'Best of Show'
Homecoming of the Morgan, an oil painting by Andy Thomas of Carthage, Missouri

Andy Thomas of Carthage, Missouri took home the Best of Show for his oil painting titled Homecoming of the Morgan. The large painting depicts a night scene of a whaling ship returning to the Mystic, Connecticut harbor. The wife and son of the sea captain anxiously wait at the end of the pier with an oil lantern, hoping for good news as the ship approaches. "I've studied the history of the whaling ships from Mystic, CT and it was common to have the townspeople out on the pier, with lantern in hand, to beckon and guide the ships into port. I tried to incorporate into my painting the quietness of the past century, the stillness of an evening scene and the emotion of anticipation of the arrival".

Oregon International Port of Coos Bay Award,
Reflections - Yaquina & Sandwick,
a watercolor by Louis Gadal of Los Angeles, CA.

A watercolor by Louis Gadal of Los Angeles, CA won the 'Oregon International Port of Coos Bay Award' for Reflections - Yaquina & Sandwick. "Last year, while attending the 10th Annual Maritime Art Exhibit, I saw these two ships docked across from my hotel and was struck by the perfect reflections they cast on the Coos Bay. The morning cloud cover shed just the right indirect lighting while the morning air was still, so the Bay was smooth as glass. You can't get any better conditions to paint on location!"

Coos Art Museum's Director Award,
The Wawona,
an oil painting by Austin Dwyer of Mukilteo, WA.

The Wawona, an oil painting by Austin Dwyer of Mukilteo, WA won the Coos Art Museum 'Director's Award'. "She's in full sail out on the open ocean, with a whitecap at the waterline and an early evening sky above". Dwyer, who won an Honorable Mention in the previous Expressions West 2004, paints in both the Puget Sound region of Washington State and in Ireland, his homeland.

People's Choice Award, Passage,
a pastel by Diana Smith of Pacheco, CA.

Diana Smith, of Pacheco, CA won the 'People's Choice Award' for Passage, a pastel. Depicting a cloud filled sky above the warm shallow teal-colored water of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. "In the middle of a hot, sunny afternoon, these clouds swooped in and this lighting storm started. Everyone was leaving the beach, but not me. I just walked out into the shallow water and watched. It was amazing. And then in about 15 minutes, the lighting stopped and the clouds disappeared. I was in awe of the swift act of nature that totally changed the look of the sky and water all around me. I immediately started sketching in order to capture the moment".