Year: 2013

It’s Workshop Season!

Spring Workshop season is upon us! With the close of the Winter Term around the corner, signing up for a Spring Workshop is the perfect opportunity to dive into a new medium, style, or sharpen up your skills. Here are all of our upcoming March workshops:

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Ceramics:
Jumpstart in Ceramics with Blair Meerfeld, March 23

Drawing:
Traveling with your Sketchbook with Susan Abbott, March 15-17
Crash Course in Drawing with Deidre Saunder, March 16 & 17
Problem Parts: Hands and Feet with David Carter, March 23 & 24

Fiber:
Card Weaving with Linda Hurt, March 2 & 9
Dyeing: Indigo – A Blue Like None Other with Sylvia DeMar, March 10
A Story in the Making: Creating Story Cloth with Print and Stitch with Julie Booth, March 16 & 17
Tapestry with Tea Okropiridze, March 23 & 24
Surface Design: Shibori with Denise Vauthier, March 23 & 24

Jewelry:
Contemporary Glass Fusing for Jewelry with Judith Conway & Ursula Marcum, March 2 & 3
Cloisonne Meets Fold Forming with Nick Barnes & Abby Goldblatt, March 23 & 24

Painting:
Creative Collage with Acrylic with Susan Herron, March 16 & 17
Strong Glorious Abstracts with Marsha Staiger, March 18-22
The Colorists: Cezanne, Matisse, Diebenkorn with Susan Abbott, March 19-22
The Next Step in Encaustic Painting with Beverly Ryan, March 19-22
Layering with Glazes in Watercolor with Susan Herron, March 23 & 24
Landscape Painting Techniques: Terrain with Patrick Kirwin, March 23 & 24
Sumi-e Technique: P’o Mo with Betzi Robinson, March 23 & 24
Portrait Painting with Dan Thompson, March 23 & 24
Abstract Painting with Joyce McCarten, March 25-27

Photography:
Portrait Photography with Robin Reid, March 9 & 10
Photoshop Workshop with Alison Duvall, March 19, 21, 26, 28

Printmaking:
Linoleum Cuts with Penny Barringer, March 2 & 3
Advanced Silk Screen with Nancy McIntyre, March 23 & 24
The Monotype Party with Mike Francis, Pattee Hipschen & Thomas Hipschen, March 25 & 26

Professional Development:
Taking the Bull by the Horns: Creating a Body of Work, Diane Tesler
March 15, March 18-20
March 22, March 25-28
Basic Matting & Framing with Eileen and Ron Yeager, March 23 & 24
Creative Matting and Mounting with Eileen and Ron Yeager, March 25

Art Classes

John Murray at Marin-Price Galleries

“Orange on Green Box,” oil on canvas by John Murray.

Oil painter and Art League instructor John Murray will have an exhibit of his paintings at Marin-Price Galleries in Chevy Chase, Maryland. The exhibit of still lifes, figures, landscapes, and other scenes opens Saturday, March 2 with an opening reception 5:30–7:30 pm.

John Francis Murray at Marin-Price Galleries
7022 Wisconsin Ave., Chevy Chase, MD
March 2–March 21, 2013

John teaches Still Life in Oil for The Art League. Last year we stopped by his class to capture some of this jelly doughnut demo:

News

Next Week in the Gallery: “State of Emergency”

"Environmental State of Emergency" in its entirety.
“Environmental State of Emergency” by Sabyna Sterrett.

Opening next Thursday, March 7 in The Art League Gallery, mixed media artist Sabyna Sterrett’s “State of Emergency” will exhibit textural installations woven from plastic bags, trash bags, and plastic tape.

In this video, Sabyna tells us about how she started working with plastic, what the pieces mean to her, and how she creates the large rug-hooked pieces:

Sabyna has been an artist since the early 1980s, when she first moved to the DC area. She created woven contemporary forms with a Washington fiber artist, where she says she was drawn to the meditative, repetitive aspects of weaving. She also took classes and substitute taught at The Art League, and was accepted to her first show here 18 years ago.

Starting with the plastic sleeves from the morning newspaper, Sabyna began experimenting with ways to work with plastic — specifically, polyethylene, which is non-biodegradable, is mostly made from petroleum or natural gas, and the vast majority of which goes to landfills instead of being recycled. After a lot of trial-and-error with different slippery, static-y materials, Sabyna found ways to use plastic in knitting, weaving, hooking, and collage. For this exhibit, she scaled up her work for more threatening, oppressive creations in white, black, and red — such as Environmental State of Emergency, above, and Pristine Environment, below.

