Month: November 2011

Turning Back Time with Sculpture

An earlier reconstruction by Joe Mullins

Art League instructor and forensic artist Joe Mullins has new work on display at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, using high-tech tools to learn more about a very old — and very young — mummy.

Joe reconstructed the face of the 2,500-year-old, 3-year-old boy using CT scans and 3-D sculpting software. He added muscles, other tissue, and skin to the CT scan in order to recreate the child’s face from his mummified remains, based on what researchers knew of his ancestry from the skeleton. (Age, ancestry, gender, mental disorders, surgeries, and some infections can all be found by studying the skull.) A 3-D printer created the bust on display in the Smithsonian exhibit, “Eternal Life in Ancient Egypt.”

Joe Mullins working on a facial reconstruction.

Joe will be at ArtFest this Friday with skulls and samples of some of his amazing work. He is also teaching a course on facial reconstruction starting in January (and another in the spring), where students will reconstruct a head in seven weeks, starting from only a skull.

The finished bust. By Joe Mullins
Art Classes

Artful Giving

With another Thanksgiving behind us, the Art League offers a friendly reminder that this month’s events make great opportunities for holiday gift-giving. Featuring unique works hand-made by local artists, these shows are one more thing to be thankful for as you plan for the holidays.

First, this month’s “Small Works” exhibit ends soon! Get down to The Art League Gallery by Monday to see the show, featuring smaller works by Art League artists in all media. These unique works are affordable for gift giving — starting at $45 — and suited to a wide variety of tastes.

Also in the gallery, the Holiday Ornament Collection is hanging until January 2, featuring dozens of handmade, one-of-a-kind ornaments perfect for a special present or starting a collection of your own, for as little as $10. Come find a present on our tree!

Last, but not least, this weekend is ArtFest! Starting at noon on Friday and continuing through Sunday, the Art League will be holding its annual Ceramic and Pottery Show and Sale as well as the Jewelry Show and Sale, at the Madison Annex on 305 Madison Street in Alexandria. A retrospective show and sale of late Art League and Torpedo Factory artist Nancy Reinke’s work, going on all weekend, will include prints, paintings, and other pieces for sale at affordable prices. You can also come — for free! — to see the shows and sales, artist demonstrations, live music, and food and drinks at the ArtFest Party from 6:00 to 9:00 pm Friday.

Exhibits

Q&A with “Small Works” award-winner Theresa Esterlund

This month’s “Small Works” exhibit in The Art League Gallery, which ends December 5, includes two award winners. Theresa Esterlund‘s collage, Variation, won the Anne Banks Collage Award. We asked Theresa to tell us more about her work.

What was your inspiration or reason for creating Variation?
Theresa: This piece is part of my Utopia series works, which are explorations of imagination that pay homage to artist Joseph Cornell. Against a common background, a topographical map of Mount Everest, I situate images in nostalgic, dreamlike settings to create a sense of stepping into a story. Many of the Utopia works express themes of introspection, feminine identity, and life journeys; as a body of work, they aim to take the viewer through the fantastical scenes to a place of personal reminiscence or discovery. This particular piece is a variation on Cornell’s ballet dancer works.

Variation by Theresa Esterlund

How did the series start, and how has it changed?
I began my Utopia series in 2009. It’s evolved both in process and content. Recently, I’ve begun layering in more papers and inks in some of these works (a technique I use in other collages more frequently). In addition, my newest pieces have themes that are more shaped by my study of yoga than of the images and ideas that Cornell used. I think that this newer work will actually evolve into a different series at some point.

What would you like the viewer to come away with?
I hope that viewers walk away with a sense of mystery and wonder. Ideally, they would create their own story from the piece, based on their memories, dreams, and personal stories.

More after the jump: Continue reading Q&A with “Small Works” award-winner Theresa Esterlund

Artist Interviews

ArtFest is this Friday!

Ceramics by Kim Hyu Ju

Are you ready for ArtFest?

The Art League’s popular annual open house party is this Friday, December 2, 6:00 – 9:00 pm, with more events throughout the weekend. For the low, low cost of admission — free! — you get to:

  • Watch demos by artists, including Art League instructor and forensic artist Joe Mullins
  • Visit the Art League School’s stained glass department artists with work for sale
  • Buy art (for gifts or yourself) at the Jewelry Show and Sale and Ceramic and Pottery Show and Sale, which start at noon and continue on Saturday and Sunday
  • See the Madison Annex, The Art League’s 3-D instructional space
  • Eat food, sip drinks and listen to live music by Rew Smith Band

All the events are at The Art League’s Madison Annex at 305 Madison Street.

ArtFest will also include a special retrospective show and sale of work by Nancy Reinke, the late Art League and Torpedo Factory artist. The show starts Friday at the party and continues on Saturday and Sunday.

Nancy Reinke

Music! Refreshments! Art and artists! ArtFest promises to be a blast, so don’t miss out on Friday’s party and the excellent holiday shopping opportunities throughout the weekend. This art party has been trending on the Web, including at DCeventjunkie, Alexandria Lifestyle, and our event partner the Pink Line Project. For a full schedule of events for the weekend, click here.

Events

Two New Opportunities for Artists

The Arts Council of Fairfax is offering fellowships to Fairfax artists, the Maryland Federation of Art is seeking submissions for an upcoming gallery, and both have deadlines in January.

Art on Paper — Deadline January 11, 2012 

The Maryland Federation of Art (MFA) invites all artists residing in the United States and Canada to enter its thirty-fifth annual Art on Paper exhibition. Any original two or three dimensional works on or of paper following exhibition guidelines will be considered by the juror. The selected works will be on exhibit in the MFA’s Circle Gallery, 18 State Circle, Annapolis, Maryland from March 22 through April 22, 2012.

