Shades of Gold Senior Art Show opens at Albany Museum of Art

ALBANY — In just her second year exhibiting in the event, Virgeline Duke’s acrylic painting “Birds of a Feather” was voted the Best of Show Thursday at the opening of the 23rd annual Shades of Gold Senior Art Show at the Albany Museum of Art.

The show will continue at the museum, located at 311 Meadowlark Drive adjacent to Darton State College, through the end of the month. Sixteen artists, all age 60 or older, entered 44 paintings in this year’s exhibit.

Asked if she was surprised about being voted favorite in the show by the crowd in attendance, Duke said, “Yes, I was. I just joined it because my husband started in the art class.”

Her husband, Frank Duke, in fact, kept the top awards in the family, getting first place for his acrylic “Forgotten Country.”

The Shades of Gold is an art group for those 60 and older that meets at 1 p.m. Mondays at the SOWEGA Council on Aging’s Senior Life Enrichment Center at 335 W. Society Ave. The participants, who provide their own materials, work in oils or acrylics, culminating each June with the AMA show.

Also winning ribbons Thursday were Judy McCoy, 2nd place, “Daddy’s Favorite Pastime”; Nancy Wade, 3rd Place, “Foggy Morning Turkey Trail”; Merit Award, Janet Bowen, “The Woodshed Door”; Merit Award, Lorene Gaughf, “Red Hot Peppers,” and People’s Choice, Carolyn Ross, “True Love.”

“I’ve enjoyed art and crafts of all kinds,” Virgeline Duke said, adding her entry was a paint-by-number acrylic.

Frank Duke said his wife’s painting had a great deal of detail. “It takes so long,” he said. “It’d drive me nuts trying to paint by numbers.”

His winning painting, “Forgotten Country,” was exhibited next to his wife’s “Birds.” He said his work, also in acrylic, was a composite of things he had seen.

“I pick elements out of different scenes,” he said. “The old truck — I remember my uncle had an old Chevy, and I just put that in. He had an old barn, and I put the old plow in there.”

Duke said he thought he might lose points because of presentation.

“I didn’t think I was going to win because my frame was small, it’s not an impressive frame,” Duke said. “So that’s a shock.”

While he’s had a wrist injury that’s cut down on his artwork recently, Duke and his wife say they’ve been painting together both at class and at home.

Frank Duke said this was his fifth Shades of Gold show. Virgeline Duke is relatively new to painting, but her husband started in watercolors a decade or more ago.

“Back about 10 or 15 years ago, I started in art, then time constraints prevented me from doing it,” Frank Duke said. “I got out of it.

“Then we had some rainy weather and I said, ‘I’ll try some acrylics.’ I got back in it. I just love acrylics, and I found out about the class.”

Paula Williams, executive director of the Albany Museum of Art, said she was impressed by the talent.

“Pretty amazing,” she said. “I was just talking to one of the members, and she said she’s only been painting for two years and she’s done some fabulous work.

“I think, more than anything else, it brings them such happiness to produce these works of art, and I think they’re just really from the heart and full of love, and that certainly shows on the walls.”