Rockbridge Arts Guild Bulletin

September 1,  2008

 

 

Officers and Board Members - September 2008- August 2009

 

Co-Presidents - Alan Maurer and Jan Jarrard

Vice President - Katharine March

Secretary/Newsletter - Dorothy Coker

Treasurer - Ann Peel

 

Board - John Anfin, Barney Brown, Jerry Partrick, Marilyn Pearson (ex-officio), Jim Tichenor (web master), Alice Williams (Art Show- County Fair)

 

Next General Meeting - October 13, Rockbridge Regional Library

 

 

Annual Pot Luck Picnic (Sept 7 5 – 7 PM)

The annual picnic will be held at Dorothy and Tom Coker’s at 310 Lingonberry Lane, Rockbridge Baths on Sunday, Sept 7. Bring lawn chairs, a dish to share and bathing suits and towels for the hot tub and swimming pool.  Beverages and paper good will be provided. Please RSVP to Dorothy by Sept 5 at 540-348-6248 or email to whoozie@hughes.net.

 

Directions: 39 north to 252 (Brownsburg Turnpike). In about  1 ˝ to 2 miles, take a left at the first four way intersection onto Bustlbeburg Road. Go 3/10 mile to a fork and stay left on Wades Road for 4/10 mile to Lingonberry Lane on the left. Follow the lane to the end. In addition to driveway and courtyard, feel free to park on the grass to the right of the driveway as you approach the house. If using a GPS, Lingonberry can’t be found; use 209 Wades Rd instead.

 

The Treasurers Report - 8/28/2008

 

The Treasurer’s report distributed by Ann Peel includes membership counts, an income/expense statement and bank statement. Income for 2008 from dues was $1020 and an additional amount collected in 2007 for membership of $360. Expenses to date amounted to $1011.00  for postage, printing, rental fees, corporation fees, website, Fair and Exhibit costs  and speakers and refreshments for programs. We have $2010.12 in the bank. Paid memberships for 2008 are 89 and 4 for 2009.

 

Web Master Report - www.rockbridgeartsguild.com.

 

September is a good time to update your web pages, or add a page if you do not have one.  Please contact web master, Jim Tichenor, for details on how to do this. Board members have discussed the possibility of providing members an opportunity following meetings or during critique sessions at meetings to have recent work photographed so they can update work shown on the website. We will keep you posted of any developments.

 

Board Meeting Minutes – 8/28/2008

 

The board members met at the Rockbridge Regional library.  Items on the agenda included issues relative to the annual picnic to be held at Dorothy Coker’s on Sept 7th, Fair Membership, the DC bus trip, Treasurer’s Report shown above, 501 C status and potential exhibition venues. As there was significant discussion about things like networking, assisting people in photographing their art, involving youth in art, developing relationships with other ART organizations and galleries with a goal to enhancing opportunities to exhibit work or attend workshops, it was decided to have a separate meeting to brainstorm ideas. This meeting has been scheduled at the Rockbridge Regional library and is listed in the calendar of events. Members are encouraged to participate. Pending issues include the 501C status/insurance, developing action reports following activities, updating the website, and building a strategy to encourage members to volunteer in projects and on committees. More detailed minutes will be provided on request.

 

Annual D.C. Bus Trip - Wednesday, November 5.

 

RAG is once again sponsoring a bus trip to the Washington, D.C. galleries. The chartered bus will leave Lexington at 7:15 AM from the Tractor Supply Store in the College Square Center, Lexington, arriving at the Mall near the National Gallery at approximately 11:15 AM.  Participants will be free to visit the Galleries and Museums of their choice until the 5:00 PM pickup time. The Gallery and Museum excursion is open to everyone in the community.  The cost this year is $40.00 per seat round trip and includes refreshments on the return trip.

 

Space will be allotted on a first come, first serve basis.  For further information, please contact Alan Maurer, who will be coordinating the bus trip this year, at 434-922-7501, or by e-mail at: mountaintoppers@hughes.net 

 

RESERVE YOUR SEAT BY SENDING YOUR $40 CHECK TO: 

R.A.G. /Bus Trip, P. O. Box 747, Lexington, VA  22450.

 

Our thanks go to Betty Kondayan for putting together the following highlights for the trip.

 

Highlights of Exhibitions

 

National Gallery:

·         Pompeii and the Roman Villa in art and culture around the bay of Naples. 

·         Jan Lievens: Dutch master Rediscovered. 

·         Homer, Eakins, and Bellow: American Paintings, 1870 – 1925

Sackler Gallery:

·         Seascapes: Tryon and Sugimoto

·         Taking Shape:  Ceramics in Southeast Asia

·        Garden and Cosmos: The royal paintings of Jodphur

            Freer:

·         Guests of the Hills:  Travelers and recluses in Chinese Landscapes

Renwick:

·         Lino Tagliapietra in Retrospect: A Modern Renaissance in Glass

Smithsonian American Art:

·         Georgia O’Keeffe and Ansel Adams:  Natural Affinities

American Indian Museum:

·         Fritz Scholder:  Indian/Not Indian

National Portrait Gallery:

·         Ballyhoo:  Posters as Portraiture

·         Herblock’s Presidents:  Puncturing Pomposity

Corcoran:

·         Richard Avedon: Portraits of Power

Textile Museum:

·         Timbuktu to Tibet:  Rugs and textiles of the Hajji Babas

 

Plein Aire Workshop with Mike Rooney

 

Eleven Art Guild members including Evan Atkins, Dorothy Coker, Wistie Jobe, Bob Hawkins, Julianne Hollingsworth, Katharine Marsh, Sue McCoy, Laura Orrison, Marilyn Pearson, Ellie Penn, and Barbara Purdy attended a three day art workshop presented by Mike Rooney in oil, acrylic, and pastel from August 25 to 27. Emphasis for the workshop was on the 3 C’s, Color, Composition, and Contrast, and establishing the correct values in a painting before proceeding by starting with one color modified by white or yellow.

