The medal winners will receive their prizes and recognition at the Vinnie Ream Banquet in Columbus, Ohio, at the 2024 Biennial.
Art: Gail Speckmann | “Rising”
Minnesota Branch
Gail Speckmann’s painting, “Rising,” was selected as the first-place winner in the Vinnie Ream art competition. It was one of 43 art submissions from Pen Women across the country.
Juror C. Mercedes Walls said she selected this painting “because it is such a clear example of Vinnie Ream’s concept of creating truth through art.” “While not representational, it is peopled with loose figures in gestures evoking struggle, celebration, joy, and triumph,” she wrote. “The paint strokes, swirling motion, and use of color create drama and energy. At first glance, these elements seem spontaneous, chaotic, and random, but as you get drawn into the scene, you can feel the many layers of the story unfold. There is a rhythm and flow making the painting more like a song than a story. … This artist employs several different watercolor techniques to create a variety of textures. The textures help define the figures, focus the subject, add to the celebratory mood, and demonstrate the artist’s skillful use of the medium.”
A Minnesota Branch member, Speckmann is an international award-winning watercolor artist, instructor, judge, and author. Her book, “Wet-into-Wet Watercolor” (Watson-Guptill), is considered one of the most definitive instructions on this challenging technique. She has conducted classes throughout North America and several European countries. Speckmann’s travel experiences have had a broadening influence on her painting. Her subject matter includes landscapes, florals, still life, and abstracts.
In her statement, Speckmann wrote, “Beauty and truth often are best when they seep in to the viewer.” That is exactly what one experiences while viewing this painting.
Letters: Jan Eberle Schaberg | Calm Waters” (memoir)
Member-at-large (Florida)
The 2023 Vinnie Ream Letters winner is Jan Eberle Schaberg for her memoir, “Calm Waters.” Schaberg’s memoir is about a serious health struggle, and the excerpt submitted described the days just before diagnosis.
“It spoke a kind of ‘truth’ we found to be most in line with the spirit of Vinnie Ream’s statement on truth in art,” the judges commented. “The author wrote about a kind of ‘honesty’ in her artist’s statement that resonated with us as readers and reverberated through the words of the piece. … We were carried along, effortlessly, by a narrative that isolated the very best mundane moments in ways that made them spectacular — getting ready for the day, planning dinner, a trip to the grocery store, a routine doctor’s appointment — so that the interruption of life by the prospect of some unspeakable illness became utterly captivating.”
Schaberg, of Crystal River, Florida, is a member-at-large and currently serves as fourth vice president of NLAPW and first vice president of the Florida State Association. Another of her books, “The Eberle Named Ray,” is a biography of her father, who “made music history with the Glenn Miller Orchestra in 1938-1942 and continued singing until his untimely death at the age of 60.” Schaberg wanted his followers to “always recall his contribution to music history.” She shares his talent and love of music: “My biggest passion, more so than singing in front of a big band, has been radio since the age of about 22.” Schaberg, who is also a NLAPW music member, works at SiriusXM Radio.
See the full list of finalists.