The 66th Annual Edmonds Arts Festival (EAF), to be held Father’s Day weekend June 16-18, has announced its Gallery Arts award winners.

This year, more than $10,000 in prizes were awarded across all categories to outstanding regional artists. The awards ceremony was emceed by Edmonds Arts Festival President Barbara Norgaard-Reid on June 12 at the Edmonds Library Plaza Room. 

According to Norgaard-Reid, there were more than 1,400 entries and more than 500 invited art pieces, so the award winners stood out among an exceptional and diverse range of artists.  

Juror Barbara Noonan presented awards for Paintings, Prints, and Drawings, saying, “I was sincerely impressed with the quality, variety and scope of entries. Northwest artists should be proud.”

1st Place Paintings: Frankie Gollub, Pine Ridge Park
2nd Place Paintings: Ellen Grove, Alyana
3rd Place Paintings: Melissa Wadsworth, Coastal View
Honorable Mention Paintings: Nancy Thompson, Fear of Flying; Gloria Freitas, Ascend; Chrystale Files, Sophia, Stephen Bahr, Off Highway 61; Chris Holt, Vivid Contemplation; Andy Eccleshall, Dog Day.
Barbara Noonan Juror Award: Nancy Thompson, Knowing.

1st Place Prints: Mary Rowland, Tea Time
2nd Place Prints: Rebecca Elyanow, Forest Bridge
3rd Place Prints: Philip Carrico, Hurricane Ridge’s Morning Gift

1st Place Drawings: Margaret Trent, Corvus
2nd Place Drawings: Jim Aylesworth, Souls That are in the Guf Too Long Forget How to be Human
3rd Place Drawings: Kelly Bahr, Woman with Eyes Closed
Honorable Mention Drawings: Ned Mueller, Guatemalan Woman; Trevor Jones, Work Boots; Stephen Bahr, Visiting an Old Friend

Juror Sam Scott presented awards for Sculpture, Artisan Works and Small Artisan Works. ““It was hard but enjoyable. Selecting pieces amongst such wonderful submissions should be difficult, but it was certainly a pleasure to see the work of all these talented artists,” he said.

1st Place Sculpture: Heather Cornelius, Guardians (View 1)
2nd Place Sculpture: Dellene Peralta and Amber Pellegrini, Wren Heart Song
3rd Place Sculpture: Rupa Palasamudram, Lichen Sculpture with Seed Pod
Honorable Mention Sculpture: William Grader, The Secret Jewish Space Laser; Cyndi Brown, German Shorthair Pointer Dog; Rick Holst, Mindscape.

1st Place Artisan Works: Barbara Osborne, The Fisher King
2nd Place Artisan Works: Lorin Seeks, Side Ash Table
3rd Place Artisan Works: Lori Soderberg, Fire & Ice Bowl
Honorable Mention Artisan Works: Chung Hye Kim, Technicolor Sea Life; Diane Marie Chaudiere, Beach Buffet 2; Kelly Cook, Double Vision.

1st Place Small Artisan Works: Beth Henkes, Plaque Year 2
2nd Place Small Artisan Works: Samantha Tesch, The Rubber Duckies
3rd Place Small Artisan Works: Lori Soderberg, ROYGBIV Platter
Honorable Mention Small Artisan Works: Barry Roitblat, Circular Logic; Khorsian Blanc-Ridings, Ribbons 23; Marina Lesnikova, Braclet with Petrified Palmwood

Juror Jennifer de Mello e Souza presented awards for Miniatures and Small Paintings, and Mixed Media 2D. “Selecting the artworks for these two categories was difficult, as there were so many talented and beautiful entries,” she said. “I hope you enjoy looking at these pieces as much as I did, as I found them all to be engaging, some challenging, and others deeply moving.”

1st Place Miniatures/Small Paintings: Judy Ryan, Here’s Looking at You, Kid
2nd Place Miniatures/Small Paintings: Martha Hurst, Balancing Act 2
3rd Place Miniatures/Small Paintings: Beverly Fotheringham, Sunset at Edmonds Pier
Honorable Mention Miniatures/Small Paintings: Amy Chabel, Poolside

1st Place Mixed Media 2D: Lynette Hensley, Fireside Songs
2nd Place Mixed Media 2D: Robin Kerr, Equally True
3rd Place Mixed Media 2D: Catalina Mercado, Crossing Through
Honorable Mention Mixed Media 2D: Mitchell Marder, Tide Land

Juror Amanda Ringstad presented awards for Photography and Digital Art.

1st Place Photography: Emily Marie Wilson, Urban Grid Through Bridge Cables, Lisbon
2nd Place Photography: Craig J. Barber, Gathering Tulips
3rd Place Photography: Valerie McKinley, Calla Leaf
Honorable Mention Photography: Jo Cosme, Ballads of Desolation; David McCrae, Three Vases; Emily Maria Wilson, Horses of the Sea

1st Place Digital Art: Leslie Newman, Landing Party
2nd Place Digital Art: Harry Von Stark, Source
3rd Place Digital Art: Leslie Newman, Gift

Finally, The Pamela Mummy COMET Awards went to Heather Cornelius for Guardians (View1) in sculpture, and to Ben Groff for Welsh Landscape Near Llangollen in painting.

The 66th Edmonds Arts Festival is an annual three-day event that takes place June 16-18, 2023, at the Frances Anderson Center in Edmonds. The festival is one of the longest running art festivals in the Northwest and draws thousands of visitors to view 2D and 3D artwork displayed in three galleries. Each year, the galleries showcase juried art from more than 400 regional artists.

Edmonds has the distinction of being Washington State’s first Certified Creative District for its unified recognition of the importance of the arts across all sectors. Every artwork purchased at the Edmonds Arts Festival helps to fund scholarships, school-based grants, community art projects and public art. For more information about the EAF, go to edmondsartsfestival.com.