See below for details on upcoming exhibits and other opportunities! You can click the banner above for past opportunities posts.
Cult Creations
Deadline: January 4, 2013. Cult Creations is a pop-culture inspired art show. Are you a fan of Star Wars, Kill Bill, or The Shining? This is a call for artists to submit works of art on their favorite cult classics. All artists are invited to enter original artworks in any media for exhibition which will be on view at the Arlington Arts Gallery, from January 12th through January 30th, 2013. For more information and to enter, click here.
January 4–6, learn to make functional, wheel-thrown pottery in this workshop with Linda Christianson. You can register for the workshop here, and read the full description below:
This three-day workshop focuses on functional wheel thrown pottery. Several approaches to handle, spout, and feet making are explored. Demonstrations, slides, and group discussion form the basis for an understanding of how to look critically at ceramic work, as well as expand the understanding of form, surface, volume, and intent. Linda demonstrates throwing and altering forms in the morning, followed by a break for lunch with a film. Participants are able to work hands-on in the afternoon, with one-on-one attention from Linda. Friday night begins at 7:00pm with a slide show and pot luck. Saturday and Sunday meet from 10:00am-4:00pm.
If you’ve been to the Gallery to see the December All-Media Show, you’ve seen the large, striking painting in front. Procession, an oil pastel and watercolor work by Elizabeth Loftis, won the Carol Zakaski Memorial Award for Best in Show as decided by juror Linda Hafer, who praised the piece’s movement, warm palette, and value contrasts.
Elizabeth told us about her creative process, being a drawer rather than a painter, and drawing inspiration from travels, patterns, and animals. Read all about it in our Q&A, below, and see Procession in person through January 7 in the Gallery!
The opening reception for the all-media show and Suzanne Vigil’s “Up Close & Too Personal” is this Thursday, December 13 at 6:30 pm.
“Procession” by Elizabeth Loftis.
People often ask about your process for creating your paintings. Can you tell us about it and how and why you started doing it?
Elizabeth Loftis: Many of us are familiar with a variation of my method from art class in elementary school, when we drew fish with crayons and covered over them with watery blue paint. I started using my specific technique of oil pastel and watercolor in 2000 while I was living in Mozambique. I had long been attracted to printmaking, specifically the outlined look of woodblock prints. However, I never found the opportunity to take a class. I guess you can say my “ah ha” moment came from looking at zebras: they are the ultimate natural canvas with their strong black and white stripes. It occurred to me that if I took some white oil pastel and painted over it with black watercolor, I should get a nice, interesting contrast. And I was very pleased with the results.
“Procession” before painting.
Now I’ve refined the process. I start with a pencil drawing on watercolor paper which I then color in with oil pastels, carefully leaving an outline around the various forms. Then I paint over the entire picture with watercolor — the pastel repels the paint, and the outlines and black spaces vibrantly come to life. I use an x-acto knife to scrape any excess paint off the pastel. I go back in with additional pastel to make any final changes.
