March 15, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Story by: Linda Jerke

For the second year in a row, Great Bend High School art student Catherine Nelson won Best of Show in the three-dimensional division of the Shafer Gallery’s Barton County High School Juried Art Exhibition. This year she received the award for a stoneware piece titled “Would You Like to Hear a Story?”

Ellinwood High School art student Kaitlyn Robl won Best of Show in two-dimensional art for her charcoal drawing titled “Forgotten.” Robl was a first-place winner in last year’s high school exhibit.

Jurors for the exhibition were Barton art instructors Bill Forst and Steve Dudek. They presented their awards March 6 during the opening reception honoring the students. The Best of Show selections received $100 cash awards.

Forst commended Nelson as 3-D Best of Show award recipient. “Her work exhibits creativity and technical expertise,” he said.

Dudek described Robl’s work as a well balanced and controlled work of art. “Even though it was controlled, the drawing had movement and energy, and at the same time, the work had subtle expression and passion,” he said. “The artist showed sophistication in the way she presented her idea.”

The high school artists are students of Carol Selle and Liz Bowman, Great Bend; Greg Maxwell, Ellinwood; Christina Lamoureaux, Hoisington; and Jennifer Berg, Claflin. The high school exhibit will continue through March 27. The gallery will be closed Sunday, March 20, through Friday, March 25, but will re-open on Sunday, March 27, to offer a final day to see the high school exhibit.

Category awards presented were as follows:

Acrylic and Oil Painting: first, Kelsey Couture, Great Bend, “Blue Passion,” acrylic; second, Tabitha Boese, Great Bend, “Fog,” acrylic; third, Lance Popp, Great Bend, “I Can’t Believe It’s Not ‘Butter’ Fly,” acrylic; honorable mention: Kelsey Couture, “Passion’s,” acrylic; Carly Hoffman, Claflin, “Welcome to the Jungle,” acrylic.

Watercolor Painting: first, Annette Valdovinos, Great Bend, “Magical Flower”; second, Madison Roach, Great Bend, “Smiles”; third, Haylee Blake, Great Bend, “Blue Rose”; honorable mention: Jenna Bowman, Great Bend, “World of Wonders”; Selena Arceo, Great Bend, “Mysterious Watercat”; Joy Connor, Great Bend, “Me.”

Drawing (black and white): first, Josee Roth, Ellinwood, “Serenity,” ink; second, Janessa Swalley, Great Bend, “Aliciafied Experience Tribute,” graphite; third, Addie Billinger, Ellinwood, “The House That Built Me,” graphite; honorable mention: Andrea Klepper, Ellinwood, “Beauty,” charcoal; Madison Roach, Great Bend, “Maddie and Gunar,” graphite; Courtney Boor, Great Bend, “Never Shout Lyrics,” graphite.

Drawing (colored): first, Becca Brining, Great Bend, “Splash of Color,” marker; second, Chelsea Day, Ellinwood, “Electric Shock,” colored pencil; third, Dylan Grant, Great Bend, “Wonderland,” colored pencil; honorable mention: Daniel Marshall, Great Bend, “Hidden,” colored pencil; Elizabeth Swigart, Great Bend, “Oceanic Wonders,” colored pencil.

Pastel and Charcoal: first, Shelbi Trarbach, Ellinwood, “Visions of the Rut,” pastel; second, Reba Thomas, Ellinwood, “Papa,” charcoal; third, Amy Neeley, Ellinwood, “Still Life,” charcoal; honorable mention: Gentry McLeland, Ellinwood, “Childhood Wonder,” charcoal; Darrien Beckwith, Ellinwood, “Eyes of Wisdom,” charcoal; Brooke Panning, Ellinwood, “Spring Memories,” pastel/charcoal.

Digital Art: first, Breanna Burns, Hoisington, “Wild,” digital photo; second, McKenna Swalley, Great Bend, “I’m a Sinner,” digital photo; third, Jerica Battaglear, Hoisington, “Untitled,” photo.

Prints: first, Deiah Curtis, Hoisington, “The Whooping Crane,” scratchboard; second, Melissa Patta,” Hoisington, “The Whooping Crane,” scratchboard; third, Tori Tucker, Ellinwood, “Face in the Shadows,” linocut print; honorable mention: Jody Garren, Ellinwood, “A Knight in Flight,” linocut print.

Sculpture: first, Angel Briseno, Ellinwood, “Our Lady of Miracle,” mosaic; second, Tyler Peterson, Great Bend, “Luchador,” ceramic; honorable mention: Rondi Denning, Hoisington, “Happy Feet,” sculpture; Kyle Corbett, Ellinwood, “Woody,” ceramic.

Ceramics: first, Ian Goering, Ellinwood, “Black Lightening”; second, Jacob Christansen, Ellinwood, “Persian Blue”; third, Kale Clawson, Ellinwood, “Sea of Moss”; honorable mention: Michael Sisson, Great Bend, “Orange Cup.”

Fibers: first, Bell Brickley, Hoisington, “Turtle,” batik; second, JR Cloutier, Hoisington, “Dog,” batik.

Mixed Media: first, Virginia Trimmer, Great Bend, “Different Cultures,” mixed media; second, Trent Schremmer, Hoisington, “Deer,” collage; third, Darien Beckwith, Ellinwood, “Diversity,” mixed media; honorable mention: Devon Link, Great Bend, “Devo Pop,” mixed media.

 "Magical Flower"
First Place, Watercolor
Annette Valdovinos, Great Bend

“Serenity”
First Place, Drawing
(black and white)
Josee Roth, Ellinwood

"Splash of Color"
First Place, Drawing (colored)
Becca Brining, Great Bend

“Turtle”
First Place, Fibers (batik)
Bell Brickley, Hoisington

“Visions of the Rut”
First Place, Pastel and Charcoal
Shelbi Trarbach, Ellinwood

“Whooping Crane”
First Place, Prints
Deiah Curtis, Hoisington

“Wild”
First Place, Digital Art
Breanna Burns, Hoisington