Year: 2012

Artist Opportunities: September 18, 2012

Read on for details on a fellowship and some exhibition opportunities with upcoming deadlines. You can click the banner image above to see past opportunities posts.

Virginia fellowship in painting
Deadline: October 1, 2012. Artists in the discipline of painting, who are legal residents of Virginia at the application deadline, and who plan to remain in the state for the coming year, are eligible to apply for the 2012-2013 Artist Fellowship in Painting from the Virginia Commission for the Arts. For more information and the application, click here.

Portrait competition
Deadline: October 8, 2012. ArtSpace Herndon is holding its 2012 “Expressions” Portrait Competition, open to artists 18 years or older residing in Maryland, Virginia, DC, and Delaware. Artwork entered must be original 2-D or 3-D portraiture. No photography, electronic or computer art, or reproductions. This year’s judge is Kurt Schwarz, a painting instructor at The Art League. For the prospectus and entry form, click here.

More opportunities after the jump! Continue reading Artist Opportunities: September 18, 2012

Artist Opportunities

George’s Artistic Adventure: Prologue

My ceramics lesson in August.

It’s the start of fall classes at The Art League School this week, and I’m going back to school, too.

My name is George, and I do the blogging here at The Art League. I’m going to be sharing my tentative steps into my first art classes in many years — I’m finally learning to draw! — in the hopes that others will be inspired to try something new, too. I already blogged about trying my hand at the potter’s wheel. This fall I’m taking Basic Drawing with George Tkabladze and Stained Glass with Jimmy Powers.

So, I’ve just popped into The Art League Store this afternoon to pick up my supplies for my first drawing class tomorrow morning. David helped me pick out what I needed — some graphite pencils, erasers, a pencil sharpener, drawing paper and a drawing board. We’ll see what I can turn it into!

As I take these two classes for the next few weeks, I’ll be blogging away, trying to answer questions including: what’s it like to be a newbie in an Art League class? Do I have any artistic talent? And how’s that glass get stained, anyway?

Watch this space for updates as I fill you in on how I’m doing.

— George

George's Artistic Adventure

Q&A With Award-Winner Trinka Roeckelein

In the September All-Media exhibit, on view now through October 1, the juror awarded second prize to Sir Hog, a captivating sculpture of a warthog by Trinka Roekelein.

Trinka’s work also won a prize in last month’s “The Shape of Things” sculpture exhibit, when her Giraffe Boy was selected for the Monkith Saaid Sculpture Award. You can read more about Giraffe Boy, the series Safari in Clay that it and Sir Hog are part of, and her work in general in the interview from last month. This time around, we asked Trinka to tell us more about Sir Hog.

“Sir Hog” by Trinka Roeckelein.

What materials, treatments, etc., went into Sir Hog?
Trinka: I used a low fire clay body with oxides and underglazes, fired mulitiple times to cone 05, to achieve the desired surface.

Is it part of the Safari in Clay series?
Sir Hog stems from the Safari in Clay series. My work is evolving to focus on the increasingly complex dualities of modern existence. I am concentrating on the co-existence between nature and people and creating pieces that reflect the fantasy that arises by combining these parallel subjects through form, gesture and character. As the world continues to get smaller, this interaction is becoming more pronounced, compressed and automatic on both sides. Continue reading Q&A With Award-Winner Trinka Roeckelein

News

Drawing Marathon & Ice Cream Bowls: Weekend in Review

Instructor Scott Hutchison and model Wayne, dressed in a Civil War costume, started the drawing marathon at 10:00 am. You can read more from Scott here.

This past weekend was a great one for The Art League, and the long-awaited Drawing Marathon and the return of the annual Ice Cream Bowl Fundraiser were both hugely successful! Thank you to everyone who participated!

The Drawing Marathon, from 10:00 am to 10:00 pm on Saturday, included models and visits from Art League instructors throughout the day. The event benefitted the “30-Something” Campaign to raise funds for the Madison Annex Project. You can read more about Saturday’s events in this great write-up by Drawing Marathon participant Kathleen Best Gillmann, pictured below working on one of the pieces she completed that day.

Kathleen and her pastel still life in progress.
Another participant’s work in progress.

The Ice Cream Bowl Fundraiser was our most successful ever — you picked up over 1,000 handmade bowls created by Art League ceramics artists! Lots of people came by Saturday and Sunday to enjoy ice cream from Artfully Chocolate and add to the community art project by instructor Steve Prince. There was great weather (except for the storm that interrupted Saturday) and a great turnout.

Steve Prince setting up for the art activity.
The boards soon filled up with contributions. Photo by Tom Roberts.

Thanks to everyone who supported us this weekend! Which activity was your favorite?

Events

Q&A with Award-Winner Miriam Keeler

Have you been to The Art League Gallery yet to see this month’s all-media show and the solo show “Microcosms”? We’ll be bringing you interviews with the award winners from the September group show, starting with Miriam Keeler. The juror awarded the Shayna Heisman Simkin Award for best in show to Buona Fortuna, Miriam’s narrative, non-linear oil painting. We asked Miriam to tell us more about the piece and her work in general.

“Buona Fortuna” by Miriam Keeler.