 

Day 1 at Hopkins Green started out with a discussion about Mike’s tools and painting supplies for a Plein Aire painting excursion, favorable composition formats, decisions on what to include or exclude from a painting to avoid information overload and a discussion of values followed by exercises in painting with values using photos and the scenery at this site. The afternoon session included additional exercises in values using other colors to lower the values other than white then working on a landscape of the mountains. Critiques of works followed.

 

On Day 2 we moved to Washington and Lee University as the weather did not look promising and proximity to an inside studio was paramount. As the weather held off we found ourselves setting up on the top level of the parking garage. Mike did a demo on starting a painting with one color concentrating on establishing values before applying color. Each of us initiated one or more paintings of local scenes from that location following the same technique. This followed with another demonstration of a quick study in portraiture using Elllie as our model followed by our attempts at the same thing.  We found no matter what monochrome color we used initially, once the values were established, the painting made sense. Other colors were added later to complete the portrait. Critiques followed.

 

Day 3, a rainy overcast day found us all in a classroom at the new Wilson Hall at Washington and Lee. Exercises included building a color chart for a specific color combined with all the paints on our pallet. Much discussion followed this about relationships of colors, modifying colors by using a color containing a hint of the opposite color on a color wheel rather than the pure opposite, then learning how to rank each paint on our pallet for value. We painted over pictures out of newspapers to establish values 1 to 5 using one color to again emphasize the importance of establishing value. Then still life paintings were done in one color then followed by adding color afterwards. Our final exercise was to set up a 1-2 grey scale value chart then pair each paint on our pallet to one of those values. This followed with painting a still life by doing the values in order 5 (darkest), 1 (lightest), 4, 2, then 3 in choices of pure color based on those pairings. Once the values were established we were allowed to then modify the bright colors to approximate the actual colors. We found painting this way made the paintings much more colorful, cheerful, and bright. With the background colors poking through it also added a great deal of vitality.  An added benefit this day was a luncheon discussion about how to promote the sale of your paintings using ebay and personal blogs.

 

Summary: Despite weather that was not ideal for Plein Aire painting, we all found the workshop very helpful and full of ideas and techniques. We all came away having learned something new and anxious to start our ‘100 starts’ as recommended by Mike. A number of us are interested in having Mike return for another workshop in the future. We extend our thanks to Evan Atkins who make all arrangements for a very successful workshop.

 

IF YOU HAVE IDEAS FOR WORKSHOPS YOU WOULD LIKE RAG TO SPONSOR, PLEASE CONTACT KATHARINE MARCH.

 

Beverly Street Studio School (BSSS) News

To sign up to receive the BSSS newsletter, ontact bsssschooll@verizon.net. Website is www.bssschool.org.

BSSS often offers interesting classes and workshops that may be of interest. Samples of offerings include:

            Sept  – Drawing and Paiinting

Sept thry Dec – Conversations with artists

Tuesdays – Slpansih group meets to practice for future painting trips

 Mondays and Fridays - Painting from live models

Sept 29 – 10th Anniversary Gala with music and refreshments

Oct 4 - Painting and exhibit work at Cross Keys Vineyard, Mt Crawford, VA

 

Rockbridge Camera Club

Instructor, Professor Scott Jost, of Bridgewater College willl present a weekend workshop on color photography using a digital camera from October 10 – 12. For up to 10 participants. Contact Gail MacLeod by Sept 26 if interested (540-463-2734).

           

 

Member Exhibits:

 

 

Please notify Dorothy Coker (whoozie@hughes.net) about members who are exhibiting in other venues.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Calendar of Events:

 

MONTH

DAY/TIME

EVENT

COORDINATOR PROGRAM CHAIR

TOPIC/PLACE

Sept

7 5-7pm

 

Sept general meeting

Dorothy Coker

Pot-luck social Coker home

 

Sept

11

Brainstorming Session

RAG Board

Rockbridge Public Library

Oct

13- 7:30pm

Oct general meeting

Katharine March

Piovano Room – Fine Arts in Rockbridge presentation and informal show of member works

Nov

5

D.C. bus trip

Alan Maurer

Gallery hopping

Nov

10

Nov General Meeting

 

Bus trip replaces meeting

Dec

8

Dec General Meeting

Katharine March

Pot-luck social

Jan

12 – 4pm

 

 

 

 

Jan General Meeting

 

 

 

 

 

Visit to the Reeves Center- Ron Fuchs, curator- Lecture Northern Auditorium- 4:00- Wine and cheese at the Reeves Center following

Jan/Feb

1/8 to 2/4

SVAC Exhibit

 

Info to follow

Feb

9 – 6pm

Feb General Meeting

 

 

 

Katharine March

Staniar Gallery W&LU, William Christenberry, Lecture/Reception-Concert Hall Wilson Hall 6:00

 

Mar

9- 7:30pm

Mar General Meeting

Katharine March

Piovano Room - Critique of member’s work Janly Jaggard Beverly Street Studio Instructor

April

13- 7:30pm

April General Meeting

Katharine March

Piovano Room - Artist demonstration

May

2

Art on Hopkins Green in conjunction with RCC and FAIR

Mary Ann Triplett and Ellen Martin

Art show and awards

May

 

May General Meeting

Katharine March

TBA