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Courtesy Photo/Image
Last Eastbound on Christmas
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Courtesy Photo/Image
Morning Light
by Ken Hosmer
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Courtesy Photo/Image
Circus Train
by Lynn Dee Nielson
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Courtesy Photo/Image
Steam Engineer
by Ron Meyer
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The third annual Rail Fest Art Show at the Platte River Mall, “Railways, Byways and More Ways,” reveals that even familiar, everyday scenes are things of beauty when seen through the eyes of an artist. The $500 Best of Show award went to Ken Hosmer’s oil painting of a diesel engine pulling cars past the elevators next to downtown North Platte. In this railroad town, it is a scene so ordinary, most people would not think twice about it. “It’s the work that I kept coming back to,” said Jennifer Swoboda, a judge (juror)who rated the artwork. “The light quality, the color – it was dead on.” The show opened with a well-attended wine and cheese reception featuring two Nebraska wineries, the 17 Ranch Winery at Lewellen and 5 Trails Winery at Paxton. Show hours are Friday, noon to 8 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The $100 first place award, however, was anything but ordinary, both in subject and medium. Titled “Circus Train,” LynnDee Nielson’s multi-media sculpture features a circus performer balanced on an actual iron wheel, which is itself balanced on a section of iron rail. A mischievous monkey throws the performer into a precarious balance. It was not only the creative impulse, but the artistic skill of the piece that won Swoboda over. “I know how difficult it is to balance a work like this of irregular proportions,” Swoboda said. “It takes a lot of technical skill, and she seamlessly combined the diverse media.” The $50 second place award went to Tresa Haney’s “Waiting for the Train,” a pastel. Honorable mentions went to Denise Cohen for her ceramic “City of Rails;” Rob Starkel’s photograph, “Westbound;” and Rebecca Cooley’s “Engine #1,” a photo manipulation, with “color that knocked me out,” Swoboda said. The show contains three divisions of art: two-dimensional, which includes paintings, three-dimensional works and photography. Swoboda, who has an MFA and teaches art for Colorado Technical University in Colorado Springs, said judging the 47 entries from as far away as Alliance was challenging. “It was a really strong body of work,” she said. “I wish I could have handed out more awards.” A new feature this year, “Rails Past” allowed railroad buffs to submit their collectibles. Vintage toy train engines, passenger train dinnerware, and even a painting, “Challenger Fire Box #3977 UPRR,” by Sharon Skinner were displayed, waiting for a “People’s Choice” award. The show is sponsored and hosted by Jean Pavlik, Edward Jones Financial Advisor, and organized by Shirley Woodruff. “It was an opportunity that knocked on our door,” Pavlik said. “I’m delighted to do this.”
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