Newburyport's Jan Roy took just the right creative approach with a harbor in Maine to win the Newburyport Art Association's 13th annual Regional Juried Show.
Roy's oil painting "Maine Harbor" stood out from the field of almost 400 entries submitted by 171 artists to capture the $400 H. Patterson Hale Jr. Charitable Foundation Award for Best in Show.
Opening tomorrow, the annual exhibit features 145 selected works in oil, acrylic, watercolor, drawing, mixed media, printmaking, sculpture, photography and computer art.
Juror William Stover, who served as assistant curator for the Department of Contemporary Art at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston from 2002 until February, applauded Roy for her technique.
"This painting, while recognizable in its imagery, plays with shape and color in a way that imparts the artist's impression of this place, rather than a depiction of it," Stover said in his written judge's comments. "This work sums up much of the issues of contemporary painting practice with artists working between and among disparate kinds of practices and eschewing traditional notions of the medium."
Roy began her career as a silk-screen artist in 1979 and became known for her use of bold graphic color. For 25 years, she designed and printed more than 40 posters for various cultural organizations, including The Nature Conservancy, New England Conservatory and Massachusetts Horticultural Society, for which she designed an annual poster for 18 years.
Her successful Brooklyn Bridge Centennial poster resulted in solo shows in Rome, Italy and Paris. She also maintained a note card company, Salt Marsh Graphics.
In 1999, Roy turned her attention to pastels and oil painting. While she says in her artist's biography that she still finds shape and color most important in her work, the new medium allows her more freedom in dealing with subtleties of light and its nuance in varied settings. Roy, who maintains a studio in Haverhill, says she is especially interested in painting landscapes of Portugal, Spain and Morocco, and the nearby Maine coast and salt marshes.
In judging the show, Stover, who is now working as an independent curator and consultant to private collections in New York City, said he was impressed by the thriving community of artists in the region and their desire to share their visions.
"The diversity of materials, as well as subject matter of the work submitted, is a great testament to the wide-ranging interests of the artists of this region," he wrote in his comments. "It was heartening to see everything from traditional oil on canvas to computer-generated work included."
Awards will be presented to the winning artists during an opening reception Saturday from 7 to 9 p.m. at the art association, 65 Water St., Newburyport. The show runs through May 23. Gallery hours are Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. For more, call 978-465-8769 or visit www.newburyportart.org.
Lucky 13th show winners
Jan Roy, Newburyport: H. Patterson Hale Jr. Charitable Foundation Award for Best in Show for "Maine Harbor," oil, $400.
Georgia Fletcher, Dublin, N.H.: Mary Alice Arakelian Memorial Award for Oil for "Summer Light," $75.
Lisa Riordon, Newburyport: Institution for Savings Charitable Foundation Award for Acrylic for "Jungle Gym Rings," $75.
Terry Del Percio, Gloucester: Newburyport Five Cents Savings Bank Award for Watercolor for "Seeing Through Seaweed," $75.
Leonard Joiner, Methuen: Newburyport Area Industrial Development Foundation Award for Pastel/Drawing for his drawing "Pickup Day," $75.
Anne White, Byfield: Philip J. Stern Memorial Award for Printmaking/Mixed Media for her mixed media "Mexican Memory," $75.
Bettina Turner, Newburyport: Sam Sargent Award for Sculpture for "Cappella Clausura," $75.
Buddy Pritchett, Newburyport: Laura Coombs Hills Award for Digital Art for his computer art "Port Storm," $75.
Dennis Skillman, East Kingston, N.H.: Mildred Hartson Award for Photography for "Nature's Jewel," $75.
Howard Granat, Merrimack, N.H.: Honorable mention for his photograph "Cotton Candy."
Janis Sanders, West Peabody: Honorable mention for his oil "Manana View."
Margot Siegman, Newburyport: Honorable mention for the oil "Night — New Orleans."
Peggy Luderer, West Newbury: Honorable mention for her oil "Assembling with David Smith at MOMA."
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