How would you describe Buona Fortuna?
Miriam: My goal was a narrative painting in a contemporary and non-linear format.

What was the inspiration or motive behind the painting? Are specific places, people, or events depicted?
The painting was inspired by an experience my husband and I had several years ago in Italy. We made a wrong turn trying to get to our hotel in Florence, ending up in the dumpster/garbage area of a large very low-income high rise area. A Gypsy couple was busy dumpster diving, loading finds into their vehicle. We got out of our car to ask directions. Following the woman’s instructions, we ended up at our Florence hotel, where my husband quickly discovered that he did not have his wallet. There was no place it could be but back with the Gypsies. By what could only be a miracle we found our way back to the dumpsters—the couple was still there, although the husband was now sitting in their vehicle. When I asked her if they had seen the wallet she said no. For some reason I dropped to the ground and started crawling through the grass in a dramatic act of looking for the wallet. Before long she joined me crawling around looking. Continue reading Q&A with Award-Winner Miriam Keeler

Artist Interviews

“Microcosms” by Collage Artist Theresa Esterlund, Through Oct. 1

“Liberation” by Theresa Esterlund.

“Microcosms” at The Art League Gallery
September 6–October 1, 2012
Opening Reception: Thursday, September 13, 6:30–8:00 pm

This month’s solo exhibit at The Art League Gallery showcases the art of Theresa Esterlund, a collage artist whose work you may have seen in recent group shows in the Gallery. “Microcosms” opened last week, and this Thursday is the opening reception and meet-the-artist.

Esterlund’s creations combine vintage ephemera, including photographs and topographical maps, with ink and acrylic. The dreamlike compositions often seem like pages out of a story, with their small size pulling the viewer into an intimate space.

In November, we published a Q&A with Esterlund about her work in general, drawing inspiration from assemblage artist Joseph Cornell, and her piece Variation, which won the Anne Banks Collage Award in the “Small Works” exhibit. Variation appears in “Microcosms” as well — you can read all about it here. Esterlund mentioned that her work was growing to include themes from her experience with yoga, an influence that can be seen in pieces like Samsara. Esterlund teaches yoga in Alexandria.

“Variation” by Theresa Esterlund
“Samsara” by Theresa Esterlund

You can read more from Esterlund on her website and blog, April Evening. More images from “Microcosms” are on our Flickr page.

 

Exhibits

Artist Opportunities: September 11, 2012

See below for details on upcoming deadlines! You can click the banner above for past opportunities posts.

Crafty Bastards Arts & Crafts Fair
Deadline: September 16, 2012. Now in its ninth year, Crafty Bastards Arts & Crafts Fair is an exhibition and sale of handmade alternative arts and crafts from independent artists presented by the Washington City Paper. Crafty Bastards will be held indoors on Saturday, Nov. 10, 2012. Vendor applications are being accepted online now through Sept. 16, 2012. Click here for information and to register.

Drawing Salon at the National Gallery of Art
September 20 & 23. Join the National Gallery of Art for sketching and conversation.. Led by practicing artists and museum educators, the program integrates art history and art studio practices. September’s program focuses on gesture and movement found in the sculptures of Edgar Degas; future workshops can be found here. Space is limited to 35 participants on a first-come, first-served basis with sign-in beginning at 12:30 and continuing until all spaces are filled. All drawing materials provided. For more information, contact [email protected].

The 31st Annual Smithsonian Craft Show
Deadline: September 14, 2012 (late fee for applications Sept. 15–21). The annual Smithsonian Craft Show is a juried exhibition and sale of contemporary American crafts. Three jurors who are experts in the field and newly selected each year choose 120 artists from a large pool of applicants. Previous exhibitors must re-apply each year. No one is grandfathered into the show or given preference. Craft artists are selected on the basis of the originality, artistic conception, and quality of their work. The Show does not charge sales commissions. Full details can be found here.

The following national opportunities are courtesy of FindArtInfoBank.com:

43rd Annual River Road Show – LA
Deadline: September 17, 2012. The Louisiana Art and Artists’ Guild announces a call to artists for a juried art show December 3, 2012 – January 30, 2013 at the Louisiana State Archives Building in Baton Rouge, LA. $4,000 in cash and merchandise. Juror: Sam Corso. Competition is open to all United States artists 18 years and older. Submissions must be original two-dimensional art except photography or digitally-created/enhanced works. See prospectus for details. $40 for up to 3 entries and $5 for each additional entry, up to 10. Questions? Please contact the River Road Show Committee at [email protected] or call 225-753-0361. Click here for more information.

10th Annual Small Wonders – National Juried Exhibition – MD
Deadline: September 12, 2012. The Maryland Federation of Art in Annapolis, MD announces a call to artists for a juried exhibition, November 30 – December 29, 2012 at the Circle Gallery. $1,000 in Cash Awards. Juror: Laura Amussen, Exhibitions Director and Collections Coordinator, Goucher College. Seeking any two or three-dimensional work following guidelines and size limitations. 2-d work cannot exceed 11″ on any one side (includes frame). 3-d work cannot exceed 7″ in any direction. Artworks must be entered by uploading JPEG images through MFA’s online entry system. One-two entries $35 (MFA members $20); additional four entries $5 each. Click here to download prospectus (PDF format). Questions? Please contact Kyle Freeman at [email protected] or call 410-268-4566. Click here for more information.

