Santa
Cruz artist, Mary Karlton, was awarded first prize for her painting
entitled "How Are You M'Lord?" by the Madera County Arts
Council's Celebrate Agriculture with the Arts juried art exhibition,
Pomegranate Festival category. The annual art exhibit is currently
being held at the Circle Gallery in Madera.
SANTA
CRUZ, Calif. - October 11, 2012 -- Santa Cruz artist, Mary
Karlton, was awarded first prize for her painting
entitled "How Are You M'Lord?" by the Madera County Arts
Council's Celebrate Agriculture with the Arts juried art exhibition,
Pomegranate Festival category. The annual art exhibit is currently
being held at the Circle Gallery in Madera. According to 2012
exhibition judge Jerome Grimmer, renowned painter and art educator,
Ms. Karlton's painting displays "great use of the elements and
principles of design" and "brings an awareness that helps
us see things differently."
On
display are two of Ms. Karlton's figurative paintings from her
"Pomegranate Portrait" Series, both of which proved
extremely popular on the night of the gallery's opening reception.
Ms. Karlton's piece, "How Are You M'Lord?" was especially
admired and was awarded first prize for its vibrant celebration of
the pomegranate. The pomegranate not only holds special significance
to the agricultural community of Madera, it has also been imbued with
deep symbolic and mystical significance by cultures all over the
world since ancient times. With its abundant seeds and sweet ruby red
juice, this fruit symbolizes fertility, prosperity, royalty, and
marriage.
Ms.
Karlton's painting is an homage to the late Frank Snell of Santa
Cruz, medical professional in the US Army who served in Vietnam,
educator, world traveler, and benefactor. The pomegranate held
special significance to Mr. Snell as well, as he had had hoped to
publish a book about his life experiences which he planned to call
"The Pomegranate." The project was cut short by his
untimely death. Ms. Karlton's portrait of Frank is the keystone piece
for her ongoing "Pomegranate Portrait" series of bright and
lively portraits of individuals from all walks of life and diverse
ethnic backgrounds.
Also
on display at the Circle Gallery is Ms. Karlton's painting entitled
Kynthia, which, in a similar style, features a sleeping young female
figure that represents the Greek goddess, Artemis, or Kynthia,
holding a pomegranate in her hand and dreaming of her lover,
symbolized by a stag. These works as well as many others will be on
display at the Circle Gallery until November 17. For more information
about Celebrate Agriculture with the Arts and the Madera County Arts
Council, visit http://www.maderaarts.org/?page_id=334.
About
Mary Karlton
Mary
Karlton studied painting and printmaking in Chicago, San Francisco,
and Santa Fe. Her style is eclectic with highly textured works that
combine elements of collage, photography, and abstraction. She is
captivated by the versatility and expressive potential of acrylic
media. Her heroes in the art world are multifaceted and innovative -
DaVinci, Lautrec, Van Gogh, Picasso, Dali, Magritte, Klimt,
Kandinsky, Schiele, DeKoonig, and Richter.
Her
work has been included in a wide array of exhibitions in Northern and
Southern California, including various books, galleries, and wine
labels.
Recently,
her acrylic painting "Anima," a timeless rendering of the
female archetype, was honored by placing in the Top 5 from more than
700 submissions for the Light, Space, and Time Gallery's juried 2012
Figurative Art Competition.
Mary
lives and paints in the scenic coastal town of Santa Cruz, CA with
her husband, musician and photographer Peter Sterbach. To learn more
about Mary Karlton or to view her online gallery of artwork, please
visit http://www.marykarlton.com.
About
Madera County Arts Council's Annual Celebrate Agriculture with the
Arts Showing
Originally
funded by a grant from the California Arts Council, Celebrate
Agriculture with the Arts has been a tradition and source of local
pride in Madera County for nearly 20 years. Though it has since lost
its government funding, various donors and volunteers have come
through to keep the event moving forward year by year. 2012 saw the
introduction of a Pomegranate Festival category to honor one of the
key crops in the region, as well as the first ever photography
section entitled Celebrating Agriculture... the Human Factor. Despite
its initial financial setbacks, more than one member of the Madera
County Arts Council has voiced the opinion that 2012 is Celebrate
Agriculture with the Arts' best year yet.
For
this year's list of winners, or for more information about the Circle
Gallery, "Celebrate Agriculture with the Arts," or the
Madera County Arts Council, please visit
http://www.maderaarts.org/?page_id=334.
Media
Contact:
Mary
Karlton
Mary
Karlton Fine Art
303
Potrero St., Suite 12B
Santa
Cruz, CA, 95060
(831)-466-9660
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