Details and submission guidelines are on the MFA website.

Strauss Fellowships — Deadline January 18, 2012

The Arts Council of Fairfax has announced the fifth annual Strauss Fellowships for individual artists. These grants recognize professional working artists’ achievements and their demonstrated history of accomplishments; they promote artists’ continued pursuit of their creative work. Artists in all disciplines including visual arts, creative writing, theatre, dance performance and choreography, film and new media, music composition and performance are eligible to apply. Applicants must reside in Fairfax County.

The application deadline is January 18, 2012. The Arts Council will hold a free grant writing workshop for interested applicants on November 12, 2011 from 10am to 12pm at 4022 Hummer Road, Annandale, VA 22003.

The Strauss Fellowships are awarded through a competitive grant program and recipients are determined by their work’s merit. No specific project needs to be carried out with the funds granted; Strauss Fellowships award outstanding achievement for work already completed. Awards range from $1,000-$5,000, and in previous years, up to eleven fellowships have been awarded.

More details are here.

Artist Opportunities

Holiday Ornament Collection 2011

Putting up a new exhibit in The Art League Gallery is always a joyous affair, but an even more festive sort of hanging took place today as the Holiday Ornament Collection arrived, along with branches to hang it on. Popular for holiday gift-giving, the collection was hung with care, despite the gallery’s lack of a chimney.

With over 100 unique, handcrafted ornaments for sale, The Art League’s tree is bursting with holiday cheer. Pat Miller, co-owner of the Alexandria store A Show of Hands and chairperson of the Alexandria Commission for the Arts, judged for prizes.

The Holiday Ornament Collection will be in The Art League Gallery through January 2.

Opaque Blue Swirl, a work in mouth-blown glass by Sally Ann Baynard, won best in show.

Exhibits

Calls for Artists, Coast to Coast

Courtesy of FindArtInfoBank.com:

Call for Exhibition Proposals – NY
Deadline: January 31, 12. The Lake George Arts Project Gallery Committee invites artists to submit exhibition proposals for the Courthouse Gallery 2013 exhibition season. Strong preference is given to work created within the past two years. Proposals for special exhibitions, installations, mixed media presentations, and performance art are welcome. The deadline for proposals is always January 31. For more information visit: http://www.lakegeorgearts.org/annual-call.htm, or contact Lake George Arts Project, Gallery Committee, 1 Amherst Street, Lake George, NY 12845, (518) 668-2616, [email protected].

Call for art: GOTHIC – CA
Deadline: December 31, 11. Gothic invites submissions from artists evincing a peculiar, perverse, idiosyncratic sensitivity, influenced by literature, movies, television and the tabloids, in painting, drawing, sculpture, illustration, fashion, graphic design, animation, photography, video, digital media, computer-based works, installation and performance. OCCCA’s museum of the macabre will display supernatural mutations, bizarre curiosities permeated by fantastic and pathological themes. Juror: Amy V. Grimm: Independent Curator and Assistant Professor of Art History & Museum Studies at Irvine Valley College. Details and Online Entry: http://occca.org/EXHIBITIONS.html#gothic

32nd Annual Juried Photography Exhibition – NY
Deadline: March 23, 2012. Smithtown Township Arts Council seeks entries for its 32nd Annual Juried Photography Exhibition The Hand-Made Photograph at the Mills Pond House Gallery, May 5-June 1, 2012. Juror: Christopher James. National call. Prospectus at www.stacarts.org/exhibits or email [email protected]. 660 Route 25A, St.James, NY 11780. (631) 862-6575. $45/3 entries. Cash Prize.

More listings after the jump: Continue reading Calls for Artists, Coast to Coast

Artist Opportunities

Photoshop Lecture for Artists

The Art League Gallery became a classroom, briefly, on Tuesday for a lecture on Adobe Photoshop by Art League member John Burgess. John, who gave another lecture Wednesday on exhibition-quality prints for photographers, spelled out the basics of Photoshop and answered questions at the free lecture, part of The Art League’s FotoWeek DC events.

Among the topics covered were how to get photos properly sized and onto a CD for electronic submissions and how to maximize quality during an image’s trip from camera to printer. John’s tips included:

  • Purchase an external hard drive and save images on both your computer and this hard drive, to guard against hard drive failure.
  • Use an organizing program, such as Adobe Bridge, Adobe Lightroom, Aperture, or iPhoto, to manage large numbers of photos.
  • To print for exhibition purposes, aim for a resolution of 240–360 pixels per inch. Check the recommendations for the printer and the paper you’re using.
  • Use the histogram on your camera and adjust exposure to avoid clipping of shadows or highlights in your image.
  • Avoid using the sRGB color space because it loses some color information.
Histograms tell you about your photo's lighting at a glance.

John gave attendees a crash course in terminology, explaining color models (RGB, CMYK, CIE Lab), color spaces or profiles, which specify how a device differs from the standard color spectrum, file types (.jpeg, .tiff, .psd, Raw), and explained how to use color profiles to produce accurate color in files and prints.

He also used a picture of his granddaughter to show how to make her “pop” against the background by adjusting the curves (under Image>Adjustments) and colorized a black-and-white photo of himself by painting with masks:

Need a Photoshop lesson? The Art League School offers a Photoshop workshop this March (details and registration here), a workshop on using Photoshop for pictures of artwork, also in March (details), and later this month, a workshop on Photoshop for painters (details).

Events

On the Horizon: Travel Workshop to Ethiopia

Andargé Asfaw
Andargé Asfaw

It’s not too soon to start getting excited about The Art League’s travel workshop this spring to Ethiopia. We spoke to instructor and photographer Andargé Asfaw, who was born in Ethiopia and called the land “a paradise” for photographers and other artists. This workshop is open to artists of all media.

