Unconventional
Still Life
Visit the Exhibit
At the Firehouse Gallery – Walnut Beach, Milford
June 4 – 14, 2026
This exhibit invited artists to explore the Still Life genre in unexpected ways. Unlike traditional, decorative still life work the challenge was to reimagine object groupings in ways that challenge, reinterpret, or expand the genre.
Meet Our Judge – Megan Laudenslager
Teacher and Artist. Megan is a Middle School Art Teacher who currently works in Milford, CT.Her work centers on the natural world and focuses on playful imagery. She loves to use acrylic paint, collage and ceramics in her processes.
Education. Megan has a BA in Art History from Pace University, an art teaching certification from Southern CT State University, a Masters in Integrated Health and Healing from The Graduate Institute, and her Sixth Year in Technology Integration from Dominican University.
Interests. As a middle school art teacher, she gets to nurture young creative minds and work in a variety of mediums. Creativity is a key aspect of her life, and she loves sharing her vision with others. Prior to becoming a teacher, Megan worked as a newspaper photographer, an auction house catalogue designer, and at multiple galleries in Colorado.
Exhibit Award Winners
Award winners are listed here following the Opening Reception.
Congratulations to our award winners! Well done.
Thanks to all the participating artists for embracing this theme. ADD GENERAL COMMENT HERE.
First Place
Accumulations in Time
Bob Lupulio
Judge’s Notes. This piece by Bob Lupulio serves as a meditation on memory, time, and personal history told through a memento mori altar-like arrangement. The richness in texture and imagery creates a sense of depth and discovery, rewarding viewers with new details upon closer inspection. Accumulations in Time encapsulates human experience by creating a sacred space with these well-worn objects. This work is so comforting in its familiarity and patina.
Second Place
A Job Well Done
Marie Dallas
Judge’s Notes: This work by Marie Dallas blends traditional still life elements with a whimsical narrative and humor. The black cat is calmly grooming while the spilled wine, toppled bottle and broken plate lie witness to the recent event. The addition of the small still life painting of the fruit in a tub is a clever and joyful nod to the genre’s history. It is not enough to give a cursory glance to this piece as the small details provide much of its personality. This piece succeeds in making the familiar feel surprising.
Third Place
Bubbly Rose
Michelle Dupree
Judge’s Notes: This photograph by Michelle Dupree takes a familiar subject and transforms it effervescently. The bubbles create a sense of movement and energy that challenges the traditional still life expectation of quiet observation. Not just a rose, it is an abstract landscape of color, texture and light.
Honorable Mention
Emily Brymer
Mini Still Life
Honorable Mention
Cynthia Dobie
Merry Christmas
Honorable Mention
Regina Paleski
A Young Man’s Service
Honorable Mention
Julie O’Connor
Chef Alcocer’s Tools
