December 28, 2007

Blue Ribbon Winner at Villages Art Exhibit

Villages Arts and Crafts Association president Barbara Gottesman congratulates newcomer Diane Dathe for her first place ribbon at The Villages Arts and Crafts Association’s December Art Exhibit.
Doreen Cunningham displays her winning entry.

By Barbara Gottesman
Special to the Times

Villages Arts and Crafts Association president Barbara Gottesman congratulates new-comer Diane Dathe for her first place ribbon at The Villages Arts and Crafts Association’s December Art Exhibit. Juror Wendell Fiock awarded her painting points for uniqueness, focus, dramatic contrasts, and composition. Her acrylic painting entitled JOY will be displayed in the VMA office until Feb. 7.

Dathe moved to the Villages in June and immediately took Kay Duffy’s July Collage workshop and also Linda Sieker’s Experimental Watercolor class this fall.

Dathe hails from Texas and earned an art degree at the University of Texas. She was a print maker for years, but took up acrylic and collage when her children were growing up. She enjoys her retirement and plans to paint more acrylic…and take more art classes in the Villages.

Cancer survivor Doreen Cunning-ham is a Villager who studies drawing with Clyde Stout on Thursday mornings in Cribari Center. She has taken several classes, but she decided not to attend this fall after her second surgery and a long encounter with chemotherapy. Six years ago Doreen Cunningham was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. But she suddenly decided to attend class as a distraction to keep her mind off of cancer and chemo. It was a joyful occasion when she won the green ribbon for third place for her pen and ink drawing, Resting Bear.

Newcomer Alice Sullivan won the white ribbon for her pastel painting.

Newcomer Alice Sullivan won the white ribbon for Honorable Mention. Sullivan’s pastel painting entitled Ghost Ranch comes from her trips to Georgia O’Keefe’s old stomping grounds in New Mexico. Sullivan’s painting is on view in the Villages Post Office. She has lived in the Villages since October and comes originally from Minnesota. She was taking art classes at SJSU when her advisor told her that she had almost enough for a degree in art, so she decided to earn the degree after her children were grown.

Second place red ribbon was awarded to Barbara Gottesman for her watercolor on masa, Mother Protector.
Art lovers can view all the paintings on exhibit until Feb. 7 on the website: www.villagesartsandcrafts.org.

Businesses in the Evergreen area can buy the paintings outright or display them as wall art for a limited period of time. The senior citizen artists at the Villages have won many ribbons in other art shows. Most of the paintings are excellent, according to the outside judge from Los Gatos, Wendell Fiock.

If business owners want to view the show or let Barbara Gottesman select some paintings for display, they can call 531-9402.