16th International Open: Woman Made Gallery – IL
Deadline: November 18, 2012. Exhibition Dates: March 1 – April 25, 2013. Juror: Kelli Connell. Invitation to all women artists worldwide to submit artwork for this open exhibition. All themes, styles,and media will be considered. Artwork may not exceed 72″ horizontally, frame included. Awards: 1st Prize: Solo Show in 2014 at WMG; 2nd prize: $500; 3rd prize: $250; 4th prize: Honorable Mention. Submit jpgs of up to three of your works on our website or mail CD with completed entry form and a $30 entry fee to Woman Made Gallery, 685 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago, IL 60642. Click here for more information.

7th Annual Juried Exhibition – FL
Deadline: September 12, 2012, postmark. The International Society of Acrylic Painters-Florida announces a call to artists for its 7th Annual Juried Exhibition, November 1-30, 2012 at Dazzio Art Experience Premier Gallery, St. Petersburg, FL. Up to $5,000 including $1,000 for Best of Show. Juror: Spanish Artist Hugo Fontela. Must be 18 years of age. Pay ISAP-FL membership dues of $30. Paintings must be at least 80% acrylic. CD/DVD entry only. $25.00 for up to 3 paintings. Visit website for prospectus. Questions? Contact Sandy Thomas at [email protected] or call 727-547-1177.

Artist Opportunities

Back to School at The Art League Store

Classes for the fall term at The Art League School start next week, and the Store is ready to help you get back in the swing of things!

The Art League Store, on the second floor of the Torpedo Factory at 105 North Union Street in Alexandria, sells fine art supplies at discounted, non-profit prices to Art League members and students. Even better, the staff are working artists who can answer your questions and help you find the best materials for your work. More details and hours can be found here.

We asked Art League instructor Lisa Semerad (view her fall classes here) for her go-to supplies. Here’s what she recommended and why:

Kneaded eraser (small, $.83 or large, $1.31 at The Art League Store) and firm eraser (various brands, $.71 to $1.18)

Char-Kole stick ($.70 each or $7.73 for 12) and HB graphite pencil ($1.02)

Bulldog clips ($1.11 each) and drawing board ($7.66 for 18″ x 18″; $10.47 for 18″ x 24″)

 

Strathmore newsprint, 18″ x 24″ ($7.02 for 50 sheets) — “to warm up on, because it’s cheap.”

Strathmore 400 drawing paper, 18″ x 24″ ($12.88 for 24 sheets) — “because it’s versatile, still cheap, but if something works out it’s not junk.”

 

Set of 24 Nupastel hard pastels ($24.98) — “they are expressive, responsive, and movable, not fussy. They can even become paint if wetted with water or odorless mineral spirits.”

 

 

 

 

 

If you haven’t been to the Store recently, drop by and see what’s new! We’ll be featuring more from the Store in coming weeks.


Art Classes

Live from the Drawing Marathon and Ice Cream Bowl Fundraiser

Enjoying ice cream from Artfully Chocolate at the 2013 Ice Cream Bowl Fundraiser.

Update: Due to the storm, the King Street Art Festival has been packed up for today (Saturday) and the Ice Cream Bowl Fundraiser along with it. Find us tomorrow at the corner of King and Fairfax Streets.

This weekend’s events at The Art League are underway! A few hours in, the Drawing Marathoners are going strong, and the ice cream bowls are just plain going. There’s still time to join in!

This morning and afternoon, artists have been drawing and painting up a storm at the Duke Street Annex. The 12-hour marathon goes until 10:00 pm. Artists of all levels have been working on easels and sketchbooks, painting with oil, watercolor, and pastel, and drawing with pencils and ink. It’s a much more relaxed atmosphere than your typical marathon, so come down and have some fun! (More photos are on our Facebook page.)

Models have donated their time for long and short poses, and instructor Rachel Collins set up a variety of still lifes as well. This morning, drawing instructor Scott Hutchison and oil painting instructor Ted Reed came by to join in.

Ted Reed, top left, painted this afternoon, and Scott Hutchison started things off in the morning.

For the schedule of instructors still scheduled to come by, click here. Instructor Rob Liberace will be Skypeing in for a demo at about 7:30 pm.

The Ice Cream Bowl Fundraiser goes until 4:00 pm today and again tomorrow from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm. There are hundreds of handmade bowls to choose from, and as buyers were noting this morning, it’s a hard choice to make. Bring the kids for some ice cream and a hands-on art activity with Art League instructor Steve Prince! Each handmade bowl is $15, including a bowl of ice cream from Artfully Chocolate.

Steve Prince setting up, and some of the materials you can use to contribute to the project!
Events

Reminder: Handmade Bowls and Ice Cream This Weekend!

Some of the ice cream bowls from last year’s fundraiser.

