Meet the Judges

Brooklyn-based artist Jeremy Penn, was born in 1979 in NYC. He is known for his deep understanding of color theory and use of rare materials to layer alchemy with story line. Since his first solo exhibition in 2008, his works have been exhibited globally and received honors from curators at museums such as The Museum of Modern Art, NY and The Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY. In 2017, Penn’s work was studied and exhibited alongside Picasso & Rauschenberg at the UMMA. Penn’s paintings are held within some of the most prestigious institutions and modern art collections in the world.

Matthew Langley is an American contemporary artist born in Alexandria, Virginia, in 1963. He is well known for his abstract paintings. He studied at Virginia Commonwealth University, and received his BFA from Corcoran School of Art, Washington DC, in 1985. Titles of the pieces are almost as important as the paintings themselves, for their purpose is to forge connections between the viewers and artworks. The idea is to prepare the viewers and open them to thoughts that could somewhat influence the understanding of the paintings. Inspiration goes from Color Field painting and the works of Morris Louis and Gene Davis, abstraction of Mark Rothko, Richard Diebenkorn, to physical paint-handling of Gerhard Richter. After all the years of being an artist, everyday life is almost enough to drive his work forward. Langley uses drywall taping knives to create a powerful underpainting, which always ends up covered with a more elegant, but lesser expressive layer. Recently, he is interested in the balance between colors and processes, mark makings and fields, scales and relationships, between what is planned and what is improvised. Because of that, the artist is able to create pieces which are interesting on both intellectual and visual level.

His works are included in several public collections, e.g. Ernst and Young, The International Museum of Collage, Assemblage and Construction, the Doris Patz Collection at University of Maryland University College, PNC Bank University of Baltimore, and many more.

Michelle Edwards is an award-winning author and illustrator of many books for children, one book for adults, and nearly one hundred essays for knitters. Her stories are about family, friendship, and community. They chronicle the large and small victories and defeats of everyday life. Michelle frequently shares her paintings and thoughts on Instagram, Facebook, and her website.

Also, Michelle Edwards has worked with world class companies and has coached many leaders through her focus on leveraging strengths and personal development. She has owned a successful marketing business since 2009 and continues to work with business owner in various industries to help them reach their goals.