Judge of Awards Statement

I am appreciative and proud to have had the opportunity to serve as judge of awards for the Saint Louis Watercolor Society's Big Splash, a truly outstanding exhibition of St. Louis watercolor artists. The city where I reside, Kansas City, Missouri, offers no such venue. St. Louis is fortunate to have a group of such dedicated artists working to promote watercolor as a medium of excellence. Having worked in watercolor for much of my life, it is my feeling that any artist who works in this medium must have courage and perseverance-must be a risk-taker. For those who do persevere and learn from mistakes, the rewards are enormous. Some of the most striking and innovative work today is being done in the medium of watercolor.

Congratulations to all those who received awards. My criteria in judging was to look for the following: mastery of technique through design, composition and execution-irrespective of style; a distinct vision-the artist seemed to have a strong involvement in the composition; emotional resonance. I felt the work had the capacity to make connection with the viewer. There were many paintings in this exhibition that deserved awards, more than there were awards to give. This is a very professional show overall, and I applaud all those who entered work.

- Sandra Schaffer

Sandra Schaffer was born in Kansas City, Missouri. She received a Bachelor's Degree from the University of Missouri at Columbia, a Master's Degree from Central Missouri State University, and began focusing on watercolor as a medium shortly after that. She worked for several years designing stained glass windows and experimented in oil painting, but found herself drawn back to watercolor, enjoying the properties it afforded for transparence and luminosity.

Sandra has had work chosen to appear in over 140 regional, national and international shows and has won numerous awards. She is currently newsletter editor for Watercolor Honor Society as well as a signature member of 17 state and regional watercolor societies including Watercolor Honor Society, Kansas Watercolor Society, Missouri Watercolor Society, Northwest Watercolor Society and Watercolor West among others.

During the mid-90's Sandra began traveling, mainly to countries such as Indonesia, Nepal, Peru and Guatemala where she has taken much of her inspiration. The goal in many of her paintings has been to translate the beautiful colors, textures and forms she has found in these places into works of art.

Sandra has had several one-person shows including a show at the Birger-Sandzen Gallery in 2005. She also recently had the honor of having a biography chosen for the 25th anniversary version of Who's Who of American Women.

The Saint Louis Watercolor Society wishes to thank
The St. Peters Community and Arts Center
for generously inviting us to exhibit our eighth annual awards show. We especially wish to thank Cynthia Du Bois, Recreational Leader, and all the staff for their assistance and support in this endeavor.

In gratitude for their donations
we thank all of the following.

Jack Richeson Company	Art Mart
Winsor Newton	Creative Catalyst Productions
Holbein Company	Royal Brush Company
Daniel Smith	Jerry's Artarama
Daler Rowney Company	FW Publications
Cheap Joe's Art Stuff	Schnucks Supermarkets
Camlin North America

A very special Thank You to our exhibit co-chairs, Nancy Huff Davis and Mary Mosblech, and the members who gave so generously
of their time and efforts to make this a beautiful exhibt.

Special thanks to Bill Ide, Gloria Gewinner-Ide, Doris Schwartz, Betty Siems, Donna Johnson, Judy Seyfert, Barbara McCormack, and Mirka Fette for their excellent installation.

Thanks to Paula Gibble, Sherris Welsh, Linda Meyer, Caroline Heck, Joan Rauch, and Pat Burrell-Standley for manning the receiving tables.

Thanks to Pay Long and her helpers for hospitality.

Thanks to Linda Hammelman and Beverly Lake Hoffman for publications.

Award winners are:

Juror’s Choice Award $400 Jack Richeson Company William Curtis Reggae Man
$100 Winsor Newton Award Elizabeth Concannon Sewing Room	$30 Royal Langnickel Award Kevin Haller St. Louis Cardinals: Old Memories, New Beginnings
$100 HK Holbein Award Margaret Schneider Poppies In A Purple Vase	$30 Royal Langnickel Award Betty Jo Ruble Just Over The Hill
$100 Daler Rowney Award Janet Doll Headlights	$25 Jerry’s Artarama Award Diana Saffo Bono Serenity
$60 Solo Show, Showboat, Saint Louis Watercolor Society Judy Seyfert The Care Center Series: You Mean I'm Old	$25 FW Publications Awars Ann Moritz Untitled
$55 Camlin North America Award Roz Flax Way To Go	$25 FW Publications Award Mirka Fette On the Lookout
$50 Artmart Award Hye Ok Kim Imagining II	$25 FW Publications Award Gloria Gewinner-Ide Favorite Things
$50 Artmart Award Kathy Rotert Reflection	$20 Schnucks Award Linda S. Wilmes Cone Flowers II
$50 Creative Catalyst Productions Crystal Goldkamp Klondike Foggy Morning	Honorable Mention Jamie Hamilton Zoo Carousel
$50 Creative Catalyst Productions Pat Long Sahara Ride, Egypt	Honorable Mention Shirley Nachtrieb Grapevine Window
$50 Cheap Joe's Art Stuff Award Mary Lou Barrow Elements	Honorable Mention Loris Butterfield Deep Purple
$32 Daniel Smith Award Donna Johnson To The Bus Stop	Honorable Mention Maggie Bauman Persian Pearls
2005 Big Splash Winners