Thomas, WV – Every autumn, tens of local and semi-local photographers wait to be notified that one of their entries to the Cortland Foundation photography contest have been selected to adorn the walls in Cortland Acres. Now in its fifth year, 64 photographers participated and submitted a total of two hundred seventeen images for consideration.
The annual contest seeks images highlighting the beauty and activities found in northern West Virginia and western Maryland and represent the people, places, and pursuits found in the region.
West Virginia based Landscape and Nature Photographer Randall Sanger judged and curated the contest entries. Sanger selected thirty-four images to adorn Blackwater Rehab Center; it’s Pendleton Lounge Gallery and throughout the facility.
“It was an honor and pleasure to judge the Cortland Acres photography competition this year,” explains Sanger. “My work was made very difficult due to the quantity and quality of the submissions. The love of the region certainly was evident in the photographers’ selections, and I commend all of those who submitted and my congratulations to those whose images were selected for display in Cortland Acres.”
Winning photographers for the 2020 Photography Exhibition include Jason Funk of Cumberland, Maryland, Nathaniel Peck of Flintstone, Maryland, Bob Stough of Derry, Pennsylvania, and George Fletcher of Round Hill, Virginia. Entries from West Virginia photographers round out the winners with locals David Proctor and June Proctor of Beverly, Sandra Miller, and Alan Tucker of Buckhannon, John Willson of Charleston, Thomas Dean of Cross Lanes, Dylan Jones of Davis, David Johnston of Dryfork, and Kilsong Cox of Elkins. The State was represented well with winning entries by Wendy Parks of Fairmont, Jesse Thornton of Huntington, Bobbie Swan of Meadowbrook, Travis Shultz of Morgantown, Van Slider of Paden City, Anne Johnson of Summersville, and Kevin King of Tornado.
When asked about how it feels to have once again one of her submissions chosen to hang in Cortland Acres, Elkins resident Kilsong Cox quoted the great photographer, Ansel Adams. “You don’t make a photograph just with a camera. You bring to the act of photography all the pictures you have seen, the books you have read, the music you have heard, the people you have loved.”
As with all community events held during this time of COVID, the new prints’ unveiling will take on a new look. Rather than a physical unveiling of the prints with winning photographers on hand to walk you through their process of capturing the images, we will highlight winning photographers and their prints in local newspapers starting early October.
The sale of previous years’ prints enables the project to be self-sustaining. There are currently six large scale and ten small-format prints from 2019 available for purchase. They include “Water Under The Bridge” by Tom Dean, “Canaan Valley Spring Morning”, and “South Prong Trail” from Michael Ribas. “Tree” by Wendy Parks, and “Shays Serenity” and “Pendleton Swirls” by Kevin Kings. Smaller prints available include “Rain Drop” by Beth Spencer, “Welcoming The Sun” by June Proctor, “Sundews on Dolly Sods” by Cindy Smith, “Honeybee on Lavender” by Bonnie Myers, “Abstract Ekalaka” by George Fletcher, “Young Eastern Bluebird in WV” by Mollee Brown, “Golden Lights on Grass After A Shower” by Kilsong Cox, “Pink Lady’s Slipper and Spruce” by David Johnston, “Sparrow the Red” by Kevin Hostetler and “Bog Hug” by Randy Bodkins. Visit the photography page on our website to view each available image.