This was week four of Wood & Stone Sculpture — I’m halfway through the class now, and things appear to be coming together nicely, as you can see in the video above.
I started by beautifying the teeth I had sketched around the edge of my sculpture, making them a little straighter, more even, and more tapered. I predicted at the beginning of the video that I’d be doing a lot of chiseling, but I actually spent more time filing. The big chunks of stone you can see in the photo below were removed with a little help from the instructor Nick, and a power saw:
After cutting some guide lines (I missed photographing this step), all it took was a few taps of the hammer to drop the bulk of the remaining stone.
I did do a small amount of chiseling to knock off the roughest edges. But mostly I focused on making the lines straight. Some of you might remember from my drawing class last year that I had a little bit of trouble with straight lines, so naturally, I chose a design that requires lots of them.
Nick did give me one important tip, though, which was to file the very edge of each tooth to the edge of the lines I had drawn, before filing the rest of the tooth to that same point. Hopefully this keeps the lines pretty straight.
I’m not exactly sure what comes next, but I do need to make some more design choices soon, including about that hole through the center. You can see in the video and that first photo that the stone has some interesting marbling on one face, so that will probably factor into whatever decision I make. But I am finding it much easier to visualize the finished piece, I just have to decide exactly what I’m going for.
See below for details on upcoming exhibits and other calls for artists. You can click the banner above to view past opportunities posts. This week’s banner image: detail from Counting by Art League instructor Beverly Ryan.
Good luck!
Ceramic Cup Show
Deadline: Monday, October 28. “Drink This!”, the Workhouse International Ceramic Cup Show, will showcase ceramic drinking vessels by contemporary artists around the globe. The focus of the exhibit is on the variety of ways artists explore the cup, in functional, sculptural, traditional and non-traditional forms. Enter the show here →
Art in City Hall
Deadline: Thursday, October 31. The Art League and the City of Alexandria, in conjunction with the Mayor’s initiative to promote the arts citywide in Alexandria, continue to support Art In City Hall. This juried exhibit enhances the environment of Alexandria’s City Hall and promotes the talents of local artists. The exhibit will be juried by an outside, independent expert in the arts, and will hang for eight months on the second floor of the Alexandria City Hall. Members of The Art League, Del Ray Artisans, the Torpedo Factory Artists’ Association, Empowered Women International, and Convergence Art Center are invited to participate. This fall, the exhibit theme is “Intersections of Art and History.” More about the exhibit here →
Photo projection
Deadline: Thursday, October 31. Empty Stretch Collective and Furthermore at 52 O St Studios will be holding a one night photo projection event November 7. All subject matter, styles, and formats of photography are welcomed. Send up to two high-resolution images to [email protected], along with a bit of information about yourself. More about this event →
Virginia artist fellowships
Deadline: November 8. There’s still time left to apply for the 2014–15 Visual Arts Fellowships from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. More about the fellowship →
The figure above, standing just under life-size on a four-foot high canvas, is keeping an eye on visitors to the Gallery this month. Viewers’ responses to that gaze are varied, as artist Nicole Stewart explains below — but exhibit juror Jay Hall Carpenter’s response was to award the painting the Gilham Award for best in show, named for one of the founding members of The Art League.
Carpenter said Watching Her was the best example of a work directly addressing the exhibit’s theme, “Body Language,” pointing to the figure’s pose, anatomy, and drapery. The artist told us more about figure painting, portrait commissions, and starting a second career in art:
What was your inspiration for Watching Her? Given the title, how do you interpret the subject’s pose and gaze? Nicole Stewart: When you like painting people, you tend, without thinking, to put them into poses, to see them as you might paint them. He is my neighbor’s grandson, so I had gotten to know him before I asked him to model for me.
Initially I wanted to catch that transition in someone this age between child and adult. I did a first painting, in profile, that captured more a child-like vulnerability. Then I asked him to lean against my studio wall, and imagine he was at school, watching a girl he really liked, who didn’t know he was watching.
What I wanted in this painting was to capture the vitality of youth, and the tension underneath the casualness of the pose. In my mind I could see him, ready to leap off the wall and go towards her if she just turned around.