During the exhibit, representatives from the Alice Ferguson Foundation will discuss their Trash Free Potomac Watershed initiative, a five-pronged approach to solving regional pollution issues. Join us for their presentation on Thursday, March 21 at 6:30 pm.

Come see “State of Emergency,” March 7 through April 1, and join us for an opening reception Thursday, March 14 at 6:30 pm. More photos are below!

Continue reading Next Week in the Gallery: “State of Emergency”

Exhibits

Artist Opportunities: February 26, 2013

See below for details on exhibits, craft shows, and studio space. You can click the banner above to see past opportunities posts. Good luck!

Ceramic art
Deadline: March 4, 2013. “Beyond Function” at the Target Gallery is a media-specific exhibition with a focus on non-functional ceramic artwork. These works go beyond utility, seeking to be valued for their aesthetic quality over their usefulness. It is open to all artists nationally and internationally. To apply to this exhibit and “Food: Friend or Foe” (deadline April 8), also at the Target Gallery, click here.

Studio space
Shared studio space is available in Crystal City. Owners are looking for working artists in their studios during regular office hours a combined total of at least 20 hours per week (not 20/week for each artist, but at least 20 total hours combined for the artists who occupy the space). Two spaces are currently available — both are 90 square feet and rent for $85/month. Studios have glass front wall so potential patrons can see you working (and can stop in to talk with you – read, “potential sales”). Shop sink in room and access to public restroom. All utilities included in studio rental fee. Street parking metered – $1/hour; metro accessible. Interested artists should email Bryan Jernigan at [email protected].

More announcements below! Continue reading Artist Opportunities: February 26, 2013

Artist Opportunities

The Student/Faculty Show: This Could Be You!

Stained glass, ceramics, paintings, drawings, photographs, fiber art, jewelry, sculpture, prints, and more from the past year's students are in the Gallery through March 3.
Stained glass, ceramics, paintings, drawings, photographs, fiber art, jewelry, sculpture, prints, and more from the past year’s students are in the Gallery through March 3.

Visit the Gallery through March 3 to see what students at The Art League have been up to in the past year — and what you could do this year!

The 2013 Student/Faculty Show showcases artwork from students and faculty members in every medium taught at The Art League. It’s a great chance to see if there’s an instructor whose work strikes your fancy, or find student work that makes you say, “Hey, I want to do that!” Here’s some of what’s in store:

Ceramics

Ceramics students at The Art League throw clay on the potter’s wheel, hand-build forms, and create tiles, mosaics, and anything else they imagine. This year, we filmed students doing a raku firing and put it on YouTube.

Interested? Check out the catalog by clicking “Ceramics” above, and scroll down to check out the sculpture classes, too.

Work by Art League ceramics students.
Work by Art League ceramics students.


Drawing

Students created the work below in Lisa Semerad’s and Priscilla Treacy’s colored pencil classes, Jin Chung’s portrait drawing class, and Robert Liberace’s classical drawing classes. If you’re interested in drawing, click the link above to view the catalog, and check out a video demo from instructor Jin Chung on YouTube.


Fiber Arts

Knitting, weaving and tapestry, spinning, tapestry, dyeing, felting, surface design, silk painting, shibori, fiber sculpture, rug hooking and hat-making are all taught at The Art League. You can find more info about fiber arts classes by clicking the link above. And don’t miss our instructor demo on Youtube, How to Felt a Flower.

Our fiber arts students put together this exhibit of woolen lingerie.
Our fiber arts students put together this exhibit of woolen lingerie.


Check out jewelry, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture, stained glass, collage, and mosaic classes after the jump! Continue reading The Student/Faculty Show: This Could Be You!

Art Classes, Exhibits

Artist Opportunities: February 19, 2013

See below for details on upcoming exhibits and a financial planning workshop for artists. You can click the banner above to see past opportunities posts. Good luck!

Painting Awards
Deadline: February 22, 2013 (Friday). The Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District is currently accepting applications for the seventh annual Bethesda Painting Awards. Artists must be 18 years of age or older and residents of Maryland, Virginia or Washington, D.C. All original 2-D paintings including oil, acrylic, watercolor, gouache, encaustic and mixed media will be accepted. For more information and to apply, click here.

