By Darla McCammon and Darlene Romano

The Lakeland Art Association, located on Winona Avenue in Warsaw, just finished its Fall Members Show.

There were many beautiful pieces submitted. A total of 36 pieces of artwork were accepted into the show. The work was judged by award-winning watercolor artist John Kelty from Fort Wayne.

The work from the Fall Members show will be on display at Lakeland Art Association until Dec. 17, along with a variety of handmade items from the Christmas boutique, including jewelry, cards, art, crafts and more. You will want to make the time to visit the gallery to see all of the exceptional art submitted by local artists and pick up some Christmas gifts for family and friends. The gallery is open from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays and is located at 302 E. Winona Ave., Warsaw.

The Best of Show award went to Mike Kelly for his pastel piece titled “Moon Glow 2.” Kelly’s paintings border on the edge of abstraction and representation. He is not concerned with the literal interpretation of a scene or with telling a story. He’s more interested in the journey of visual discovery where color is the primary focus and soul of the painting. Kelly uses landscape as the starting point, but the objective is to create a compelling image in its own right. Each painting evolves from a combination of direct observation, photo reference, memory, and invention.

The color studies may also lead to a series of the same subject, each variation evoking a different emotional response form the viewer. Kelly states that he is not interested in recording a specific image that is in front of him; instead, “suggesting the emotion of the moment by finding the color equivalents of that emotion.” Kelly’s key influences are the great colorists that use strong design and spontaneous brushwork: Mark Rothko, Richard Diebenkorn, Sean Scully, and Wolf Kahn. Kelly’s work can be viewed at J. Petter Galleries in Douglas, Mich.; Edington Gallery, Indianapolis; Crestwoods Gallery, Roanoke; The Wilson Gallery, Kendallville; Paradigm Gallery at Fort Wayne Museum of Art; and Mike Kelly Studio, Winona Lake.

Here is the list of winners from the Lakeland Art Association Fall Members Show:

• Best In Show: Mike Kelly’s “Moon Glow 2”
• First Place: Brenda Stichter’s “Before the Rain”
• Second Place: Sarah Creason’s “Vincent’s Brush”
• Third Place: Emily Austin’s “Around the Bend”
• Honorable Mentions
  • Terry Pulley’s “Moon Shine”
  • Heidi Bailey’s “Friendly Fire and Other Niceties”
  • Kelly Shoemaker’s “Comfort Zones”

Make sure to stop by the Lakeland Art Association to view all of the Fall Members Show entries and peruse the wonderful selection of arts and crafts that directly benefit the Association. The gallery will close after Dec. 17 until March 2023, when it will reopen with a full schedule of wonderful exhibits.

Next week we will wrap up our series on the “Isms,” with a column about post-Modernism.