But what I love about this pose is that when people look at it, they bring their own experiences into it. My husband, who was very shy in school, sees the pose as the young man looking at someone he can’t have, hoping she might notice him.
What’s your goal with a figure painting or portrait?
I approach portraits and figure paintings differently. In a portrait, I want to capture the personality or expression, like the tilt of a head, that is unique to that person. The expression that a loved one would look at and say, “That’s my dad!”
I see figure paintings in three ways: as figures that fit into a scene, organic and part of the whole, or perhaps as the focal point. Or I see figures as depictions of the human form in all its variety.
My favorite figure paintings are figures as portraits — imparting a part of the inner person. With models, the luxury is that it can be a purely artistic interpretation. I have set the scene. But for me, I like to think I am showing a little something from each model that we all feel or have felt at sometime in our lives.
Why are you a painter?
This is a second career for me. Although I do not have a PhD, my first career of over 25 years is what most people would recognize as a “plant doctor.” I was a horticulturalist and IPM specialist for both government and private companies. My husband and I used to be the hosts of the WMAL Garden show, and my last regular job was as an adjunct lecturer, teaching plant pathology at the University of Maryland, Institute of Applied Agriculture.
I loved art as a kid, and I dabbled a bit in pen and ink, graphite and water media as an adult, doing one or two pieces a year, but took my first oil painting class in 2006. I loved it! I started painting constantly. Oil is so forgiving, so easy to “fix'” my mistakes. And I was good.
In 2008 I told my director, “I’m going to paint full time.” I loved teaching at UMD, but the three hour round trip commute was rough. Now I have a studio in Leonardtown, Maryland, the newly designated Arts and Entertainment District, and it’s a joy to paint there as many days of the week that I can. And when I get a portrait commission, and visit my client at their home, I feel privileged to become for a brief time, a small part of their lives.
What’s your creative process like, from an idea to a finished painting?
It depends on the type of painting I am doing.
If I am painting one of my husband’s cacti or other unusual succulents, I tend to work from a photograph, either because the flowers are so ephemeral, or the plants are so small. I also seem to be fixated on old, often crooked buildings. I am a terrible landscape painter but enjoy painting old townhouses from my own photographs. The paintings are more simple, more graphic. Compared to portraits, this is color book coloring for me. I throw in a lot of saturated color and just have fun with it.
Painting a person is the most challenging for me, and I seem to be drawn to challenges. While I can paint from photographs, I do require some “face” time to find that expression I need. At the very least, I want to do a quick color sketch. Usually I do a portrait from both life and photographs that I take. Whether I work with a models or a client, we are often having conversation during the painting or photography process. I want them to be comfortable. When they relax is when I get the most natural poses.
What are you working on now? I am finishing one of my townhouse paintings set in DC and will start back on a series of period portraits that will be included in the exhibits next June at the Saint Mary’s County Historical Society, marking the raids of 1814 in Leonardtown by the British, during the War of 1812. I love early American fine and folk art portraits and the history behind them, and I’ve been able to indulge this passion in my paintings. I am honored that one of those works, Member of the Tuesday Club, is part of the Maryland Historical Society collection.
Things are gearing up for the fourth Art on the Rocks cocktail party: decorations are being prepared, appetizer menus are being finalized, and drinks are being created — you can see the mixology in progress in this YouTube playlist.
Each cocktail is inspired by a piece of art in “Body Language,” our October figure exhibit. See below for the artwork chosen by each of the five competing bartenders.
Art on the Rocks is next Wednesday, October 23! Click here for more information and to buy tickets. [button-blue url=”http://www.eventbrite.com/event/5246548568″ target=”_self” position=”left”]Buy tickets here![/button-blue]
Man With Kimono by Patricia Duecy will inspire the cocktail from Brodie of Union Street Public House.Distant by Raka Bose Saha will inspire the cocktail from Dave of The Light Horse Restaurant.Balloon Man by Duncan Whitaker will inspire the cocktail from Alana of Columbia Firehouse.Man With a Hat by Steven Myles will inspire the cocktail from Trae of Chadwick’s.Plastic Girl by Carole Munshi will inspire the cocktail from Rebecca of Bastille.
