When the weather’s beautiful and the skies are blue, it doesn’t matter what you’re doing — reading, cooking, writing a blog post — you want to do it outside.
For painters, that’s called painting en plein air. It’s a French phrase that means, simply, “in the open air.” Why don’t we call it painting al fresco? Because the French got there first! (Specifically, the Impressionists were famous plein air aficionados, taking advantage of the first portable paint tubes.)
Painting outside isn’t just about enjoying the sun and the breeze, although that’s certainly a big part of the fun. It’s also a great way to paint from direct observation, whether that means a landscape, a cityscape, or even something like a portrait.
Median Trees #1 and #2 by Mike Francis.
So what do I need to get started?
“When I sit down to make a sketch from nature, the first thing I try to do is to forget that I have ever seen a picture.”
— celebrated plein air artist John Constable
Packing for a plein air painting session is like packing for a hike: travel light, be prepared, and you’ll be a happy painter!
Paints: Some oil painters use alkyd paints for their faster drying time. Color-wise, each of our instructors has their own recommended palette, but the lists for Mike Francis, Fred Markham, and Sara Linda Poly have these colors in common: Titanium White, Ivory Black, Alizarin Crimson, Quinacridone Red (a.k.a. Permanent Rose), Ultramarine Blue, and Cadmium Yellow Medium.
Palette: Something that won’t blow away! Glass, plexiglas, and wood are all recommended.
Easel: This will likely be your biggest new purchase. A French easel is larger, but heavier. A pochade box is more portable for longer trips and smaller paintings. Pochade boxes mount on top of tripod legs, which you might have to purchase separately. Sara Linda Poly recommends the Easyl, Open Box M, Sienna, and Sun Eden brands. Some models will have a hook to hang your solvent, and some have shelves for your other supplies. If they don’t, you may need to keep them on the ground.
Other: You’ll definitely miss sunscreen and/or a hat if you forget it. Depending on your location, a warm jacket, windbreaker, and bug spray might be necessary. Bring a water bottle and snacks to prolong your painting time! Finally, bring a trash bag for used rags so you can leave the landscape as pristine as you painted it.
What classes are available? (updated for 2017)
The Art League offers a few classes and workshops for plein air painting every year. Other classes sometimes take field trips outside, but these are geared toward plein air:
The idea is simple: we challenged six mixologists from six local restaurants to make a new cocktail. For inspiration, they’ll select a piece of art from our April exhibits, and they’re also bringing along an appetizer each that pairs with their cocktail and chosen artwork.
On Friday, May 1, you’re invited to try all six drinks, all six appetizers, and vote for the best and most creative pairing. Our competitors have gotten very creative in the past, and we’re excited to see what happens this year!
Tickets are $45 through April 12 and $55 after that, so buy early! Here are the competing restaurants:
One of the less familiar terms in The Art League School catalog is “surface design.”
What is that, anyway? We asked two artists who should know: Candace Edgerley and Julie Booth, who both teach surface design classes at The Art League.
What is surface design and what can you use it for? Candace Edgerley: I think the best definition of Surface Design comes from the Surface Design Association: Surface Design encompasses the coloring, patterning, and structuring of fiber and fabric. This involves creative exploration of processes such as dyeing, painting, printing, stitching, embellishing, quilting, weaving, knitting, felting, and papermaking.
You can find surface design everywhere you look. Someone had to design the pattern or create the color on your sheets, blankets, towels, curtains, coats, sweaters, socks, shirts, everything you wear. Your favorite quilt was designed and stitched by hand or machine. Someone had to spin the yarn, dye, and knit or crochet your sweater. Whether done by hand or machine, someone had to design the item. My definition includes both functional and non-functional items. Non-functional items such as sculptural baskets; wall quilts; embroidered, dyed, woven, stitched wall art; fiber installations. The list is endless.
Julie Booth: I define surface design as any technique that manipulates or changes the surface of a fabric. This would include: painting, dyeing, printing/stamping, stenciling, applying resists, stitching, embellishing (e.g. adding beads), collaging, weaving, etc.
What I love about using surface design techniques is that I have control over what I want to design for a particular functional or non-functional piece. If I can’t find it commercially, I can make my own piece of fabric using colors I’ve mixed and designs I’ve created.
Julie Booth, Fabric Painting and Printing
What is your favorite surface design technique? Julie Booth: I have a number of favorites! First on the list is relief printing. I love to carve my own blocks from materials that range from commercial rubber products (such as Speedball Speedy Carve) to vegetables! I enjoy creating print blocks from materials I have on hand such as recycled cardboard, paper and plastic. In fact, I just published a book called Fabric Printing at Home that uses materials you can find in your kitchen to design beautiful one-of-a-kind fabrics.
