From 2025’s Judge, Steve Mitchell

Judge’s Statement

This show was a joy to judge and yet difficult to narrow down. There were so many strong entries. In the end I used 3 main criteria: obvious technical mastery of the medium employed, a unique vision and execution of the subject matter choice and an intangible stand-out quality that set the piece apart from all the others. There were a dozen or so that could fit this criteria but in the end small differences made the final difference in my choices. Congratulations to all the winners. I enjoyed reviewing your work immensely.

Award Winners

Bailing Time – Kathy Caudill

First Place

Bailing Time by Kathy Caudill

There was a technical mastery here that was breathtaking. Had that been the only positive it might not have placed but in addition to the rendering quality, the color harmony and compositional design was so well thought out that I relished looking at every part of it. My eye was nicely led through a visual treat that could have otherwise been a trite and boring subject. Well done!

Third Place

Fox Walk by Rachel Parker Varner

I was really drawn to the energy of this piece. I love watercolor that combines loose and representational elements and this piece did so confidently. Technical mastery was there without over rendering the realism. The compositional design and color play all worked well to provide subject movement and an effective center of interest.

Fox Walk – Rachel Parker Varner

Cool Breath – Nancy Seay

Honorable Mention

Cool Breath by Nancy Seay

Abstracts are hard to judge. I usually am not drawn to them unless there is an obvious synergy and design at work. This piece had that in spades. Energetic motion, forceful in places, graceful in others but it all worked together cohesively. Very nice!

2025 Spring Digital Show Gallery

Below are the 2025 Spring Digital Show works. There are 93 works, which were submitted by 60 individual artists across the nation. To see the title and artist, simply hover your mouse over the image and the information will appear at the bottom of the image.  To view a full screen enlargement of the image, simply click on the image itself. To view the full list of accepted artists scroll down to the bottom of the page.

We are thankful for all participating artists and the powerful show we were able to curate thanks to their artistic prowess. All accepted artists are listed alphabetically by their last names below the gallery along with their image title and an indicator if the work is for sale. If you have interest in acquiring a particular piece, please reach out to Anna Izard, at scwatermediasociety@gmail.com for more information.

Accepted Artists