Winnsboro Center for the Arts is pleased to announce artist winners for this year’s annual Art & Wine Festival. This year’s event, held on Winnsboro’s charming downtown streets on November 10 and 11, showcased the work of more than 60 professional artists from Texas and around the U.S.
Best of Show for the 14th Annual Winnsboro Art & Wine Festival went to Granbury’s Linda Parks for her eclectic creations of acrylic paintings. She uses vibrant colors as her trademark, as well as themes from her own travels and experiences, and creates a strong base of art around vintage cars, nature and Texas themes. The award comes with a $500 prize.
Arlington resident Sandy Shiroma won second place and $250 for her exquisite paintings using feathers as her canvas. Birds and other wildlife scenes are her primary subjects.
Bethany Klein of Fort Worth was awarded third place and $125 for her amazing work created with acid-free brewed coffee, charcoal and pastel. Klein paints several layers on watercolor canvas to achieve richness and depth, followed by sealing with an archival varnish.
All of the fine art at the 2023 Winnsboro Art & Wine Festival was carefully juried by a committee of artists prior to submission. A second panel of judges, WCA board members, roamed the festival grounds as the show began, carefully viewing the artists’ collections. This jury then selected three artists to receive show awards.
“All the submissions to the festival were carefully juried so it is all award-winning,” said Cyndie Ewert, Winnsboro Center for the Arts festival chairperson. “And we are pleased that more than 5,000 festival guests were able to enjoy it, along with sampling from 10 Texas wineries, some of the best food offered in East Texas and live music.”
This year’s festival also included a first: a “pop-up gallery” by Dallas gallerist Kenneth Craighead, a WCA board member and co-owner of Dallas gallery Craighead Green, considered one of the finest contemporary art galleries in the Southwest.
“It’s another testament to our status as a thriving artistic community that we continue to draw established artists and gallerists from major metropolitan areas to our town and events,” Ewert added.
“The Art & Wine Festival is just one of many Winnsboro Center for the Arts programs throughout the year that demonstrates our success in bringing people together to enjoy and support our thriving artistic community,” Ewert said.
WCA’s next events include a live performance of “A Christmas Carol,” an adult workshop on the basics of wheel-thrown pottery, a children’s pottery-painting workshop, a visual art exhibition titled “Changing Light” and a New Year’s Eve afternoon concert featuring Adler & Hearne. The WCA also hosts an annual “Cowboy Music and Poetry Gathering” and annual Festival of Books. Learn more on www.winnsborocenterforthearts.com.
Winnsboro Center for the Arts is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization located in Winnsboro, Texas. As a multi-disciplinary arts center, it serves communities throughout Northeast Texas, engaging people in educational programming, cultural experiences, and entertainment.