If you recognize this artist’s name, it’s because she has been featured in this space twice before for two previous awards. Sheila Delaquil‘s two previous Q&As — which you can read here and here — were about two acrylic paintings with completely abstract compositions. This time around we talked about a watercolor with a slightly less abstract subject. At the Window, above, was awarded the Sid Platt Watercolor Award in this month’s “Body Language” exhibit, open through November 4.
How do you think an abstract painting like this fits into the theme of figurative art or the idea of “body language”?
Sheila Delaquil: My piece may be a more abstracted figure than other works in the exhibit, but from my perspective, figurative painting is always abstracted from life, unless the painter uses photorealism in their work or the artist is a photographer.
How does your creative process with a watercolor differ from your acrylic/mixed media paintings — do you have different goals?
Watercolor inherently has a mind of its own. Think free spirit. Although acrylic can be used in a very watercolor like manner. But no, the creative process is the same for both media.
What was your goal with At the Window? How did you arrive at these color choices?
My goal is always to keep in mind the composition and to stay centered in the process of painting, paying attention to what’s happening in the pieces. For me, what I need is a sense that everything is as it should be in the painting. I felt the colors were unusual but worked well together.
Whether you’re submitting your work to exhibits or just want to advance your art studies, getting fresh opinions on your work is key. That’s why we’ve invited two Art League instructors to lead group critiques in the Gallery — the first one is coming up this Sunday.
Critique with Nick Xhiku: Sunday, October 20, 1:00–3:00 pm
Critique with Ted Reed: Thursday, November 21, 7:00-9:00 pm
Artists can bring up to two pieces of their own work, finished or unfinished, even if they are not currently enrolled in a class. You can expect to get feedback from the instructors and from the rest of the group.
Space is limited to 10 people, so contact the Gallery at 703-683-1780 or [email protected] to sign up!
Art on the Rocks
Wednesday, October 23, 6–9 pm Tickets: $35 each
One week until Art on the Rocks!
The Art League has challenged five local mixologists to each select a juried piece of artwork from the October “Body Language” exhibit as inspiration for a new cocktail and then compete at Art on the Rocks. Tickets ($35 each) are now on sale!
Ticket holders sample and judge the artful cocktails while nibbling on appetizers from the restaurants, enjoying our October exhibits, and swaying to live jazz music by the Gassmann Duo. Attendees will select the best cocktail of the evening and crown the winning mixologist of Art on the Rocks. A panel of experts including a representative from Catoctin Creek Distillery and Jenn Larsen, the editor-in-chief of WeLoveDC.com who writes about art, theater, and cocktails, will select the mixologist who whipped up the most creative libation – the one that best reflects the chosen artwork.
Drawings for Art League prizes (like tickets to the coveted annual Patrons’ Show) will also be a part of the evening. Ticket holders will also receive a $20 voucher from Lyft for a safe ride.
Where: The Art League Gallery, 105 North Union Street, (in the Torpedo Factory Art Center) Alexandria, VA When: Wednesday, October 23, 2013, 6-9pm How: Tickets are $35. Tickets may be purchased online. Limited tickets will be available at the door. Must be 21 years of age or older with valid ID to attend.
See below for details on upcoming exhibits and other calls for artists. You can click the banner above to view past opportunities posts. This week’s banner image: Calathea by Art League instructor Rachel Collins.
Good luck!