The Art League’s Ice Cream Bowl Fundaiser 2012
Saturday and Sunday, September 8 & 9, 11:00 am–4:00 pm
Market Square in Alexandria (Corner of North Fairfax and King Streets)
$15 for a bowl and ice cream

Don’t miss your chance to get your very own ice cream bowls! This weekend, along with the Drawing Marathon on Saturday, you can find The Art League at the 10th Annual Alexandria King Street Art Festival, selling 1,000 handmade ice cream bowls complete with local artisan ice cream from Artfully Chocolate. Bring the kids! Art League instructor Steve Prince will have hands-on art activities they can participate in.

You can check out some of the bowl-making process in our Ice Cream Bowl Throwdown video.

Bowls made for this year’s fundraiser, mid-creation. Photo by Jack Heimerman.
Events

Ready, Set, Draw this Saturday

Kath, drawing by Lisa Semerad
“Kath” by Lisa Semerad.

Are you ready for Saturday’s “30-Something” Drawing Marathon? To get you properly excited, here’s the slate of instructors you can expect to see at the 12-hour fundraising event, where a $30 donation allows you to draw for as long as you like from a variety of models and still life setups (created by watercolor instructor Rachel Collins). You can register here or drop by on Saturday — we’ll be at the Duke Street Annex (1 Duke Street) from 10:00 am to 10:00 pm.

The following members of The Art League School’s faculty will be participating Saturday, on hand to provide artistic inspiration. For the schedule of who’s coming when, click here. You can click on the instructors’ names to see samples of their work.

Scott Hutchison teaches drawing classes including anatomical drawing and figure drawing, as well as oil and acrylic painting classes.

Lisa Semerad teaches drawing classes including figure and portrait drawing and composition and design fundamentals. We filmed two demos at her Pencil Techniques and Projects class in February — click here to watch part 1.

George Tkabladze is a new instructor to The Art League and teaches wood and stone sculpture in addition to basic drawing.

David Carter teaches classes in caricature and a workshop in drawing hands and feet, as well as his painting class.

Kurt Schwarz teaches painting classes in portrait, figure, and still life, as well as a color study workshop. Click here to watch a short still life demo Kurt shot in 2011.

Jin Chung teaches portrait drawing for The Art League.

Jim Burford teaches basic drawing and abstract painting.

Rob Liberace teaches painting classes in portrait and figure and drawing classes with pencil, ink, and watercolor. He will give a demo via Skype in the late afternoon. Here’s part 1 of a demo from his Alla-Prima Portrait workshop in March.

Joe Spollen teaches pastel painting for The Art League.

Ted Reed teaches oil painting. We filmed his demo on painting hands at his Monday night class — click here to watch.

Tatyana Leykin teaches the children’s class, “Mixed Up Mediums.“

We’ll see you Saturday! Stay tuned for photos and updates on the day of the event.

Events

Children’s Art Contest

Art League kids and parents! Wishing more people could see your masterpiece from Summer Art Camp? Washington Parent magazine is looking for artwork by children ages 5 to 15 to go on the cover of, and inside, their November arts issue.

The deadline is September 30. Click here for details on how to enter, and good luck!

News

The Art League Plein Air Painters on Patch

The Art League plein air painting group
Meg Walsh painting at River Farm. Photo by Ruth Baja Williams.

Last month, The Art League Plein Air Painters met at River Farm for a day of painting chronicled in this great post by Ruth Baja Williams on Patch. Read her write-up for an idea of what they do — it’s an informally organized group, started last year, that makes occasional outings to paint together. You can email Jean Schwartz at [email protected] if you’d like to join them!

As Ruth noted, fall term classes start this month. You can search the catalog for a variety of landscape and other painting classes to take, including this Plein Air and Paper class taught by Bobbi Pratte starting September 22. Outside with a sketchbook — not a bad way to spend your Saturday mornings this fall!

Bobbi Pratte painting
Art League instructor Bobbi Pratte painting at River Farm. Photo by Ruth Baja Williams.
Bobbi Pratte's painting
Bobbi Pratte’s finished painting, “Bananas at River Farm.”
News

Artist Opportunities: September 4, 2012

Read on for details on upcoming deadlines. You can click the banner above to see past opportunities posts.

Corcoran Community Art Fair
Deadline: September 7, 2012 (Friday!). The Corcoran’s first annual Community Art Fair is a juried exhibition and sale of fine arts and crafts made by DC-area artists. The fair will take place in the Corcoran’s North Atrium as part of Community Day at the Corcoran, Saturday, October 20, a day-long celebration of art and creativity. A panel of Corcoran College of Art + Design faculty will serve as the expert jurors and will select applicants based on the quality of their work and artist statement. For the application, click here.

“Upheaval” photography exhibit at Target Gallery
Deadline: September 10, 2012. The deadline has been extended from September 3. In celebration of Fotoweek DC (November 9-18), the gallery will host a juried photography exhibition that explores the theme Upheaval; whether in our own lives or throughout the world — illness, political unrest, and natural disasters are examples.  This is a media specific photography exhibit that is open to all artists nationally and internationally. To apply to this show, and see other upcoming opportunities at Target Gallery, click here.

Franz and Virginia Bader Fund grants
Deadline: September 15, 2012. The Franz and Virginia Bader Fund welcomes applications from visual artists aged 40 years or older, who live within 150 miles of Washington, D.C., and can demonstrate that they have the potential to benefit as artists from a grant. More details are here.

Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Fellowships – Visual Arts and Art History
Deadline: November 9, 2012. The VMFA Fellowship program is a vital source of funding for the visual arts and art history in Virginia. VMFA is committed to supporting professional artists and as well as full-time students in the arts and art history who demonstrate exceptional creative ability in their chosen disciplines, and as such has awarded over $4.4 million in fellowships to Virginians since 1940. VMFA is now accepting applications for the following 2013-14 fellowships: •$8,000: Professional artists. •$6,000: Graduate students in the visual arts or art history. •$4,000: Undergraduate students in the visual arts (includes college-bound high school seniors). For detailed eligibility criteria, an application, and a printable PDF flyer visit: www.VMFA.museum/Fellowships

Artist Opportunities

Fashion, Art, Ice Cream, and Drawing at The Art League This Week!

Did you see the news this morning? Holly Morris did a live segment for FOX 5 Morning News at the Torpedo Factory highlighting everything going on arts-wise in Alexandria this week, and had her 60-second portrait made by Art League instructor Patrick Kirwin. Watch the video here!

The fascinator Holly wore was made by instructor Jan Wutkowski for the Fashion’s Night Out fashion show Thursday night. Jan made a video explaining how the piece was made, which will be screened at the event. And this weekend, we’ll be holding a 12-hour drawing marathon and selling 1,000 handmade ice cream bowls. Here’s the scoop:

 

Fashion’s Night Out Alexandria
Thursday, September 6, 6:00–11:00 pm (fashion show at 8:00 pm)
First up is the inaugural Fashion’s Night Out Alexandria, which, among other events, will include a runway show in the Torpedo Factory (105 N. Union Street). Milliner and Art League instructor Jan Wutkowski sent a collection of fascinators for the runway show, and there will be a video showing how one was constructed. There will also be complimentary beauty treatments, wine tastings and wonderful bites. Monte Durham, from TLC’s “Say Yes to the Dress,” is emceeing the event.

 

“30-Something” Drawing Marathon
Saturday, September 8, 10:00 am–10:00 pm
Saturday’s drawing marathon will offer up to 12 hours of drawing from a variety of models and still lifes, as well as appearances by Art League instructors. It’s all happening at the Duke Street Annex, at the corner of Duke and South Union Streets. A $30 donation allows participants to draw (or paint) for as little or as long as they like; all donations go toward the Madison Annex Project. The schedule of events and more details can be found here.

 

Ice Cream Bowl Fundraiser
Saturday and Sunday, September 8 & 9, 11:00 am–4:00 pm
For just $15, get your own handmade bowl, complete with local, artisan ice cream by Artfully Chocolate. The fundraiser benefits The Art League’s ceramics department, which made 1,000 bowls for the event. Come find our tables at Market Square, at the corner of Fairfax and King Streets, to pick out your own! You can see part of the process involved in making the bowls in our Ice Cream Bowl Throwdown video.

The Ice Cream Bowl Fundraiser is part of the 10th Annual Alexandria King Street Art Festival. As part of the Alexandria Art Experience, instructor Steve Prince will be offering free, hands-on art activities for kids at the festival. Come check it out!

Events

12-Hour Drawing Marathon on September 8

Sharpen your pencils and grab your newsprint pads! Our Drawing Marathon Fundraiser is the forth and final event in The Art League’s “30-Something” Summer Series of events. From 10:00am-10:00pm on Saturday, September 8, artists may come to The Art League’s Duke Street Annex and draw for as little or as long as they like with a $30 donation (click here to register; drop-ins welcome). Creative participants will have variety of models and still life setups from which to sketch. Artists must bring their own drawing supplies (painters also welcome!), easels will be provided.

Members of our esteemed faculty will join in the draw-a-thon, and they will provide artistic inspiration and technique tips throughout the day. Instructor Rob Liberace will join the group via Skype for a virtual demonstration late in the afternoon.

The details:

Location: The Art League’s Duke Street Annex, One Duke Street, just off the corner of Duke and South Union Streets, Alexandria, VA 22314
Date: Saturday, September 8, 2012, 10:00am-10:00pm
Admission: $30 donation to participate in up to 12 hours of drawing; click here to register; drop-ins welcome. All proceeds go to fund the build-out at the Madison Annex.

Participating instructors:
Morning:
Scott Hutchinson
Lisa Semerad
Kurt Schwarz
Early Afternoon
Ted Reed
Afternoon
George Tkabladze
David Carter
Jin Chung
Late Afternoon/Early Evening
Rob Liberace
Evening
Joe Spollen
Jim Burford
Tatyana Leykin

Need more info?  Email: [email protected], or call: 703-683-2323.

See you there!

Art Classes, Artist Opportunities, Events

Bowled Over: A Blogger Tries Pottery

Have you watched the Ice Cream Bowl Throwdown video we posted yesterday? They make it look easy, don’t they?

Don’t make me laugh.

My name is George. I do the blogging here at The Art League. Blogging, while requiring a certain amount of creative output, isn’t really a “fine art.”

