At the Boothbay Region Art Foundation's ARTinME opening reception, BRAF board member Sally Smith announced juror Liam Sullivan's selection for Best In Show … South Thomaston artist Jamie Wiggin for her oil entitled, “Distant.”

The reception and awards presentation was held Oct. 15 at the Art Foundation gallery in Boothbay Harbor. Sullivan, dean of the Maine College of Art, selected 100 of the 196 submitted works by artists statewide for the 2016 show.

Wiggin received a $500 cash prize, donated by Sherman's Books & Stationery, for placing first. The subject of this large vertical painting - 24 x 36 or 30 x 40 – is a young red-haired girl who is standing under a tree; her arms are raised above her head and are clasped over a branch overhead. Her facial expression is of one so lost in thought she has traveled away from her physical self. As you move outward, away from the girl to explore the rest of the scene, you become lost in a sea of grass. Grass that appears to be moving. Perhaps the girl had just changed her position under the tree, or maybe a breeze had just passed through. The movement in the grass is strong because the young girl is motionless. She is introspective. Distant.

Wiggin said she worked from life and photographic images to complete the painting of a friend's daughter. “She worked with me over several weeks — one day for eight hours. She was standing in full sunlight, so there isn't a lot of color.

“It could have been a pretty sappy idea … a young girl in a field — in a white dress,” Wiggin said moments after her win. “But I really tried to make it more and to really portray some emotion.”

In a phone interview, Sullivan said he appreciated the technical skill level of the artist and the composition of the piece. “I really appreciated the artist's skilled brushing, her technique, and in seeing how it all came together.

“But what really sold me on this one,” said Sullivan, “was the quality of light in the image. I got a great sense of the time and place through the light.”

See more of Jamie Wiggin's work at www.ingramantiques.com/work/jamie-wiggin.

Kandi Kangas of Tenants Harbor was awarded second place honors with her oil painting, “Visit With Arden,” for which she received $300, donated by The First National Bank. The piece caused quite a sensation among the art lovers assembled that evening. It was the first time most had seen a painting in which a cell phone was the secondary subject. Or any subject for that matter.

“Part of what spoke to me with this painting was the idea of the Renaissance painters style — the use of light and the painterly style,” Sullivan said. “Through the cell phone and the connection the young individual has with it, this artist made the Renaissance style and techniques contemporary. It really speaks to the art of the 21^st century — it's unusual to see art work done in this fashion. Good art work should be relevant to time and place.”

Linda Murray of Bath took third place, and $250 thanks to First Federal Savings & Loan, for “Simply Irresistible.” Sullivan said he was struck by the intensity of the colors and the fantasy environment the artist created, adding, “The artist demonstrated a great deal of technical command over the medium.”

The new Plein Air Painters of Maine (PAPME) prize, a $100 gift certificate to Conley's Garden Center, was awarded to Ellen Pelletier of Kennebunk for her pastel entitled “Winter Glow.”

Honorable Mention I, sponsored by the Board of Trustees at BRAF, went to Dan Corey of Rockland, for his oil painting “Flurry.” Honorable Mention II, sponsored by Boothbay Harbor Framers, went to Elizabeth S. Palmer of Nobleboro, for her watercolor of an ice cream concoction otherwise known as “Decadence.”

The roster of artists in the ARTinME 2016 show are: Priscilla Alden, Dick Alden, Kathleen Anderson, Olena Babak, Julie Babb, Barbara Bean, Angie Blevins, Thomas Block, Jane Bowman, Laurie Burhoe, Wolfgang Busse, Mary Byrom, Nathan Campbell, Ken Carlson, Michael Caudle, Teddi-Jann Covell, Alice de Mauriac, Rick Dickinson, Sandy Dolan, June Elderkin, Doug Frahar, Doreen Dufour, Catherine Eagleson, Sandy Eames, Judine French, Ronald Fontin, Claudette Gamache, Robert J.Gibson, Sarah Greeniner, Charles Gruppe, Sandra Harper, Jean Nelson Harris, Leilani Havens, Carol Jensen, Kris Johnson, Donald W. Kerr, Sue Heil Kibbe, Lou Landry, David Lee, Judith Long, Bruce MacDonald, Polly McGrory, Pat McHold, Corinne McIntyre, Katherine Mead-von Huene, Jackie Melissas, Kay Miller, Jon Moro, Kay Morris, Chris Newcomb, Judy Nixon, Brooke Pacy, Carole Palmer, Lea Peterson, Susie Porter, Chris Reed, Mark Reilly, Bob Rose, M. Jane Rosenfield, Bill Royall, Fran Scannell, Judith Schuppien, Sally Smith, Cynthia Smith, Christine Sullivan, Tony van Hasselt, Luise van Keuren, Andreas von Huene, Helen Warner, Jerri Whitman, Tom Whittle and Mark Wilgren.

These artists “communicated” with viewers through a myriad of media: Tempera, Prismacolor, oil, watercolor, acrylic, raku, wood carving, pastel, ink, charcoal, mixed media, steel, bronze, clay, monoprint, soap stone, gouache, box assemblage, assemblage, wire sculpture, stone, and collage.

“It was lovely to jury this show,” Sullivan said. “There were a lot of good pieces — so many portraits. So many technically skilled artists. Even the art work that was not selected for the show is valuable. As people our most active sense is sight — we respond to things that are visual. The hard part of jurying a show is making the decisions at the end (who places, who doesn't). When you have the experience dealing with art work most of your life, you can immediately respond and immediately know. It happens in that moment.”

The $500 People's Choice Award — sponsored by Knickerbocker Group — will be presented on Saturday, Dec. 3 at the Art in the Square opening reception during the annual Harbor Lights Festival. Voting for the People's Choice will continue through Nov. 11 when the ARTinME show closes — just look for the voting box near the reception table.

The Boothbay Region Art Foundation is located at 1 Townsend Avenue in Boothbay Harbor. For more information, call 207-633-2703. The gallery is open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

A photo gallery of works from ARTinME can be viewed on the websites of the Boothbay Register, Wiscasset Newspaper and the Pen Bay Pilot.