Networking lunch @ Torpedo Factory
Thursday, October 17 at 12:00 noon. Every third Thursday, the Torpedo Factory Artists Association holds a lunch and a casual networking event. More about the lunch →
Flashpoint Gallery call for proposals
Deadline: October 18. (Previously posted here October 1.) Flashpoint Gallery in Northwest DC is accepting exhibition proposals for the 2014–15 season. Artists and independent curators presenting work in any medium may apply. More about the call for proposals →
Photography workshops
November 2–7. FotoDC and the Goethe Institut are partnering once again to bring educational programming to the FotoWeekDC Festival. Photo critiques and workshops will be held the first week of November. More about the portfolio reviews and workshops →
Color photography
Deadline: November 22. On Friday, January 3, 2014 the Washington School of Photography will open “A Celebration of Color,” a juried exhibition of photography, featuring the beauty of color, both natural and man-made, from photographers around the globe. More about the exhibit →
Call for proposals
Deadline: December 6. The Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center invites proposals for exhibitions in the Margaret W. and Joseph L. Fisher Art Gallery. Open to artists and organizations throughout the Northern Virginia and the Greater Washington Metropolitan Area. Exhibitions may be group or solo. More about this call for proposals →
Paintings by Peter Ulrich of the view from the Back Creek Inn’s dock in Solomons Island — this morning, above, and last afternoon, below.
Peter Ulrich, watercolor instructor at The Art League, sent in two photos of what he’s been painting at Solomons Island, the site of a travel workshop starting today. It looks like the group will have perfect conditions over the next few days for some great plein air painting!
Major progress was made in this week’s sculpture class — but first, let me bring you up to speed on the first two weeks.
As I mentioned in my first post, Nick started me off with some clay to make a maquette, or a model. I played around with a few ideas. Originally I planned on doing something abstract — several other students in my class are making really beautiful abstract pieces, which I can show you in my next post. But while I was messing around with the clay, I had the germ of the idea you see above: a big stone gear sort of emerging from the base. (It’s on its side in the picture.)
Originally I wanted to make it sort of wavy, because I liked the idea of making something that looked impossible. Nick pushed back a little while we were discussing the idea, encouraging me to add details and to make it straight to highlight the industrial motif. Eventually I agreed with him, after I realized the waviness would probably be a tall order for my very first sculpture.
Then in the second class, I got a 24-pound slab of alabaster, seen here:
You can sort of see it in these pictures, but this stone has a beautiful grayish-brown color when it’s clean. It will look pretty chalky while I’m working on it over the next few weeks, so we’ll just have to imagine the beauty.
So in the second class, I used a chisel and then a file to make a smooth surface, as seen in this video. Chiseling is pretty enjoyable, kind of rhythmic and relaxing. Filing, on the other hand, was a bit of a workout. Chiseling wasn’t as difficult as I imagined, either — Nick just started us off with a quick tutorial on holding the hammer and chisel and how to avoid knocking off a chunk of stone when you don’t want to. It helps that alabaster is pretty soft, too.
So this week, I finished making the smooth surface, then sketched out my design like in the picture at top. It’s not final — I’m planning on adding some sort of hole through the center of the wheel — but it meant I was able to start giving some shape to the stone. Specifically, after that picture was taken, I got the stone rounded off to the edge of the outer circle, through a combination of a power saw and chiseling. It’s probably down to 15 pounds or so now.
Tune in next week for more pictures, an update on what my classmates are up to, and hopefully some more video documentation.
Come by the Torpedo Factory tomorrow (Saturday, October 12) from 12:00 to 4:00 pm for a host of fun kids’ activities, including a scavenger hunt in The Art League Gallery! This year kids can hunt through our “Body Language” figure exhibit and Cindi Lewis’s “Onstage” exhibit of oil paintings. The first 100 participants to finish the scavenger hunt will get an Art League Join the Flock button!
Onstage / Body Language
Through November 4 Opening reception: Thursday, October 10, 6:30–8:00 pm
Do you like wine, cheese, music, and art? Join us tonight for the opening reception for “Onstage” and “Body Language,” our October exhibits celebrating music and the human figure.
“Onstage,” an exhibit of oil paintings by Cindi Lewis, explores music and performance from a visual perspective. The jazz group the Gassmann Duo will perform during the opening reception.
Encore, oil on panel by Cindi Lewis.
And in “Body Language,” our artist members responded to a call for figurative art with an amazing exhibit, juried by famed local sculptor and former Art League instructor Jay Hall Carpenter. A preview:
Watching Her by Nicole Stewart and At the Window by Sheila Delaquil won the Gilham Award and the Sid Platt Watercolor Award, respectively.Paintings in “Body Language.”Sculpture: Young Man, terra cotta, by Sulin Allen.
