Long Island Museum Announces Winners of Art Contest

Over 100 artists submitted their work to this year's "Let's Eat" juried art competition at the Long Island Museum in Stony Brook, where finalists' work will be on display in the Carriage Museum from now through Labor Day.

Of those finalists, three winners were chosen at an artist's reception on Sunday. From mixed media and photography to oils and colored pencils, the gallery is a cornucopia of variety.

This year Rhonda Cooper, director of the University Art Gallery at Stony Brook University, selected the competition winners.

First place was awarded to William A. Dodge for his piece, Orange Rhymes with Blue.

"It's a play on words and painting," he said. Though there are no words in the English language that rhyme with orange, Dodge said in paintings blue and orange complement each other very well.

Fred Badalamenti's Pears and Garlic took second place.

"I do still life and figures pretty exclusively and usually work in oil," he said.

Third place went to Yoram Gelman for his photo Table Still Yellow, and Ann T. Buckley was given an honorable mention for Hothouse Beauty.

The event really "brings the art community together," said Ruth Johnson, whose painting Kitchen Pots was on display.

For Arline Goldstein, a former art teacher, her work The Potato Eaters, circa 2010 (a modern spin on Van Gogh's classic The Potato Eaters) is a way to communicate that in order to go forward sometimes we must look back and learn from the past.

The comfort of Kara Waxman's grandmother's kitchen was the inspiration for her sewn and painted piece, Advent.

Drawing from past memories as a Catholic child growing up, Grace Mulligan used water color and colored pencil to depict her holiday meals in Friday's Dinner–Lent.

Culling talent from all over Long Island, the competition has become an annual tradition since 2007. Each year a theme is chosen to tie in with one of the museum's exhibits. In conjunction with the America's Kitchens display, amateur and professional artists were asked to submit up to three works in any media that represented eating, cooking, food or kitchens.

News of the competition is usually spread by word of mouth, said Julie Diamond, director of communications.

"We send information out to local clubs and galleries," Diamond said. "We're fortunate to have built an audience for this competition, and the Stony Brook area is filled with talented artists."

The event gave artists and enthusiasts an opportunity to discuss their passion while listening to the sounds of the Fox Hill Chamber Music Consortium playing classical music. The four winning entries will be on display in the Art Museum along with Americas Kitchens from September 10-20.