Exhibition
Judge: Pat Meras

Important Dates:
Registration: April 23 – April 30. All art must be received by Sunday, April 30.
Show runs May 2 – May 31, 2023
Reception: May 13, 2023 1 pm to 4 pm
Pick up: May 27 – June 3
Registration Fee
Helen Norris Open Art Show
52nd Annual Exhibition – May 2023
The Helen Norris Open Art Show (named for the first Gallery Manager, Helen Norris, after she retired in 1995) has been an annual event since the opening of the Sidney Art Gallery in the early years of the Sidney Museum and Arts Association (1972). The importance of The Helen Norris Open Art Show is three fold:
- to provide a venue for artists to compete/exhibit/sell their art work
- to bring together an outstanding exhibit of art brought by the overwhelming amount of participants
- to teach the beginning artist as well as the public about what goes into creating, presenting, and selling fine art.
The show hosts a different judge every year. During the artists’ reception the judge critiques the first place winners, giving the reasons for picking these particular pieces thereby educating those present in what to look for in fine art. As last year, we plan to video the show and the judge and post online. We are hoping for good weather and an outside reception in June. The judge will have her own show at the Sidney Gallery in June of 2024.
First Place Winners of each category in the Helen Norris Open Art Show are invited to the Winners’ Circle in January of the next year.
- And the Winners Are . . .
- 3d Mixed Media
- Oil/Acrylic
- Watercolor
- Mixed Media
- Photography
- Drawing
- Judge's Choice
- People's Choice
Click on the tab for the entries in each category
3d Mixed Media
1st Place
Dan Spence – Scorpion
2nd Place
Winifred Andrews – Laundry Day
3rd Place
Jacob Cowen – Jar
Honorable Mention
David Lewis – Big Sunny Day
Entries Also From
Winifred Andrews – Summertime
Cole Newcomer – Ramen Bowl
Cole Newcomer – Soup Bowl
Jacob Cowen – Woodfire Vase
Oil/Acrylic
1st Place
Amy Burnett – My Great Grandfather
2nd Place
Mary McInnis – Anne’s Driveway
3rd Place
Shirley Sakatani – I Still See You
Honorable Mention
Christine Hella Cott Thompson – Outdoor Room
Fan Zhang – Old Town Port Orchard
Rose Guastella – All that Quiet
Entries Also From
Connie Danderand – Conversations in Dimensions
Mary McInnis – Welcome to Winslow
Connie Danderand – Jim and Deb
Barbara Grahn – Wooden Boats
Janette Stiles – Photo Booth Dogs
Anne Peters – Baby Zebra
Christine Hella Cott Thompson – Outdoor Room
Zoe Hauenstein – Unfinished Business
Elisabeth Daquilante – Siren’s Kiss
Elisabeth Daquilante – Awake
Zoe Hauenstein – Psych-O-Delic Void
Roy Carr – Monet Lily Pond
Anne Peters – Brilliant Tulips
Rose Guastella – Anticipation
Roy Carr – Mt. Rainier, Liberty Cap Side
Kim Spence – Letting Go
Shirley Sakatani – Come Morning Light
Christine Hella Cott Thompson – Waiting for the Kiss
Watercolor
1st Place
Anna Hower – Twilight’s Glow
2d Place
Sherry Beck – Don’t Mess with Mama
3rd Place
Rachel Brown – Madrona
Honorable Mention
Fan Zhang – Poppy
Entries also from
Kim Spence – Expanding Joy
Irene Bergsagel – Peek A Boo
LaVida White – Ray of Sunshine
Penny Percenti – Burano
Rachel Brown – Fleur
Anna Hower – Unnamed-Tree
Irene Bergsagel – Summer Blooms
Mixed Media
1st Place
Crystal LaDue – Dance With Me To The Bird Song
2d Place
Victoria Tierney – Peonies #2
3rd Place
Sherry Beck – Fern Fantasy
Honorable Mention
Lizbeth Bayliss – Poseys
Entries also from
Amy Burnett – In Between Seasons
Lizbeth Bayliss – Summer Garden
Maria Amburn – Incoming
Victoria Tierney – Peonies #1
Elissa Whittleton – Ocean Bluffs
Maria Amburn – Exploration
Sherry Beck – Fern Fantasy
J. Louis King – #135
Cynthia Schaum – Ollie the Octopus
Photography
1st Place
Nick Whittleton – Calm Before A Storm
2nd Place
J. Louis King – Train #7 Route
3rd Place
Russell Hauenstein – Peaceful
Honorable Mention
Cynthia Schaum – Hey There!
Entries Also from
E. Aaron Schosso – Reflections in a Pond
Russell Hauenstein – Trifecta
Nick Whittleton – Drycreek Valley1st Place
Drawing
1st Place
Elissa Whittleton – Tree of Life
2nd Place
Janette Stiles – Zabu, White Tiger
The People’s Choice is up to you so be sure to come in and vote for your favorite piece until the end of show on June 30. We can hardly wait to find out.