Platter Fired With Seagrass by Kevin Crowe won an honorable mention in our “Tabletop” ceramics exhibit this year.
If you’re interested in ceramics or documentaries, there’s a documentary screening soon you might be interested in:
Out of the Fire offers an absorbing look into the little-known world of wood firing potters, who use ancient, labor intensive techniques to achieve stunning, unique surfaces on their pots.
Join potter Kevin Crowe, apprentice Krista Loomans, and their crew for a four day, high-temperature kiln firing, in which nearly 2,000 clay pots are at stake.
But this inspiring film is not just about making pots. The documentary also explores the drive to create, the importance of community, and the roles of risk-taking and authenticity in creating the best possible work — and living a fulfilling life.
You might recognize the name Kevin Crowe — he taught a workshop at The Art League in 2002, and has had work featured in two exhibits here, most recently in June’s “Tabletop” exhibit.
Screening info:
“Out of the Fire” at the Utopia Film Festival
Saturday, October 19 at 12 noon
P&G Old Greenbelt Theatre, 129 Centerway Rd.
Greenbelt, MD 20770
Last time I checked in, I had just entered my first Art League exhibit. Before that, I blogged about taking my first art classes — Stained Glass and Basic Drawing. For my latest adventure, I’m taking Wood and Stone Sculpture with Nick Xhiku.
Why sculpture? I first became acquainted with the course when I stopped by George Tkabladze’s class to make this video. It looked like fun. Everyone was working on their own project, both first-timers and veterans. I wanted to take the class because it looked — am I allowed to admit this? — cool. I really like the idea of working on a piece of stone for weeks and, when I’m finished, having my handiwork around to share, like with my stained glass window.
So last week was my first class, and while I was a little worried I would be out of my depth, as usual, I was not the only beginner. Nick started us off with some sculpture books for inspiration and some clay. No guidelines or instructions other than to experiment.
I tried a lot of different things, mostly abstract, trying to find something I could be happy working on for eight weeks. I definitely enjoyed working with clay — I’m actually thinking of taking ceramics next.
What did I come up with? I’ll tell you more about it in my next post, but for now, here’s a preview:
See below for details on upcoming exhibits to enter and other announcements. You can click the image above to view past opportunities posts. (This week’s banner: 3 Spice Jars by Art League instructor Jack Heimerman.)
Good luck!
1708 Gallery, Richmond
Deadline: October 31. 1708 Gallery, a 35-year-old non-profit space for new art in Richmond, VA, seeks exhibition proposals for its 2014-2015 season. National and international artists and curators are encouraged to submit proposals to exhibit work in all mediums (including, but not limited to: video and film, new media, installation, sculpture, performance, painting and social practice). While proposals may include work made in the last three years, 1708 Gallery strongly encourages proposals for new or developing projects and bodies of work. More about the call for proposals >
Philadelphia public art
Deadline: November 1. The Philadelphia City Planning Commission (PCPC) invites all professional artists living within driving distance of Philadelphia to apply for a public art commission. Artists are asked to submit qualifications to design permanent artwork for historic Womrath Park, located in the Frankford section of Philadelphia. More about the request for proposals >
Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival
Deadline: December 7. The Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival (May 2014) is produced by the Greater Reston Arts Center (GRACE) and is a competitive, juried, outdoor event that showcases the best contemporary fine art and craft from around the country. The Festival is held in the streets of Reston Town Center, an upscale, elegant, shopping destination. More about the festival >
MICA residency in Brittany
Deadline: February 1, 2014. The Alfred and Trafford Klots International Program for Artists invites individual practicing artists (not students) and artist-couples who share home accommodations to apply for a seven-week residency to be held in the medieval village of Léhon in the late spring and summer of 2014. More about the residency >
Open call for photographic work
Deadline: ongoing. Lintroller is a website focused on emerging photographers and current, surfacing ideas in the practice of photography. More about Lintroller >
Art-lovers: this weekend is your last chance to see “Structural Elements” (previewed above) and the September All-Media Exhibit. It looks like it’s going to be a beautiful weekend to walk around Old Town and stop by our gallery in the Torpedo Factory. We’ll be closed Monday for repainting, so come see these exhibits by Sunday!
