Dimensions: 16 x 20
Media: Digital c-print on halide paper

Dimensions: 36 x 24 x 1.5
Media: Mixed Media on Canvas
Artist Statement : I wanted to create a piece that projects what I see when I engage with my daughter: pure joy! So innocent and full of life; always smiling. I wanted it to be bright and colorful and I also wanted to include pieces of her - her coloring pages, a piece of paper where she wrote her name, and I even had her write on the painting once it was finished.

Honorable Mention

Dimensions: 36 x 24 x 1.5
Media: Acrylics on Canvas
Artist Statement : This painting depicts two children joyfully mixing a world of possibilities. The children are happy and engaged, symbolizing creating and the power of imagination. I painted this picture with my own childhood in mind; when we would go outside and mix leaves, dirt and acorns together to make something magical.

Juror's Choice

Dimensions: 24 x 34
Media: Acrylic on Prepared Paper

Dimensions: 8 x 10
Media: Acrylic on Panel

Dimensions: 14 x 14 x 5
Media: Found object assemblage
Artist Statement : This is about these candy containers never being used due to life circumstances changing

Dimensions: 12 x 14 x 1
Media: Limited Edition Hand-pulled intaglio etching Print
Artist Statement : Fun and imagination at an old-fashioned carousel

Dimensions: 12 x 16 x 1
Media: photography
Artist Statement : Street musicians jamming in DC. I loved the boy either imitating his dad or learning the horn.

Dimensions: 11 x 14 x 1
Media: photography
Artist Statement : The first trip to the beach and the first chance to bury herself in sand. The tiny dot of color on her toenail shows she already knows her toes should be polished when frolicking at the shore.

Dimensions: 14 x 14
Media: Acrylic on clayboard
Artist Statement : I'M FROM A GENERATION WHEN GAMES WERE SIMPLE YET FUN. I CHOSE TO DEPICT ONE OF THOSE....TELEPHONE. ONE PERSON WHISPHERS A SECRET TO THE NEXT PERSON AND IT CONTINIUES DOWN TO THE LAST PERSON PLAYING WHO THEN SAYS OUTLOUD WHAT THEY HEARD WHICH OFTEN DIFFERED FROM THE ORIGINAL MESSAGE. MY ARTISTIC REPRESENTATION SHOWS THE FINAL TWO PLAYERS AND THEIR EXPRESSIONS SEEM TO SAY, "WHAT?"

Honorable Mention

Dimensions: 16 x 20 x 3
Media: Cut Paper Collage
Artist Statement : Since childhood I have been fascinated by folklore, mythology and stories of the supernatural. The similarities shared by various cultures around the globe in regard to creation myths and oral tradition serve as reminders that we are one human family. This concept has never been more paramount. As an illustrator, many of my pieces are personal interpretations of these themes. Through cutting, layering and manipulation, I transform pieces of textured paper into three-dimensional illustrations with a whimsical visual narrative. Each paper relief starts as an initial sketch that I transform into a working schematic pattern. The final composite collage is photographed for reproduction. The piece celebrates my grandfather and my fondest memory of him from childhood. He would take me into town on the bus and while we waited at the bus stop, he would sneak a dollar into a crevasse in an old stump for me to find.

Dimensions: 21 x 17 x 1
Media: Acrylic
Artist Statement : My work is driven by curiosity and experimentation. Allowing initial shapes, lines and edges to inspire me. Through this process, I'm looking for patterns and textures. Alot of my work offers a reflective narrative that connects my past with the present, capturing the evolving nature of my creative path.

Dimensions: 17 x 23 x 1.25
Media: Digital Archival Photo Print
Artist Statement : The subject of Caravaggio's painting "Card Sharps" serves in concept for this posed photograph. Two card players are depicted taking advantage of the dupe. In Caravaggio's version, one player is shown looking over the shoulder at the hand of, the other shows a few cards he's concealing from, the dupe. In this update of the scene, one player shows the dupe's hand on a cell phone to the partner, while the other partner conceals cards to be placed as needed.

Dimensions: 18 x 24
Media: Charcoal
Artist Statement : Birthdays have always been special for me and I hope that other children have also had the privilege to enjoy their birthdays. I remember my childhood birthdays to be the best, oftentimes filled with joy, laughter, and being surrounded by family and friends that tried to make the day as special as possible. As I grow older, I hope to keep celebrating birthdays with the same spirit, even though some friends and family may not be around, I hope to continuously celebrate life like I did as a child on my birthdays.

Dimensions: 20 x 16
Media: Digital Archival Photograph Sublimated to Aluminum

Juror's Choice

Dimensions: 23 x 17.5
Media: Oil on panel
Artist Statement : How can paint capture the feeling of childhood camping trips? To create a hazy, warm atmosphere, I layered paint with palette knives until an image appeared. The softened quality of the scene mimics the act of recalling distant cherished memories.

Dimensions: 24 x 15 x 5
Media: Found Objects
Artist Statement : Time Flies When You're Having Fun - 24 x 15 x 5, narrative found object assemblage wall-relief sculpture with a vintage travel suitcase as the base. The base is filled with and elaborated with many forms of fun and enjoyment. Each object can be part of the narrative for an enjoyable life. Time is fleeting, we have no guarantees of tomorrow. We need to make the best of each day. Time is flying by.....let's enjoy it. (2023) Relationship with Time Series

Juror's Choice

Dimensions: 25 x 10 x 5
Media: Found Objects
Artist Statement : Staying Young At Heart - 25 x 10 x 5, narrative found object assemblage free-standing sculpture reminding myself and others that growing older does not mean one has to grow old (2024). Even if we can't do some of the youthful activities like skiing and skating, we can still fondly reminisce and maintain a youthful spirit. The base is a vintage roller skate and the top is a vintage Fischer Price toy about telling time. The main compartment is an arrangement featuring a skater and skier, tinker toys, Christmas light, paint set, ice cream spoon, candy, game pieces, noise maker, small bike, jump rope, etc. From other views you can see a sand shovel, car key, cookie cutter, birthday candles, two elderly figures, model train sign "Slow...road ahead," skate key, paper mache flower, ballerina paper doll figure, clicker toy, etc. Relationship with Time Series.

Dimensions: 11 x 14 x 1
Media: Watercolor, colored pencil, pen and ink
Artist Statement : My work deals with interventions. The intervening entity varies—human, plant, or animal—and each leaves a trace of transformation. Drawing from observations of natural systems and mediated structures, I explore how spaces are shaped, assigned, or repurposed. These works operate at thresholds—between play and control, wildness and designation, memory and function. Through acts of fragmentation, revision, and reassembly, I test how meaning can be embedded, disrupted, or quietly rerouted.

Dimensions: 16 x 12
Media: Acrylic Paint on "Fredrix Artist Canvas Panel."
Artist Statement : Through this piece, I aimed to capture the joy we all felt swinging on the monkey bars. To me, that single action represents childhood as a whole. The liberating feeling of being above the ground made our palms sweaty and our hands hurt from gripping the bars, yet whenever we go to parks, we are drawn to the monkey bars. The subject in this painting is my cousin at the age of seven. The nature surrounding her symbolizes an afternoon of play; I used a lot of green in my painting to represent a new beginning or springtime. I felt that acrylic paint was the best medium for this portrait, as I wanted to maintain a loose and painterly style. This painterly style was essential for conveying the simplicity of childhood. The setting of the painting deliberately does not include a fancy park or elaborate play structures because childhood joy is captured in doing simple things, like swinging on monkey bars.