Candace Edgerley: One of my favorite techniques is referred to as “deconstructed screen printing.” This is a process of applying dye to a silk screen, allowing the dye to dry in the screen, then printing the design in the screen onto the fabric. The results are always somewhat unpredictable and amazing. This is a class that is being offered beginning April 14 and will be offered again in the fall. Additional techniques such as Thermofax screens and photo emulsion are also covered in this class.
Candace Edgerley, Screen Printing
Julie Booth: I also love to hand stitch fabrics. I find the process very meditative and the results can be very personal pieces of art that can tell a story or even provide a healing experience.
Candace Edgerley: Shibori is the Japanese resist dye technique which is another of my favorites. Fabric can be folded and clamped, stitched and gathered, or bound to create areas that will resist the dye. These techniques also allow the fabric to be manipulated in such a way to retain its shape transforming the 2D to a three dimensional form. Shibori classes will also be offered in the fall.
Shibori collar by Candace Edgerley
Julie Booth: This semester, I’m offering two surface design classes. Fabric Painting and Printing: Surface Design starts on April 15 and covers a broad range of techniques including: relief printing, gelatin monoprinting, stenciling, screen printing and fabric resists. Students are encouraged to come up with an independent project that incorporates a variety of these techniques. Fabric Painting, Printing and Stitching to Tell a Story with Cloth, starting on April 22, focuses on using surface design on fabric techniques to create a story. We discuss the definition of “story” and expand upon the more traditional view of story. In addition to using printing, stenciling and resist techniques, students learn basic hand stitching techniques to add another dimension to their final art pieces.
What experience and supplies does a first time student need? Julie Booth: No prior experience is necessary in my classes. I welcome newcomers to surface design. I love to share my knowledge and always find that I learn something new from my students. I provide all the fabric paints, print blocks, brushes and tools needed for a nominal materials fee. I do have supply lists for my classes that include such items as cotton fabric (available for purchase in the classroom) and foam core boards and plastic to create portable work surfaces.
Candace Edgerley: No previous experience is necessary for the classes I teach at The Art League. Most of the supplies needed for the surface design classes are provided by The Art League. Students usually bring a few extra yards of fabric to classes for projects. Dyes, fabric, and a screen for printing are included in the materials fee for the screen printing classes.
Deadline: April 7. This annual juried competition, founded by Carol Trawick and produced by the Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District, awards $14,000 in prize monies to selected artists and features the work of the finalists in a group exhibition. More about the Trawick Prize →
Academy Art Museum Craft Show
Deadline: April 20. The Academy Art Museum Craft Show in Easton, MD is an annual, indoor juried craft show featuring approximately 65 artists from across the United States. More about the show →
Out of Order at Maryland Art Place
Installation: April 21. For this annual fundraiser at Maryland Art Place, any artist is welcome to hang one original work of art on the first come, first served installation day — taking place on Tuesday, April 21, 2015 from 7:00 am to midnight. Sales are split 50/50 between the artist and MAP. More about More about Out of Order →
MIX: Adventured in Mixed Media
Receiving: April 26–27. For this exhibit at Del Ray Artisans in Alexandria, artists are invited to combine two or more mediums and shake up your imagination. Mixed media compositions can convey visuals that are quirky, abstract, political, environmental and social. Think: Paint, Graphite, Textiles, Jewelry, Found Objects, Collage, Sculpture, Shadowboxes, Altered Books and beyond. Del Ray Artisans and Artistic Artifacts have teamed up to create this collaborative juried exhibit. The juror is Rosalee Lamanna, a mixed media artist and 22-year owner of Beads Ltd in Alexandria, Virginia. More about the exhibit →
Free lectures
The Art League is hosting two free talks in April: “How to Be a Fauvist” with Gallery Director Rose O’Donnell (inspiration for May’s juried group exhibit) and two Winsor & Newton product demonstrations with watercolors and oils. More about these talks →
Re-runs: the announcements below have appeared here before, but it’s not too late to apply!