Inside Abune Aron Church by Andargé Asfaw

Each day of the workshop will start with the morning light, following a schedule of shooting locations to follow the light during the day. Students can expect to cover ground in the historical, Northern part of Ethiopia and see such natural wonders as the Simien Mountains.

Andargé has been to these locations before, and says each trip gets better as the logistics and the roads improve.

A photo taken in Kenya by Andargé Asfaw

The sites, cultural and natural, create a wide world of opportunities for photographers — and artists in other media: Andargé stressed the workshop is open to others.

“You’re in paradise,” he says. “Everything is there for you. You’ve got culture; you’ve got architecture; you’ve got faces, animals — I don’t think you can ask for a better place than that.”

Roadside Market in the Fog, Kombolcha by Andargé Asfaw

The trip also includes professional, English-speaking guides and an expert instructor, Andargé, who has experience in the area and is with students all day to answer questions.

Details of the trip, including the exact dates, are being finalized. Check back here, and on The Art League School website, for news as it develops.

Andargé has released a book, Ethiopia from the Heart, and started a nonprofit, Canopy Ethiopia, to promote trees in Ethiopia. His work is also featured in an exhibit in Richmond this month.

Gate Keeper of Zege Kidane Mihiret Monastery by Andargé Asfaw
Travel Workshops

In Plein Sight

Last week The Art League Plein Air Painters, a group previously featured on this blog, were up to their usual antics, painting at Green Spring Gardens Park in Alexandria, Burke Lake Park in Fairfax, and Theodore Roosevelt Island, where David Diaz painted this scene:

Kim Stenberg also shared her painting from Green Spring Gardens, Autumn Brook, at her blog.

News

Local Calls For Artists

Several local groups are seeking submissions for upcoming exhibits, including one with a late deadline today. We also received an announcement for available studio space.

Final deadline today — 21st Annual Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival

May 19 and 20, 2012 marks the 21st Annual Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival showcasing the best contemporary fine art and craft from around the country. Over two hundred artists fill the streets of Reston’s up-scale Town Center with an outdoor art exhibition that is regarded as one of the top festivals on the East Coast.  Artists are selected on the basis of quality, originality, and craftsmanship by a panel of jurors who are experts in their fields. Festival  organizers also invite ten award winners from the previous year and six percent of participating artists.  In 2011, thirty percent of exhibitors were first-time artists. The festival is produced by Greater Reston Arts Center (GRACE), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, in support of its exhibition, education, and outreach programs. No sales commissions are charged and festival admission is free but voluntary donations are encouraged. 100% of the funds collected go directly to support GRACE’s mission. 
Tonight at midnight is the deadline for this festival, which takes place in Reston. Details are here.
December 2 deadline — Photography Exhibition
The Capitol Hill Arts Workshop is hosting its 6th Annual Contemporary Photography Exhibition, January 6 – February 2, 2012, including over $2,000 in purchase awards and the opportunity for a solo exhibition. Details and submission guidelines are here.
light paint 1 by Brian Cognazzo, from the 2011 exhibition
December 10 deadline — Prince George’s County Artists
The Prince George’s Department of Parks and Recreation, Arts and Cultural Heritage Division, in partnership with the Prince George’s Arts and Humanities Council, is pleased to announces Memories from All Directions, this year’s exhibition of Prince George’s County artists in the Lowe House Office building in Annapolis, during the Maryland General Assembly/ the Legislative Session. 
This call for entries is open to all artists 18 years old or older who live, work, attend school or have studios in Prince George’s County, MD. Artists may submit a maximum of 5 artworks for consideration. All works must be original. Artworks may use any media. However, in order to be considered for the exhibition, artworks must incorporate memory as an important theme. Art works must also be presentation-ready and able to hang on a wall without projecting off the wall in such a way that they could obstruct or endanger foot traffic in the exhibition area. To download the prospectus, click here.

Old Brick Warehouse — 4 studios available

This 11,500 sq. ft. artist’s warehouse is about 2.5 miles from the Torpedo Factory and near the intersection of Duke Street and S. Quaker Lane. Onsite parking is free, and you will have 24/7 access. Each artist has a key to his or her studio and another key to the building’s main entrance. There are no requirements to keep your studio open during specified hours. Please contact Liz Boynton at [email protected] or 703-759-4227.
Artist Opportunities

News from the Art League Plein Air Painters

The Art League Plein Air Painters, a group we last heard from when they visited Norfolk, took New York by storm this month, with three members’ works accepted to the American Artists Professional League 83rd Grand National Exhibition. The show is running through tomorrow, November 11, at the Salmagundi Club.

Lynn Mehta under her award-winning Appalachian Valley.

Jill Banks, Lynn Mehta and Jean Schwartz were in the show, and Lynn’s painting, Appalachian Valley, won the John Collins Memorial Award. Congratulations!

News

"Small Works" opening reception tonight

After a busy week of receiving, jurying, and hanging, the opening reception for “Small Works” is tonight, in The Art League Gallery, from 6:30 to 8:00 pm. Out of over 900 pieces entered, under 300 were selected by juror Jordan Faye Block as part of the exhibit, which runs November 9 – December 5.

Specimen One, 3-D mixed media collage by David Alfuth

The huge number of submissions is evidence of an active arts community, and that energy is on display in all media from a diverse group of artists — the only thing the works of art have in common is their high quality and small size.

 
The result is a treasure trove of an exhibit, with something intriguing around every corner — the curious, the inspiring, the personal, the humorous, the sensational.

Solange, a work in alabaster by Ann Ruppert

Two pieces were selected to win this month’s awards: Cabin 2 by Everitt Clark, a silver gelatin contact print, won the Eleanor Boudreau Jordan Award, and Variation, a collage by Theresa Esterlund, won the first-ever Anne Banks Collage Award.

