Millcreek resident Ralph Morelli took home a Director's Choice award for his painting "Pink" at the fourth annual Salt Lake County Senior Art Show.

Salt Lake County Aging & Adult Services Division Director Paul Leggett selected Morelli's canvas entry from a field of more than 140 pieces, according to the Millcreek Journal. The closing ceremony was held July 30 at the Salt Lake County Government Center.

Leggett said the painting and the message Morelli attached to it both won him over. Visitors could pick up cards bearing an image of "Pink." On the back, Morelli wrote a note calling the work "my tribute to humanity" and asking recipients to "pay it forward," signing it with "Peace and tranquility. Love, Ralph and Donna."

"There are two things about it I love," Leggett said. "One is the art itself and the other is the message that [Morelli] included with the art."

This year's theme was "From the Heart: Reflections on 250 Years of America." Entries came from all 14 of Salt Lake County's senior centers in canvas art, pottery, woodworking and fine craft categories. Nearly 250 people visited the show over the three weeks it was on display, the Daily Utah Chronicle reported. The competition has grown to more than quadruple its first-year entry count.

Leggett also gave a Director's Choice in the multimedia category to Kristy Fullmer of Draper for her lighthouse pottery mug.

Canvas art category winners were Leonard Davis in first place, Dennis Greenwood in second and Shu Yamamoto in third. Fine art winners were Dennis Otteson in first, Terry Harris in second and Jacqueline McCleery in third.

Program manager James Witucki said Salt Lake County Aging & Adult Services operates 14 senior centers countywide, each offering art classes in pottery, woodcarving, painting and fiber arts. The annual show, he said, celebrates the community older adults have built through those programs.