A Carmel artist has won Best in Show in the Fishers Arts Council’s 2024 Juried Exhibit of Hamilton County Artists.
Jerry Mannell’s “Harbinger” was picked from pieces submitted by 35 artists represented in the annual exhibit, which was on display in September at the Art Gallery at City Hall, 1 Municipal Dr., Fishers.
Judge Dan Annarino stated in a news release that Mannell’s piece is thought-provoking and open to interpretation.
“Anyone looking at this painting for the first time needs to think about it,” he stated. “What’s it all about? Might the viewer see a bird — a cardinal, perhaps — and a mailbox? There are so many ways to look at this painting because it has so much depth. The subtle colors work well. The composition/balance is very good because the painting itself is so active. There is lots of movement in this kinetic presentation.”
All the winners except People’s Choice were chosen by Annarino, a West Lafayette-based full-time artist who exhibits paintings throughout the Midwest. Annarino is also a board member and past president of the Indiana Artists’ Club and a member of the Hoosier Art Salon and the Art Museum of Greater Lafayette, as well as an exhibiting artist in many shows throughout the Midwest.
Local artists in the September exhibit hailed from Fishers, Noblesville, Carmel, Westfield, Cicero and the edges of Hamilton County in Indianapolis and McCordsville.
Other awards were:
- Best Abstract: Caroline Hays (Noblesville), “Nature’s Layers”
- Best Landscape: Karissa Rumsey (Fishers), “Pemaquid Lighthouse”
- Best Portrait/Figurative: Deborah Smith (Noblesville), “A Midsummer Day’s Dream”
- Best Floral/Other: Casey Williams (McCordsville), “Garden Goddess”
- People’s Choice Winner: Stephanie Carignan (Fishers), “Weathered & Woven Grassland”
- Merit Award Winners: Brinton Farrand (Cicero), “Curious” and Craig Mullins (Indianapolis), “Big Sky Indiana”
Besides his $1,000 Best in Show prize, Mannell will have a solo exhibit with the Fishers Arts Council in early 2025.