First is the worst. Second is the best. Third is the one-- well you know the rest.

I'm happy to say that Billy Howard selected my painting More and Then Some as the Second Place winner of the Still Life category in the Best of Gage Show. At the award ceremony, the Kang-O'Higgins Atelier was rolling strong. My studiomates won First Place in Landscape (Jason Sho Green), Third Place Figurative (Aaron Hart), First Place Sculpture (Tamara Stephas), and the People's Choice award (Tenley DuBois). As you can see, the air at the ceremony was so charged with emotion that it actually became blurry. It was something to behold.

I also recently had the pleasure of being awarded the Second Place prize in the Seattle Co-Arts scholarship competition. Officially there is only one prize, but when they feel it is necessary they petition the board for the creation of a second award. Of course First Place has its own panache, but it's pretty flattering to have an award created just for you.