ONEONTA _ A retired physics professor who avows a love of painting has taken the grand prize in a Upper Catskill Community Council of the Arts show.
Charles Hartley won in the 2009 Mansion Regional Art Show, a juried exhibition of submissions by area artists. Hartley said his $1,000 winnings have already been credited to previous expenses for oil paint, brushes and other supplies. The prize was awarded for his painting titled ``Men Having Tea.''
The UCCCA show opened June 24 and runs through July 24. Members of the Oneonta Federated Garden Club will prepare floral arrangements to complement artworks for the Art in Bloom show. An opening is set for 6 to 8 p.m. July 17, and the show will be open July 18, the council's website said.
Gallery hours are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays, officials said.
Other winners in the competition were Charlie Bremer, who was awarded second place for his "Counter Balance" photograph, $500; and third place went to David Kiehm for his "Great Egret" painting, $250.
Five $100 prizes were awarded in media categories. The winners were Christine Alexander for "Sunrise / Turtle" in the fine-art category; Terry Fox for "Untitled (Red Horse)" in painting; David Polley, "Blue Lines for Helen" in photography; Roberta Griffith, "Kaui Leaf Poem" in graphics; and Jeremy Holmes for "Atmosphere" in the sculpture division.
This year's juror was John Brunelli from the Anthony Brunelli Fine Arts gallery in Binghamton. In a media release from UCCCA, Brunelli said he ``was excited to be part of the Oneonta art community in this capacity, and with such a professional selection, it was challenging to determine awards."
According to Corrine O'Connor, program coordinator for UCCCA, the Mansion Show is a favorite for the community.
"The audience for this show grows every year,'' she said in the release, ``and since the Arts Council does extend to cover nine counties, I anticipate it will only continue to do so."
Hartley, 64, of Oneonta, said this experience was the first time he submitted work to an UCCCA competition and won.
Hartley, who retired about three years ago, taught physics at Hartwick College. Painting is a self-taught endeavor he has done for many years, but became more serious about 18 months ago, he said. People have reacted positively to his work, he said, and in efforts to improve, he traded in thick brushes for thinner ones to paint in a style more realistic than abstract.
``I actually love painting,'' Hartley said. ``I love the process.''
Hartley said he and his wife, Su, enjoy traveling. ``Men At Tea'' is a painting based on a photograph Hartley said he took when they traveled to Malawi, in Africa.
``The people in Malawi are so friendly,'' he said. The winning painting is among his first renditions of an interior setting, he said.
Hartley said his ``Vietnam Rainstorm'' also is displayed at UCCCA, and his paintings have been selected for exhibition by the Cooperstown Art Association.
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