Best in Show at Newburyport Art Association

Lisa Kyle Clark’s acrylic painting of “Trinidad, Cuba” named the Best in Show for the Winter Members Juried Show, Part Two, at the Newburyport Art Association.

A “luminous painting” depicting a scene in a Cuban town has risen to the top in the Newburyport Art Association’s Winter Members Juried Show, Part Two. “Trinidad, Cuba,” an acrylic by Lisa Kyle Clark, earned the Sam Sargent Award for Best in Show from juror Erin Becker, executive director of the Cambridge Art Association.

In her juror’s statement, Becker said that she “was drawn to Clark’s painting style, sense of perspective and the somewhat whimsical touch of a red bikini on a clothesline.”

Becker noted that the acrylic painting category was particularly strong for this exhibit, which also features fine crafts, mixed-media works, pastels and photographs.

The juror also shared a little of what goes into her process when selecting work.

“My first step in any jury is to survey the entries, taking time to look at each artwork closely,” Becker wrote. “As I am looking, I begin to ask myself questions. Is the work an excellent execution of a particular media? Is the artist using a new or innovative approach? Does the frame complement the artwork? “From there, I begin to consider the relationships between the artworks,” she continued. “Are there thematic connections? Perhaps the colors or composition of one piece complement those of another? Is there an emotional pull to a particular artwork? As I consider these questions, some works stand out over others, and an exhibit begins to emerge.