Hundreds gathered on April 9 for the 31st annual Spring Into Art exhibition opening gala, hosted by the Annette Howell Turner Center for the Arts. Nearly 400 original works of art created by 212 artists were celebrated at the local and regional exhibition.

Selections for awards were based on a dual-judge review, which was conducted without respect to names, title or prices of the artists’ work. Five thousand dollars in cash prizes were awarded to the Best in Show and the top three selections in each category. Ten honorable mentions received free admission into the 2019 Spring Into Art exhibition. The judges also selected 27 works for merit award recognition.

Congratulations to the following award winners:

Best In Show

Tom C. Davis III. Hahira, Ga. Inspired Sam Maloof. Cherry Wood.

Painting Category

1st Place: Thomas M. Thomson. Havana, Fl. “Q”. Oil.
2nd Place: Craig Hawkins. Valdosta, Ga. Rest. Oil.
3rd Place: Steven S. Walker. Hahira, Ga. Drunk on Optimism. Oil.

Drawing/Printmaking/ Mixed Media Category

1st Place: Suzanne Marcil. McAlpin, Fl. Let’s Party!. Colored Pencil.
2nd Place: Caroline Corbitt. Valdosta, Ga. Golden Girls. Linocut.
3rd Place: Brandon Blane McMillan. Hahira, Ga. Sparklers. Mixed Media.

Digital Arts/Photography Category

1st Place: Lauren Jenkins. Valdosta, Ga. Delusion. Photography.
2nd Place: Sarah Beth Warrender. Valdosta, Ga. Downtown Horizon. Photography.
3rd Place: Sally Turner Querin. Valdosta, Ga. See Me. Photography.

Sculpture/Ceramics/Jewelry/Crafts Category

1st Place: Dave Richards. Valdosta, Ga. Emerging Desert Sun. Wood.
2nd Place: Michael T. Schmidt. Hahira, Ga. Oil Can. Ceramics
3rd Place: Parker Atkinson. Tallahassee, Fl. Felis. Cat Skull, Pearls, Ink.

Honorable Mentions

Andrea Thomas. Valdosta, Ga. Seared Into the Soul. Burned Wood.
Evelyn Davis-Walker. Hahira, Ga. Secret Identities. Encaustic Wax Mixed Media Collage.
Derek Schaper. Valdosta, Ga. Fauna. Wood, Cardboard, Felt, Foam.
Walter Altman. Valdosta, Ga. Honleur. Watercolor.
Brandon Blane McMillan. Hahira, Ga. Communion. Mixed Media.
Christine Flanagan. Live Oak, Fl. Out to Lunch. Colored Pencil.
Paul Consolini. Valdosta, Ga. Push On. Metal, Wood, Flora.
Lucille D. Sineath. Valdosta, Ga. Shadows of Blue. Oil.
Kristy Hughes. Valdosta, Ga. More Than That. Acrylic.
Glinda Pennock. McAlpin, Fl. La Fiesta. Colored Pencil.

Merit Awards
Brenda C. Anderson, Parker Atkinson, Philip Bagrow, Hollis Barnett, Cynthia W. Council, Harvie Ann Cox, Nancy S. Crombie, Lee Davis, Ellen Dewar, Billy A. Dykes, Kate Evans, Nancy Fazio, Karsyn Fletcher, Cathy Herring, Abigail Heuss, Walter Hobbs, Robert Johnston, J. Stephen Lahr, Earle McKey, Karin Murray, Gloria Paulsen, Regina Roper, Michael T. Schmidt, Ron Thomson, Justin Usher and Todd Wessel.

At the event, Colson Printing also selected 13 works from the exhibition to be featured in their 2019 calendar, a sought-after art calendar that will be available to the public this fall.