Great Hollow Nature Preserve & Ecological Research Center
225 State Route 37
New Fairfield, CT 06812
The Great Hollow Juried Art Show 2026 opened on Friday May 15, 6-8pm and continued on May 16 and 17th. Over 300 art and nature lovers came to view the 165 paintings and photographs celebrating the area’s natural environment by 59 artists. The winners were announced and prizes were given at the opening. Sponsored by the Great Hollow Photographers Club, this is their ninth annual fundraiser for Great Hollow Nature Preserve. If you missed the show at the Preserve’s Gate House Barn, you can still view and purchase artwork online, and support Great Hollow now through June 30, 2026 on the Sherman Artists website: shermanartis.org.
The Winners for Paintings are: 1st Place: B Forrest Shepherd – Kestrel Hawk; Oil, 2nd Place Bonnie Johnson – Squantz Pond Shore, Acrylic; and 3rd Place Christine Maschke – Into the Woods, Pastel.
Honorable Mentions for paintings were: Christy Bonaiuto – Fireworks on the Hill, Acrylic; Denise Cassano – Winter Awaits, Oil; Betsy Duckworth – Lattice Wings Still Fly, Mixed Media; Beth Levine – Seasonal Whispers, Mixed Media; and Virginia Schaffer – Magic, Watercolor.
The Winners for Photographs are: 1st Place: Susan Locke –Moose By the Barn; 2nd Place: Karen Golden – Tracked; and 3rd Place Dave King – Majestic Bald Eagle.
Honorable Mentions for photographs were: John Clery – Coyote Cozy Refuge; John Foley – Transcendence; Jeff Ginsburg – Uneasy is the Bearer of the Crimson; Dena Mitchell – Great Horned Owlets; and Jim Sanders – Kaaterskill Falls.
The prizes were from our local business sponsors and we thank them for their generosity. Eagle ($200+): Daily Market, Sherman, CT; New Milford Tennis Club, New Milford; Still River Editions, Danbury, CT; and Visual Impact, Danbury, CT. Owl ( $100 – $199) American Pie, Sherman, CT; Barn Gallery & Frame Shop, New Fairfield, CT, and Cattleya Garden Center, New Fairfield, CT. Heron (Up to $99): Bank Street Theater, New Milford, CT; Biscotti’s, New Fairfield, CT; Bruno’s Pizzeria, New Fairfield, CT, Claire’s Garden Center, Patterson, NY; Hudson Valley InterArts, Patterson, NY; Limoncello, Sherman, CT; New Milford Fitness & Aquatic, New Milford, CT; Putnam Diner, Patterson, NY; Sacred Grounds Coffee, Sherman, CT; Sherman Wine and Spirits, Sherman, CT; The Blue Olive, Pawling, NY; Twisters, Ice Cream Shop, New Fairfield, CT; and White Silo Winery, Sherman, CT.
Thanks also go to our Judges: Kelly Edwards for painting and Jane Haslam for photography, to the Friends of the Great Swamp (FROGS) and Sherman Artists Association (SAA) for the use of their art show panels and to SAA for hosting the art show on their website. Special thanks also to Bob O’Connor whose music made the opening festive and joyful.
All artworks are for sale and a portion of the sales support Great Hollow Nature Preserve’s mission of environmental education, research, and conservation. To view and purchase the remaining artwork now through June 30, go to ShermanArtists.org.
For more information about the Great Hollow Photographers Club, visit the Great Hollow Photographers Club Facebook page: www.facebook.com/GHPClub. For the online art show, visit www.shermanartist.org. For more information about Great Hollow Nature Preserve, visit: www.greathollow.org.
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