So we thought it would be fun for me to leave my comfy spot behind this keyboard and try my hands at the potter’s wheel. I have returned to share what I learned. Full disclosure: I don’t know what I’m talking about. But I can recommend the ceramics jumpstart class this fall if you want more reliable information.

My teacher was Tiffany Scott (bronze medalist in the throwdown) who works in The Art League School and teaches ceramics to summer art campers — her patience with young pupils would prove useful during my lesson.

Day 1: We wedged the clay to prepare it for the potter’s wheel. It vaguely reminded me of kneading bread. Then we skillfully plopped our raw material on the wheel and I learned how to center it, open it up, and shape the sides — but not for long. Suddenly, somehow, my developing bowl became an unwieldy, floppy mass. The clay could be recycled, though.

My first lesson.

Bowl Two was a similar story. It fell apart at the sides.

Bowl Three went wrong, too, but with lots of help from Tiffany, we salvaged it into a mini-bowl. A success, in my book.

Not too shabby.

Read on for the rest of the story! Continue reading Bowled Over: A Blogger Tries Pottery

Events

Artist Opportunities: August 28, 2012

Read on for upcoming classes, exhibits, and other opportunities! You can click the banner above to see past opportunities posts.

Apply to Gallery West!
Gallery West is jurying for new members. We are at 1213 King Street and would love to see your work. For more information or to express your interest, please contact P. Delia Chisholm at [email protected] or 703-328-1020, or Jefferson Evans at [email protected]  or 703-869-1682.

Seminars and portfolio reviews for photographers
FotoWeek DC and the Goethe Institut are offering portfolio reviews and a variety of seminars this November. Seminar topics include self-publishing photography books, marketing photographs, and working in multimedia, among others. Click the links for details; early-bird discount for seminars ends September 9.

4th Annual Juried Art Show benefitting the Retreat
Deadline: September 1, 2012. The Retreat, the only non-profit domestic violence agency serving the East End of Long Island, is pleased to announce their 4th Annual Juried Art Show. In the previous three years of the Juried Art Show the Retreat has garnished both national and international attention by reaching artists who have submitted works for consideration as far as South Africa, San Paolo, Brazil, the Midwest, and the entire Eastern seaboard. The show benefits the Retreat’s Domestic Violence Services and is open to all artists with work in Photography, Painting, 2D, 3D, and Sculpture (no video art). The work cannot be larger than 24″ x 36″. For details and to enter, visit hamptonsjuriedartshow.com.

The Cube at Canal Park
Deadline: October 1, 2012. Artists or Artist Teams in the Washington DC area with experience in time-based works are encouraged to submit materials for consideration in the curatorial programming for a 20’ transparent cube equipped with data projectors and an audio system, at Canal Park in SE Washington DC. The Cube is part of Canal Park Development; the project is administered by the Capitol Hill Arts Workshop, funded by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, and curated by Bruce McKaig. Interested artists should email a letter of interest, a brief statement about their work and url(s) for work samples to: [email protected]. Two artists or artist teams will be selected, to each program a 4-month exhibition for the Cube between March and October 2013, in exchange for an honorarium, artistic, technical, marketing, and community support.

Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival
Deadline: November 15, 2012 (late applications through November 30). The Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival is produced annually by the Greater Reston Arts Center (GRACE) and showcases the best contemporary fine art and craft from around the country. The 2013 Festival will be held on May 17, 18 and 19, 2013 and marks our 22nd anniversary. Over two hundred artists will be selected on the basis of quality, originality, and craftsmanship by a panel of jurors, who are experts in their fields, and by members of GRACE’s professional staff. For details and to enter, click here.

Artist Opportunities

The Ice Cream Bowl Throwdown

Some of the selection from the 2011 Ice Cream Bowl Fundraiser.

With the ceramics department’s annual Ice Cream Bowl Fundraiser just around the corner, three potters gathered in The Art League’s ceramics studio last Friday for a throwdown.

The contestants were Tiffany, Jack, and Blair, who have been churning out hundreds of bowls over the past few weeks along with other ceramics artists. Their challenge: throw as many ice cream bowls as possible in 20 minutes.

The clay Olympics weren’t without drama — including a blown fuse, necessitating a time-out, and injuries including a case of dreaded potter’s back. As for the winner, you’ll just have to watch the video.

All that stress and exertion sounds like the perfect prelude to a refreshing bowl of ice cream.

Tomorrow: See our blogger George’s attempt at making a bowl of his own.

The Art League’s Ice Cream Bowl Fundraiser will be the weekend after this one: September 8 & 9, at Market Square in Alexandria. For $15, you can get a handcrafted ice cream bowl, filled with its first of many scoops of ice cream (provided by Artfully Chocolate).

Events

Q&A with Award Winner Marsha Staiger

“Graft Revisited, Morning” by Marsha Staiger

For the August landscape show at The Art League Gallery, “’Scapes,” juror Jonathan Linton selected the extra-tall abstract painting you see to the right for the Chameli and Amiya Bose Award, which goes to the best acrylic or oil painting on stretched canvas. Graft Revisited, Morning, by Marsha Staiger, has clean lines with a human touch, Linton said, also praising the color and texture of the painting. “The textural patterns look effortless and as if they belong exactly where she put them,” he said.

