Open Fine Arts – July 2025

Get ready for the 2025 Open Fine Arts Competition, our 11th event! Prizes are awarded by category. All artwork is original fine art quality conceived and created solely by the entering artist.

• Exhibition – July 5 – 24, 2025
• First Saturday Public Reception – July 5, 4-7pm

JUDGED CATEGORIES: Water Media, Oil, Acrylic and Mixed Media, Three Dimensional, Drawings and Pastel

About the Judge

Carrie Markel is a mixed media artist who has worked and lived in Northern California for most of her career.  Her enthusiasm and extensive knowledge in art history, methods, and techniques has been shared with students of all ages; as a credentialed art teacher, museum interpreter, and art workshop presenter. She has taught watercolor, drawing, and printmaking workshops at the Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento, the Elk Grove Fine Arts Center, Women’s Wisdom Art, and UC Davis School of Education.

Her dedication has taken her to the Kennedy Center stage to present a visual performance piece and to Turkey to collaborate with arts teachers and students to create a multi-media performance. As an artist Carrie has exhibited in numerous solo and group shows.  She has received new works grants to create site-specific art installations for the Nature Conservancy and the Sacramento Redevelopment Agency.  Her large format watercolors, monotypes and mixed media works are part of many public and private collections.