Juror Gene Youngmann had his work cut out for him while selecting the winners of the Celebrate Colorado Artists! exhibition at Bemis Library in Littleton.

“Shows of this nature are always an exciting mixture of artwork from a wide variety of artists,” Youngmann said. “The choice of subjects impressed me, as well as the versatility in the techniques used in the images that I reviewed.”

Tanis Bula’s “Purple Iris” took home best of show honors. Youngmann particularly enjoyed the contrast of light and dark that showed the delicate surfaces of the subject flower. “Purple Iris,” along with the other winners and standout pieces of art, are on display in the library’s lower level.

“Beyond the usual aspect of looking for the use of the elements and principles of design, good composition and presentation in each piece of artwork, I was looking for that which was unique, something that catches my attention about the artist’s work beyond the usual,” Youngmann said.

Youngmann has more than 30 years of experience as an artist and an art teacher. He’s won numerous local awards from the Colorado Watercolor Society and the Northern Colorado Artist Association.

“Iris” by Susan Gordon and “Desert Storm” by Judie Seyffert took home first and second place in the two-dimensional art category, respectively. “Flared top vase, Turquoise/Magenta” by Linda Backus beat out runner-up Paul Stafford’s “Conestruction No. 3” in the three-dimensional art competition, while “Sunset Riders” by Thomas Cooper was the top photograph. David Jones’ “Virgin River Narrows” was the second-place photograph.

An additional people’s choice award will be determined by visitors to the exhibit.

The competition, which is part of Western Welcome Week, was organized by the Roxborough Arts Council. Most of the works on display are available for purchase.

Youngmann encourages aspiring artists to focus on recreating scenes of which they have an intimate understanding.

“I believe strongly that you must experience what you are creating. This means if you are going to paint mountains, paint those mountains which you know and have seen or photographed yourself,” he said.