MASSENA – There was standing room only at the Massena Public Library Tuesday evening when the Massena Artists Association announced the award winners in their 27th Annual Juried Art Exhibit.

This exhibit is the highlight of Massena’s Art Calendar. In addition to showcasing the newest work by well-known local and regional artists, it introduces the work of new and previously unknown artists as well. A number of Canadian artists makes this year’s exhibit an International Art Show.

A large crowd of people was on hand to watch the presentation of certificates, ribbons, and cash awards to the winners. The exhibit contains 111 pieces of artwork by 64 different artists.

Prior to the ceremony, Sallie Patterson entertained guests with a medley of familiar tunes on the piano. She is a talented pianist as well as a gifted artist.

The “Best of Show” award was presented to Jeanne Danforth for her large water color painting, “Just Duck-y”.

Jeanne Danforth graduated from Kansas City Art Institute in the 60s, where she majored in painting and printmaking. She has worked as a commercial artist.

In 1975, she and her husband purchased a farm in the rural area of Ellenburg, NY. In addition to dairy farming, she does freelance graphic design, sign-painting, and custom framing.

In 2004 she returned to creating “fine” art. She works in watercolor, oils, pastel, pen & ink, colored pencil and mixed media. She also enjoys creating with wool, and does spinning and felting.

Her work is narrative and realistic. She portrays the landscape as a tablet upon which is written the history of the lives lived there – animals, people, dwellings, plants, and geography – the “stuff” of life.

Her art is an expression of her perceptions of the life she lives and the surroundings she is part of on a daily basis.

She is not a plein air painter. She takes dozens of photos of any subject that she finds interesting, then creates her finished paintings in her studio, River Site Studio, which is located near the bridge in Chateauguay.

Her winning watercolor, “Just Duck-y” shows a group of wild ducks that live year round near the water treatment plant in Plattsburgh. Believed to be a cross between mallards and black ducks, they have become quite tame. They will follow anyone around who appears with scraps of bread.

On the day she photographed them, they were very interested in the treats she had been providing them.

Jeanne has participated in many art exhibits throughout the Adirondacks and North Country. She has had several one-person shows, including exhibits at ForArtSake in Malone, and at the Adirondack Artists Guild gallery in Saranac Lake.

She hosts a mixed media group, called the “Mixed Mediacs” who meet at her studio every month. This group is affiliated with the Foothills Art Society, and holds an exhibit once or twice a year.

Other award winners are as follows:

First Place Awards:

Pamela May for her oil painting, “Salmon in Winter.”

• Judy Tierney for her acrylic painting, “Last Corn Standing.”

• Michiko Taylor for her watercolor, “Graceful End”

• Jeanne Danforth for her colored pencil drawing, “Old Lady Luck.”

• Flossy Powell for her ink drawing, “And No Two are Alike.”

• George Fairbanks for his photograph, “Lynn at the Piano.”

• Ron Morrow for his wood sculpture, “Maple Burl Bowl.”

• Dean Ducas for his digital photo, “Ice Shards.”

Second Place Awards:

• William Parmer for his oil painting, “Fishing the Bridge Pool”

• Marie Engels for her acrylic painting, “Bee Balm Beauties.”

• Patricia Badlam Van Patten for her watercolor, “Frozen in Time”

• Joyce Hanson for her pastel, “Trees and Blueberries.”

• Lorna A. Eldred for her pen & ink drawing, “Bob”

• Dean Ducas for his photograph, “Snow Geese.”

• Julia Holmes for her fused glass piece, “Fishish Dish.”

• Matt Anable for his digital photo, “Flooded.”

Third Place Awards:

• Kelly Matthews for her oil painting, “Autumn in Churubusco.”

• Donna Smith for her acrylic painting, “Sunrise at Robinson’s Tavern.”

• Anita Huygen for her watercolor, “Blue Chevy”

• Anne Ray for her pastel, “Approaching Monarch Arches – Grand Canyon, AZ”

• Libby Cameron for her pen & ink drawing, “Day’s End.”

• Nancy Hale for her photograph, “Hiding??”

• Ron Morrow for his wood carving, “Post Morphin’.”

• Jacqueline Milner for her digital photo, “Out of the Ashes.”

Honorable Mention Awards:

• Vern Mauk for his oil painting, “Blue Sky and Pond Reflections.”

• Tammy King “Bumblebee” for her oil painting, “Self Portrait.”

• Marion Bradish for her acrylic painting, “Restless.”

• Pat Campbell for her acrylic painting, “Early Snowfall.”

• Pat Campbell for her watercolor, “Deserted Buildings.”

• Flossy Powell for her pastel, “Plethora.”

• Veronica Sedlock-Matthews for her pastel, “St. Lawrence River.”

• Geri Ames for her pan & ink drawing, “Massena.”

• Lynn Brady for her pen & ink drawing, “New Work.”

• Dorothy Badger for her photograph, “Frosty Morning – St. Lawrence River.”

• Kristen Rogers for her photograph, “Sunrise at Crescent.”

• Julia Holmes for her stained glass piece, “Chickadee.”

• Adele Constantineau for her mixed media piece, “Creative Memories.”

• Bodo Schmidt for his digital photo, “Bloom Expression.”

A unique feature of the Massena Artists Association’s Juried Art Exhibit is there is no theme or preferred medium. Each work is judged on its merit alone, and not on how well it fits into some standard of consistency.

This produces an exhibit with an eclectic mix of work that is realistic and abstract, traditional and avant-garde, painting and other media.

This year’s exhibit includes a larger variety of digital art and digitally manipulated photos than past shows have had.

Another unique feature is that there is no age limit. Children and young adults are encouraged to enter and exhibit their work.

The Massena Artists Association would like to thank Arnie and Linda Sauther for serving as this year’s judges.

They had the difficult task of selecting the winning entries from a large number of pieces of excellent work, representing a wide variety of styles and media.

MAA’s 27th Annual Juried Art exhibit will remain on display at the Massena Public Library through Friday, March 2.

Artists may pick up their work at any time on Saturday, March 3.