Cabin 2 and Variation

More photos of “Small Works” after the jump:

Hippo Hiding in the Grass, Trinka Roeckelein
Studda Baba: Waiting and Studda Baba: Friends, Claudia McBurney


Exhibits

Exhibition and Residency Opportunities Nationwide

Courtesy of FindArtInfoBank.com:

Reality – MA
Deadline: November 15, 2011. Caladan Gallery presents a juried exhibition entitled Reality. The bottom has dropped out of our conceived definition. If we see it, does it really exist? Caladan Gallery is asking you, voices of observation and opinion for a visual “heads up.” What is reality? All media except video are eligible. Please go to: www.caladangallery.com to download prospectus (click on “enter your artwork”) OR write to: Caladan Gallery, Box 391939, Cambridge MA 02139 or call: 617.838.8929 for more information.

9 x 12 Works on Paper Show – TX
Deadline: November 15, 2011. The Fort Worth Community Arts Center announces an open call for entries; 2011 9 x 12 Works on Paper Show, December 10-29, 2011. Artworks on or of paper may be any size, but must fit in a 9 x 12 envelope; folded, 3D or multi-part OK. Unmatted, unframed photography, drawing, painting, printmaking, collage, mixed media, cast or folded paper or digital prints OK (other materials attached OK). Original artworks only; no reproductions. Put artist’s name, address, title and date of work and medium on back. No entry form. Open to all artists–no age or geographical restrictions. All artwork shown–no jury. Entry fee is $5US/piece; 5 entries max. All artwork for sale for $100 US; artist gets 80%. Unsold works with SASE will be mailed; no metering. Send entries, entry fee by check or M.O. to 9 x 12, FWCAC, 1300 Gendy, Ft Worth, TX 76107. More information available at [email protected] or www.fwcac.org; prospectus at www.fwcac.com/images/9x12prospectus2011.pdf

Altered States: Photography Based Images – PA
Deadline: November 23, 2011. The Pocono Arts Council announces a call to photographers for a national juried photography exhibition, January 14 – February 27, 2012 at ARTSPACE Gallery in Stroudsburg, PA. $800 in awards. Juror: Harris Fogel, Assoc. Professor of Photography, University of the Arts, Philadelphia. Open call for entries of photo-based works which have been altered by the artist at any point during the photographic process. All content and photographic media are acceptable-alternative processes, traditional black and white, and/or digital methods. Additional artistic mediums, such as paint or found objects, are encouraged as long as the piece is photographic based. Student: $15 first two entries/$10 each add.; Adults: $20 first two entries/$15 each add. Visit website for prospectus at: http://www.poconoarts.org, or send a SASE to: PoconoArts, 18 N. Seventh St., Stroudsburg PA 18360. Questions? Please contact Laura Goss at [email protected] or call 570-476-4460.

Creature Comforts – VA
Deadline: March 2, 2012. Creature Comforts is an instillation and sculpture exhibition that explores the idea of the things that make us comfortable and at ease in everyday life. In modern day society many luxury items are considered a necessity and are difficult to live without. This exhibition will explore the artist’s view on modern creature comforts, and society’s dependence on the luxuries in life, and their residual effects. The jurors for this exhibition are Mary Cook and Allison Nance of microWave project llc. Founded in 2010, microWave project acts a conduit between artists and groups/businesses to provide space for temporary, pop-up, “micro” galleries. Their mission is to help promote these artists and educate the community by exploring alternative venues for emerging & established artists with an emphasis on site-specific installation art. By developing programming to correspond with the exhibitions, they provide accessible art experiences to the public and encouraging community dialogue. Workhouse Arts Center, 9601 Ox Road, Lorton, VA 22079. workhousearts.org

Many more listings after the jump:

Studio Montclair’s “ViewPoints 2012” Annual Exhibition – NJ
Deadline: November 18, 2011. Studio Montclair announces a call to all artists working in all mediums including videos and installations. The exhibit will be held March 26 – April 20, 2012 at Ben Shahn Galleries, William Paterson University in Montclair, NJ. Cash awards. Juror: Alexandra Schwartz, Curator of Contemporary Art at the Montclair Art Museum. $40 for 3 images. Download prospectus (PDF format) at: http://studiomontclair.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/ProspectusAnnual2012final1.pdf or send a SASE to: Studio Montclair, 108 Orange Road, Montclair, NJ 07042. Questions? Contact Phoebe Pollinger at [email protected] or call 973-783-4067. http://studiomontclair.org

31 Women in Art Photography: Humble Arts Foundation – NY
Deadline: November 23, 2011, 11:59 PM, PST. On July 19, 2012, Humble Arts Foundation, in conjunction with Hasted Kraeutler, will present its third edition of 31 Women in Art Photography at Hasted Kraeutler in Chelsea, NY. We are proud to announce that along with Humble’s curatorial director, Jon Feinstein, Natalia Sacasa, senior director of Luhring Augustine, will co-curate the 2012 edition. Eligibility: Female photographers over the age of 18 are eligible regardless of geographic location, participation in previous exhibitions and/or gallery representation. For submission guidelines: http://hafny.org/women-in-photography/open-call-31-women-in-art-photography-2012/ Notification: Friday, December 16, 2011. Note: All participating artists are responsible for the printing, framing, mounting and shipping of their work to and from Hasted Kraeutler as well as insuring it while it is in transit. Hasted Kraeutler will insure the works while they are on display in the gallery. Please send all inquiries to: [email protected]. Website: http://www.hafny.org

The Figure Now/Exhibition 2012: Fontbonne University Fine Arts Gallery – MO
Deadline: December 15, 11. A National juried painting exhibition focused on the contemporary expression of the human form. Juror: Kent Williams
www.kentwilliams.com. Website: http://bitly.com/thefigurenow

