Sunday, November 6, 2011

Brushstrokes November 2011


Photo Courtesy of Tricia Wente
November 2011
In this issue:
We Paint...Parks
On the Horizon
Member News
Opportunities
Inspirations: Zoe Dean











On the BWS Horizon
Monthly Meeting
Monday, November 14
6:00 p.m.
First Christian Church
A short business meeting, during which members will vote for the slate of 2012 officers, will take place. Jerry Harste will teach us about Artist Trading Cards (ATCs) and then we will spend the rest of the evening creating. Bring your paint supplies!
Artists who attended the Musgrave Orchard Paint Out are invited to please bring your paintings for Show and Share.

Holiday Party
Monday, December 19
6:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Meadowood
Details will be announced at the November meeting.

President's Column
Wow!  What a show.
After decompressing in front of the fire with a glass of wine and my journal close at hand, it was great just to think back to the culmination of a project that has been in the making for over a year.
It looks fantastic! And, the opening Friday night was a sensational hit. Estimates came in at over 150 attendees.  If the artist's paintings and short synopsis' of their experiences don't give you the feel-good chills, you might want to pinch yourself to make sure you are awake.
The paintings, created over the four seasons, will be up in the atrium of City Hall through Gallery Walk on December 2nd.
All of the City of Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department’s parks, trails, and facilities - 45 altogether - are represented and on display along with the artist's stories in booklet form. We are now talking about possibly publishing them. More on that later.
Thanks to all of the artists and special thanks to our show chairwoman Tricia Wente, Nancy Metz, Jeanne Dutton and Evelyn Alwine of BWS, Miah Michaelson of BEAD, and Julie Ramey of the City of Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department.
Now, on to getting things in order for the Holiday Party on December 19.

Kriste Lindberg
BWS President 2011

Barb Hawkins and friend. 
Photo courtesy of Garrett J Poortinga, Green Hat Photography, 2011.
"We Paint...Parks" Opening Reception
The “We Paint…Parks” Reception on Friday, November 4, was one smashing success! Everyone enjoyed the exhibit of paintings by BWS member artists. An added bonus was the beautiful music provided by harpist Maggie Grove, recent Master’s graduate of the I.U. Jacobs School of Music, pictured in the photo below.

Maggie Grove, Harpist. 
Photo courtesy of Bob Anderson.
Reception in the Atrium.
Photo courtesy of Deborah Rush.
The Parks exhibition hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, as well as Saturday mornings when City Hall is open during the Bloomington Community Farmers’ Market, and additional evening hours when City Hall is open for meetings.

Musgrave Orchard, the Final Paint Out of 2011
It was an incredible day!  The sun was shining, the leaves were aboslutely glorious, and we were surrounded by pumpkins and apples and people.  It was the largest attendance ever at a BWS paint out and one of the most productive.  The hot chili, cornbread, desserts, and warm cider satisfied the hunger we all experienced being in the open air.  Our thanks to Musgrave Orchard for allowing us to share their deck and paint their pumpkins.  (Artists, please remember to bring your paint out paintings to the meeting for all to enjoy!)
 Photo courtesy of Phyllis Taylor
Quick Response (QR) Codes and the Arts
by  Kriste Lindberg
Ever wonder what those funny looking black and white squares are that you come across in the corners of ads and fliers?  You may have seen them in our BWS 2011 Members Show publications, as well.
Those squares are QR, or Quick Response, codes.  By using a special (FREE!) smartphone app, you can hover your communication device over the image and...voila...it will pick it up and take you right to the website.
What a concept. Think they have a lot of potential in the arts. There was a story in the Herald Times on July 24 about a local artist using them in a gallery exhibit, allowing people to quickly find information on his work. http://www.heraldtimesonline.com/
QRs are quick and easy to make at http://qrcode.kaywa.com/ 
Here is the one we have been using to take you directly to the BWS website.  Try it!



