This year's winner of the Alden Bryan Medal is George Van Hook for his peice "Across The Valley". The full list of awards can be seen online here: Land & Light Awards

Thanks to the lead juror this year, Jamie Franklin from the Bennington Museum. His comments on the winners are below.

First Place / Alden Bryan Medal:
George Van Hook's "Across the Valley"

"I love the subtly of this painting. While all 3 of Van Hook's works in the show were strong, this one, with it's all over composition/lack of central focus, and highly textured and layered brushwork creates a sense of gossamer light and dreamy atmosphere that I am drawn into and can get lost in."

Second Place Susan Bull Riley's "The Mount Mansfield Ridgeline"

"I love the non-traditional composition and delicate atmospheric perspective in this work. Mt. Mansfield is an iconic Vermont subject, but I can think of only one other artist that has ever depicted this view along the ridgeline: Sanford Gifford. He may well be my favorite 19th-century American landscape painter. The transitions of colors from the foreground to the rolling mountains in the background is subtle, but highly effective."

Third Place
Fiona Cooper Fenwick "Wildflowers Bloomng"

"Wildflowers in a landscape are such a tough subject matter to get right. This picture thread's the needle: the pops of color are perfectly positioned in the composition and the artist captures their essence, swaying subtly in the breeze, without fussing too much over the details. I would love to walk through this scene."

Honorable Mentions

First Honorable Mention
James Coe's "Pond Light: Breadth of the Shoreline"

"The overall atmosphere in the painting kept drawing me back again and again. I spend a lot of time pond and lakeside with my 7-year-old son. The hazy atmosphere and golden light on the shore in this picture are the types of moments I treasure in person."

David Pound's "Diving Kingfisher"

"The churning water at the core of this work is such a challenging subject and the artist really nailed it, from the frothy patches at the bottom to the rolling white water at the center of the composition. Ironically, I was pleased that I had to look hard to find the titular Kingfisher, which was in perfect balance with its surroundings." 

Robert Wilman's "Neighbors"

"This picture's complex palette and beautifully integrated composition (notably the complementary arching telephone line, tying sky to land, and bend in the road, drawing the viewer in) takes a classic subject to the next level."

And this year's Charles Movalli Medal for Excellence in Painting
T.M. Nicholas' "Hilltop Farm"

Congratulations to all our winners and thanks to our sponsors the Union Bank, Vermont Arts Council, and Vermont Humanities Council.

Gallery Director Mickey Myers and Board President Julie Brown provide a post-shutdown update on what has been going on at the gallery and an appeal for continued support of the gallery as we move forward. To view the video click here: http://www.bryangallery.org/video.php