[Posted on Lia’s website: www.thinklia.com]

Lia received a juror citation at the Dogwood Arts Fine Art Show! One of four winners out of more than 300+ entries from regional artists? Not bad, huh?

Below is the article from the Knox Alliance website. To learn more about the Dogwood Arts Festival, click here.

April 2008

The Dogwood Arts Festival 2008 Fine Arts Show Winners Announced
Four awards have been presented to local artists as part of the Dogwood Arts Festival 2008 Fine Arts Show with thanks to ORNL Federal Credit Union. An awards ceremony and public reception will take place on Friday, April 4, from 5-9pm at the Emporium Center in downtown Knoxville as part of First Friday activities and will feature complimentary hors d’oeuvres catered by The Lunchbox. The 2008 Fine Arts Show, a collaboration between the Dogwood Arts Festival, the Arts & Culture Alliance, and Three Flights Up Gallery, features works in the areas of acrylic, charcoal, clay, colored pencil, digital and film photography, drawing, handwoven works, mixed media, oil, pastel, watercolor, wood, and more by 67 local artists. It will be on exhibit April 4-18.

All 102 pieces in the exhibit, including the award winners, were chosen by juror Neely Hyde, Director of Exhibits for the Association for Visual Arts in Chattanooga. Hyde viewed 324 submissions from 130 artists in 34 cities to select the show. “I’m incredibly impressed by the talent exhibited in all of the entries. This show was extremely difficult to jury. The Dogwood Arts Festival should take great pride in offering local artists the opportunity to compare their work to that of others throughout the region,” she said.

The brief awards ceremony will start at 6pm with an introduction by Eddie Mannis of the Dogwood Arts Festival.

The Best of Show award of $500 was awarded to Melynda Moore Whetsel of Knoxville for her piece, “Trust” (Collage / Mixed Media).

A Juror’s Citation of $150 was awarded to Lia Ballentine of Knoxville for her piece, “Monte Carlo Fun House” (Cross-Processed Digital Photograph glazed on Wood).

A Juror’s Citation of $150 was awarded to T. Michael Martin of Clinton for his piece, “Molecular Shift” (Mixed Media on Wood Panel).

A Juror’s Citation of $150 was awarded to Marion Randolph of Oak Ridge for his Scarlet Oak bowl.

Photos in the mosaic above:
1. Ferris Wheel (in color), 2. Notre Dame, 3. Lights from the Tower, 4. Untitled, 5. Untitled, 6. Untitled, 7. Untitled, 8. Untitled, 9. Untitled, 10. Abstraction, 11. Le Penseur, 12. Arches, 13. Vibrant, 14. Bienvenue, 15. Bells, 16. Early Evening in Nice, 17. Passing the Fun House, 18. Big Church, 19. Marching Away from the Palace, 20. Light Show from the Eiffel Tower

* * *

Back in November 2007, Brandon and I took a trip to France (with a mini-trip to Monte Carlo, Monaco)–and “Oui, oui!”–we really had a wonderful time. And of course, when the two of us travel, we pack for a photo adventure.

We first arrived in Nice. Ah, Southern France. C’est bon! We stayed in the French Riviera for several days, exploring the markets, the Mediterranean, the people and food, and more. We visited castle ruins, walked in the footsteps of some of history’s most renowned artists (Matisse, Chagall, …), ate fabulous food, and soaked in the beauty of the Cote d’Azur.

Then we took a short trip to Monte Carlo and gawked at the richness (literally) of Monaco. The cars (Lamborghini), the stores (Chanel), the people–ooh la la! The streets were paved with diamonds. Well, not really, but they could have been. We took a train ride around Monte Carlo and visited the casino, home of the real Monte Carlo games. And we even watched the changing of the guards at the palace (Prince Albert wasn’t around that day). Also, in addition to being the home of the Grand Prix, Monaco also has a cool year-round carnival by the coast with fast rides and good crepes for snacking on.

And then we jetted up north to Paris. Beautiful Paris. The City of Light. Like all tourists, we had to trek to the Eiffel Tower, eat at a sidewalk cafe, tour the Louvre (and snap a hundred pictures of the Mona Lisa), eat more crepes, find the Hunchback of Notre Dame, and wander through the Latin Quarter like Ernest Hemingway. While in Paris, we also toured the streets of Oberkampf to look at the artwork of famous Parisian street artist Jef Aerosol (whom we met through Flickr). There was really too much to do in so little time, but we managed to cover all of Paris (including a boat ride down the Seine)–we just didn’t stop walking.

We’re planning another trip back (later this year), and we’ll be going as the photographers for a foodie tour of France headed up by a chef from Martha’s Vineyard. But until then, we’ve published a coffee table book to preserve those memories of France from the fall. And now you too can take part in our French adventure.

To preview our book, you can visit my Blurb bookstore. Click on the Blurb badge below to get to the store. Flip through a few pages. Daydream. Bon voyage mes amis!

Bon Voyage

A Week in France

By Lia Ballentine

Book Preview