Seen Enough Art Yet?

My choice for First Place in  this art competition would go to Armin Mersmann from Midland, MI
for his phenomenal pencil drawing. 

The only juror Mi-Kyoung Lee's first place winner
While this piece does have incredible merit, my choice was prejudiced.
I'm very in awe of detailed pencil drawings, which aren't as showy as this.

I would think I had seen enough art  last week. But I guess I didn't, for I immediately  said  yes to a friend's suggestion we go see the Michigan Art Competition at the Birmingham Bloomfield Art Association, shamefully, the only art association I am aware of in my area. I was anxious to see where my skills were in comparison to other Michigan artists. (Okay. I was sizing up the competition should I conjure up enough courage to put myself out in the marketplace once I decide once and for all which medium I feel  most comfortable using). I have a ways to go. Overall, the Michigan artists in this neck of the woods are enthusiastic and talented. However:

Ms. Lee's choice for third place. It doesn't look like much here, but each of those squares
and rectangles are made of wood, hand-carved and tinted; it's a wood mosaic. The artist is Sandy Rice.
I neglected to note where in Michigan she/he was from.

There were too many pieces in this juried show. There was also a wide range of abilities. The number of pieces and the wide range of skill made me wonder what had made the juror tick?  I started to take note of which work was from out of town  and which work came from artists who lived close by. On the way home, I concluded that the artists who lived close by were probably accepted into the show because they took classes and workshops or were affiliated in some way with the association. Art associations do need to make a buck by keeping their students coming back and their classes full. The politics of art. --Don't call me cynical --well, you can, it's true-- but you should have seen the worst of show--a monkey could have... I didn't photograph that one.

The following artworks I thought were interesting for the reasons stated in the captions:

The smallest painting in the show. Approximately 3" x 4"

The closet object to a sculpture in the round was this automated and remarkably engineered structure.
I'm sorry,I didn't note the artist. I'll have to go back to get his/her name.  You pressed a button and the structure came to life complete with water spinning the two whisks on either side. Quite amazing!

                                                                    

There were few watercolours in the show, but this one, a portrait, stood out.
 Monochromatic, it looked like a pencil drawing.
The artist is Carolyn Reed Barritt.

This was the oddest, most perplexing sculpture: breasts in an old CC crate.
The title is  Half Case. It's by Deborah Hecht of Bloomfield Hills, MI
I have no idea what the artist was expressing, but to this BC survivor-so-far-so-good, it's distressing.

With portraiture on my mind, the following paintings were particularly interesting:

Artist: William M. William

"Self Portrait With Friends" by Kennith Freed of Kalamazoo, MI
I really like Dali's half face portrait in the upper right corner.

This double portrait by Melissa Jones of Franklin, MI is an absolute knock out.   I think it's called "Without a Match." This would have been my best of show for painting. The reflection cast on the boys face from the magnifying glass is done superbly-- and was hung in the best of show position facing visitors as they entered the gallery, while the first place winner was was in the last gallery in an unlit spot.  What does this really say?

A close up to look at the fine work.