ACOPAL’s Exhibition of Contemporary American and Chinese Realism – OH
Deadline: November 21, 2011. Don’t miss this opportunity to exhibit at the Butler Institute of American Art, December 18, 2011 – February 26, 2012, and the World Art Museum in Beijing, China in September 2012 with some of the World’s foremost realist artists. The competition is open to artists residing in the United States. All work must be in oil paint as the predominant medium. 3 Grand Prize Winners will be selected to exhibit with ACOPAL’s Honorary Members at the Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown, Ohio and have the opportunity to exhibit at the World Art Museum in Beijing, China. Grand Prize Winners will also receive membership into ACOPAL, inclusion in the full color catalog and be featured on the website. Jurors: Peter Trippi, Paul McCormack. Entry fee: $25 per image. Visit website for prospectus at: http://acopal.org/index.php?option=com_jforms&view=form&id=1&Itemid=50. Questions? Contact Katie O’Hagan at [email protected]

Manchester District Courthouse – VA
All applications are due by Friday, November 11 by 5 p.m. The City of Richmond Public Art Commission is seeking qualified artists to create commissioned outdoor artwork for the Manchester District and Community. The selected site is located on the grounds of the newly renovated and expanded Manchester Courthouse along Richmond’s bustling Hull Street. The total purchase budget for this project is $120,000. More than one piece of art may be selected. More details on web site. Website: http://richmondvacommunitydevelopme.blogspot.com/2011/10/call-for-artists-for-manchester.html

3rd annual Signature American Watercolor Exhibition & Sale – CA
Deadline: November 18, 2011. The Fallbrook Art Center in Fallbrook, CA announces a call to artists for a juried exhibition, February 5 – March 18, 2012. $4,500 in cash & merchandise awards. Juror: Ted Nuttall, AWS, NWS. Open to all artists who have achieved official signature status in one or more of the established watercolor/watermedia societies in the U.S. All submissions must be digital (jpeg preferred). All works must be for sale. The 2012 show is presented in conjunction with BOTH the American & National Watercolor Societies’ travel exhibitions – we are the only venue in the country to present both travel shows at the same time. Juror will select 25 pieces for the exhibition. $35 for 1 work, $45 for 2 works. Download prospectus (PDF format) at: http://fallbrookartcenter.org/download/SAWE%202012%20Prospectus.pdf, or send a SASE to: Fallbrook Art Center, 103 S. Main Ave., Fallbrook CA 92028. Questions? Please contact Mary Perhacs, Executive Director at [email protected] or call 760-728-1414. http://www.fallbrookartcenter.org

The Human Form – VT
Deadline: December 28, 2011. Darkroom Gallery in Essex Jct., Vermont seeks entries for an international photography exhibition, 1/24 – 2/17/12. Photographers maintain rights to their work and set their own prices. Free framing/matting, Juror’s Choice, Peoples Choice. Juror: Elizabeth Opalenik. The Human Form, simple yet subtly complex, always present yet hidden, expose your vision. Our bodies: forbidden, subverted, suppressed, elevated, venerated, and sanctified. The human form is unceasingly beautiful, complex, and remarkable. It is one of the very few things that all of us has in common, and yet is a source of perpetual cultural, spiritual, and scientific dissension. $20 entry fee. Visit website for details at: http://www.darkroomgallery.com/ex24, or send SASE to: Darkroom Gallery, 12 Main St. Essex Jct., VT 05452. Questions? Contact Ken Signorello at [email protected] or call 802-777-FOTO. www.darkroomgallery.com  

2012 Juried Fellowship Call for Entry: Houston Center for Photography – TX
Deadline: November 11, 11. Two fellowship recipients will be awarded $2,500 each and a solo exhibition at HCP in the summer of 2012. One Houston-based artist (residing within a 100 mile radius of Houston including the Beaumont, Galveston, and College Station areas) will receive the Carol Crow Memorial Fellowship and another artist from anywhere in the world, outside the Houston area, will receive the HCP Fellowship. Christopher Rauchenberg of Blue Sky Gallery (Portland, OR) will jury the fellowship selection. Website: http://hcponline.org/pages/2012_juried_fellowship_call_for_entries_123.asp

Blue Sky Project of Dayton, Ohio Seeks Artist’s Proposals for 2012 Summer Residency – OH
Deadline: January 16, 2012. Blue Sky Project is a summer experience that empowers professional artists and Dayton-area teens to collaborate and build community through the creation of ambitious and meaningful works of contemporary art and performance. As one of five Blue Sky Project Artists-In-Residence, you will cross-pollinate with other practicing artists, collaborate with teens, expand your ideas and add artistic breadth and depth to the Dayton community. Relocated in 2009 to Ohio from our original location in Illinois, artists gather for eight weeks from mid-June to mid August at the University of Dayton, located 2 miles from downtown Dayton. Monday – Thursday, from 10-3:30 are devoted to intensive collaborations between each individual artist and a small group of six to eight local teen participants, culminating in a final exhibition. Artists-in-Residence invent the remaining structure, working together or individually on projects. Our hope is that the projects will seep out, intervene, enhance and impact the community. Because of the collaborative nature of Blue Sky Project, your project must have an open-ended structure. Your project must be achievable in eight weeks, within a $1,000 budget (excluding final exhibition expenses) and must engage others in its articulation and production. The rest is up to you. To learn more about Blue Sky Project, see previous work and backgrounds of past resident artists, and to download our Call for Proposals, please visit http://www.blueskydayton.org/

