August 9, 2023
By Heather Young
The International Society of Acrylic Painters is currently hosting its 17th Annual Open International Show at the Showroom Gallery inside Studios on the Park, 1130 Pine St., Paso Robles. The exhibit opened on July 31 and will run through Aug. 27. The opening reception and awards presentation were held on Aug. 2.
“Europa” by Janice Plum, exhibition director.
The winners of the show include:
Atascadero artist Pat Cairns for Best of Show,
2nd place winner Denise Athanas of Mt. Pleasant, S.C.,
3rd place winner Jerry Smith of Crawfordsville, Ind.
While this is ISAP’s 17th year hosting this show, this is only the third year for the collaboration between ISAP and the Paso Robles Art Association in the Showroom Gallery. Previously, the show was on display in Santa Cruz. While ISAP has several online shows during the year, this is the only physical exhibition. In its first two years at Studios on the Park, the show was staged in both the main gallery’s atrium and the Showroom gallery, which ISAP President ISAP President Ara Leites said allowed for large-scale paintings.
“This year, only The Showroom gallery was available, so it was necessary to limit the maximum size of the work, to fit the scale of the smaller venue,” Leites said. “This did not compromise the quality of the entries.”
The show includes artists not only from the local area, but also from Arkansas, Connecticut, Idaho, Indiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Jersey, Ohio, Texas, Virginia, Washington, Florida, Michigan and Colorado. The show even had two international entries from Malaysia and the United Kingdom. The most entries came from California. According to Exhibition Director Janice Pluma,there are 58 paintings total, all of which must be rendered primarily in acrylic paint.
“The work is strong, vibrant and exciting, showcasing a variety of approaches,” Leites said. “Visitors to the exhibit will find many unique styles and subject matter, not usually seen in the area.”
The bulk of the selection process for the show is done online. Juror Linda Doll, a San Diego artist, chose the work in the show from more than 200 entries. After the work was received and hung in the gallery, Doll traveled to Paso Robles to examine the works in person and award 18 prizes, which included cash and merchandise.
“Regardless of the size restrictions, this show managed to cover many themes both in subject matter and in compositional approaches, with a variety of artistic styles,” Leitas said. “I was very pleased with the juror’s selections for this show as well as the award choices.”
To learn more about the exhibit, go to the exhibition’s page.
