Babette Augustin, judge for the Summer Living 2025 Exhibition, provided brief comments for each of the entries. The exhibit opened to the public on Thursday, July 24, and runs through September 11, 2025. Don’t miss seeing the lovely artworks, all created by local artists!
Thank you, Babette, for your observations and comments. Artists are always eager to hear about their work impacted the viewer!
By the way, the number shown before each comment is the number assigned to the artwork when the artist entered the piece in the show. The judge assessed the works “blind”, identified by only the number, without knowing the artist, medium, or title. You, however, can see the full details about each piece that the artist listed available for sale. Just visit the online auction site! Click here to visit the auction website.
Award Winners
1st Place Winner: Kayaking, by Bobbie Brit
- #25: The heat, the mist, the fog, the light all embody a sweet, sultry mystical, magical summer chapter.
2nd Place Winner: Floral Fantasy, by Jeffery Geller
- #20: Birth, new, sparkling with life. Love the glitter.
3rd Place Winner: Sun Shine, by Terry Wayne Locklear
- #24: The energy and playfulness of the impasto, the complexity of the profusion of life in the beds and inside is delicious!
Honorable Mentions
- The Farm, by Carole Blaney
- #2: I can smell the field… the heat and the color. Waves of texture and color mesmerize.
- Peaceful Nature, by Connie Shurtz
- #8: I welcome the invitation to step through the waterlilies on a journey to… Especially enchanting is brilliant color play on the stone on the left.
- Bluebird, by Elaine Milosz
- #10: Explosive – Joyful – Free – Full of delight and energy.
- Evening Pee Dee Sky, by Laura Carter
- #13: Brooding bravado as the green earth prepares for a celestrial choral performance.
- Lilacs on Green, by MM (Linda) Anderson
- #15: Perfect petal play! Alive, sexy, surrendering!
- Eagle Owl on Blue, by MM (Linda) Anderson
- #16 I am transformed by the “air” that you have given this guardian of serenity. The whisps of blue in the features are magic!
- Initial Bloom, by Jeffery Geller
- #19: I am transfixed by the faceted world of the summer world of insects.
Other Entries
- The River, by Carole Blaney
- #1: I drifted off into the seductive, cool landscape… full of breath and then the gifts come: shimmering blue bands and whispers of bronze sunlight.
- Summer Comes Softly, by Kay Bradsher
- #3: The pure passion of the skyscape is exhilarating.
- Summer’s Joy, by Kay Bradsher
- #4: Enjoy the velvety color palette; so soothing but HOT!
- The Starfish, by Kay Bradsher
- #5: I reveled in the dappled light that cascades so playfully across her baby-fine tresses.
- Empty but not vacant, by Jim Tripp
- #6: Harkens to the skeletal structures of our arboreal world. Delightfully playful.
- What Is in the bottle? – by Jim Tripp
- #7: I am enthralled by the seemingly “random” graphic guidelines – which lead me to moments of wonder.
- Breakfast by the Shore, by Connie Shurtz
- #9: A complete and satisfying dream that pulls me int the continuity/surf.
- On the Rocks, by Elaine Milosz
- #11: Living waters – Palpable power.
- Like Dancing in a Garden, by Elaine Milosz
- #12: Perfectly playful and sublimely elegant – leading to endless reveries.
- The Faces of Summer, by Brenton Carter, Jr. (Not for sale)
- #14: For me, this piece brings to life the seemingly chaotic revelry of summer – Red, white, and blue plus the light of suns and mustard!
- Life in the Center, by Irina Shin-Geller
- #17 Water memories brought back to allow my soul to slip into the world of blues and flow.
- Chance Meeting, by Irina Shin-Geller
- #18: Strangers step into a new world – journeying on.
- Midnight Summer, by Terry Wayne Locklear
- #21: Transfixed by the color play and parallels between the animal world and the plant world.
- Summer’s Gold, by Lu Lewis
- #22: The answer to hope and prayer. Breathtaking.
- Best Day Ever, by Lu Lewis
- #23: Delightful in its innocence.
- Summer Day, by Bobbie Britt
- #26: I feel like I am a feather, floating on the breath of the universe (Thanks to Hildegard von Bingen!)
- Waterfall, by Bobbie Britt
- #27: I am seduced by the intimacy and rewarded by spending time and discovering a new land.