Call for Artist Residents – MA
Deadline: November 13, 2011. Gallery 263 (http://gallery263.com/index.php) in Cambridge, MA is currently accepting applications for its Winter Residency. Each session is twelve weeks in length. The space will be shared by three to five artists, all mediums welcome to apply (painters, writers, musicians, etc.). Artists are selected on the basis of their work quality, originality, and their personal commitment to community interaction and collaboration. Traditionally the end of each Residency concludes with a two week group exhibition. The Artist-in-Residency Program offers affordable shared studio space for local artists and emphasizes not only the final product of art, but the creative process. Artists have full access to a versatile work space with high ceilings, natural light and track lighting. The enhanced attention of a street level studio is especially beneficial to emerging artists looking to promote their work and increase their audience. Visit website to learn more. Questions? Please contact Laura at [email protected]. http://gallery263.com/index.php http://www.gallery263.com/residency.php

7 month Fellowship for Visual Artists and Writers: FINE ARTS WORK CENTER in Provincetown – MA
Deadline: December 1, 11. The FINE ARTS WORK CENTER in Provincetown offers a unique residency program for emerging artists and writers. Located in a rustic fishing village with a storied history as an arts colony, the Work Center provides seven-month Fellowships to twenty Fellows each year in the form of living/work space and a modest monthly stipend of $750. Residencies run from October 1 through April 30. Fellows pursue their work independently in a diverse and supportive community of peers. Additional facilities include a basic woodshop, a print shop with etching and lithography press and a computer lab featuring a video editing suite and large format digital printer. Writing Fellows are housed in two- to three-room apartments. Some working studios and living spaces are handicap accessible. -Applications for the 2012-2013 Writing Fellowship must be submitted in hard copy with a postmark on or before December 1, 2011. We do not accept electronic submissions for the Writing Fellowship. The Writing Fellowship application fee is $45. Applications can be downloaded at: http://fawc.org/fellowships/fel_app_guidelines_write.php. -Applications for the 2012-2013 Visual Arts Fellowship must be submitted electronically on or before February 1, 2012 using SlideRoom. The Visual Arts Fellowship application fee is $57.
To submit an electronic application visit: https://fawc.slideroom.com/ The Fine Arts Work Center is an equal opportunity provider and employer. Website: http://fawc.org/fellowships

Artist Retreats or Writer Residencies: Chicago Art Retreats – IL
Deadline: December 1, 2011. Writers or artists of all disciplines are welcome to apply for a partial Fellowship to cover costs for the upcoming 2012 Winter Art Retreats and Residencies in Chicago. Each day will offer time to write, research and an opportunity to communicate your experiences and challenges of being a creative individual with others. All are encouraged to apply for a fellowship. Deadline is December 1, 2011 for the 2012 season. Writing samples or portfolios are required for fellowship review. Website: http://chicagoartretreats.org

Artist Opportunities

ArtFest is in the Air

The Art League has a weekend of fun events planned for this holiday season in another installment of our famous ArtFest. This year’s shows are great opportunities to enjoy some art and find gifts for whoever’s on your list. Don’t forget to save the date! All the ArtFest events are at our Madison Annex, 305 Madison Street in Alexandria.

ArtFest 2010
Our Lively Annual Open House and Holiday Party
Friday, December 2, 6:00 – 9:00 pm
The Art League throws its annual holiday party for ArtFest 2011 in the Madison Annex, our 3D instructional space. If you haven’t been to the Madison Annex, come see where the magic happens and see some live demonstrations from artists in a variety of 3-D media. Plus, from live music, to a variety of art demos and exhibits, to ceramic and jewelry sales (open all weekend), to food and drinks, there’s something for everybody — and best of all, admission is free! This popular party kicks of ArtFest 2011 and is a great opportunity to enjoy some artwork and take some home as holiday gifts. Featuring one-of-a-kind collectables: Handpainted ornaments created by Art League artists! These little works of art make unique stocking stuffers, hostess gifts, and are the perfect way to start an “heirloom” ornament collection for your family.
Ceramic artist Kim Hyu Ju

Ceramic and Pottery Show and Sale
Friday, December 2: 12:00 noon – 9:00 pm; Saturday, December 3: 10:00 am – 6:00 pm; Sunday, December 4: 12:00 noon – 5:00 pm
From functional to freeform, one of a kind ceramic vessels and sculptures created by students and associates of The Art League will be for sale during our popular annual Holiday Ceramic and Pottery Sale. These unique works of art are perfect for holiday gift giving.

Jewelry Show and Sale
Friday, December 2: 12:00 noon – 9:00 pm; Saturday, December 3: 10:00 am – 6:00 pm; Sunday, December 4: 12:00 noon – 5:00 pm
Back for the entire ArtFest weekend in 2011, The Art League’s Jewelry Show and Sale will showcase a variety of unique jewelry pieces created by Art League students. Find original, hand-crafted works of art to fit all tastes and budgets.
We hope to see you there! There is more information on The Art League’s website, and you can RSVP to the Facebook event here. 
Events

Upcoming Art League Events

There’s no shortage of excitement at The Art League this week as we prepare for some workshops and demos, FotoWeekDC events, and a fresh coat of paint for the gallery. Details below!
To register for workshops, please call the gallery at 703-683-1780, or e-mail us at [email protected]. Space is limited.

Gallery closing: Artists with work on display in October exhibits need to pick up their work Sunday, November 6 from 2:00–6:00 pm. The gallery will be closed Monday to prepare for the next month’s exhibits (below). This also means it’s your last chance to see this month’s exhibits!
“Small Works” November exhibit
The Art League’s popular annual show highlights smaller works of art. Receiving is Monday, November 7, 6:30–8:30 pm and Tuesday, November 8, 10:00 am–12:00 noon. The opening reception for the show is Thursday, November 10, 6:30 – 8:00 pm. More details on entering are here.

