Falls Church Arts: Dane Hamblin’s “Dahlia” Wins Juror’s Choice Award in ‘Flora and Fauna’ Show
Highlighting Saturday evening’s opening reception for Falls Church Arts’ new show “Flora and Fauna: Thriving or Threatened” April 20, painter Dane Hamblin’s “Dahlia” was presented the Juror’s Choice Award from Juror Bryan Jernigan, garnering top honors from the pool of 61 artists and pieces in the exhibit – culled from close to 300 submissions. A standing room-only crowd attended the show’s opening at Falls Church Arts’ gallery at 700-B West Broad Street.
For the show, artists were invited to submit artworks in various media that “celebrate the beauty and diversity of the natural world or explore the challenges it faces.”
Hamblin’s winning oil painting presents a mesmerizing close-up portrayal of a spectacular newly-flowering yellow dahlia illuminated by shimmering cool blue tones, accenting its “thriving” springtime budding patterns.
The Falls Church Independent spoke with Hamblin – an accomplished photo-realist painter specializing in oils and watercolors – about the prize and his membership in Falls Church Arts.
How did it feel to win the Juror’s Award? “This particular award was certainly a surprise,” Hamblin said. “And, it’s very validating to be recognized for something you’ve worked so hard on.”
What inspires Hamblin's recent paintings? “My current work is focusing on a series of plants and flowers inspired by mathematical concepts of the golden ratio and the Fibonacci Sequence, and the complexity and organization of living things,” Hamblin said. These mathematical proportions not only provided the basis of ancient Greek and Renaissance aesthetics, but have been found to be replicated often in patterns of natural growth.
Juror Bryan Jernigan enthusiastically lauded Hamblin’s “Dahlia” submission. “Clearly, the subject met the call for art, but it was the attention to detail and grasp of the medium that set Dane's work above the others. His subject was far from simple and yet he handled it deftly and, while it's small in size, it's powerful in beauty and meaning.”
While Hamblin has not lived too long in Falls Church, due to his wife’s State Department assignments requiring relocation every few years, he’s found Falls Church Arts “welcoming and accepting,” adding, “I'm grateful there are these types of artist associations available in our communities that can give artists some exposure. It was terrific to see so many artists and their different mediums represented in the show.” See our recent story here about the sense of community Falls Church Arts provides for The Little City.
To see more of Hamblin's works, go to his website at: https://www.danehamblin.com/.
Falls Church Arts Gallery is open Tuesday-Friday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free.
Artworks can be viewed online at www.fallschurcharts.org. All pieces can be purchased at the gallery or on the website.
The Juror’s Choice and People’s Choice awards have been made possible by a donation from Falls Church Foot and Ankle Center, 104A E Broad St Suite A, Falls Church, VA 22046. The People’s Choice Award for the “Flora and Fauna” exhibit will be announced on May 24, based on votes from visitors to the gallery.
By Christopher Jones