Philadelphia Craft Show
Deadline: April 1. The 39th Annual Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show, a juried exhibition and retail sale, will be held at the Pennsylvania Convention Center from November 12 to 15, 2015, with a Preview Party on November 11. The jury will accept 195 craft artists. More about the show →
Transformation
Deadline: April 1. This exhibition at Pyramid Atlantic Art Center in Silver Spring, MD gives every artist the opportunity to interpret “transformation” as they wish. All media will be considered. More about the exhibit →
Two April exhibits @ The Art League
Receiving: April 6–7. There are two juried group exhibits at The Art League in April, and members can enter both. Jayme McClellan will jury the April All-Media Exhibit, and Millicent Young will jury “Bits & Pieces,” an exhibit of work of or about found objects.
Heroes & Villains
New extended deadline: April 10. Whether you look to history books or comic books, or your own fantastical imagination, this exhibit welcomes artists that explore the complexities and nuances of heroes and villains. All media welcome; small to large-scale installations; new media encouraged; indoor and outdoor works accepted; cash awards to be presented. Juror to be announced. More about the exhibit (PDF) →
Art @ the Park
Deadline: April 10 (early bird April 4). Art @ the Park 2015 is a regional festival (Mid-Atlantic Region) located in Annapolis MD in the magnificent setting of Quiet Waters Park. It features original art work from exhibitors throughout the region and includes musical performances, children’s activities, eclectic food, wine and beer. More about exhibiting at the festival →
Smithfield Arts Festival
Deadline: April 10. The Smithfield (Virginia) Fall Festival of the Arts is a juried outdoor fine art show featuring accomplished travelling artists from throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. There will be live entertainment throughout the day on an adjacent stage. The show has openings for more than 80 artists in the first year, and room for expansion in the future. We welcome artists working in Ceramics, Drawing, Fiber/Leather, Glass, Jewelry, Metal, Painting, Photography, Wood, and other media. Prizes include $1,000 for Best in Show, and $200 prizes for first place in each category. More about the festival →
2-D figure art
Deadline: April 14 (early deadline: April 7). This competition requires that the feature be ‘The Figure’. Open to any two-dimensional media. More about the exhibit →
Strictly Painting 10
Deadline: April 17. From McLean Project for the Arts: All Mid-Atlantic artists (DC, VA, MD, PA, NJ, DE, WV) are invited to submit up to 4 jpegs of paintings or works related in some way to painting completed in the last two years and not previously exhibited at MPA. More about “Strictly Painting” →
Photography exhibit
Deadline: April 17. Candela Books + Gallery in Richmond, VA is holding its fourth annual invitational and juried exhibition. UnBound4! will be a summer group exhibition. Proceeds from a gala event will raise funds to purchase select works from the exhibition. Read the call to photographers →
Interactivity: Sight and Sound
Deadline: April 17. Sounds, music or voices seen as colors is referred to as synesthesia. Artists are invited to consider this concept and propose an exhibit of works that might connote or express it for an exhibit at Montgomery College. More about “Interactivity: Sight and Sound” →
Small Works on Paper
Deadline: April 20. Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania invites all artists to participate in a juried exhibition of small works on paper in conjunction with The 25th Annual International Conference on Virginia Woolf. Works on paper (15″ x 11″ or smaller) in all traditional and experimental visual arts media, including photography, will be considered. More about the exhibit →
Tabletop ceramics
Deadline: May 1. The Art League presents its annual, international juried exhibit of ceramic works designed for food, drink, and the table. This year’s juror is Trevor Dunn. More about “Tabletop” →
MPAartfest
Deadline: May 1. McLean Project for the Arts’s MPAartfest is a one-day juried fine art and craft show and sale featuring the work of more than 40 local and regional visual artists. The festival is Sunday, October 4, 2015. More about the festival →
Art Uniting People
Receiving: May 1. This exhibit is open to anyone whose life has been affected by mental illness, substance use disorders, or intellectual disabilities. This includes those who have been diagnosed with one of these conditions, family members, friends and caregivers. More about the exhibit →
Photo ’15
Deadline: July 1. You are invited to submit to Photo ’15, a national juried fine art photography exhibit at Multiple Exposures Gallery at the Torpedo Factory. The juror is Sarah Greenough, Senior Curator and Head of the Department of Photographs at the National Gallery of Art. More about the exhibit →
The deadline for this amazing opportunity is Tuesday, April 7! Don’t miss out!
The annual juried competition, founded by Carol Trawick and produced by the Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District, awards $14,000 in prize monies to selected artists and features the work of the finalists in a group exhibition.
