33rd Annual Piqua Fine Art Exhibition Winners Announced

Piqua Arts Council is excited to announce the winners and public opening of the 33rd Annual Piqua Fine Art Exhibition. This year’s edition of the show saw artists from all over the state showcase their wide variety of talent and artistic expression. This year’s esteemed judge was Gary Brooks. Brooks is a realist painter whose primary mediums are sharp-focus watercolor/egg tempera. He resides in Amelia, Ohio, the westernmost county of Appalachia. He is the recipient of numerous awards from organizations, including the Kentucky Watercolor Society, the Ohio Watercolor Society, and other regional competitions. He has exhibited in multiple national competitions, including the Ohio, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania Watercolor Societies, for the past 15 years.

The Piqua Annual Fine Art Exhibition serves to celebrate the wide range of diversity and vibrancy of the art world. The six unique categories are: Drawing, Oil & Acrylics, Water Media, Photography, Three Dimensional, and Miscellaneous. The exhibit is one of the only non-juried shows in the area, and it continues to proudly serve as the largest of its kind across the entire Miami Valley. This year’s show contained over 150 pieces from over 75 artists. 

On Thursday, September 4th, the awards reception was held in the exhibition space in the Apple Tree Gallery. Artists, community members, sponsors, family members, and friends all came together to enjoy fantastic art pieces and congratulate their peers. It was a wonderful night of camaraderie, artistry, and the celebration of all the artists involved. 

We are proud to announce that the winners of the 33rd Annual Piqua Fine Art Exhibition are as follows: 

Best of Show:

• Daniel Brown “Twilight”, Oil & Acrylic (Troy)

Drawing:

• 1st Place: Tom Kinarney “Frog in Puddle” (Dayton)

• 2nd Place: Pam Hartford “Waiting at the Wedding” (Columbus)

• 3rd Place: Tom Lehman “Double Barrel” (Elida)

• Honorable Mention: Carolyn Armstrong “Mum’s the Word” (Versailles)

• Honorable Mention: Mike Fink “Charger” (Findlay)

• Honorable Mention: Paula Rome “Lock 9, Piqua, Ohio” (Cincinnati)

• Honorable Mention: Michelle Walker “A View From the Artist’s Studio” (Wapakoneta)

Oil & Acrylic:

• 1st Place: Linda Shepard “Zoo Bear’s Grotto” (Marysville)

• 2nd Place: Phillip Erbaugh “Taking a Brake” (Brookville)

• 3rd Place: Elaine Balsley “Back to School” (New Vienna)

• Honorable Mention: Joyce Fisher “At the River” (Worthington)

• Honorable Mention: Sharon Kelly “The Women’s House of Detention” (Troy)

• Honorable Mention: Steve Wohler “Welcome to the Farm” (Vandalia)

Water Media:

• 1st Place: Jeanette B. Ferguson “Oregon Grapes” (Troy)

• 2nd Place: Carolyn Edsall “Merry-Go-Round Fantasy” (Centerville)

• 3rd Place: Diana Hoke “South Beach” (Saint Paris)

• Honorable Mention: Jeanette B. Ferguson “Forest Floor” (Troy)

• Honorable Mention: Franny Hoover “Earth in All Its Glory” (Arcanum)

Photography:

• 1st Place: Christine Herman “Second Chance” (Findlay)

• 2nd Place: Thomas Minutolo “A Hummingbird Perched on a Zinnia Flower” (New Carlisle)

• 3rd Place: Lori Law “Gold Along My Path” (North Baltimore)

• Honorable Mention: Spencer Cunningham “By Waiting…” (Bowling Green)

• Honorable Mention: Jeff Doseck “Beautiful Morning” (Wapakoneta)

• Honorable Mention: Calen Fleddarjohann “We Didn’t Start the Fire” (Findlay)

• Honorable Mention: James Gifford “Thorny Situation” (Kettering)

• Honorable Mention: Cindy Staples “Perpetual Strength and Support” (Wapakoneta)

• Honorable Mention: Mike Underwood “Alone” (Piqua)

Three Dimensional:

• 1st Place: Bill Danzig “Getting Ready” (Dayton)

• 2nd Place: Linda Stiles Smith “My Soul Soars” (Bellbrook)

• 3rd Place: Dennis Walker “Fire Vase” (Piqua)

• Honorable Mention: Bill Danzig “Margaret Miller - 1893” (Dayton)

• Honorable Mention: Julianne Thompson “Diversity” (Troy)

Miscellaneous:

• 1st Place: Jane Dippold “Sunbeams” (Coldwater)

• 2nd Place: Debbie Cosenza “Contemplations 4” (Beavercreek Township)

• 3rd Place: Barb Weinert-McBee “Early Spring on the Farm” (Xenia)

• Honorable Mention: Julianne Thompson “Kaos in the Studio” (Troy)

Kathy Oda Memorial Award:

• Jeff Doseck “Lost in the Dunes”, Photography (Wapakoneta)

Thelma Anderson Best Piqua Artist Award:

• Austin Ranley “Mariam”, Oil & Acrylic (Piqua)

The show is currently on display on the second floor of Apple Tree Gallery (405 N Main St, Piqua) from Friday, September 5 and closing on Friday, September 26, 2025. The exhibition is FREE and open to the public during normal Apple Tree Gallery hours (Monday-Friday 10:30 a.m. – 5 p.m., Saturday 10:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.).

For more information about the exhibit or Piqua Arts Council, please visit: www.PiquaArtsCouncil.org/art-show.