See below for more announcements! Continue reading Artist Opportunities: February 19, 2013

Artist Opportunities

The 46th Annual Patrons’ Show: Recap & Photos

Art League Patrons' Show 1 Art League Patrons' Show 8 Art League Patrons' Show 15 Art League Patrons' Show 33

Sunday evening’s Patrons’ Show at The Art League was a big success, with our fantastic patrons taking home 663 works of art and lots of door prizes. As you can see from the photos, this year’s event was both a great chance to unwind and party with neighbors — and serious business.

In the days leading up to the drawing, patrons pored over the gallery walls and our Flickr site to pick out their favorites. The drawing started at 4:00 pm Sunday and continued into the evening, with every ticket-holder hoping to hear their name called early. Regardless, every ticket guaranteed a piece of artwork to take home.

Lucky ticket-holders who were called at the end of each round received door prizes from our event sponsors, including cruises with the Potomac Riverboat Company, tickets to Metro Stage and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and packages to an Art League drawing class and Summer Art Camp. The very last name drawn won a Lucky Last Draw Package — two tickets to next year’s drawing, free parking, and a night at Morrison House! Uber also sent every ticket-holder home with a gift certificate.

Thank you to all of our artists, volunteers, staff, and ticket-holders for making this year’s show a huge success!

A slideshow of all our photos from the 2013 Patrons’ Show is below: Continue reading The 46th Annual Patrons’ Show: Recap & Photos

Events

Patrons’ Show Tickets Available!

Some Patrons’ Show Tickets Available!
Our artists have been SO generous in donating artwork to the Patrons’ Show this year that we now have some TICKETS AVAILABLE!! Call the gallery if you’re interested (703-683-1780) or purchase tickets online. These won’t last long!

Patrons’ Show App Up & Running!
“The Art League Patrons’ Show” App is up and running! Apple finally approved our images, so now the App is ready to use! If you previously downloaded the App, you’ll need to uninstall/reinstall. Happy sorting!

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Events, Exhibits

Increase Your Chances of Winning Your First Choice!

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With over 660 pieces now hung in the gallery and up on Flickr, ticket-holders to the 2013 Patrons’ Show are picking out their favorites — and back-up choices — for when their name is called at Sunday’s drawing. Are you wondering if there is a way to increase your chances of getting your very top pick? Or if you can join in the fun without purchasing a $200 ticket?

Yes, there is!!

A First Choice raffle ticket — $15 for one, $25 for two — gives you a chance at having your favorite piece with no anxious waiting involved. Just visit the gallery to get a ticket, or tickets, and designate the piece you want. The First Choice raffle winner is drawn before the official Patrons’ Show drawing starts. If your ticket is the lucky one, you get to go home with your top choice!

The $250 Geri Gordon Award, established by one of our longtime patrons, goes to the artist whose work is selected by the First Choice raffle winner. You don’t need to have a Patrons’ Show ticket to enter, nor do you need to be present to claim your artwork.

This is a great way to get in on the Patrons’ Show fun and support The Art League if buying a Patrons’ Show ticket wasn’t in your budget. So get down to the gallery and pick your First Choice!

Events, Exhibits

Patrons’ Show 2013: Hang ’Em High

The 46th annual Patrons’ Show drawing is this Sunday! Are you ready?

With 600 pieces and counting donated by our generous artists, it’s been no small feat for our staff and volunteers to frame, hang, and number this year’s show. Check out some of their work in our video above (set to the Hang ’Em High theme performed by Hugo Montenegro and His Orchestra). You can browse all the artwork on Flickr here.

We’ll see you Sunday!

Thanks to Bob Tetro for his images of the Gallery walls and Colleen Henderson of Multiple Exposures Gallery for photos of the artwork.

Events, Exhibits

Artist Opportunities: February 12, 2013

See below for details on upcoming exhibits. You can click the banner above to see past opportunities posts. Good luck!

Outdoor sculpture
Deadline: March 1, 2013. The 2013 Public Art Exhibition on Hilton Head Island, DISCOVER, seeks proposals for sculpture engaged in a contemporary conversation about art within a natural environment. Up to twenty large-scale outdoor sculptures will be selected by an esteemed jury based upon artistic excellence, innovation, interactivity, originality, and the work’s ability to enhance the natural and cultural environment as well as reflect the values and diversity of Hilton Head Island. For more information and to apply, click here.

Continue reading for more announcements: Continue reading Artist Opportunities: February 12, 2013

Artist Opportunities

Portrait Drawing Demo with Jin Chung

Graphite drawing by Jin Chung.