“What Art to Wear” November exhibit
This wearable art exhibit features fine art that can also be worn. Receiving is Monday, November 7, 6:30–8:30 pm and Tuesday, November 8, 10:00 am–12:00 noon. The opening reception for the show is Thursday, November 10, 6:30 – 8:00 pm. More details on entering are here (bottom of the page). “What Art to Wear” was featured in the Washington Post’s Going Out Guide.
Winter Light Photography Walk with Frank Fierstein
Saturday, November 5, 10:00 am – 1:00 pm

Join a local abstract photographer, Frank Fierstein, on a walk through Old Town Alexandria. The session will start behind the Torpedo Factory with a brief discussion on how to use the beautiful fall light to improve the quality of your photographic images. He will also discuss how to use your camera lens to change and improve the quality and impact of your images. The walk will start traveling through Alexandria’s picturesque streets, alleys, shoreline and walkways. It will conclude with a brief critique, question and answer session back at The Art League. Digital as well as film photographers are welcome. In case of rain, please bring appropriate clothing. Part of FotoWeek DC.
 
Encaustic Demonstration with Jackie Hoysted
Saturday, November 5, 1:00–2:00 pm
Jackie Hoysted — whose solo exhibit, “Input Output,” wraps up on Saturday — demonstrates the use of encaustic, a paint made with beeswax.

Photoshop for Beginners with John Burgess
Tuesday, November 15, 1:00–4:00 pm
Join photographer John Burgess for a demonstration on using Photoshop for beginners. Burgess will also discuss how to create CDs for digital entries and how to correctly size your images for digital exhibit submissions. This workshop is appropriate for those who have no experience with Photoshop. Part of FotoWeek DC.

by Alison Duvall
Exhibition Prints Using Color Management and Jet Ink Printers
Wednesday, November 16, 2011, 1:00–4:00 pm
Join photographer John Burgess for a repeat of his popular workshop on how to create accurate color photographic prints using tools to calibrate your monitor and printer. Part of FotoWeek DC.

Registration for Winter Term starts November 7
Winter classes at The Art League School start January 9, but you can register starting Monday to ensure you have a spot in the class you want. Mosaics, tapestry, stained glass, jewelry, drawing, painting, weaving and much more is offered — over 200 classes and workshops are listed on The Art League website.

You can keep up to date on Art League events by checking our calendar.
Events

Help The Art League

The City of Alexandria is participating in a survey by Americans for the Arts to study the economic impact of arts on the city. Whether you’ve taken an Art League class or attended one of our events, please do a favor for The Art League and local arts by filling out this pdf and emailing it back to us (or bringing it by in person).
All responses are confidential. Please answer each question and return it to The Art League. Thank you!
News

Upcoming Ceramics Workshop

Potter Simon Levin will be teaching a weekend workshop for The Art League, “Methods of Expression in Clay,” in January. We asked Simon about his ideas for the class and what we could expect. His answers are below.

Class description: “Art is communication. Art explores an idea. This hands-on workshop employs a variety of exercises to clarify and express participants’ ideas in clay. Attention is paid to evoking new ideas and discussing the importance of work endowed with meaning. Methods of expression with clay are explored, pushed, and challenged, and critique is taught and employed. Intermediate knowledge of clay work and a sense of humor are required.“

by Simon Levin

What am I hoping for in this workshop? I often think we aren’t short on ideas, that inspiration to come up with ideas, though valuable, is not enough. Often in refining and plumbing the depths of our ideas is where the work lies, and we need inspiration to do that work. Many great ideas are discounted, or undeveloped. It is my hope that students will take from this work the skill set to clarify and layer their work with their ideas, as well as the energy and passion to do so.

Why am I a fan of wood-fired kilns in particular? I can certainly draw a similarity between a good workshop and the wood-firing process. I fell in love with the colors and surfaces that can be evoked from raw materials in a wood kiln. My work has become about layering the feeling of those surfaces into the form, clay treatment, volume, curve and texture of the work. Wood-firing in no way is the right choice for any work, nor can it make bad work good. But the ideas that excited me, that I felt inspired to plumb were about the way flame moves over the work, the narrative it leaves and the intimacy of connection to the work that results from the labor intensive process.

by Simon Levin

Why do students need to be prepared with a sense of humor? Well it’s a good survival technique for one. Secondly humor is a great tool to bring honest appraisal past insecurity. Humor opens doors that are closed when we take ourselves too seriously. The role of critique is to refine and develop a message, to let the maker know what other’s hear, to give the maker the gift of another person’s sight. Having a sense of humor helps on the journey. In addition I love to laugh.

Sound like fun? You can register at The Art League’s website.

Art Classes

Winter Painting Retreat in the Bahamas Almost Sold Out

“I think the Bahamas the best place I have ever found.” — Winslow Homer

Has the approach of winter got you singing the blues? Escape the cold and gray and add some color to the season with The Art League’s upcoming travel workshop to the Bahamas this February.

Painting by Susan Abbott

But don’t expect just a vacation.

“We work really hard,” says Susan Abbott, the instructor for the trip. “They’re very active workshops.” Instead of superficially experiencing the Bahamas, traveling as an artist means being actively engaged with one’s surroundings, she says — a traveler, not a tourist. “My teaching is focused on composition and color, and also developing a personal response to landscape,” Susan says.

Each day includes a morning and afternoon plein air session, about three hours each, and a critique at the end of the day.

There’s plenty of inspiration to fill those sessions, as Winslow Homer found with his famous watercolors of the Bahamas. The narrow island of Elbow Cay, where the workshop is held, features water on both sides — bay on one side, ocean on the other — not to mention the compelling architecture. Hope Town on Elbow Cay, which was featured in the Washington Post this month, was settled by Americans loyal to the crown during the Revolution, resulting in the curious sight of New England-style homes painted in tropical colors.

