Two Barton Community College students earned awards in the Fine Arts Competition for professional photography and painting at the Kansas State Fair.
Karole Erikson had pieces place first and second in professional photography, with Diane Engle receiving the Stuart Awbrey Memorial Award and fourth place for painting. Erikson and Engle are students of art instructor Steve Dudek. Both are also employees at the college.
“They are hardworking, dedicated and self-motivated,” Dudek said. “They respond well to instruction and have always gone beyond the basic parameters of projects.”
Erikson’s first-place photo is an abstract piece called “The Grill” and her second place photo is of an older car she titled “Memories.”
“There are tons of good artists and photographers out there, so winning an award for something you created yourself is a very affirming experience,” Erikson said.
Her interest in photography began about 10 years ago with her husband.
“We started birding at Cheyenne Bottoms and Quivira National Wildlife Refuge,” Erikson said. “Pretty soon, we were taking photos of birds and wildlife.”
While an interest in nature photography got her started, her subject interest began to change. Erikson now works with landscapes and still life with older vehicles and buildings as her subjects.
Engle’s Stuart Awbrey Memorial Award-winning piece is called “Classic Form.” She painted an old Plymouth with watercolor. Engle has been taking art classes for 20 years and works in oils, colored pencils and watercolor. Her preferred medium is watercolor. Engle enters into art shows in the area and was awarded an honorable mention at last year’s fair.
“This fourth place award is an honor considering the number of professional artists who compete in this venue,” Engle said.