November 1, 2011 – The Art League

Winter Painting Retreat in the Bahamas Almost Sold Out

November 1, 2011

“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.

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.

Artist Opportunities: Call for Entries and Residencies Talk

November 1, 2011

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.

Art on the Rocks 2011: Photos and Winners

November 1, 2011

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

The Art League’s Plein Air Painters Visit Norfolk

November 1, 2011

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!