Barbara Lawlor, Central City. It was the first time that Magnolia Road artist Marilyn Pinaud had won an award in the Gilpin Arts Annual Juried Exhibition in Central City. The 69th Gilpin County Arts Association reception was held last Saturday, June 6, in Washington Hall across from the Central City Opera House.

Pinauld won Best of Show second place in the 2D category with her extraordinary oil painting of a house, a step beyond her usual abstract work. “I painted it realistically and liked it, but it just sat there. After a while I decided I needed a new canvas and started painting over the house picture when I noticed that strong light was coming through the green lawn in the front. It was slow going with the brush so I started using a brayer to roll the paint combining cadmium orange and red and then I saw the shape of the house coming through really cool. I like the mystery of the painting. You can see it but aren’t really sure what you are looking at.”

“Hot Summer Memories,” a large painting, has a prominent place in the gallery, where visitors often stopped, trying to see into the haunting depth of the painting.

It was also Heather Luethe’s first time to win an award. The Denver resident’s mother is a water color artist and suggested that Heather entered her drawings in the Gilpin show. After a trip to China and returning with a photograph of a mother and a child, she did a pencil portrait of them and the judges liked the work well enough to present her with a merit award.

Photographer Jim Bennet had the luckiest of all art moments when one night he set up his lightning camera on his deck and went inside to eat dinner. When he returned he found a shot of an astounding lightning strike hitting the ground, with branches of electric light probing the black sky. He won a merit award for his work.

The annual art show is a work of art in itself. Each room, with aged timbers and waterfalls and light from the fountain garden spilling on the rock floors, is a study in contrast and design.

The new Gilpin County Arts Association Gallery Manager Becky Osteboe says she has always loved the gallery. A Gilpin  Country resident for the past six years, she has always wanted to be involved in the community and was hired as a staff member last fall. After two weeks on the job she became a member of the Board of Directors and was hired as manager.

After the artist and patrons mingled and enjoyed the finger food, Harv Mastilir, a past president of the association, introduced the winners in each category. He explained that some of the pieces had already sold and there was only a picture of the work of art.

The Best of Show in the 3D fabric division was Ruth Briggs’quilt. Mastilir explained that the Best of Show Awards are for the artists’ collection of work and the designated ribbon piece is representative of the entire work.

The Best of Show in 2D category was Steve Griggs’ watercolor for his use of black and the brush strokes that lent drama to the rain scene. The judges, who base their decisions on digital renderings of the artwork, look for variety, strength and use of different media.

The Colorado Pastel Association Award went to Dawn Holzmith for her Twin Lakes waterfall.

The Juried Show will be open until August 25. Five rustic room will display the work of over 100 artists from the Rocky Mountain region. The gallery will also feature Gilpin student art, and cards and gifts. All proceeds from the sales are used to operate the gallery and support the art program at the Gilpin County School