Marsha has also donated a painting from her R&B series for the Online Silent Auction of Faculty Work, starting on Sunday. You can read more about the auction, which will fund the Madison Annex build-out campaign, here — and click here to see the piece Marsha donated and register for the auction.

We asked Marsha to tell us more about Graft Revisited, Morning and her work in general. “’Scapes” is on view in the gallery through September 3.

Can you tell us about the Graft series — how it started, how it’s changed, where it’s headed, and what it’s all about?
Marsha: My Graft series started in 2004 when I had assigned myself a series of 50 18” x 14” paintings. In an effort to resolve the 50, I stacked five on my easel to work them as a unit. The verticality felt right to me and I started to attach the pieces, forming a 70” x 18” rectangle that used the repeating strata. I have continued to use the elongated format for several of my pieces, either vertical or horizontal.

As an abstract painting, how do you think Graft Revisited, Morning fits into the landscape show? What are the essential elements of a landscape?
This piece is all about the horizontal captured in a vertical. The colors are reminiscent of the changes that light creates, so many variations, as every day is unique.

The juror, Jonathan Linton, who selected your painting for the award commented specifically on the color, line, and texture. How do you use color in your work, and how do you select the colors you’ll use for specific paintings?
I am a colorist and work the painting until there is a color resolution, an interaction of color that makes the piece feel alive. I am very intuitive about my selections of color and let my senses take over for selections and variations. I love to take chances with the paint to see how far I can go. Continue reading Q&A with Award Winner Marsha Staiger

Artist Interviews

Artist Opportunities: August 21, 2012

Read on for details on upcoming deadlines! You can click the banner above for past opportunities posts.

The 31st Annual Smithsonian Craft Show
Deadline: September 14, 2012 (late fee for applications Sept. 15–21). The annual Smithsonian Craft Show is a juried exhibition and sale of contemporary American crafts. Three jurors who are experts in the field and newly selected each year choose 120 artists from a large pool of applicants. Previous exhibitors must re-apply each year. No one is grandfathered into the show or given preference. Craft artists are selected on the basis of the originality, artistic conception, and quality of their work. The Show does not charge sales commissions. Full details can be found here.

Prize for Photographers
Deadline: September 15, 2012. The Center for Documentary Studies / Honickman First Book Prize in Photography is a biennial prize offering $3,000 in grant money, a solo exhibit at the Center for Documentary Studies, and most importantly, the publication of a book of photography, published by Duke University Press in association with CDS Books. Artists need to submit 40 photographs in .jpg format, 40 captions, and a CV and artist’s statement. For more information on eligibility and how to apply, go to firstbookprizephoto.com

Under The Influence: The 24th Annual Prince George’s County Juried Exhibition
Deadline: October 1, 2012. Under The Influence is a juried exhibition of works that show all kinds of influences, including, but not limited, historic, aesthetic and cultural. The exhibition is sponsored by The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC), Department of Parks and Recreation, Prince George’s County, Arts and Cultural Heritage Division. The exhibition will be on display from November 5 through December 28, 2012. This call for entries is open to all artists 18 years and older who live, work, attend school or have studios in Prince George’s County, MD. Artists may submit a maximum of 3 artworks for consideration. Full details can be found on the juror’s blog, here.

Artist Opportunities

Online Silent Faculty Auction Begins Sunday!

Art League Online Silent Faculty Auction
Begins August 26 at 6:00pm and Closes August 28 at 5:00pm
Auction site: http://www.32auctions.com/organizations/4312/auctions/4770

The online silent auction of faculty work, the third event in our “30-Something” Summer Series, is only a few days away! We’re thrilled to present such a wonderful collection of works by our generous and talented faculty. Participating in the auction is a fantastic opportunity to own a masterpiece by a member of our talented faculty while supporting The Art League’s build-out at the Madison Annex. All proceeds from the auction go to fund the build-out project.

Scroll down to learn more about the instructors who have so generously donated works to the cause, and click on the images to go straight to the auction site!

Dawn Benedetto

Benedetto picked up her first torch when she was 14. She graduated with a B.F.A. from Virginia Commonwealth University in 1993. In 1997, she became an artist in-residence at the Torpedo Factory Art Center. Benedetto is best known for a ring she invented in 2001 – a simple design with a sterling silver band and colorful beads that adjusts to fit most fingers. She has recently been rejuvenated by a find of un-circulated vintage Lucite, and instantly fell in love with the rich, colorful candy-like material. She makes silver components that complement the Lucite. This line showcases Benedetto’s fascination with color, confections, and the big top circus. The collection is both contemporary and classic and honors a special period of design history that was full of hope, optimism, bold color and modernity.

Gwen Bragg


A Step Back II – Segesta is from Bragg’s Stone on Stone series. These transparent watercolors inspired by the artist’s visits to ancient sites seek to capture the mystery and romantic allure of architectural ruins. Each civilization leaves its mark. Rain and wind tear the surfaces. Facades crack and crumble, revealing what was once hidden. This painting of the lovely Greek temple in Segesta, Sicily speaks to the strength and survival of classical forms — over thousands of years.