This weekend was Alexandria Seaport Day down at Waterfront Park, an occasion for chowder, beer, kids’ activities, demonstrations — and Art Boats!
They Came Before Columbus and Your Blues Ain’t Like Mine, the two boats painted by Steve Prince.
These boats were constructed by the Alexandria Seaport Foundation (ASF), painted by Art League instructors Steve Prince and Patrick Kirwin and the ASF’s Anthony Ness, and sponsored by local companies to benefit the Foundation.
You may have read about the Seaport Foundation elsewhere on this blog. The Art League has partnered with this great organization in the past to support their programs by commissioning easels, sculpture stands, and most recently a new store counter. Through the years, Seaport Foundation participants have also joined our art classes through the Geri Gordon Scholarship Fund.
More pictures of the Art Boats:
Alexandria Seaport Foundation’s Anthony Ness with his boat.An easel in progress at the Seaport Foundation.The other side of Steve Prince’s Art Boats, Your Blues Ain’t Like Mine and They Came Before Columbus.Steve Prince works on an Art Boat.Patrick Kirwin’s Art Boat was sponsored by Covanta Energy, a company with programs that create energy from old nets and other marine waste.
About the artists: Artist Steve A. Prince is a native of New Orleans, Louisiana, and he currently resides in Meadville, Pennsylvania. Prince received his BFA from Xavier University of Louisiana and his MFA in Printmaking and Sculpture from Michigan State University. He is currently an Artist in Resident at Allegheny College. He is represented by Eyekons Gallery in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Stonemetal Press in San Antonio, Texas.
Patrick Kirwin is a representational painter working primarily in oils and acrylics and with various scales from easel painting to kilometer-long murals. Currently, he is teaching Drawing, Trompe L’oeil Painting, and Acrylics at The Art League, where he has been since 1994. Kirwin has also been a teacher at the Smithsonian and the Corcoran College, as well as teaching throughout the US and Europe. Kirwin takes commissioned work as well as exhibiting and painting his original paintings.
This Fall, The Art League Gallery is hosting a lecture series with experts speaking on issues related to professional development for artists. Topics will include:
Taxes (Thursday, October 3): understanding how tax laws apply to your art business
Copyright (Thursday, October 17): how to copyright your own work, and what fair use is
See below for details on upcoming exhibits to enter and other announcements. You can click the image above to view past opportunities posts. (This week’s banner: detail from a mosaic by Art League instructor Gene Sterud.)
This week, a roundup of opportunities already featured in recent weeks whose deadlines still haven’t passed:
Large Works @ The Art League
Deadline: October 4, 2013. This year, The Art League’s Large Works show will be juried by digital entry only. See the exhibit page for the full prospectus. More about Large Works >
Corcoran Community Art Fair
Deadline: October 5. The Corcoran’s second annual Community Art Fair is a juried exhibition and sale of fine arts and crafts made by D.C.-area artists. More about the art fair >
Seed pack art contest
Deadline: October 6, 2013. Every year, the Hudson Valley Seed Library creates a limited edition custom seed pack for the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society based on the Philadelphia Flower Show theme. All 2-D and flat/relief 3-D mediums are accepted excluding photography. This includes but is not limited to painting, collage, paper cutting, carving, plant matter, encaustic. All works must be 8″ x 8″ square. More about the contest >
Flashpoint Gallery call for proposals
Deadline: October 18, 2013. Flashpoint Gallery in Northwest DC is accepting exhibition proposals for the 2014–15 season. Artists and independent curators presenting work in any medium may apply. More about the call for proposals >
Call for public sculpture
Deadline: October 25, 2013. The Howard County Arts Council is seeking up to 12 artists to participate in its ARTsites Public Art Competition for a temporary outdoor exhibit from May 2014 – July 2015. The competition is open to all professional visual artists, aged 18 and older, with public art experience that is commensurate with this project’s scope. More on ARTsites >
Call for public sculpture (2)
Deadline: November 1, 2013. The Portsmouth Art & Cultural Center in Portsmouth, VA is calling for proposals for a 2014 Outdoor Sculpture Display. More on the call for artists >
