The Fall Awards Show at the Plateau Creative Arts Center in Fairfield Glade is undoubtedly the finest exhibit that the guild has held since these shows began. There were so many fine paintings and 3-D pieces that the judge, well known Tennessee artist, Harriet Howell, added a new category in the 3-dimensional group, breaking up sculpture and jewelry from pottery and ceramics.

Although many of the exhibiting guild members once worked in the world of professional art and perhaps the majority of exhibitors, whatever their previous occupation, have grown into seasoned professionals, the character of this show was the ambience of creative originality. Much of the work on exhibit is unique and original, which has not been a strong point of these exhibits in the past.

The Fall Show is quite different. This time, many of the artists “thought outside the box” and this is what makes the “09 Imagine Exhibit” so exciting.... Now for the awards.

Best in Show was “Lily” by John Simms, an appealing double portrait of a woman and her smug best friend, a St. Bernard. The foreground figures are dramatically placed against a background of Tennessee lakes and mountains. The expression on the dog’s face makes one wonder, which one is the pet, as the bond between them glows from this oil painting.

Category Oil Painting — First prize went to Ted Sizemore for “Great Egret.” The brilliant white bird leaps out against dark swamp foliage. The vivid plumes on the bird reminds me that this beautiful creature was once nearly hunted to extinction, so that those same plumes could adorn the hats of aristocratic ladies.

Category — Miniature Paintings — First place, Marge Hovey’s oil “Lily Ponds The thick paint in so small a work highlights the bright lilies amid a contrasting tangle of red and green lily pads.

Category — Watercolor Painting — First place “Homage to Degas” by Jacqueline Clark. This is not only one of the most original pieces in the show, but humorous as well. The color and composition are technically great, but the perspective and patterns are way off center and everything in the painting is depicted in wiggly lines (including a little dog). Objects stand up that should be lying down, but as a painting all this works beautifully.

Category — Pastel and Colored Pencil — First place “Day By Day,” by Katie Smith. This is a unique and philosophic pastel. The combination of technique and symbolism is wonderful. The background is formed by semi-abstract organic forms. On the right, a super imposed butterfly in flight moves across the painting. Layered over everything is a huge transparent cross. This composition sounds busy and fussy, yet it appears to be quite simple (it isn’t). Here is a complex and beautiful pastel that requires more than one look.

Category — Photography — First place “Italianate," by Gloria McCracken, is a dramatic study in lights and darks. The sun shines on the balcony of a villa. The lower part of the building is in shadows and in the foreground is a white porch chair in sunlight, which echoes the hot white glare above.

Category — Mixed Media — First place, “Windsor,” by Jacqueline Clark’s digital photography with overlapping art work portraying a horse drawn carriage from a time when automobiles were rare or non-existent. The work mimics daguerreotype, but is done using modern technology.

Category — Sculpture and Jewelry — First place “Bridging the Gap,” by Annette Hanson, deserves the “Peace Award.” Among the most original works in the show, this ceramic sculpture features sheer parallel cliffs that rise from refuse that might be the remnants of a bomb. At the top, a series of steps ascend that support two figures, one Islamic, one Jewish. On the steps are written such words as “compassion and understanding.” The two figures clasp their hands across the abyss.

Category — Ceramics and Pottery — First place “Plump and Red,” by Judy Clark-Turner. A hand-thrown vase with a small red neck (redneck?). It’s a cute, fat, little ball with some nice carved spaces at the base to give it balance.

Other winners are Sandra Echard, Audrey Paul, Bob Arens, Camilla Emerson, Sheryl Reeser, Jo Hitchens, Thomas Eckert, Sam Hill, Claudia Kirkpatrick, Mary Bell, Karen Shaw, Marilyne Bartos, Beverly Olin, Ed Casey, John Genetempo Thomas Whitehurst, Cal Davis, John Eldred, Le Voss, Jean Liberty, Nancy Jansen, Linda Farber, Kay Wode, and Ray Butkus.

The exhibit is at the Plateau Creative Arts Center at 451 Lakeview Dr. (off Peavine), Fairfield Glade, and can be viewed between the hours of 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays and 1-4 p.m. on weekends. The show will run through the month of October.

The Art Guild is a not-for-profit 501 ©(3) organization and an equal opportunity provider dedicated to the promotion of the arts in and around Cumberland County. See the Web site at http://www.artguildfairfieldglade.net/.