Our latest video demo (below) comes to us courtesy of Jin Chung’s Monday evening class at The Art League, Portrait Drawing. Jin showed us the steps to drawing a complete portrait in vine charcoal and white chalk. You can find all of Jin’s classes here — registration is open for Spring classes.

Click here to watch part 2! You can see more videos as we add them by subscribing to our YouTube channel, and see all of the videos so far in this playlist.

Art Classes

Patrons’ Show Has Arrived

Patrons' Show 2013

It’s here! Most of the Patrons’ Show artwork is now on view in the Gallery, and images are going up on Flickr here! With over 500 pieces in the show so far, there are a lot of decisions to make ahead of the drawing, Sunday, February 17.

Click here for all the Patrons’ Show information.

Watch this space for more news as the drawing nears, and check out more photos of volunteers hanging the show, below.

Hanging Volunteers

More photos after the jump! Continue reading Patrons’ Show Has Arrived

Events, Exhibits

Artful Links: 13 Videos to Inspire Your 2013 (Part 2)

As promised, here is part 2 of this Artful Links post, with videos 7 through 13. (Find part 1 here.) Any videos, photos, or websites you’ve seen recently that sparked your imagination? What new projects will you work on this year? Share in the comments!

7. Toronto-based artist Amy Shackleton demonstrates a different kind of drip painting, creating urban landscapes using squeeze bottles of acrylic paint:

8. In another time-lapse video, architect Jeanne Gang discusses architecture as a bottom-up process:

More videos below: Continue reading Artful Links: 13 Videos to Inspire Your 2013 (Part 2)

Artful Resources

A Quick Pastel Sketch Demo with Nancy Freeman

Nancy Freeman pastel demo

With Winter term classes underway, our camera crew is once again making the rounds of Art League classrooms to record instructor demos. Today we’re pleased to add the first pastel demo to our library, courtesy of Nancy Freeman!

In the video, Nancy shows her Wednesday morning Exploring Pastel class how to do a quick pastel sketch, working from a reference photo she took near Monterey, California. It starts with showing the paper who’s boss — watch the video after the jump: Continue reading A Quick Pastel Sketch Demo with Nancy Freeman

Art Classes

Artist Opportunities: February 5, 2013

See below for details on upcoming exhibits and craft shows. You can click the banner above to see past opportunities posts. Good luck!

Art of the Found Object
Deadline: March 20, 2013. Artists residing in the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada are invited to enter “Eye of the Beholder: The Art of the Found Object” at Maryland Federation of Art’s Circle Gallery. Any 2D or 3D works incorporating one or more found objects and following the MFA’s exhibition guidelines will be considered. For more information and to enter, click here.

More announcements below! Continue reading Artist Opportunities: February 5, 2013

Artist Opportunities

Sketch Ireland with Avis Fleming

The town of Roundstone, watercolor by Avis Fleming.
Roundstone, County Galway, on the Western Irish coast. From Avis Fleming’s sketchbook.

This May, artists can pack their sketchbooks and join the latest Art League travel workshop for a tour of the Irish coastline, painting and drawing their way through the countryside’s natural and man-made sights with veteran instructor Avis Fleming. (Click to view her website, with a biography and images of work from Ireland and other travel workshops.)

Avis, an Art League teacher for 25 years, has taught travel workshops to Louisiana and the Czech Republic, and this will be her third Ireland workshop. When we first asked her to arrange a trip for us, she and her husband, Paul Hodge, went on a scouting trip to scope out the best drawing spots in Western Ireland. It was a natural fit — the couple owns Connemara ponies, an Irish breed, and love the country’s literature and music.

Musicians in an Irish pub. From Avis Fleming's sketchbook.
Musicians in an Irish pub. From Avis Fleming’s sketchbook.

On this year’s trip, May 24–June 3, a private bus will take artists to small coastal towns, castles and abbeys, bays and harbors, natural wonders, prehistoric monuments, and picturesque locales rural and urban. Destinations include:

  • Westport, an English-style town, with accommodations at the three-star Clew Bay Hotel
  • Poulnabrone Dolmen (c. 2500 B.C.) on the Burren limestone formation in County Clare
  • Clifden, with accommodations in the award-winning Quay House overlooking the harbor
  • Two days in Roundstone, a painter’s dream location

… and many other stops. The group will spend a couple of days in each location, taking day trips to select sites and staying in charming small hotels like the two linked above. (There’s a link to the full itinerary below.) Continue reading Sketch Ireland with Avis Fleming

Travel Workshops

Artful Links: 13 Videos to Inspire Your 2013 (Part 1)

If you resolved to try something new this year, we want to help you with some inspiration in this edition of Artful Links. Get your creative wheels turning with these 13 videos of performances, installation art, demonstrations, video art, inventions, and more! Part 1 includes 6 videos, and the next 7 will be in part 2. (Update: Find part 2 here.)