Sponge Fishing, Nassau by Winslow Homer

In 2012, the long-running Bahamas workshop will take place February 9–14. This is Susan Abbott’s third year as instructor, but before she took over, Ross Merrill ran the workshop. He was Chief of Conservation at the National Gallery and taught courses at The Art League before he passed away last year. Susan, who is based in Vermont, also has upcoming travel workshops in Vermont and Provence, France, in addition to local workshops this March on color theory for painters and on traveling with a sketchbook in Old Town Alexandria.

Visit The Art League’s website for more information on the Bahamas workshop and how to sign up.

Travel Workshops

Artist Opportunities: Call for Entries and Residencies Talk

Gallery West in Alexandria is announcing a call for entries, and Hamiltonian Gallery in DC is hosting a talk on artist residencies. Details below:

Call for entries — Deadline Nov. 11: Gallery West is pleased to announce a call for entries for its 15th annual national juried show. The all media show will be juried by CD, awards to total $1000. It will be juried by Edward J. Reed. Exhibit Dates: February 8, 2012 – March 4, 2012. For more details, review the prospectus and entry form at www.gallery-west.com.

“Artist Residencies: Where to find them, what to get out of them” — Nov. 8 at 7 pm: Artist residencies offer many different styles and models of support that provide artists of all disciplines with dedicated time and space for their creative work. Some are active centers for public programming and artistic community, and others offer solitude and retreat.
 
Our speakers will share their experiences and perspectives from an emerging artist, an established artist and a residency director on the art of finding a residency program. The panel will provide an in-depth cross section of the benefits and impacts of artist residencies and address preparedness, finding the right fit and how to get the most out of the experience. RSVP to [email protected].

The Professional Development Speaker Series is a succession of lectures and workshops given by established artists and art professionals to aid in the artistic and entrepreneurial development of all Hamiltonian Fellows and other emerging artists. All talks begin promptly at 7pm and take place at Hamiltonian Gallery, 1353 U Street, NW Washington, DC 20009.

Artist Opportunities

Art on the Rocks 2011: Photos and Winners

Last week, The Art League hosted Art on the Rocks, challenging six bartenders from local restaurants to create original drinks inspired by works in The Art League Gallery. The six bartenders went all-out to create memorable cocktails — five liquid, one solid — and their work paid off, and made voting for the winner that much more difficult. As attendee Bradley Austin put it after trying two drinks, they were “just weird enough.”

“You want to have something interesting and different,” he said.

Trae from Chadwicks, last year’s winning mixologist, serves up his new mixed drink.

Chris Kirby from Austin Grill concocted the Green Glacier, featuring triple sec, gin, vodka, rum, Sprite, and Midori, a melon liqueur. Chris said the creation was a group effort, and that the restaurant wanted the drink to look — and taste — green, to match its inspiration, a photograph of the Aurora Borealis by Richard Mallory Allnutt.

Attendee Jessica Pitts said she found the Green Glacier very summery — “perfect for a tailgate.”

Chris Kirby, right, from Austin Grill, brought his Green Glacier.

 

Steve Warner of Columbia Firehouse tops his White Russian Marshmallows.
Steve Warner of Columbia Firehouse said he chose Equipoise by Joyce McCarten because he has always gravitated toward texture. His cocktail was also “a textural exercise” — a Kahlua-laced marshmallow topped with Kahlua sauce, vodka foam and raspberry powder. Steve said the painting’s play with relief and texture inspired him to take something liquid and make it solid.
Tim from Hank’s Oyster Bar makes apple twists.
Voting was no easy matter.

Lee Carrell of Hank’s Oyster Bar said of his inspiration, Posed by Michele Hoben, that when he first saw it, “it reminded me of a candle freshly blown out.” He wanted to capture his smoky, sultry impression in his cocktail, which incorporates a spritz of mezcal in the glass — it causes the drink to evolve as it’s experienced, like a work of art, Lee said.

People must have liked what they experienced, because at the end of the night, they voted Hank’s one of two winners in a nail-biting tie. Justin of the Light Horse Restaurant, who demoed his Summertime Anytime cocktail for us, was the other winner. (Their acceptance speeches are on our YouTube page.)

Holly Nunn tasted Justin’s melon-based creation and decided that, in addition to the great blend of fruits, the mascarpone rim grounded the drink. Michelle Lore and Cindy Lamons struggled to decide between Lee’s cocktail at the Hank’s table and the basil-topped Wren at RedRocks Pizza Napoletana. The deciding factor tipping them in Lee’s favor, they said, was the thought he put into drawing inspiration from the painting and crafting a complex drink.

Justin and Lee will each get a trophy — and bragging rights, until next year.

More photos after the jump: Continue reading Art on the Rocks 2011: Photos and Winners

Events

The Art League’s Plein Air Painters Visit Norfolk

The Art League Plein Air Painters, a group formed this summer, made it down to Norfolk last month for a plein air event, the fifth annual “Out & About Norfolk.” October 20 and 21, painters around the city worked at their easels, including AL Plein Air Painters Bobbi Pratte, Jill Banks, David Diaz, Jo Ellen Murphy, and Lynn Mehta. They all won awards!

Bobbi Pratte painted Hermitage Rose Garden, which won the Juror’s Choice Award.

“Out & About Norfolk” is a yearly juried paint out. You can see the award winners here. Works from the event are on view Thursdays through Sundays until November 20. Details are on the event website.

Art League Plein Air Painters Jean Schwartz and Jill Banks have also been selected for the American Artists Professional League 83rd Grand National Exhibition, which opens today and runs through Nov. 11. Jean also reports that she has been juried in as a Salmagundi Club member.

Congratulations!

News