The Measure of Light, Members Show presented by

The Copley Society of Art

Juried by Michelle May and Payal Thiffault of Juniper Rag

Thank you to Copley Society—Paige, Nina and Lucy for trusting us with this show. We are so honored.

Let’s talk about light and how we chose this body of work.

Light shapes how we feel, think and live—from the sun that warmed us this week to saying things like “light at the end of the tunnel”.

We New Englanders know how light affects us. Light is simply a universal symbol of hope, health and clarity. 

Then, you have the artist’s view of how it shapes their world. Artists have tried to capture this fleeting quality of ethereal atmospheres for centuries. Monet to Adams…

We believe artists possess a rare insight, seeing beyond the surface of things to reveal the hidden rhythms and truths of the world that quietly shape our experience. Something most special about artists —they pause to observe, translating the nuance of particular moments into images and they share them!

Artists help us all see what might otherwise go unnoticed. When choosing work for The Measure of Light, we looked for work that offered what WE know about the impact of light. 

We identified work that revealed a sensitivity to the subtleties of light—an elevated attentiveness into perception, atmosphere and the elusive conditions of the present moment. 

We chose work separately, then we came together and revealed almost the same collections to each other, discussing the merits of each.

Our selections 

1. Provide us first with an emotional reaction, largely a key to stopping viewers to let their eyes wander more

2. Gifted us insight into the artist’s reason for capturing the image—to see what magic they saw.

This incredible work at Copley Society gallery is a record of our world as we see it—capturing our collective spirit, shared by these artists for everyone to see. 

Thank you to all the artists that submitted work to this call. We had a wonderful time discovering each piece.

That brings us to our winners.

Awards:

1st: Julie Beck

2nd: Cindy Crimmin

3rd: Jeanne Rosier Smith

Honorable Mention: Lori Mehta

Honorable Mention: Allison Krajcik

Alden Bryan Memorial Award for Best Traditional Oil Landscape: Joreen Benbeneck

Image: Payal Thiffault of Julie Beck, Boston-based artist and Assistant Director of the Academy of Realist Art Boston and Jean Lightman, President of The Guild of Boston Artist