22/05/2004
22/05/2004 The painter Julio Gómez Mena, of Leioa (Vizcaya), obtained first prize (900 euros and diploma) in the II Open-air Painting Competition "Encounters with the Cathedral", held on Saturday 22 May. Fernando Gil Cid, of Vitoria, and Agustín Vaquero Txapartegi, of Zaldibia (Guipúzcoa) were awarded second (600 euros and diploma) and third prize (400 euros and diploma) respectively.
During the painting competition, in spite of the bad weather conditions, 39 painters participated, 40% of them from outside Alava. The provinces represented were Vizcaya, Guipúzcoa, La Rioja, Burgos and Lérida. The jury appointed to select the paintings emphasized the high level of work. In addition to the first three prizes, second place awards of 250 euros were given to Carlos Espiga Alonso, of Vitoria; Jose Ignacio Amelibia García, of Logroño; and Fernando San Miguel Arteaga, of Vitoria.
The Santa Maria Cathedral Foundation, organiser of the competition, on 14 July, will inaugurate an exhibition of the award-winning paintings. The exhibition will be on show in the Cultural Centre Montehermoso and will include four works chosen by the jury which correspond to José Reyes Ramos Rodríguez, of Leioa (Vizcaya), Juan Luis Huete Gojenola, Cristina Aracama García de Salazar and Alexander Jayo Eiguren, the latter three from Vitoria.
In the under-15 category the following awards were given: Ixone Quintana
(200 euros in art material and diploma), Ada Hernáez Altamirano
(150 euros in art material and diploma) and Lucía Jayo Altamirano
(100 euros in art material and diploma), all of them from Vitoria. Likewise
second place prizes of 75 euros and diploma were given to Diana Jayo Altamirano
and Tamara Barrio Vivanco.