Eyes on the prize

Arts Center at Southborough's winners show

by Leon Nigrosh

THE WINNER'S SHOW st the Arts Center at Southborough, 21 Highland Street, Southborough, through February 22.

At the Arts Center at Southborough's annual juried show this past November, the jurors awarded prizes and honorable mentions to eight of the 65 artists who made the original cut from nearly 200 entries. Now these eight winners are being showcased together in an extended display of their diverse talents.

Jurors Jim Eng, from Framingham State College's art department, and Laura Howick, from the DeCordova Museum, made their decisions based on three principles. They wanted to encompass the greatest number of disciplines and styles, including figurative and abstract works; they were looking for maturity and development -- the ability to handle a medium with advanced skills; and they were particularly seeking the unique, not the pedantic or repetitive.

Keeping in mind that the jurors had to make their original choices from viewing only a single work from each entrant, you see that their selection holds up well in the current expanded exhibition. Top prize-winner Gretchen Moran is an accomplished artist and art therapist. Combining these two avenues of expression, Moran leads us into a world that goes beyond the literal. Each of her eight oil-stick landscapes presents us with mountains highlighted against varying backdrops and foregrounds. The red-orange peaks of Southeast Ridge and the dark blue forms in Night Lake are obviously mountainous, but they each present differing moods, one of warmth and joy, the other of moody contemplation. Different shades of meaning can be found in her other offerings as well.

Well-known for her multilayered, collage-style printmaking, Westborough artist Jennifer Hilton has used this exhibition chiefly to show us her courage. Rather than simply display more of her intricate and pleasurable prints, she reveals her brand-new experiments in computer-generated imagery. Tentative as they may be, these small digital ink-jet prints are almost as alive and full of visual energy as her larger works. In Seaweed on the Beach, the hazy outlines of deep green seem to be a transparent layer of ocean vegetation. The purposely off-register overlays in My Garden create a three-dimensional effect, while scampering pixels add flashes of light.

The selection of paintings by Jeremy Harrison was produced while on a six-month sabbatical from the River School in Weston. It is obvious from the content of his oils, that with a little free time, one can concentrate on more-important things. Like the yellow folding deck chair that appears in three compositions. Or the reflections on the water that permeate six of the seven works on exhibit. Even though Harrison's paintings are rich in coloration and evidence thoughtful artistry, he is still able to relay the sense of communing with nature, along with a feeling of complete relaxation that he must have earned during his recent down time.

The only three-dimensional works in this exhibition are by artist/puppeteer Deborah Costine McAdow. These four objects might possibly be classified as furniture. They are certainly works of consequence -- a robust bookshelf, two tables, and a curio cabinet. But there is more to them than meets the eye. Or, actually, less. For example, Lizard Table, a firmly anchored table in green with a golden lizard crawling up its vine-entwined legs, weighs next to nothing! Relying on her expertise in puppet making, she has produced intricately detailed and apparently solid furnishings in papier-mâché.

But the real surprise in this exhibit is Robin Schavoir's work. In his artist's statement, Schavoir states that he is influenced by Max Beckmann, Willem DeKooning, Pablo Picasso, and Jean-Michel Basquiat. These influences can be readily noted in each of his large oils. His Sitting Woman, while an original image, relies heavily on cubist elements for its composition. For Woman with a Watch, Schavoir has shamelessly borrowed DeKooning's wild color combinations and exacerbated brush work. Woman with Sock incorporates Beckmann's angularity to highlight the red/white striped sock in question. Although all of this work is obviously derivative, the paintings have been developed with verve and enthusiasm, and it is hoped that with time the artist will find his own voice. The real surprise, however, is that Schavoir has been painting for only a year -- and just turned 16 last week.

This exhibition has achieved the goals that shows such as this should seek: to provide an opportunity for established artists to expand their repertoire, for others to take risks, and especially for new talent to gain exposure.

The gallery is open Monday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from noon to 2 p.m. Call 481-9351.