Residency
Deadline: November 29. Sandy Spring Museum in Sandy Spring, MD has issued an open call for proposals for residencies starting the winter of 2014. Artists may be visual, literary, performing, or multidisciplinary. More about the residency >
Hillyer Art Space
Deadline: November 22, 2013. Hillyer Art Space invites artists to submit to its current Open Call for Artists for the 2014-2015 exhibition season. Artists must live the DC Metro area and can’t have had a solo exhibition within the past three years. More about Hillyer Art Space’s Open Call for Artists >
Studio space: Alexandria
Art studio available with onsite free parking and 24/7 access. Each artist has a key to the building’s main entrance and a studio key. All studios have full spectrum lighting with a color temperature matching sunlight. The building has nine studios ranging in size from 197 to 1,064 sq. ft. and a larger industrial space is available for a commercial artist or group of artists. Near intersection of Duke Street and S. Quaker Lane (2.5 miles from Torpedo Factory). Contact Liz Boynton 703-759-4227, cell 703-638-8369, [email protected].
While many of the free museums in DC are sadly shut down, and lots of the private galleries and museums charge admission, we want to take this opportunity to remind you: The Art League Gallery is open seven days a week — with or without a government shutdown — and always free!
Come by this week for your last chance to see the September exhibits, check out the rest of the Torpedo Factory studios, and get a coffee at Bread & Chocolate (free with federal ID)!
Connection, a tapestry by Tea Okropiridze, winner of the Shayna Heisman Simkin Award in the September All-Media Exhibi.Sculptures from Kreshnik Xhiku’s exhibit, “Structural Elements.”
Katie with her husband Lucas and their daughter Leontine.
You may have seen some new faces around The Art League lately. Come say hi! To break the ice, we’re going to be introducing you to everyone around our offices at the Torpedo Factory. First up: Katie Scharmer, the new assistant gallery director.
Katie grew up in North Carolina, received a degree in studio art (with a minor in math) from the University of Minnesota, Morris, and did a tour with the Peace Corps in Botswana. She first started at The Art League as an intern in January and then worked part time over the summer.
After the Peace Corps, Katie studied arts management at George Mason. She also has experience in ceramics, sculpture, wrestling and mixed martial arts, and reality show competition.
What made you want to return to school for an arts management degree?
After my BA, I struggled trying to incorporate my degree into the workforce. The art program at Morris did a great job teaching me how to create good art, but it gave me no direction on how to get into galleries, create a portfolio, or any sort of job-related skills for being a working artist. I researched people in similar situations and found that many art students stopped practicing their craft soon after college. It frustrated me that artists weren’t given more support.
I decided to go into arts management to be that support system for struggling artists. I wanted to gain the skills to create supportive work environment for artists, especially those in rural areas. I’ve moved around a lot and I notice that more art opportunities exist for artists in big cities (for obvious reasons, there’s more money in cities). I feel that everyone should be able to experience good art anywhere, not just in major metropolitian areas.
Before you started at George Mason, you were in Botswana working in the Peace Corps. What did you do there, and what was the experience like?
I worked in a clinic to support HIV/AIDS prevention and education. I served with my husband who was working in the schools. We lived in a very small village with no public transportation system or paved roads so we hitch hiked in and out. There was no grocery store so we had to haul our groceries hitch hiking in the back of trucks. Needless to say we had a lot of broken eggs when we arrived. Despite the harsh way of life it was so much fun! We had to create all our own work projects and collaborate with community members to get involved. I taught job skills, women empowerment, and organized children’s activities. Some projects were a huge success, some were failures. Everything in Africa moves at a painfully slow pace. As an American it was easy to feel as though I wasn’t making an impact but eventually I learned to slow down and appreciate the things I was able to accomplish.
