Awards given at annual Land Trust Art Show

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First Place winner Rick Daskam’s Trailing Yew Laundry Line #12

Second Place winner Karen Israel’s Coming Around Again

Artists from across New England entered their art in the 2019 Granby Land Trust Art Show: Celebrating New England’s Natural Beauty. The artists’ subject matter ranged from the rolling fields of Vermont to the beaches of Cape Cod to the breezy shores of Monhegan Island, Maine, and included many beautiful locations preserved by the Granby Land Trust, such as the Seth and Lucy Holcombe Preserve, the Dewey-Granby Oak, the Mary Edwards Mountain Property, and the Godard Preserve.

Thanks to the incredible generosity of the GLT’s friends, the show offers $5,000 in award money. This year, 182 pieces of original artwork were submitted; just 88 were selected to be in the show. Roxanne Stachelek, executive director of the West Hartford Art League, had the difficult task of jurying this year’s show.

The winner of the 2019 show’s top prize, the Don and Marty Wilmot Award, was Rick Daskam for his painting, Trailing Yew Laundry Line #12. Karen Israel was awarded the show’s second place prize, the Granby Land Trust Award, for her pastel, titled Coming Around Again, which was inspired by the GLT’s Godard Preserve.

Fourteen additional prizes were awarded as follows: Jim Laurino won the Sandy and Dave Schupp Award for Next Year’s Milkweed. Del-Bourree Bach won the Austin McNey Memorial Award given by Karen, Scott and Patrick McNey for Summer Calm. Ray Harder won the Granby Artists Association Award for Encaustic Tobacco Barns in Winter. The Ray Betts Award, given by Carol and Greg Reid, went to Steve Linde for December Flurries. Thomas Adkins won the Mildred Dewey Award, given by Jenny and Dave Emery, for Winter Stream. Tim Matregrano won the Helen and Al Wilke Award for No. 320-L5. Roger Niland won the Tudor and Laura Holcomb Award, given by Nannie and Put Brown, for Copper Beech. Douglas Williams won the Matthew K. Orluk Award, given by Trish Percival and Rick Orluk, for Lucy’s Trail Ride. Linda Boisvert Destefanis won the Olof Stevenson Award, given by Jamie Gamble, for Marsh to Plum Island. The William Stewart Award, given by Dave and Judy Russell, went to Joan Jardine for Wetlands. Charles McCaughtry won the Carol and Dick Caley Award for High Tide Marsh. On December 8, the People’s Choice Award, given by Lost Acres Vineyard, will be decided, based on votes submitted by visitors to the vineyard.

The Land Trust is grateful to Mark Wetzel and Fiduciary Investment Advisors, LLC and Ted Cormier and ALIRT Insurance Research, LLC for their ongoing, loyal support of the show. In addition, the Land Trust thanks event co-chairs Els Fonteyne and Laurie Schock for organizing the show’s Opening Night; Bill Simpson and Laura Eden for their wise counsel, advice and hard work and for organizing the show’s Art Talk; Tony Capelli for his stunning floral arrangements; Karen Rutigliano for her delectable appetizers; and Michelle Niedermeyer and Kevin Riggott of Lost Acres Vineyard for hosting the show, for funding the People’s Choice Award, and for welcoming us into their beautiful space.