Loving hearts

It was the best of ’tines, it was the worst of ’tines.

Actually, all of the entries in this year’s Spokesman-Review Valentine’s Day Coloring Contest were pretty darn good, considering they came from kids 12 and younger.

But a few of the 544 entries stood out in the eyes of our judges, all volunteers from the S-R newsroom (including visual arts writer Jennifer Zurlini).

In the 4-and-under age group, 4-year-old Olivia Evans’ creative face imagery caught the eyes of the panel, as did fellow 4-year-old Summer Ferster’s use of deep, rich watercolor. (Look out for Summer, art world; as we later discovered, she also was a winner in our Halloween coloring contest last fall.)

And 2-year-old Charlie Calhoun impressed with his bold strokes, which one judge said showed “amazing confidence – they run right off the page.”

Among the 5- to 7-year-olds, the standouts included 6-year-old Maggie Price, who cleverly humanized her hearts; 7-year-old Madison Blackman, whose glitter-paint piece featured real rolling eyeballs; and 7-year-old Laraine Johnson, whose frilly, elaborate work included a secret note tucked into a heart-shaped pocket labeled “to my special friend.” (“I hope you have a nice Valentine’s Day,” it reads.)

The 8- to 12-year-olds didn’t disappoint, either. Eight-year-old Emma Watson won high praise for her multimedia approach, including crayon/paint/stickers. Carrie Hallinan, 10, was equally impressive with an intricate mosaic pattern. And 12-year-old Darby Kurkowski turned heads by turning her hearts into a pleasant pastel flower.

The winners get a gift certificate to Mobius Kids. All of the entries are on display at Mobius, in the lower level of River Park Square, 808 W. Main Ave., through Feb. 23.

Go see for yourself how hard our judges’ job was. And thanks to all the budding artists who entered.

– Rick Bonino, features editor