Egghead winners announced
The "Hatch a Photo" judges have chosen the winners from the 100 entries in the UC Davis campus's Feb. 1-March 2 Egghead contest. We want to thank everyone for their imagination, creativity and sense of humor that brought to the campus so many personal takes on our UC Davis icons.
Student winners
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First Place — Erica Coye, Watching (You) The photographer is a senior from San Jose majoring in anthropology. Judges' comment: "Amazingly, the simplest and most direct formal study truly brings life to the Egghead face." Erica's comment: "On my very first visit to UC Davis I was immediately captivated by the Egghead sculptures. There is just something so unique about them. Every angle offers another character, emotion and personality, and I love to capture this with photography." |
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Second Place — Kimberley Yeh with Yousif Abudra, Over Easy The photographer is a senior from San Francisco majoring in international relations. Judges' comment: "Of all the submissions using people juxtaposed with the Eggheads, this had the most energy and wit." Kimberly's comments: "I really enjoyed participating in the Egghead photo contest because I think that Professor Arneson, described by others as "a merry prankster," would be amused by the daily interactions between the Egghead fixtures and Davis community members. "Tucked away in his quiet resting place between Dutton Hall and Young, The Stargazer seems to be throwing his head toward the skies, dreaming and taking everything in with his signature spiral eyes. "In Over Easy, Yousif and I wanted to create a fun, gravity-defying freezeframe that would boggle others' minds and make them wonder, 'Wow, how did he do that?' " |
Honorable Mention — Andrew Gates, Eggman.
Judges' comment: "Similarly to Erica Coye, a formal study that works very nicely to bring out the personality of the work."
Non-student winners
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First Place — Nancy Morrow, Heads in the Clouds A lecturer in the UC Davis University Writing Program, Nancy Morrow has been on campus since 1980, when she arrived for graduate school in the Comparative Literature Program. Judges' comment: "Very charming and poignant use of the image and of Photoshop." Nancy's comments: "I have been a photographer for many years. About three years ago, I switched to digital from film and, as much as I love and respect film, I am just amazed by the creative options with digital, and I don't think I'll ever go back to film. I have taken several art new media classes at American River College, where I've learned a variety of computer techniques, including Photoshop. "I had taken a bunch of Egghead images for my Photoshop class last fall. When I heard about the contest, I took some others. I probably have about 50 images somewhere in my hard drive. That particular Egghead is my favorite, because of the expression and because there is so much luminosity in the object itself. "I have been working a lot with using channels as layers in Photoshop -- mixing color and gray scale images -- to create the effects with the clouds, so I decided to put the clouds around the Egghead." |
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Second Place — Susie Nishio, with Elise Tidrick, Lindsay Davison, Chris Wallis and Evan Wallis, Plopper Lab Eggheads Photographer Susie Nishio has been a staff research associate working in Charles Plopper's veterinary medicine laboratory for more than 25 years. Judges' comment: "The only submission that got a laugh from everyone who saw it. Perfect use of collage." Susie's comments: "When I started, all the photography was done on film. We developed the negatives, and exposed and printed all our own photographs. We are completely digital now. This has led me to skim the surface of Photoshop. "A co-worker brought the Egghead photo contest to my attention. Her words were, 'You need to enter this contest.' I went out twice to shoot the Eggheads. There was too much glare off their heads on the first try. On the second try, I went back out on a cloudy morning. "The other participants in the entry all love being photographed. They are always willing to strike a pose. We had a great time on this project. Thanks for the opportunity." |
Honorable Mentions
- Nicole Docimo, Cannibalism #3. Judges' comment: "A very successful formal study, with a punch line as well."
- Sam Sellers, A Rivalry. Judges' comment: "Great imagination and nice drawing."
- Diana Coleman, Stargazer Stargazes. Judges' comment: "This could be used for a UC Davis ad. Nice job."
Two first-place winners (one category for students and one for staff, faculty and others) will receive a $200 gift certificate to the UC Davis Bookstore. Second-place awards will include a $100 gift certificate to the bookstore.
The UC Davis contest judges included Renny Pritikin, director of the Nelson Art Gallery; Larry Bogad, associate professor of Theatre and Dance; and Annabeth Rosen, the Robert Arneson Chair in Ceramic Sculpture, Art and Art History.
The contest is sponsored by the UC Davis Department of Art and Art History; Division of Humanities, Arts and Cultural Studies; Nelson Art Gallery; and University Communications.
For more information, e-mail Susanne Rockwell.