Cave Paintings
On Tuesday evening, October 18, BWS members Jeanne Dutton and Kriste Lindberg treated guests at The Venue Fine Art and Gifts to fun and creative ways to enjoy cave critters – you know, those creepy crawlers we all associate with Halloween, like spiders, bats, and centipedes.
Participants learned not only how to create the creatures in watercolor, but how to appreciate them and their contributions to the ecosystem. Then, everyone created bookmarks with thumbprint critters in watercolor. It was a fun and productive way to introduce people to both the value of caves and their contents, instilling an appreciation of the life forms which are not so familiar.
This two hour event was a collaborative effort between BWS and the Parks and Recreation Department.

The Indiana State Museum
The Indiana State Museum has added two paintings by the late Catherine Burris, wife of BWS Signature Members Bob Burris, to its permanent collection: “Daddy Wanted a Princess” and “Thou Shall Not Scream" (seen on left). These two works are companion pieces to her painting, “The Woman Forgot,” which is already in the collection.An exhibit, “Heartland Art: Selections from your Indiana Collection,” opened October 1, 2011 and includes Catherine's painting,“The Woman Forgot.”


INSPIRATIONS
Zoe Dean
"Harbor"

Inspiration for this painting came from a BWS meeting earlier in the season when Jacki Frey talked about composition and how to take a picture that has a lot of subject matter and break it down by using a small rectangle in an 8 1/2 X 11 piece of white paper. Jacki passed out a couple of photos and gave a demonstration of how she painted an outdoor scene.
I came home and, with my little square, picked out of the photo that made me "wow" about it for the composition.  I didn't do a value sketch, but knew that I needed value to make the painting work.
Then I needed a focal point, and determined what would have the most detail, picked out my colors, and went to work. The actual painting only took about 20 minutes. I didn't use any misket and did my best to retain the areas that needed to stay light or white. I tried to stick to a limited palate and keep the colors simple, using only a combination of 5 colors.
When I got the majority of the painting completed, I let it "cook" for a couple of days and figured what details needed to be added to make the painting credible.  It's hard for me to put only a few moments of painting into a picture and this was a real test of letting the painting be without adding too much. I found a frame that I already had with a matte, and framed the painting long before I decided I would put it in the Owen County Fair open class. There's always a certain uncertainty when entering something like a painting in the fair. Last year I entered another harbor painting and it received a First Place, but the judge had questions and thought it was a forged painting because of the embossed area on the Arches watercolor paper (go figure on that one). I truly thought that painting was a real winner.
I really like painting water scenes and perhaps it's because my dad was in the Navy and an excellent swimmer. But not all paintings that I do work, and a lot of paintings end up in the flat file only to be a lesson learned. I must say that Jacki Frey has been the best teacher I could ever have. She has brought out this inner creativity in me. I took my first watercolor class with her about 6 or 7 years ago at the Area 10 Center in Ellettsville, and she has inspired me ever since. I can't thank her enough. Watercolor is the joy and frustration of my life and I am hopeful that I can pick up a brush and use it to the end of my days.

OPPORTUNITIES
November 11, 2011
Watercolor Yupo
Speedway Centre for the Arts
9:30-3 pm
Class fee $50.00

December 10, 2011
Watercolor on Yupo
Boondoggle at the Barn Winery
Martinsville, Indiana
9:30-3 pm
For full details and supply list, contact Sarah A. Hedges, Instructor, at 765-792-0328.

The 35th WAS-H International Exhibition is announced by the Watercolor Art Society – Houston. Founded in 1975, WAS-H is a non-profit organization with over 500 members. The exhibition will be juried by BWS' friend and workshop leader, Judi Betts. The entry deadline is January 28, 2012 and the first place prize is $2000, with other cash prizes and awards to be presented. The prospectus can be found at http://watercolorhouston.org/pages/exhibitions.html

This guest editor wishes all of you a very Happy Thanksgiving, overflowing with blessings.  Be safe and have a great holiday!
Jeanne Ellen Dutton