The pottery wheel in Botswana.
Although I was working with HIV/AIDS projects, I tried to incorporate the arts as much as possible. I tried teaching students how to throw on the potters wheel. They fired ceramic sculpture in a metal barrel with cow dung as fuel. But the pieces weren’t very sturdy. I found plans for how to build a pit fire kiln using all local materials. I was able to finish the kiln but unfortunately all of Botswana teaching staff was on strike at the end of my service so I was not able to see the kiln ever fired before I left.
Where did you grow up? When did you become interested in art?
I grew up in Greensboro, NC. I have a very artistic mother. She was great at setting up art projects for me and my sister. We made all our Christmas presents, Valentine’s cards. She would take us along to her art classes at UNCG so she didnt have to hire a babysitter so we were taking college-level drawing classes when we were 8 years old. Lots of kids grow up making things and enjoying art. I just never grew out of that stage. I took art classes throughout grade school and high school and much to the chagrin of my father, I knew I wanted to study art in college. I graduated high school in the top 5% of my class with strong scores in history and math. I got my BA in Studio Art with a minor in Mathematics.
Hey, didn’t I see you on Fear Factor?
Ha, yeah. I applied to be on the show about 10 years ago. They flew me out to L.A. to film an episode. I didn’t have to eat anything gross, although back then I could handle anything. I did have to lay in a glass case full of thousands of blood-sucking leeches for 2 minutes. I had to do a few heights stunts. I didn’t win, but I had such a good time doing it.
What’s your role as assistant gallery director?
I assist Rose in all areas of the gallery. I am stepping into Megan’s role of coordinating the solo show exhibits and applications. I am helping Rose organize the fall lecture series. If any members want to know more about a particular aspect of being a working artist they can send ideas to [email protected]. I research speakers and invite them to give a talk. At Mason I studied all aspects of arts management including finance, budgeting, fundraising, PR and marketing, board of directors, and also arts in society and policy.
Katie’s Lace bowl in September’s All-Media exhibit.
Why sculpture and clay?
I find 3D work to be so interesting, visually. Painting and drawing are very traditional and sell well but I have just been drawn to create sculpture. I think it is very challenging to have to make something well in three dimensions. I really liked working with clay and bronze in college. Bronze sculpture requires lots of equipment that is just not readily available. I found clay easier to get a hold of once I was out of the college scene. I just had to locate a studio with access to a kiln. I have studied under five instructors now and I learn something new with every one. I don’t love everything I make but some things are really fantastic. I have been a featured artist in four shows to date (two at The Art League). Even if I’m not a successful artist I will always practice my craft so that I remember the passion that drives me to make a better life for working artists.
Are you taking any classes here this fall? How are they going?
I am taking the Handbuilding Ceramics class with Carlos Beltran-Baldiviezo. I have been to only one class but I was very pleased. I like making functional ceramic pottery but with a bit more sculptural aspects. Carlos is a very talented sculptor and gives good direction on how to create effects with the clay. It’s exactly the kind of class I’ve been looking for.
“What Have I Seen?” Art Talk with Paul Richard
Saturday, October 5, 10:00am
Hemphill: 1515 14st St. NW / hemphillfinearts.com
Paul Richard wrote art criticism for The Washington Post from 1967 to 2009. In an illustrated talk he will look back at those 40 years, and a lot farther as well, surveying what he has reviewed and trying to make sense of all of it at once. He will also dare a prophesy of art that is yet to come. Seating is limited and available on a first-come first-served basis.
Whether you’re a student of sculpture or you just want to hear about the creative process of an internationally recognized artist, this Sunday is a great opportunity for you. Kreshnik Xhiku — sculptor, Art League instructor, and the artist behind September’s “Structural Elements” exhibit — will give an artist talk in the gallery this Sunday, September 29, at 2:00 pm. Nick has taught sculpture and drawing for many years, starting in his native country of Albania and, for the last decade, at The Art League. His work is exhibited internationally, and he has completed several public sculptures and monuments, which he’ll discuss at Sunday’s talk. We hope you’ll join us!
