Junior Division winner Jessica Laivce with her pastel Picasso 2nd. Photo by Rebecca Goodhart Brushstrokes & Talented Folks Community Art Exhibit Now at Cheap Joe’s By Jeff Eason Visitors to our area are constantly amazed by the sheer number of talented artists, writers and musicians who make their home in the High Country. For example, when Cheap Joe’s Art Stuff holds its annual community art exhibit, it can count on the visual artists in the area to step up to the challenge. This year’s event was no exception as some of the finest painters, sketchers and print artists submitted work for the show this past Saturday. This year’s art exhibition attracted 125 entries from artists of all ages. The judging panel for this juried art exhibit included local artists Wes Waugh, Kevin Beck, Raney Rodgers and Byron Cook. In the Children’s Division (ages 9 and under), the winning entry was Autumn Scene, a watercolor/pastel by Elle Jackson. Roby Lesene came in second with the acrylic painting Sunflowers while Sara Frances Greene came in third with the acrylic Elisabeth. Adult Division third place winner and his colored pencil piece Over the Counter. Photo by Rebecca Goodhart Honorable Mention winners in the Children’s Division were Elaina Frieberg for the batik Still Life by Elaina and Jackson Greene for the watercolor/pencil/acrylic piece Jack. In the Junior Division (ages 10-15), the winning entry was Picasso 2nd, a pastel by Jessica Laivce. Jason Lewis came in second with his untitled colored pencil piece and Maggie Flanigan came in third with her batik Still Life. Honorable Mention winners in the Junior Division were Jesse Chasteen for the acrylic Mountain View and Ryan DeJonge for the watercolor/ink Pottery. In the Adult Division (ages 16 and up), the winning entry was The Welder, an oil on panel painting by Daniel Filippone. Jason Drake came in second with his oil painting Portrait while Mark Fortier came in third with his colored pencil work Over the Counter. Honorable Mention winners in the Adult Division were Michel Oliver for the oil painting What’s That and Frances Atkinson for the mixed media piece All That Jazz. The High Country Community Juried Art Exhibit will be on display in the workshop room at Cheap Joe’s Art Stuff from now until March 31st. The exhibition is free and open to the public. In early April, Cheap Joe’s Art Stuff will host the annual exhibit by the art students of Watauga High School. For more information, call Cheap Joe’s at (828) 262-5459.