 days are on display at the Arts Illiana Gallery for the same time period.
Painting Award
Lovely surprise last Friday evening–1st place in oil painting in the Wabash Valley Art Guild Spring Show!
‘Abigail Unmasked’, oil, 16 x 20
2nd Place in Juried Show.
My painting of my grandson, titled ‘Happy’, was awarded 2nd place in Painting at the River City Art Association Annual Juried Show! This is the third year I have entered paintings, but the first time I’ve been able to attend the Opening and Awards ceremony. It was exciting and I was delighted!
The Show is up for the month of August at the First Financial Bank, 6th Street, Terre Haute, IN. The award winners will be moved to the Springhill Branch for the month of September.
Second Place!
Acrylic, 9 x 12
This week I found out that this painting won second place in a local juried show! The entries for this show had to be on a ‘serene, inspirational or uplifting theme’. I was away in England for the whole show and so did not find out the result until my husband went to collect the paintings. What a lovely surprise!
A write -up on the whole show can be seen at www.rivercityart.org
marymayhewart 