Winner of the 24th Annual Sears Dixie Invitational Art Show

2011 Sears Dixie Invitational Art Show
Jerry Read Hancock of Ogden, Utah, became the first artist to sweep both the 2011 Sears Dixie Purchase Prize and the 2011 Best in Show Prize awards for his oil painting entitled “Burst of Light.” | Photo Courtesy of DSC PR – Jared Madsen

ST. GEORGE – The winners of the 24th-annual Robert N. and Peggy Sears Dixie Invitational Art Show were announced Friday night at the show’s premiere gala banquet at the Dolores Dore’ Eccles Fine Arts Center on the Dixie State College campus. In all, artists received awards in nine medium categories, along with “Best of Show” Purchase Prize and “Best in Show” honors.

For the first time in the Art Show’s history, the Best of Show Purchase Prize and Best in Show Prize was awarded to the same artist, as Jerry Read Hancock swept both honors with his oil painting “Burst of Light.” Hancock’s work will now be a featured part of DSC’s Permanent Art Collection.

For Hancock, this was his first Sears Dixie Purchase Prize award victory, which earns him the honor of serving as the adjucator for next year’s 25th-Anniversary Sears Dixie Invitational. “Burst of Light” also claimed the blue ribbon in the Oil Other category, while he won top honors in the Pastel Other category for “Touched by Love.”

A native of Ogden, Utah, Hancock worked in the education field as a teacher and guidance counselor for 32 years. Since retiring, he has devoted his time to producing art, particularly pieces devoted to farm life. It should come as no surprise that much of his subject matter reflects the surrounding he grew up in. Horses and cattle are a favorite subject.

“I enjoy the beauty of country life,” Hancock said. “There is a ‘spirit’ and sense of peacefulness that is seen in the nature of domestic life. I try to convey to the viewer my reaction and feelings about the subject.”

Hancock’s main paint mediums are oils and pastels. In addition to painting animals, he also enjoys painting portraits and still life.  His efforts have been rewarded with numerous awards and honors including, the 2001 “Springville Museum of Art 77th Annual Spring Salon,” the 2001 Art of the West Show “Special Award,” and the 2000 Art of the West Show – “1st Place and Best of Show” awards, among many others. Along with five other artists, Hancock helped purchase a downtown building in Ogden seven years ago to help fulfill a dream. Not only did they want to help in a small way to revitalize Ogden, but they also wanted to have a perfect place for painting.

Among the other awards handed out, Steven F. Songer, a 1999 Purchase Prize winner, won top honors in the Oils Landscape category for the third-straight year his painting “Mantua Gold.” Second place was awarded to Robert Call for “Garden City Sheds,” and Dilleen Marsh placed third for her painting “Peace … at the Foot of the Throne [Kolob].” Honorable mention recognition was awarded to Cassandria Parsons for “The Road Less Traveled,” Larry Conrad Winborg for “Park City Past,” Kate Starling for “Shadowed Arch,” 1991 and 1994 Sears Dixie Purchase Prize Winner Kimbal Warren for “Spring Time,” Sam Lawlor for “Southern Utah at Dusk,” and Ron Rencher for “Zion in Orange and Blue.”

Along with Hancock’s award in the Oil Other category, ribbons were handed out to Bonnie Conrad for her second play showing for “Wash Day,” while Kate Starling placed third for her piece entitled “Feeding the Chickens.” Honorable mention ribbons went to Gail Pidduck for “I Don’t Remember the Lyrics,” Jeremy Conrad for “Shoshone Girl,” Brian Koch for “Ghost Dance,” Fiona Phillips for “The Builder,” Barbara Edwards for “Chickens in the Yard,” and G. Bjorn Thorkelson for “In the Air.”

In the Watercolor Landscape category, Kristi Grussendorf won top prize for “Sow Mendon,” Robert D. McFarland placed second with “Stough Basin-Wind Rivers,” and 2003 Sears Dixie Purchase Prize winner Roland Lee took third with “Mirrors of Stone-Lake Powell.” Three honorable mention ribbons in the category were presented Linda Kohler Barnes for “The Book Cliffs,” 1992 Sears Dixie Purchase Prize winner Spike Ress for “Sunrise Mesa,” and Charles Rogers Atkinson for “Capri, Italy.”

Carl Purcell received first place honors in the Watercolor Other category for “I Heard That!, Robert D. McFarland took second for “Reposing Shadows,” and 1992 Sears Dixie Purchase Prize winner Spike Ress placed third for “Design for Utah Symphony.” Charles Rogers Atkinson earned Honorable Mention recognition for “Golden Years,” as did Patricia Priebe-Swanson for “Spanish Town,” and Kristi Grussendorf for “Minnow Memories.”

In the Pastel Landscape category, Colleen K. Howe took top honors for her painting entitled “Misty Day,” with Arlene V. Braithwaite claiming second place for the second year in a row with “Fall Along the Virgin River” and honorable mention recognition for “First Light, The Breaks,” and 2009 Sears Dixie Purchase Prize winner Lance Turner finished third with “Billy’s Mountain.” Turner also earned honorable mention for “Sunrise,” along with Carol Petit Harding for “Consider the Cross.”

