2017 Indiana Heritage Arts People's Choice Award
Congratulations to Dan Bulleit, this year's most popular painter in the Indiana Heritage Arts People's Choice contest.
Visitors to the IHA Annual Exhibition and Sale at the Brown County Art Gallery in Nashville, IN have been casting votes throughout the 22-day show for their favorite painting. Dan's oil painting "Dancing in the Shadows" was the winner. His painting also received Second Prize, the IHA Silver Award, $3000, awarded by Indiana Heritage Arts Board of Directors
Dan Bulleit will receive a $500 prize award, given by Michael Fulton and Judith Stewart of Nashville.
Jim Ross, chair for the show, said, "This year's IHA Exhibition was the most difficult to be juried into within the last 10 years. All the artists who were included should be very proud."
Artist Comment:
I am excited to have received the “Silver Award,” and for the second year, “The People’s Choice Award” for my painting, “Dancing in the Shadows.” I am grateful to the Brown County community, the staff and the board of IHA for their continued dedication to the purpose of art pioneered here long ago. To quote master artist Daniel Gerhartz, “People need art. I need art. What if we had to go through that hard stuff----the difficulty and the heartache----and there was no art or music to move the soul? Art in any form allows emotion to become more tangible, whether as an expression of joy or as a relief of grief.”
As an Indiana native, remembering my own beginnings and coveting a John Gnagy drawing set, (including unlined paper!), It is so gratifying for me to now have my work accepted and hanging beside these respected artists in this prestigious show. May art live and thrive forever in Brown County, Indiana. It’s always an exciting drive up. And maybe the best part––I get to keep painting!
This work is based on a reference photo taken at a hotel in Tucson, Arizona. Originally it was pretty much a silhouette against light from a large window. But the solitary graceful shape that mimicked dance was attractive. The challenge was balancing the degree of light, color and finding detail to convey the quiet dignity of this figure. Too much of anything destroyed a certain gentleness and stifled imagination. I was concerned that the lack of color might communicate too little, but I wanted to capture this soft presence and felt it required less to do so. It’s strongest impact may be in dim light where I expected the figure to turn my way any instant and I would have felt like an intruder interrupting her thoughts. It had that “private “nature to me, and almost spiritual in subtle light. That was my goal to pull off. My art is currently likely to survive more on subject than painting techniques that I hope to improve upon. But there was a peaceful expressiveness in this subject presented on a large four foot canvas that was intriguing. Thankfully something came across to others.
Thank you Michael Fulton and Judith Stewart for sponsoring this award and to Michael for giving it a home. Lastly, thank you again for the votes encouraging my efforts.
Read more about Dan Bulleit on his website.
