Local artist Anne Crown-Cyr receives award

Rehoboth Beach artist Anne Crown-Cyr received an Honorable Mention Award for her watercolor painting "Garlic" in the Torpedo Factory's all-media exhibition for January. “I’m happy to be accepted into this month’s show and delighted that the juror appreciated my work,” said Crown-Cyr.

Juror Paul Reuther selected 124 artists from 474 entries for the exhibition. Reuther studied painting at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and Art History at the University of Pennsylvania. He has completed landscape paintings during residencies in Canada, Sweden, Finland, New Zealand, and most recently, Italy. He lives in Washington, D.C., where teaches drawing and painting at George Washington University. He is founder and president of the Washington Drawing Center.

Reuther commented on how the many tried and true subjects submitted, like landscapes and florals, present a challenge for the artist to overcome both habit and cliché to bring a unique interpretation to the subject and create visual interest.

Crown-Cyr understands this dilemma well: “It can be difficult to break free from what you are used to. I like to explore and experiment with everyday objects and vistas, and present them from a different point of view.” She enjoys plein air painting during warmer weather and continues to work in her home studio during the winter. She paints in watercolor and oil, and is a signature member of the Baltimore Watercolor Society and the Delaware Watercolor Society, and a member of other art organizations, including the Rehoboth Art League, the American Watercolor Society, and the National Watercolor Society. For more information on her work, go to www.annecrownstudio.com.

The exhibition is on display through Feb. 1 at the Art League of Virginia, Torpedo Factory Art Center, 105 N. Union St., Alexandria, Va.