The Painter’s Journal is delighted to announce the winners of the First Annual Young Scenic Artist’s Award:

First prize ($300): Leanne R. Myerson
Second Prize ($150): Laura Prengaman
Third Prize ($100): Katherine Fry

In addition to awarding cash prizes, The Painter’s Journal is publishing a selection of the work of these talented young scenic artists in the Spring 2008 issue, as well as by scrolling down this page.

This award was established to recognize the accomplishments of outstanding young theatre artists and to encourage their pursuit of a career in scenic art. Our winners were chosen from among the many entries by a panel of three judges. The competition was open to all college students pursuing an undergraduate degree at the time of application. Applicants were required to submit a portfolio of 8-12 photos of their work, either from actual productions or class projects, with a description of their work on the project and the process they used. In addition, they were required to submit a resume, a brief bio, and three letters of recommendation.

There can be no winners without judges to judge, and we want to express our deepest appreciation to Eric Levenson, Crystal Tiala, and Tim Jozwick, who graciously volunteered their time to review all the applications and provide their thoughtful assessments. Without them this contest would not have been possible.
 
And of course we also want to thank all the students who applied for the award. It was very exciting to see so much excellent work being done by so many talented young scenic artists, and we wish them much success in their college careers. We hope these winning entries will inspire another crop of up-and-coming scenic artists to apply next year!

ABOUT THE JUDGES
Tim Jozwick is a member of the faculty at Emerson College in Boston.  In addition to his responsibilities with Emerson Stage, he serves as a Resident Designer for Chamber Repertory Theatre. His work has also been featured at Michigan Opera Theatre, The Indianapolis Opera, The Repertory Theater of Saint Louis, The Goodspeed Opera, The Memphis Opera, The Opera Theatre of Syracuse, Mayakovsky Theater Moscow, Teatro Sanleonardo Italy, Opera Boston and Carnegie Mellon University.  Tim’s exhibit designs have been installed in The Museum of Science of Boston, The California Museum of Science, The Franklin Institute, The Chicago Museum of Science, The Ohio Center for Science and Industry, The Science Museum of Minnesota and The City Museum of Saint Louis.  Tim is also the recipient of a Regional Emmy Award and he was the art director for a film documentary that went on to win the National Golden Eagle Award.

Eric Levenson is a theatrical set and lighting designer, and a scenic artist for theatre and film.  Major motion pictures for which he has been a scenic foreman include Good Will Hunting, The Departed, Twenty-One and Gone, Baby, Gone.  Eric is an all-categories member of United Scenic Artists Local 829, the chair of the USA 829 New England entrance exam committees, and an At-Large Trustee on the 829 Eastern Regional Board.

Crystal Tiala is a professional union scenic designer who teaches at Boston College. She received her MFA in scenic design from the University of Connecticut.

Crystal has worked for regional theaters throughout the East coast including The Emerson Majestic, The Boston Conservatory, StageWest, The SpeakEasy, Merrimack Repertory Theater, and Worcester Foothills Theatre in Massachusetts; Barter Theater of Virginia; Bristol Riverside Theater in Pennsylvania; Two Rivers Theater in New Jersey, the Rybinsk Theater in Rybinsk, Russia; The American Stage Festival in New Hampshire; the Connecticut Repertory Theater, Connecticut Opera, Trinity College, and the University of Hartford in Connecticut.

Crystal is Chair of the United States Institute for Theater Technology/New England Section and the Chair of Design and Technology for the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival Region I. She is a Scenic Design member of the United Scenic Artists Local 829 union. Her professional portfolio can be seen at http://www.mindspring.com/~tiala.

Leanne R. Myerson: 1st Place
Leanne R. Meyerson grew up in Austin, Texas, where there is loud support for the arts. She has always been interested in artistic expression of any kind, but when she attended a Waldorf arts school for high school it became clear over time that she would always want to keep painting. In fall of 2004 she enrolled at the University of Texas at Austin as a studio art major. She soon realized that she preferred working on larger group projects, so the following year she became a theatre major and has been studying scenic design and scenic painting ever since.

 Austin Day and Night
These pictures show the same painting under daylight and under a blacklight. This 4’ x 6’ fluorescent drop was painted with scene paint as well as Wildfire visible and invisible UV paint. First, the “daylight” colors were tested under blacklight, with and without UV paint brushed on. The day image was painted with scene paint in normal light. Then, under blacklight, the sky glow, the lights in the windows, and reflections on the water were painted with UV paint.

Laura Prengaman: 2nd Place
Laura Prengaman grew up in North Canton, Ohio, and graduated from Hoover High School where she was involved in theatre and art. It was here that her passion for the arts led her to scene painting. She is currently attending Otterbein College in Westerville, Ohio, and intends to earn a BFA in Theatre Design/Technology with a minor in art. Her future plans include a scenic painting internship at the Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam, Connecticut.   

 Public Amenity #9 from Urinetown
Wet-blended base coat followed by spatter; distressing done with multiple gray and brown washes, and more “grunge” added with a sprayer and rusty washes.

Locomotive cutout, Hello,Dolly! Wood cutout covered with muslin.

Katherine Fry: 3rd Place
Katherine Fry is a junior at Virginia Commonwealth University majoring in scene design. She has been working in professional theatre since she was 17, and in the past two and a half years has found a passion for both scenic painting and design. In addition to painting at Seaside Music Theatre for the past two summers, she works with an antiques dealer restoring finishes and painted designs, and also volunteers and teaches at Swan Ballet Dance School.

 Pirate Ship

When You Comin’ Back, Red Ryder?
Hardwood floor and 2 linoleum floors, wood and aluminum wall treatments, formica counters and table tops, as well as booths, counters, and signs.