Well, probably not either of the first two.
But with no futher ado, let's get right to the flags! Here we go!
Cleverest Flag (Flatter the Host subcategory)
The winner in our first category is Karmasartre!
Artist's Statement: A gorgeous flag, surely you can see its merit. [Damn straight I can, Karma! Damn straight!]
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Cleverest Flag (Make the Host Laugh Really Hard subcategory)
In this coveted division, the runaway winner was Rebel!
Artist's Statement: My interpretation of the flag was inspired by Oregon's motto, which speaks to our independent nature and free thinking optimism. The mature shade of green represents our environmental sensibilities. The leaf represents our pride in Oregon's agricultural heritage.
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Best Tricolor
Topping the, um, field in this classic category was.... me! michael5000!
Artist's Statement: It's, like, a map? Because the blue is like the ocean? And the green -- oh, hell, never mind.
Best South-Pacific-Micronation-Style Design
Dominating this category was the lovely and brilliant Mrs.5000!
Artist's Statement: It is mostly green because, duh, it's the flag of Oregon. Green is for the Earth and forests and the down-to-earth pragmatism of the Oregonian people. Blue is for the water which is life-giving and bounds us on two sides. Also for the sky, and the starry-eyed idealism of the Oregonian people. The curve is for the arc between earth and sky, and to remind us we're part of the Pacific rim. It's not that we're going downhill or anything! The flag is uncluttered and free of representational figures because the people of Oregon are capable of abstraction.
(If you don't believe the people of Oregon are capable of abstraction, perhaps you will like version 2 of my flag, which has a duck on it.)
Best Flag Overall: The Finalists
Then we get to the real contenders. In all honesty, these are all so great, I don't know if I can pick just one winner. I might have to leave it to Governor Kulongoski. In no particular order:
Artist's Statement: Obvious choices of natural green and blue, with the blue signifying the ocean more so than the sky. The stand of evergreens is intended to also evoke a sense of a skyline in the Western portion of the state, recognizing growth and sophistication integrating with natural beauty.
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Chance!
Artist's Statement: My design is primarily forest green, to represent Oregon's wondrous forests of pine. The top and bottom and bordered with gray, which represents the eight months of rainfall that keeps the place green. In the middle is a beaver icon (the state animal and nickname, as well as representing the spirit of pride and labor that I love in so many independent-minded Oregonians who are not hobos). Finally, the beaver is in a circle of blue, which represents the all-too-brief spring, during which the weather is perfect.
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Bridget B.!
Artist's Statement: Well, instead of printing an artist's statement, I'll just point you here and encourage you to scroll down at your leisure. She's a flag-designin' machine. The following are my three favorites from her output.
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Chance!
Artist's Statement: My design is primarily forest green, to represent Oregon's wondrous forests of pine. The top and bottom and bordered with gray, which represents the eight months of rainfall that keeps the place green. In the middle is a beaver icon (the state animal and nickname, as well as representing the spirit of pride and labor that I love in so many independent-minded Oregonians who are not hobos). Finally, the beaver is in a circle of blue, which represents the all-too-brief spring, during which the weather is perfect.
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Bridget B.!
Artist's Statement: Well, instead of printing an artist's statement, I'll just point you here and encourage you to scroll down at your leisure. She's a flag-designin' machine. The following are my three favorites from her output.
Epilogue
Wow! I'm dazzled! And I bet the Governor will be too!
Please feel free to comment on the flags and congratulate the artists. Let me know if there's one in particular that you would feel especially proud to live under, if you live in Oregon that is. Or that you would be pleased to see Oregonians living under, if you don't.
12 comments:
I like the one by Chance, but I'm worried the Beav is in a rifle scope sight. The one by Phineas is my favorite. All good entries.
Will the finalists parade around in evening gowns before we choose the winner?
fingers, i like how you think.
Phineas is the clear winner.
I demand a banana hammock competition.
"karmasartre said... I like the one by Chance, but I'm worried the Beav is in a rifle scope sight."
Sorry, I couldn't resist:
http://cartophilia.com/blog/grafx/ORflagchancecrosshairs.jpg
My favorite is the one with the duck!!!
I vote for Phineas' entry, because it's closest to what I had in mind but was too lazyass to sit down and artisticate.
I like Mrs.5000's abstraction (sans duck) but while we, the erudite of Oregon, will understand, I'm afraid the rest of the world won't.
And Bridget B.'s last flag just makes me sad, looking at that poor salmon gasping on the grass after the beaver has tossed him out of the water.
I'm glad Bridget got past her Salver / Beamon concept. It was a tad troubling to look at.
Prior to this contest I had suspected that I had sufficient dork factor to participate on this blog. Now I KNOW I have ample dork-ness. The people in my office, to whom I've shown my entry, are now rather concerned.
Thanks for the kind comments. It was a blast.
You gotta look at my flag really close to see 'em, but there are a few beavers on the edge of that forest, hard at work tossing salmon to the turf.
cartophiliac: great work!
Oh, cartophiliac, I am laughing . . . and I have to say that after seeing all of them, I actually like M5K's image the best - I think he captured my whole Oregon abstraction idea much better than I did! And I think that Mrs.5000 had the best artist statement.
I actually like the current Oregon flag (beats the heck out of that of my "state of origin," NY), but I'd take Mrs5000's, if it says "If you don't believe the people of Oregon are capable of abstraction, perhaps you will like version 2 of my flag, which has a duck on it" and then has the one with the duck on the other side. I almost ruined my new laptop by snorting hot tea out my nose all over it.
I vote (we are voting, right? Or are you all in some weird caucus state?) for Phineas's flag. Except that I find the trees weirdly distracting. The rest of the flag is so clean, the trees are messy. Or is this the point? I also rather like the targeted beaver flag. Beavers are cute, kind of like Oregon itself. And cute is a woefully neglected factor in flag design.
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