Thirteen participating artists were honored at the Maritime Gallery at Mystic Seaport’s twenty-ninth annual International Marine Art Exhibition.
The awards are as follows:
The Museum Purchase Award—given annually to an artist whose piece is selected to be added to Mystic Seaport’s permanent collection – was awarded to Steven Lush of North Andover, MA, for his watercolor painting, “Red Tanker.”
The Rudolph J. Schaefer Award – given in memory of Mystic Seaport Trustee Rudolph J. Schaefer’s devotion to preserving maritime history and is presented to an artist whose work best documents an aspect of our marine heritage – was awarded to Dusan Kadlec of Canada for his oil painting, “Brooklyn Bridge from South Street, 1974.” This is Kadlec’s second International Award.
The Stobart Foundation Award – which encourages the importance of painting from life and is recognized for its uniqueness of style, quality of light and atmosphere – was awarded to Angel Ramiro Sanchez of Italy for his oil painting, “Under the Shade.”
The Maritime Gallery Yachting Award – which celebrates the singular pleasures of going to sea and work and best captures the beauty and excitement of the “sport of kings” in all its many forms – was awarded to Don Demers of Kittery, ME, for his oil painting, “Breeze on the Bay: Herreshoff P. Boats.” This is Demers’ 11th International Award.
The Marine Environmental Wildlife Award – which acknowledges the importance of preserving the fragile balance within the world’s ecosystems and best depicts marine mammals, fish or birds in their native habitat – was awarded to Kent Ullberg of Corpus Christi, TX, for his stainless steel sculpture, “Silver Ghosts.” This is Ullberg’s third International Award.
The Thomas M. Hoyne III Award – given in memory of Thomas M. Hoyne III’s dedication and contributions to accurate and historical representations of Gloucester fishing schooners, as well as the men who sailed them – was awarded to Harold Johnson of Seatac, WA, for his oil painting of sunlit fishing boats in “Blue Boat.”
The David Thimgan Award – given in memory of artist David Thimgan’s (1955-2003) passion for portraying the rich and diverse maritime history of the West Coast, and whose work best portrays the geography and history of the North American West Coast and Pacific Rim regions of the worlds, emphasizing quality of light and atmosphere – was awarded to Robert B. Dance of Kinston, NC, for his alkyd painting, “Resurrection Bay, Alaska” which depicts Resurrection Bay near Seward, AK. This is Dance’s third International Award.
The Thomas Wells Award – given in memory of artist Thomas Wells’s (1916-2004) depiction and celebration of commercial tall ships and their ports of call and recognizes the work that best documents sail commerce and trade routes at the turn of the century – was awarded to Ian Hansen of Australia for his oil painting, “ THERMOPYLAE and EMPRESS OF INDIA”. This is Hansen’s 3rd International Award.
Five artists were additionally cited for the quality of their work and received Awards of Excellence:
- J. Terry Culpan of Great Britain for his watercolor painting “An 1812 Encounter.” This is Culpan’s second International Award.
- Russ Kramer of Stonington, CT, for his oil painting, “The Joy of Sailing: CARA MIA and the New York 30’s of 1905.”
- Victor Mays of Madison, CT, for his watercolor painting, “Harbor Traffic – Early 20th Century.” This is Mays’ 10th International Award.
- Don McMichael of North Bend, OR, for his oil painting “Hunting the Great Ice Whale.” This is McMichael’s third International Award.
- Jeff Weaver of Gloucester, MA, for his oil painting, “Fishing Schooners in the Ice Field.” This is Weaver’s third International Award.