RANCHO CORDOVA, CA (MPG) - Cordova Community Council event specialist Andrea Medina recently introduced the current Art at City Hall show, titled “Birds of a Feather.” 

“Thank you for joining us,” Medina said to the guests and artists on July 30, “and may tonight’s show inspire you in your own song and your own sense of wonder.”

Medina, as well as others, noted that attendance was high this year, much more than for past July receptions. 

The winners are Best of Show to Carolyn Cunningham for her scratchboard and ink work, “Quail;” first place awarded to Kim Brownell for her fiber arts work, “Hummingbird Tapestry;” second place to Gerry Litwin for “That’s My Nest;” and third place to Heather Reed for “Like a Rock Robin.”  

“The juror (Betsy Kluga) cannot be here tonight,” Medina said.  “. . . She had a hard time; you guys gave her a lot to look at and a lot to choose from.” 

As a result, six honorable mentions were selected. 

Cunningham has done quite a bit of scratchboard work. 

“This is the first one that I really put ink on, put color on,” she said.  “Right now, I have an oil painting on the easel, I have just finished a colored pencil, I have a mixed media piece and I have an acrylic painting going. So I just do different things.”

Brownell has been teaching and speaking at different quilt guilds and organizations “all over the place” for about 14 of the 20 years she has been doing quilt art. 

“I stopped telling people I’m a quilter,” Brownell said, “because as soon as I say quilter, they all automatically think I do large bed quilts and that’s not what I do.  Basically, I consider myself a quilt fiber artist and I’m a big upcycler.”

Gerry Litwin’s “That’s My Nest” originated because of a photo a friend put up on Facebook of her daughter just after waking up. Because of the territorial nature of hummingbirds, she decided to include them fighting over which would get the ‘nest’ in the girl’s hair. 

Although she didn’t win a prize, artist Dorette Carlson enjoys entering shows and her landscape of “Stone Lake, National Wildlife Refuge,” was accepted. 

Carlson has participated in shows when she was in Colorado. This is the second time that she has been in an Art at City Hall show and is impressed by the MACC’s (Mills Station Arts & Culture Center’s) Micro Masterpieces project. 

“What really got me,” Carlson said, “is when I found out what they do to help teachers teach children about art . . . I think that’s the best thing!”

Cunningham has been creating art most of her life. 

“I hope I can just keep on creating forever and ever,” Cunningham said. “I appreciate the accolades and I just love being around all these other artists.  Especially, I really like the people that are at the MACC and involved with Rancho Cordova, and they inspire me to continue creating.”

The Art at City Hall exhibit runs from July 28 through Oct. 17 at Rancho Cordova City Hall, 2729 Prospect Park Drive.