Awards of Excellence were handed out to three artists in the 2008 Virginia Highlands Festival Juried Fine Art Show. Included are:Harvest Down the Valley" watercolor by Carole Farris Blevins, Bristol, Tenn. (Photo by Ivan Scott)

VHF: 2008 Juried Fine Art Show Award Winners Announced

ABINGDON, VA -- The Virginia Highlands Festival in Abingdon has announced the award winners for the 2008 Juried Fine Art Show on display through Aug. 10 at the Arts Depot, Abindgon.

Recipients include:

Awards of Excellence ($750 each)
* "Harvest Down the Valley" watercolor by Carole Farris Blevins, Bristol, Tenn.
* "The Rabbit Box" mixed media by Sally Mook, Blacksburg, Va.
* "Stella" watercolor by Z. L. Feng, Radford,Va.

Tedd Blevins Memorial Award ($300)
* "Sunset" oil by Mei Shu, Radford, VA

Awards of Distinction ($200 each)
* "Bella Finestre" mixed media & monotype by Kathy Hawk, Kingsport, Tenn.
* "Dream Weaver" mixed media by Martha W. Rhodes, Roanoke, Va.
* "Virginia Rural Route" oil by Leslie Davis, Kingsport, Tenn.
* "City Market, Washington, DC" oil by Pat McCarthy, Abingdon, Va.

Awards of Merit ($100 each)
* "Turn in the Road" oil by David Eakin, Lynchburg, Va.
* "The Summit" oil by Rodney Laughon, Lynchburg, Va.
* "A Still Life" acrylic by Patricia Mighell, Abingdon, Va.
* "Winter Reflections" egg tempera by Jeff Chapman-Crane, Eolia, KY

Honorable Mentions
* Ron Kennedy of Clintwood, Va.
* Betty Williamson of Roanoke, Va.
* Joyce Samuel of Bristol, Tenn.
* Jackie Dolpp of Abingdon, Va.
* Bill Brinkley of Bristol, Tenn.
* Pat Lehmkuhl of Wythevile, Va.
* Bill Deel of Clintwod, Va.
* Lisa Boardwine of Grundy, Va.
* J. Lamar Burnette of Bristol, Va.
* Charles Fonataine of Wise, Va.
* Briana Knight of Johnson City, Tenn.
* Jeff Chapman-Crane of Eolia, Ky.
* Kyle Buckland of Abingdon, Va.
* E. Mynard Blanton of Bristol, Tenn.
* Gary Chambers of Elizabethton, Tenn.

All the above awards were selected by the juror and workshop instructor Anna Kay Singley of Prosperity, S.C.

For more information about the Virginia Highlands Festival, which continues through Aug. 10, visit www.vahighlandsfestival.org.