Any videos, photos, or websites you’ve seen recently that sparked your imagination? What new projects will you work on this year? Share in the comments!

1. As part of MoMA’s “On Line” drawing exhibit, Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker combines dance and drawing in this performance:

2. This short stop-motion film by PES, nominated for this year’s Oscars, combines familiar objects and actions in new ways:

More video inspiration is below! Continue reading Artful Links: 13 Videos to Inspire Your 2013 (Part 1)

Artful Resources

Make the Patrons’ Show a Success: Donate Artwork!

Patrons' Show 2013

The 46th annual Patrons’ Show is coming up, and The Art League needs your help to make this year’s fundraiser a success! Each year, this art-show-slash-block-party attracts hundreds of art lovers and raises funds to support The Art League throughout the year. It all depends on the amazing generosity of our volunteers and artists. We’re asking each member to donate artwork for this important fundraiser.

Why donate to the Patrons’ Show?

  • Prizes: Cash awards total over $1,500 this year. Artwork donated by Monday, February 4 will be eligible for the Van Landingham Awards, but the Gallery will accept donations at any time. There is also the $1,000 Clemente Prize, awarded to the artist whose work is chosen by the first ticket-holder during the drawing, and the $250 Geri Gordon Award, presented to the artist whose work is selected by the First Choice raffle winner.
  • Exposure: Each year the Flickr page with images of all the artwork gets tens of thousands of views — last year it was over 40,000. Plus, hundreds of Patrons’ Show ticket-holders fill the Gallery each year to study their favorites, and they remember the artists and artwork they fall in love with. (Click here to read some stories from past Patrons’ Shows.)
  • Support The Art League: The Patrons’ Show is our biggest fundraiser, and all proceeds go to benefit The Art League’s educational programming, exhibits, and community outreach programs. Each work of art valued at $200 or more means we can sell another $200 ticket.

So if our programs have made an impact on you, your artwork donation can continue to support our nonprofit mission: nurturing the artist to enrich the community. All the information about donating is here. Thank you!

Two of last year's attendees with their choices picked out and color-coded.
Two of last year’s attendees with their choices picked out and color-coded.
2012 attendees follow along as artwork is selected.
Events, Exhibits

Artist Opportunities: January 29, 2013

See below for details on upcoming exhibits, art fairs, and other opportunities. You can click the banner above to view past opportunities posts. Good luck!

Art in the Courtyard
Deadline: February 28, 2013. The Merchants of Lorton Station are providing a free community event, Art in the Courtyard. The exact date of the event is to be decided by the artists; please let us know which Saturday in May is best for you when filling out your application. The event will feature artists from the Workhouse, Occoquan, and Alexandria displaying their art for sale. There will also be a complimentary wine tasting and a live jazz band. There is no charge and no percentage taken from the artists for this event — it is totally free! For more information and the application, contact Gabriella Nunez at [email protected] or call 703-339-7506.

Maryland Artists
Deadline: March 11, 2013. The Art Outside Free Art Festival at Druid Hill Reservoir will take place on Sunday, May 19, 2013 from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Entries are currently being accepted in these categories: ceramics/clay, drawing, painting, glass, jewelry, leather, metal, mixed media, photography/digital, textile, and wood. There is a non-refundable fee of $50 upon acceptance into the show. There is no entry fee or commission on sales. For more information and to apply, click here.

See below for more announcements! Continue reading Artist Opportunities: January 29, 2013

Artist Opportunities

March150 Fundraiser at Target Gallery


The Target Gallery and the March of Dimes are teaming up to raise money for both organizations with their third annual exhibition fundraiser, March150 (formerly titled “March Madness”). The show includes 200 panels of artwork created by local artists, each only $150 (and only $100 the night of the Art Party on March 15), and a free kids art activity on Sunday, March 10.

