County recognizes 33 senior artists in annual juried art show

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ —

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Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr. congratulated 33 Essex County artists who received awards in the 2020 Essex County Senior Citizens Juried Art Show. This year’s contest was conducted virtually because of the coronavirus pandemic.

“We are proud to have been able to conduct this year’s senior art show virtually, which enabled us to highlight the creativity of our senior artists. The talent displayed by our senior artists is truly amazing, and the artwork is inspiring,” DiVincenzo said. “Essex County has a thriving fine arts community and our senior art show allows our older artists, both professionals and nonprofessionals, with an opportunity to display their work. This is an excellent event for us to promote the arts and inspire our residents to use their talents.”

Artists, and the awards they received, are as follows:

From Bloomfield: Irma Perez received first place in the nonprofessional watercolor category for “Sunflowers.”
From Cedar Grove: Jane Ballinger received second place in the professional watercolor category for “The Falls”; Rich Hanifan received second place in the nonprofessional drawing category for “Spring House”; Roseanne Martin received second place in the nonprofessional watercolor category for “By the Sea”; Marie Matarazzo received first place in the nonprofessional drawing category for “Mother with Baby”; and Bill Oswald received first place in the nonprofessional sculpture category for “Watcher of the Woods.”
From East Orange: Winifred Boss received first place in the professional acrylic category for “Enchanted Forest”; Carol Jenkins received second place in the professional mixed-media category for “Chaotic Calm”; and Lester James Johnson received second place in the professional sculpture category for “Balls in a Cage 2.”
From Fairfield: Marion Jones received an honorable mention in the professional watercolor category for “Verona Paddle Boats,” and Robert Szpila received first place in the professional photography category for “Presby.”
From Livingston: Richard DiGiovanna received second place in the professional pastel category for “Livingston Marsh”; Eleanor Halpern received an honorable mention in the nonprofessional watercolor category for “Untitled”; Joan Speare received first place in the nonprofessional oil category for “Orchids in the Wild”; and Angela Wang received second place in the nonprofessional oil category for “Snorkeling in Galapagos.”
From Maplewood: Peter Astor received second place in the nonprofessional acrylic category for “Undertow”; Mary Franklin received first place in the nonprofessional acrylic category for “Hope”; Nikki Pusin received first place in the professional sculpture category for “Quurtle”; Arlene Silva received second place in the nonprofessional mixed-media category for “The Wedding”; and Jill Vondervor received first place in the professional watercolor category for “Atlantic City.”
From Millburn: Maya Bloom received first place in the professional craft category for “French Textile and Lavender.”
From Montclair: Sharron Allen received first place in the nonprofessional craft category for “Wall Hanging Bowl,” and Miriam Sampson received first place in the nonprofessional photography category for “Abstraction.”
From Parsippany: Chas Palminteri received first place in the professional pastel category for “David.”
From Roseland: Maria Lupo received first place in the professional mixed-media category for “Prophet’s Dream.”
From South Orange: Gail Gardella received second place in the professional oil category for “The Flower Station,” and Annette Kushen received first place in the professional digital category for “Untitled.”
From Verona: Claudia Arici received first place in the nonprofessional mixed-media category for “Heaven on Earth.”
From West Caldwell: Christine Elvin received first place in the professional oil category for “Road Last Taken,” and Lynne Palmer received second place in the professional acrylic category for “Peony Power.”
From West Orange: Noah Chivian received second place in the nonprofessional photography category for “Copenhagen”; Sue Silberner received second place in the nonprofessional pastel category for “Springtime in Verona”; and Steve Wien received first place in the nonprofessional pastel category for “Still Life with Avocados.”

The Essex County Senior Citizens Juried Art Show was open to all professional and nonprofessional artists ages 60 and older. Artwork was judged on originality, composition, style, quality and creativity. Seniors whose artwork was awarded first place are automatically entered into the New Jersey Senior Citizens Art Show.