By Chip Dombrowski, Entertainment Editor

Local artists take four of top six prizes in BAAA exhibit at museum

COOS BAY — An eyesore isn’t an obvious choice of subject for a work of art.

But recent renovations on the Hotel North Bend inspired a painting that won Jean Kyle of Coos Bay an award in a museum exhibit.

Local artists won four of the top six prizes in the Bay Area Artists Association Regional Juried Exhibition, which opens today at the Coos Art Museum.

Jurors Pat Snyder, Mike Holm and Susan D’Amico made the initial selection of 89 works by 59 artists, while Snyder and Holm decided the prizes.

Along with a best of show, jurors recognized three winners and an honorable mention for each of five categories: watercolors, oil or acrylic paintings, photography, two-dimensional mixed media collages or drawings, and sculptures or three-dimensional art.

Kenneth Walker of Portland won best of show for “L.A. Scout,” a mixed media work. An interesting subject matter and unique texture from crinkly paper were among factors influencing the selection, according to Holm, who commented on the winning pieces during the hanging of the exhibit Tuesday.

“It’s such a mysterious image,” said Holm, pointing to the contrast between the foreground horseback rider and the background commercial buildings. “Without talking to the artist, it’s really hard to figure out what’s going on. Everything kind of flows in and out.”

Kyle won first place in watercolors for “Tale of Two Cities,” depicting the North Bend landmark during this summer, when paint stripping made alternate names Hotel North Bend and Hotel Coos Bay simultaneously visible. Jurors liked the texture and use of color, Holm said.

“This is a historical document,” Holm added, “because now the building’s been painted.”

Tod Steele of Gold Beach won first place in paintings for “Brother Blake’s Bovine Buddies,” an acrylic with a close-up view of some brightly colored cows. Holm noted a strong composition and a whimsical, bold use of color.

“The cows make you want to stop and not go beyond a certain line,” he said.

Curt Peters of Florence won first place in photography for “Comedy & Tragedy,” a mysterious black-and-white image on a large panel.

“If you step back, the texture is real,” Holm said. “You can almost feel the crinkles.”

Buz Fourmet of North Bend won first place in sculpture for “Resurrection,” a bronze eagle emerging from a textured redwood base. Jurors liked the way the elements were combined, incorporating the base into the sculpture, Holm said.

April Hill of Medford won first place in two-dimensional mixed media for “Improv,” a collage of 16 brightly colored, square wooden blocks, each with a unique pattern, like a quilt. The patterns look like images from a microscope, reminiscent of last spring’s microscopy exhibit. Each block can be rotated and placed anywhere on the grid, allowing for trillions of combinations.

“It’s pretty clever,” Holm said.

The exhibit was open to artists in 18 western Oregon counties, but with the exception of two entries from Portland, all works included came from six counties in southwestern Oregon. Most came from 45 South Coast artists, with about half of those from the Bay Area. Of the remaining 14 artists, half are from the Roseburg area.

Ten other local artists also won prizes in the exhibit, including BAAA leaders Donna and Ron Wright of Coos Bay, who won second place in watercolors and sculpture, respectively. Ron Wright’s sculptures of birds are paired with paintings of birds by Kim Wurster of Coquille, who won third place in paintings.

Prizes are $200 for best of show, $100 for first place, $50 for second and $25 for third.

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