2026 Members’ Juried Exhibition
January 8 to January 29, 2026
Chester County Art Association
100 North Bradford Avenue, West Chester, PA 19382
Our Judge of Awards is Jill Rupinski. Jill is Professor and Chairperson of Certificate Programs at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA). She received a Four-Year Certificate from PAFA in 1977 and a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from the Philadelphia College of Arts in 1981.
Jill has received the following notable awards over her career: a 2023 Medal for Creativity and Achievement in the Visual Arts from the Philadelphia Sketch Club, a Senior Artist Initiative Oral History Project in 2014, a 2013 recipient of a Faculty Venture Fund Grant for Travel to France from PAFA, a Spanish-American Artist Exchange Travel award in 1989 from the Creative Artists Network, the Percy Owens Memorial Award for a Distinguished Pennsylvania Artist from the Fellowship of PAFA in 1997, and the Cresson Travel Scholarship from PAFA in 1976.
Public collections in which Jill's art is represented are the University of PA, Arcadia, Colgate, and Villanova Universities. Jill has been an instructor with the Maurice River School at the Barn Studio since 2010. Jill exhibits at Cerulean Arts Gallery in Philadelphia, PA.
Best in Show, Joe Kluck "Underwood III"
“This piece exhibits skill of observation as well as imaginative personal vision. The focus is clear with the artist controlling the light and shade with an effective vignette. One thinks there may be a message in the letters that are clear and those obscured. Maybe that’s my imagination, but that is what good art does. It provokes the viewer to think about a deep meaning.”
First Place Award, Thomas K. Memmen "Road to Pamukkale"
“The strong saturated color with dark contrast makes a powerful presence from afar. Up close, the play of pure color is realized throughout the foreground. The mastery of this piece is in how the artist has maintained an organization of space with such minimal repetitive primary color. The artist’s bold outlines around the road signs are perfectly balanced against the linear, colorful notations in the roadway. The compositional law of interchange is masterfully exhibited.”
Second Place Award, Louise Dusinberre "Honest Work"
"The artist shows respect and reverence for the subject by catching the moment and action perfectly. The Amish man depicted turning away from view delivers the message of privacy and solitary concentration on work. The mules are drawn with exacting form to show quiet strength and diligence in their part of the day’s work. The mark-making evokes movement without being overdrawn. The viewer is activated to feel a sense of place.”
Third Place Award, Pamala Wallenhurst "Closing Time"
“This small but mighty piece is fun, original, and inventive! The color and mark-making evoke the clamoring of sound. Looking deeper into the piece, one can see linear marks intermittently revealed and hidden. This adds to the excitement of the pictorial action and visual stimulus.
Best of Directors' Award, Andrew Duncan "Asta"
“This portrait is a respectful depiction of an individual that carries a strong presence of form in a well-realized active/passive space. Skillfully drawn details with multiple textural techniques are realistic without being overly fussy. This little dog shows poise and purpose.”
Best Figurative Painting, Teresa DeSeve "In His Realm"
“I enjoy the expressive way this painting is done. It is an ambitious life-sized figure that feels natural. The sensitivity to light through color is luminous.”
Best Still Life Painting, Dennis Murphy "Arrugado"
“I enjoy the simple focus on texture and the use of the picture plane. The close view of the wrinkle forms presents a playful pattern of shapes that evoke an imaginary landscape.”
Best Landscape Painting, Drew Scarpa "Waiting"
“This piece makes terrific use of the zigzag composition so very present in skyscapes. The figures weighted at the bottom left are juxtaposed with the energy of the light pattern at the bottom of the arching light pattern on the opposite side of the picture plane.”
Honorable Mention, Linda Crane "Bayside Retreat"
“This is a painterly approach to a pastel that has beautiful drawing effects as well. The artist has skillfully rendered the perspective while effectively using continuous U-shaped forms to tie in the composition.”
Honorable Mention, Karl Fehrenbach "Sienna Sun"
“This piece has a delicious play of complementary color that holds up from a distance. The detailed effect of the waves is nicely juxtaposed with the texture of the sky.”
Honorable Mention, Linda Murphy "Hope of Spring"
“The surprising bent tree sets up a narrative for the harshness of winter. The artist’s use of the white lines beautifully sets the trunks and branches off against a darker background.”
Honorable Mention, Ilana Reisner "Cowboy John"
“The square format is skillfully used to position the focal point of the face within the surrounding large blocks of abstract shapes. The primary color scheme elegantly mimics the simple abstract composition.
Dakota Art Award, Paula Brown "Winter Cathedral"
“This piece presents a surreal, dreamlike narrative. It possesses both a serious nature with a playful story yet to be discovered.”
Blick Art Materials Award, Barbara Johnson "Last Light"
“The point of radiation from the base of the tree grouping makes a powerful statement in grounding the composition. The sunlight representation is so effective in creating the point of light and the burst of shadows.
Blick Art Materials Award, Jacqueline Meyerson "The Big Apple"
“A gorgeous development of forms and display of technical skill. The arrangement of these repetitive forms is a delight.”