Reuss especially favored “conceptual pieces” in which the artist has “taken on a larger task,” adding a narrative or allegory, thus not only presenting the nude done well but “saying something, [in effect], transcendent.” Appropriately, he chose Daniel Maidman’s large oil, The Black and White War as the Curators’ Choice nominee to launch February. Reuss’ other Curators’ Choice nominees are the bare-breasted watercolor by Jacqui Morgan, Gloves, Girdle and Stockings (“Is this nude? Nude enough!”), Leah on Thursday a charcoal/carbon drawing by Jean Marcellino; a watercolor, Terra with a Twist, by Jacqueline Saunders; and the color-pencil drawing, Kelsey Resting by Tracey Padron, Padron’s drawing is retiring with this calendar, its third.

The Barebrush art retirement policy encourages professionalism. True professional artists keep their online galleries in top shape for the on-going calendar contests, always bringing in their strongest new work as older work is retired or their oeuvre strengthens and their display can be bettered. Thus the incentive to show only their very best work is high and kept high. To date over 150 artworks have been retired from competitions. All retired art is still visible in the Barebrush Archives in the calendars for which they were chosen. For Barebrush Featured Artists, the artworks appear on their Featured Artist pages and also in the Barebrush Honors page in the Art Calendars Menu.

Other artworks retiring with this calendar are: an oil painting, Figure On The Beach by David Michael Hollander; Red Hat #4, also an oil, by Donelli J. DiMaria; and an illustration in ink, Adrianna by Stephanie Fuller. In terms of what is new, February debuts twelve new artworks appearing for the first time, two from artists making their Barebrush calendar debut, Barrie Ripin from Bethesda, MD and Joy Becker from Tenafly, NJ, and ten artworks from Barebrush veterans.