The technique used in this series of paintings is Bragg’s own adaptation of a flipping technique she discovered in a master class under Lee Weiss. Paint is applied to both sides of the paper while working on a large sheet of Plexiglas. Flipping the paper over and over mixes colors and creates textures unique to this process and particularly appropriate for depicting timeworn architecture.

Bragg is an award winning artist and art instructor who lives in Alexandria. Holding a BS in Art Education and a MFA in Drawing and Painting from James Madison University, she has been teaching watercolor at the Art League School in Alexandria since 1989. In addition to workshops held annually at Rehoboth Beach, Delaware and Orkney Springs, Virginia, every year since 1995 she has led an international painting workshop to “someplace with interesting architecture, artifacts and rocks” including Croatia, Greece, Italy, Spain and Peru. She is a Signature Member of the National, Baltimore and Alabama Watercolor Societies, and an Artist Member and President of the Virginia Watercolor Society. Her work has been exhibited in numerous international, national and regional shows including solo shows at The Art League ’06, Strathmore Hall ’07 and US Geological Survey ’11. A solo show of her watercolors is scheduled for NIH in January 2013. Her work is included in the collections of Philip Morris, American Bank, Petersburg Area Art League, and the National Institutes of Health and the Carrier Library at James Madison University. Her work has been published in American Artists Magazine, The Artistic Touch 4 and Elan. Continue reading Online Silent Faculty Auction Begins Sunday!

Events

Q&A with Award Winner Trinka Roeckelein

This month in The Art League Gallery, the sculpture exhibit “The Shape of Things” is showing alongside the predominantly 2-D landscape show, “’Scapes.” Sculptors in the exhibit used materials including plywood, bronze, silk, steel, paper mache, and clay — the last is the preference of Trinka Roeckelein, whose Giraffe Boy was selected for the Monkith Saaid Sculpture Award by juror Mara Adamitz Scrupe. We asked Trinka to tell us more about her work with clay, the series Safari in Clay that Giraffe Boy is part of, and her artwork in general.

Giraffe Boy by Trinka Roeckelein
“Giraffe Boy” by Trinka Roeckelein, winner of the Monkith Saaid Sculpture Award.

Why do you work in clay? Do you use other media?
Trinka: I choose to work in clay because of the way it feels, its tireless unpredictability, the limitless possibilities for surface treatment and glazing, and the technical challenges it presents. I admire the sheer fragility it incorporates into the finished piece. Clay both fascinates and frustrates me. There is much experimentation and testing required to construct complicated forms in large dimensions, as well as the search to find the appropriate finishes.

In regards to other media, I was a free-lance digital artist in video and print for many years. In the early 1990s, my graduate thesis focused on the Macintosh computer as an assemblage, montage and design tool used to scan and manipulate my own photographs into digital prints and ceramic objects. This marked the beginning of my interest in human and animal forms.

Tell us about your series Safari in Clay — where did the idea come from?
After several trips to Botswana, I continue to relive the safari experience in my memory and artwork. I was captivated by the animals … their shapes, sizes, movements, sounds … and began creating animals in clay. The process differs vastly from how I had previously worked, as I now sculpt from memory or photographs taken on safari. The sculptures are larger, maybe an influence from the sheer vastness so evident in the African bush landscapes, which forms a challenge during firing. For Safari in Clay, each piece is one of a kind as opposed to multiples cast from a mold. The use of clay underlines a basic connection to the earth and emphasizes the ruggedness and uncertainty of the finished artwork, which complements a similar one of a kindness intrinsic in nature — the wildness of the animals and the snapshots in time they inspire.

Read more after the jump! Continue reading Q&A with Award Winner Trinka Roeckelein

Artist Interviews

Artist Opportunities: August 14, 2012

Good luck! You can click the banner above for an archive of past opportunity posts.

Fall 2012 Art Show & Sale
Deadline: August 19, 2012. The Springfield Art Guild & Friends of Green Spring Gardens Park present this exhibit and sale, August 28–October 28. Artwork submitted must be based on horticultural, natural or local history themes. Work may be no larger than 30″ x 40″ inches including frame. Only hand-painted, hand-drawn or other “original” art will be considered. All artwork must be for sale. Traditional photographs and digitally enhanced photographs are welcome. Drafts, photocopies, offset prints, lithographs or copies of already published art will not be permitted. The judge for the show is Lisa Semerad, an instructor at The Art League School. For full details and an entry form, you can download the prospectus here (PDF).

Solo shows at Hillyer Art Space
Deadline: August 31, 2012. Hillyer Art Space is currently looking for local DC Metro area artists and international artists to submit work for solo shows for the 2013-2014 exhibiition year. Proposals must include 5–10 high-resolution jpegs, a checklist of images, a resume, and an artist’s statement. For the full details on requirements and how to submit, click here.

Pastel Society of the Southwest 31st Annual Juried Exhibition
Deadline: September 5, 2012. PSSW 2012 National Juried Exhibition will be the nonprofit organization’s 31st juried show.  Membership ranges from beginners to nationally recognized professionals.  We invite you to participate in our juried exhibition and be a part of our quest for the highest artistic excellence in pastel. For full details, click here.

Artist Opportunities