  • Exhibition & Entry: March 9–17, 2013. Panels can be paid for and picked up through Sunday, February 17. Artwork is due back to Target Gallery March 1–5, 10:00 am to 6:00 pm. The $15 entry fee guarantees entry into the exhibition, a chance to win awards chosen by special judges, and free entry to the Art Party on Friday, March 15. Download the complete prospectus (PDF) here.
  • Kids Art Activity: Sunday, March 10, 11:00 am to 1:00 pm, FREE. March of Dimes will sponsor an art activity for kids whose families benefited from the March of Dimes, as well as the public. This activity will be held on the first floor of the Torpedo Factory Art Center in front of the spiral stairs. Completed artwork may be left to be part of a mini exhibition with a cookies and lemonade reception on March 14 at 6:00 pm during Second Thursday Art Night.
  • Art Party: Friday, March 15, 7:00–10:00 pm. $15 advance, $20 door. This ticketed event will be held at the Torpedo Factory Art Center. The theme of the evening will have a pub-like atmosphere to include games, pub faire, music, prizes and more. Artwork will be on sale for $100 during the Art Party. Five pairs of tickets to an exclusive Progressive Dinner Party will be hidden behind some of the artwork.
  • Progressive Dinner with Torpedo Factory Artists: Five of the artworks will be “loaded” with prizes of two tickets each to a exclusive dinner party to be held in April (date TBD). This is a party where each successive course is eaten at a different host’s house — the guests progress from house to house, in this case from studio to studio throughout the art center. Guests will be invited to enjoy great food while talking with artists about their work!

Read full details and buy Art Party tickets here.

 

Artist Opportunities

Meet The Art League Store Staff: Cindy Richmond

Cindy Richmond - The Art League Store

With Winter term classes now underway, things are busy at The Art League Store — the place to find all your supplies for Art League classes. It’s also one of the few places in the DC area to buy art supplies at low prices from working artists. One such artist is Cindy Packard Richmond, a painter and Art League member (you may remember her 2011 solo show in the Gallery, “Food, Glorious Food”). You can find her in the store on Wednesdays, ready to answer all your questions about oils and pastels!

Cindy told us more about the store and her favorite oil colors:

Why should I check out The Art League Store?
Cindy: You should visit The Art League store because 1) it is staffed by knowledgeable artists, 2) we are non-profit so our prices are lower than Michaels or other art stores, 3) you will be supporting The Art League, and 4) we know where everything is! Continue reading Meet The Art League Store Staff: Cindy Richmond

Art Classes

Q&A with Award Winner Amanda Nicholas

"Burrow Hill," lithography crayon on Yupo paper, by Amanda Nicholas. (Click for full size.)
“Burrow Hill,” lithography crayon on Yupo paper, by Amanda Nicholas. (Click for full size.)

Drawn to the piece by its emotional content, interesting line, and “wealth of mark-making,” juror Trace Miller selected the drawing above, Burrow Hill, for best in show in this month’s all-media exhibit. The artist, Amanda Nicholas, a new Art League member, drew it en plein air using lithography crayon on Yupo paper.

Amanda usually works outdoors, visiting a place several times and drawing over a period of time and multiple perspectives. She told us more about her creative process, Burrow Hill, and how she captures “the bones and essence of a place” by drawing perceptually and not following compositional rules — it’s all in our Q&A, below. You can see Burrow Hill and the rest of this month’s exhibit in person through February 4.

You’re a new member here — how did you find The Art League, and what was it like to enter your first show?
I actually found The Art League years ago — I worked as an intern for Summer Art Camp in 2007 and 2008, then as a teacher in 2009. Following that summer, I moved to North Carolina for grad school, and didn’t move back until this past November. I remembered the Art League and wanted to get connected to an artist community here, so I thought it would be a good place to start!

This was actually the second show I’ve entered here — in the first one I didn’t get in at all! So getting in this month and receiving best in show — I’m just ecstatic.

Why do you work in lithography crayon, and how did you get started drawing in that medium?
Lithography crayon was a happy accident. I took a lithography class in grad school, and experimented for a while with transfers, hoping that I could draw my subjects plein air and then transfer those drawings to the stone. The actual transfers were a bust, but the process (drawing with lithography crayon on paper coated with matte medium) was great! I was really fascinated with the lithography crayon — it dissolves in water, but is oil based. This meant that by dipping the crayon in water, I could get incredibly fluid lines (not the usual grainy crayon look). I could also use water to dissolve marks or tint it to create washes. When I’m not using coated papers, I like Yupo paper. The toothless surface allows the crayon to glide beautifully; no water necessary. I enjoy the black tone — it’s warmer and richer than charcoal — and like the way the marks sit on the surface; there’s a great immediacy to them, like they’re coming off the page.

Click to keep reading! Continue reading Q&A with Award Winner Amanda Nicholas

Artist Interviews