The jury will select up to 10 finalists who will be invited to display their work in a group exhibition in downtown Bethesda in September 2015. Applicants must be 18 years of age or older and permanent, full-time residents of Maryland, Virginia or Washington, D.C. All original 2-D and 3-D fine art including painting, drawing, photography, sculpture, fiber art, digital, mixed media and video will be accepted. Additional eligibility requirements and the application can be found on our website (http://www.bethesda.org/bethesda/trawick-application)
The prizes are as follows:
Best in Show – $10,000.
Second Place – $2,000
Third Place – $1,000
Young Artist (must be born after April 7, 1985 to enter this category) – $1,000
This week was the final step in the 2015 jury for new members at the Torpedo Factory!
There are 11 new members of the Torpedo Factory Artists’ Association, a group of local artists committed to exhibiting their work and process to the public. Becoming a member of the TFAA is the first step to leasing or sharing a studio space in the Factory. Congrats to all these artists on their remarkable achievement!
Necklaces by Whitney Staiger
Six of these artists are familiar names to us at The Art League: Gallery members Mark Elfman, Julia Dzikiewicz, Courtney Hengerer (a board member and 2014 solo artist), and Whitney Staiger (who plans all our special events and is also a 2014 solo artist); and former members Donna McGee and Alice Kresse.
Here’s the full list:
2D Artists
(jurors: Laura Roulet, Rosetta DeBerardinis, Gordon Stettinius)
Whether you’re entering your art in a juried exhibit or hanging a new piece in your home, framing your own artwork is a great way to save money and put together a professional presentation. Framing is one of the things most often mentioned by Art League jurors as a key component of successful artwork.
But how do you start out with DIY framing? Eileen Yeager has been teaching framing workshops at The Art League for years, showing artists and art-lovers how to preserve, protect, and present their art.
This Friday, Eileen will be giving a free presentation in our gallery:
Join Art League School instructor Eileen F. Yeager for a presentation on how to successfully mat and frame your two-dimensional artwork for exhibitions. Free — RSVP required.
This weekend, she’ll also be teaching two workshops:
Deadline: ongoing. The Foundry Gallery is seeking a few established and emerging artists in the greater DC area. If interested in applying for membership, please send up to 5 images (jpg attachments please), bio, and artist’s statement to [email protected]. The oldest cooperative in Washington, the Foundry holds monthly members’ solo and group shows at its townhouse in Dupont Circle, and in September 2015 will move to a beautiful new space near the 9:30 Club.
2-D figure art
Deadline: April 14 (early deadline: April 7). This competition requires that the feature be ‘The Figure’. Open to any two-dimensional media. More about the exhibit →
Photography exhibit
Deadline: April 17. Candela Books + Gallery in Richmond, VA is holding its fourth annual invitational and juried exhibition. UnBound4! will be a summer group exhibition. Proceeds from a gala event will raise funds to purchase select works from the exhibition. Read the call to photographers →
MPAartfest
Deadline: May 1. McLean Project for the Arts’s MPAartfest is a one-day juried fine art and craft show and sale featuring the work of more than 40 local and regional visual artists. The festival is Sunday, October 4, 2015. More about the festival →
Photo ’15
Deadline: July 1. You are invited to submit to Photo ’15, a national juried fine art photography exhibit at Multiple Exposures Gallery at the Torpedo Factory. The juror is Sarah Greenough, Senior Curator and Head of the Department of Photographs at the National Gallery of Art. More about the exhibit →
Gabriela, terra cotta, by Barrie Ripin. Winner of the Marker Award for Realism in the March All-Media Exhibit, juried by Liza Key Strelka. (click for a larger image)
Juror Liza Key Stelka selected Barrie Ripin’sGabriela as the winner of the Marker Award for Realism in the March All-Media Exhibit. We asked Barrie more about his sculpture, working both in two- and three-dimensional media, and where his work is going next. Read his responses below!
You work and experiment in many different media, both two- and three-dimensional. What’s your typical day like — are you juggling different projects or focusing on one thing?
I get bored easily and I like the challenge of gaining control over new media and techniques. So, I feel that each medium is an adventure and, at least in my mind, ‘feels right’ for certain subjects or my mood. They all have different ‘looks’ that seem to fit certain subjects best. I enjoy a combination of doing my artwork independently and as part of classes, open-life sessions, and with a weekly painting group, the Pâté Painters. My car is often loaded up with supplies for two or three different media and I often decide at the last moment which to use. I do tend to work on several pieces at any given moment. Some, like stone sculpture or refined work with models, are inherently slow multi-session processes; others are quickies, such as from Open Life sessions.
Why terra cotta?
