Barbara Lawlor, Gilpin County.  One fourth of the painting was a landscape in shadow with the sun highlighting a farm, a thin strip of brighter green against the dark trees in the background. The rest of the painting was sky, various shades of blue and cotton fluffs of clouds.

Appropriately, the painting is named, “Big Sky,” and for the breathtaking view. Anastasia Horwith received the Elaine Schoelzel Memorial Best of Show Award at the 71st Annual Juried Exhibition in Central City on Saturday night, June 2, 2018.

Acting president of the Gilpin County Arts Association Board of Trustees says, “It appeared to be a record breaking crowd for opening night.”

The historic Washington Hall Gallery, with its washboard floors, artistically rendered gardens and stone walls and display shelves is a complicated hive of showroom space. The annual opening reception offers a resplendent spread of pot luck treats and a bar for artists and residents to enjoy as they mingle and feast their eyes on this year’s exhibition.

Other special awards include the Josephine Schwartz Memorial Award which went to Michelene Berkey, “3 Stone Pendant”; The Pastel Society of Colorado Award which went to Dawn Buckinham, “Sandstone Snow,” and to Steve Griggs’ “Time for a Brew” from the Colorado Watercolor Society.

Virginia Unseld then presented the Awards, a total of $13,000 to top three winners in each category.

Two Dimensional: First Place: Steve Griggs, “Time for a Brew,” second place, Ruth Briggs, “Mending Fences lll,” and Third Place, Maureen Ravnik, “Death Becomes Her.”

Three Dimensional Winners; “Michele Berkey, “3 Stone Pendant”; Second Place, Amelia Marlowe, “Blue Globe Vase,” Third Place, Gabrielle Gewirtz, “Night Mandala Platter.”

Photography: First place: Mary Beth Sherrod, “Aspen Shadow,” Second Place, Lorrie McAllister, “False Kiva,” Third Place, Larry Roggenkamp, “Kansas Sky.”

At the annual membership meeting on August 11 at 11:30 a.m., the association will host a potluck lunch, Unseld says, “All artists will be able to check out their unsold work from the juried show after the meeting and check in new work for the Members’ Show.”

She thanked Dostal Alley for providing beer and bartending.

Dorothy Connors’ garden was spectacular with mountain flowers.

She says, “Michele Roussel, the gallery manager, has been at this job for less than a year but was the key player in every aspect of setting up the gallery and the juried exhibit.” Her passion and organization are evident everywhere in the gallery.

A new addition to this show is a Founder’s wall in the stairwell featuring art work from some of the founding members of GCAA from 1947.

The gallery will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., seven days a week except for opera nights when it will be open until 8 p.m.