Joining Hancock as ribbon winners in the Pastel Other category was 2004 Sears Dixie Purchase Prize winner Julie Rogers, who placed second with “Charity Never Faileth,” and Marilee B. Campbell took third for “Rosy Day.” Ms. Rogers also earned honorable mention for “Hollyhocks,” along side Karl-Eric Bennion for “Maiden in Blue,” and Darlene Morgan for “Pequena Matachin.”

In the Miscellaneous Mediums category, Lynn Griffin claimed top honors for his painting “Best Buddies,” while Sheri Doty finished second with “Gooseberry Mesa,” and Bob Quick took third for “The Wild Bunch.” Darlene Morgan was one of three artists to earn honorable mention in the category, doing so for her piece entitled “Dancing Shadows,” along with Jeff Ham for “Brule,” and Spencer Bud for “A Listening Ear.”
In the Sculpture Bronze category, Jeannine Young took the top prize for her creation entitled “The Shopper,” while Jerry Anderson placed second with “Mirage,” and 1988 Purchase Prize winner L’Deane Trueblood claimed third place with “Madonna and Child.” Young added to her ribbon collection with an honorable mention for “Justice,” along with Cheryl Collins for “True Life.”

In the 3D Sculpture and Pottery Medium category, Brian Jensen won the blue ribbon for his creation entitled “Green Bottle.” Jerry Anderson placed second for “Take the Bulls by the Horns America,” and John Jennings took third with “Green & Blue World in a Bottle.” Honorable Mentions were awarded to Darwin Dower for his creation “Mother Hubbard-Texas Icon,” and Shane Christensen for “Fish Teapot.”

The Sears Dixie Invitational Art Show and Sale, which has been a mainstay at Dixie State College, features a record 280 pieces of artwork from nearly 170 renowned artists from Utah and around the country, making this year’s show the largest in the event’s history.

All artwork will remain on display through Sunday, March 27, 2011, in the Robert N. and Peggy Sears Art Museum Gallery located in the Dolores Dore’ Eccles Fine Arts Center at Dixie State College. Exhibit hours are 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Mondays through Saturdays, and 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Sundays. Call (435) 652-7905 for more information. The public is invited to view the exhibit free of charge.

Each work exhibited is for sale to the public, with a portion of the proceeds from each piece of artwork purchased to be allocated to help fund the Sears Art Museum Gallery in the Eccles Fine Arts Center. The Sears Dixie Invitational Art Show debuted in its permanent home inside the new art museum gallery in 2005. Appropriately enough, the gallery bears the name of the show’s founders, the late Robert N. and Peggy Sears.

Robert N. and Peggy Sears Art Show and Sale Best of Show Purchase Prize Winners
2011            “Burst of Light,” Jerry Read Hancock (oil)
2010            “Farm in Winter, Bellvue, Idaho,” Ian Ramsay (watercolor)
2009            “Mesa I,” Lance Turner (pastel)
2008            “Utah Winter,” Karl Thomas (oil)
2007            “Sunset,” Mike Malm (oil)
2006            “Moon Over Mt. Carmel,” David Koch (oil)
2005            “Sheep at Dusk,” Steve McGinty (oil)
2004            “In the Potters Hand,” Julie Rogers (pastel)
2003            “In From the Fields,” Roland Lee (watercolor)
2002            “Snowfall in Snow Canyon,” Wallace Lee (watercolor)
2001            “Fanciful,” Bonnie Posselli (oil)
2000            “Mary Magdelen at the Tomb,” Del Parson (pastel)
1999            “Shady Lane,” Steven F. Songer (watercolor)
1998            “Dust Dust,” A.D. Shaw (oil)
1997            “Iris-Pink, Yellow and Blue,” Carol P. Harding (pastel)
1996            “Pollos De Copala,” Farrell R. Collett (watercolor)
1995            “Summer on the River,” Robert Bollough (oil)
1994            “Monument Valley,” Kimball Warren (oil)
1993            “Virgin River Canyon,” Glen S. Hopkinson (oil)
1992            “Winter Wonder of Zion,” Spike Ress (water color)
1991            “Looking Over Grandview Point,” Kimball Warren (oil)
1990            “Brigham Young Home,” Al Rounds (watercolor)
1989            “Hurricane Mesa,” Gaell Lindstrom (oil)
1988            “Sarai,” L’Deane Trueblood (sculpture)

Robert N. and Peggy Sears Art Show and Sale Best in Show Winners
2011            “Burst of Light,” Jerry Read Hancock (oil)
2010            “Evening Finery,” Bonnie Posselli (oil)
2009            “Sea Fog,” Steven F. Songer (oil)
2008            “Leaving the Handcarts,” Chris Young (oil)

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4 Comments

  • Steve February 28, 2011 at 11:21 am

    Yeah I should have had you write it …………..

  • Jen Watkins March 1, 2011 at 12:34 pm

    My apologies, Steve. Written by Jen Watkins is the default setting. I will get it changed. Accidents happen, and when brought to our attention, we will fix them.

  • Steve March 1, 2011 at 12:55 pm

    No I was being serious, I’m not good at writing fluffy stuff. You didn’t have to change, didn’t bother me at all.

  • Jen Watkins March 2, 2011 at 9:51 am

    You did better than I would!! I try to stick to sports, crime and news. I’m not all that great at the rest of it! We appreciate your articles though, Steve. You’ve helped us a ton!

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