Congratulations to the award winners!

1st Place: Edgar Thompson Works from the GAP Trail      by Ben Mathews 

2nd Place: Saint Vincent on a Foggy Morn by Mary Ellen Raneri

3rd Place: Stitching Magic by Naomi Lees-Maiberg

Award of Merit: Turtle in Watercolor by Nadine Toth

Award of Merit: Orchid Impression II by Judith Gentile

Juror's Statement

It is with great honor and pleasure that I extend my gratitude to each and every one of you for your participation in the Pittsburgh Watercolor Society’s (PWS) annual Waterworks members exhibition and to the PWS for the privilege and honor of being your juror of awards for this year’s exhibition. 

I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to Suzie Sparks, Kimon Relovsky, and all the dedicated volunteers whose hard work and dedication made this exhibition possible. Your commitment to the arts is truly commendable and serves as a cornerstone of our vibrant artistic community.

To the participating artists, I offer my sincerest congratulations. Your passion, creativity, and skill were evident in every brushstroke, capturing the essence of life and evoking a myriad of emotions in the viewer. It was both a joy and a challenge to designate awards among such a wealth of talent, each piece offering its own unique perspective and narrative.

As a juror of awards, my task was to recognize excellence and merit across a diverse range of styles and subjects through the award selections. As art is in fact subjective, I designated awards to pieces that I believed best embodied the diversity of styles and techniques in the exhibition while paying close attention to unique expression, design, technical elements, and the artist’s ability to think “outside the box”. Overall, the caliber of work presented in this exhibition speaks volumes about the depth of talent within the PWS, reaffirming the enduring significance of watercolor and water based painting as mediums of artistic expression.

I encourage all members of the Pittsburgh Watercolor Society and art enthusiasts alike to visit the exhibition and experience firsthand the beauty and ingenuity of these artists’ creations. Let us continue to celebrate and support each other in our artistic endeavors, fostering a community that thrives on collaboration, inspiration, and mutual appreciation.

Artfully Yours, 

Michael Tusay

Executive Director, Latrobe Art Center