I enjoyed all three of Ellen Compere’s works in this year’s show, but ultimately I selected Snowy Owl for the merit award because it weds accessibility to abstraction. The artist filtered what information she chose to show us: a wing, a feather, the owl’s characteristic big round eyes. She painted her abstract owl and its surroundings with a subtle earth-toned palette. That, and a hint of flight motion, is all the relevant information the viewer needs to see the Snowy Owl in this whimsical piece.