BY CRAIG SCHULIN

"No holds barred" may be a good way to describe the current Regional Juried Exhibit at the Fredericksburg Center for the Creative Arts.

With no limitations on what was entered, the show includes a broad array of works in a variety of media.

Laura Tenekjian, assistant curator of the University of Mary Washington Galleries, had the honorable yet difficult task of judging the winners of the show.

"Judging over 100 works, all of the works deserving of being in the show, was difficult, but the process was a lot of fun and rewarding," Tenekjian said.

"I was looking for works that stirred immediate emotions."

Tenekjian gave Barbara Taylor Hall's "Nocturn" the show's Sponsor's Award for what she describes as an "illuminating quality of the painting, a smoldering light on a dark palette, that to me, creates a sort of eerie but at the same time welcoming feeling."

The Sponsor's Award is an additional cash award given to a selected artist through a new partnership the gallery has with local businesses.

This event's sponsor was Creative Color LLC of Fredericksburg.

Artist Ana Rendich of Fredericksburg was awarded the show's first prize for her oil painting "On the Shore."

"It instantly gave me a feeling of complete calmness," said Tenekjian.

Joy and mystery are evoked with Jon Gerlach's photograph "Fountain Boy."

"He captured the wonderment of a little boy discovering a new thing," Tenekjian said.

Meanwhile, Kenny Leon Horning captured the second-place award with his "Hand," a silkscreen print.

"He uses a vibrant red color to create a scary-looking hand that really pops," Tenekjian said.

Something on the more comical side is Elizabeth W. Seaver's "My Other Car Is a Jaguar," depicting a solemn- looking giraffe that has an interesting bird atop its head.

"She creatively uses other media to create the giraffe's spots--something you don't see until you look at the work more closely," said Tenekjian.

"Lubec I," by Bob Worthy, is a different approach to traditional landscape. Using layering and collage, Worthy creates a partially ghostly image.

"I was drawn to how it looks old and worn, even though it is a new painting," Tenekjian said.

In addition to the juried show, the works of Lynn Mehta are on display this month in the members' gallery downstairs.

The noteworthy oil landscapes that make up her "Bringing in the Outside" exhibit include regional images.

Craig Schulin: 540/374-5000
Email: cschulin@freelancestar.com