The Nashua Area Artists Association is pleased to announce the award winners of its 2nd annual Spring Juried Exhibit “Up Close and Personal.”

Awards were presented on May 4 during the opening reception at the ArtHub Gallery at 30 Temple St. in Nashua.

Award winners were selected by juror Steve Syverson, president of the Arts League of Lowell, who praised the high-quality of the submissions, which made the selection for exhibition and the awarding of place ribbons challenging.

The first-place award went to Susan King for her acrylic painting “Pick of the Harvest.” A local artist who works primarily in acrylic and gouache, King says her work is the result of a multi- step creative process, “searching for the prefect scene, taking photos, … then using those photos, as reference, to complete her painting.” She searched for the perfect, colorful vegetables to compose this award-winning still life with a close-up of one red pepper as its focal point.

Rose Carney of North Andover, Massachusetts, took the second-place award for her oil painting “Lady Mems.” She created this painting for her nephew, Nashua resident James Morey, who was “thrilled” that his aunt had painted his favorite pet cat. Rose is an award-winning artist whose recent accomplishments include the cover award for the publication Arts Around Boston and Best in Show at the Sage Art Gallery.

Nashua artist/photographer Claire Young was awarded the third-place prize for her photograph “Dragonfly-‘I’m ready for my close up.'” A graduate of the New York Institute of Photography, Young has worked in various media over the years and has received many awards for both her photography and artwork. About this piece, Claire says, “The photograph of the Dragonfly … seemed like a perfect subject for the show’s theme … and the little dragonfly just seemed to enjoy the attention given while capturing its ‘close up.'”

Honorable mention awards went to Carmen Verdi for his pencil drawing “Look Inside;” Susan Kneeland for her acrylic painting “Rise and Shine;” and Jeanie Thomas for her colored pencil painting “The Schicken Coup.”

These works, along with the work of 20 other artists whose work was selected for inclusion in the show, will remain on display at the ArtHub Gallery through the months of May and June, ending on June 29.

The ArtHub Gallery is located on the lower level of 30 Temple St., Nashua. Hours of operation are Wednesdays through Fridays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

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