Oh, I just love doing terra cotta pieces. I think it was Danni Dawson who first mentioned to me that the best way to get anatomy down for painting was to take a figure sculpture class, which is true. I took Paul Lucchesi’s workshop, and just fell in love with the medium for its own sake. It is so tactile, freeing and forgiving, and you end up literally with a solid piece of work. As they say, it is dirty work, but someone has to do it.
What was your goal with this piece, or with your figurative work in general? Are your goals different for a figure sculpture compared to a figure painting?
In both sculpture and 2-D figurative or portraits, I strive to get a unique sense of the model. In this case, the model had a lovely lithe figure and posed in a beautiful relaxed way. I just exaggerated her features to highlight this effect. For me, the most difficult subjects to capture are those with beautiful, but conventional features. Models with lots of ‘curves’ are also fun to work with. So really, models are the unsung heroes in art, they are the inspiration – there is no substitute for a great model – and The Art League is fortunate to have a cadre of very talented ones.
For those who haven’t worked in clay, can you briefly describe the process to a completed sculpture like this one?
Actually, this was not a complicated sculpture – I think it took only about four or five hours from scratch to finish. You start with commercial clay (which has uniform properties) and clumping together bits and pieces to eventually become the body and torso, and then refine the shapes. For me, it is important not to overly refine features, but rather try for overall effect. It is important not to violate (but you can exaggerate) the basics of artistic anatomy, unless that is the goal. Like all forms of art, the trick is knowing when to stop. When satisfied, allow the sculpture to dry thoroughly (weeks to months) and then fire in a kiln. Finally, after a surface patina is applied in a myriad of ways, it is mounted.
Gabriela (detail) by Barrie Ripin (click for a larger image)
How did you arrive at a career in art after your other careers? Has your experience with science/diplomacy/family informed your creative process?
I think that I finally came back to use of the right side of my brain after years of disuse (I did practically no art from college throughout my career). My wife gave me a birthday present of a basic drawing class, which released my long suppressed love of doing art. Best gift ever! But thinking about the gratification I got from doing art, I realized that it was very similar to those of doing science etc. Few go into science for the money (and, surely that applies to art also), but rather it is the self-satisfaction “psychic-pay” one gets doing something creative, discovery, and receiving the respect of your peers – and that is the same for art.
You won the Marker Award for Realism. What does realism mean to you as a contemporary artist?
I was exceeding pleased to receive the recognition, of course – lots of psychic-pay here (lol). Surprised too. I don’t strive for ‘realism,’ but whatever comes out, comes out. I thought it was neat that the juror stretched the conventional idea of realism a bit here – usually I think it is thought of as a detailed and close to accurate replication of the subject. I’ve tried on occasion to push myself into the abstract world, but forcing it never works – I do best when going with the flow of my hands.
What’s your first memory of art as a child?
I’m sure that I did my with crayons, finger painting, etc. before the age of remembering. But my first vivid art memory is of lobbying parents for an oil ‘paint-by-numbers’ set, in which I consciencously filled in the hundreds of little areas – lol. Oh my gosh, how tedious, and atrocious! But somehow it sparked my going at it with real oils and acrylics throughout my boyhood and adolescence, totally without any instruction. My first art sale was at about age 10 to a friend’s mother, who offered me 12 of the most delicious sour-cream chocolate cakes, one per month, for an orange sunset scene. How sweet those cakes were!
What are you working on now?
Recently I’ve gotten into stone carving sculpture, finishing up on my 3rd piece now, about a 40” tall marble female nude. [The first two stones are on display in the MAA Art Gallery, Wheaton Mall, Wheaton, MD throughout March.] Stone carving goes much much more slowly than terra cotta, and the process is totally subtractive unlike terra cotta. Yup, the tools are hammer, chisels, files… The process is very satisfying, almost zen-like. I’m also trying out wood-block relief printing, in addition to my other 2-D works. Oh if there were only 30 hour days!
Gabe’s Back, watercolor and ink on yupo, from the April 2010 All-Media Exhibit.
Paradox by Abol Bahadori, winner of the Evelyn Turner Award for Abstraction. 20″ × 60″, acrylic.
Artist Abol Bahadori received the Evelyn Turner Award for Abstraction by March juror Liza Key Strelka for Paradox – “a very musical and contemporary” piece. We asked Abol to share some insight into his creative process and inspiration in this Q&A:
Why are you a painter?
My mom says I started scribbling before I started talking. So I guess it comes to me naturally as the most primary method of expressing myself. I’ve always felt an urge to paint. I truly believe that the need to create is even deeper than what defines us as human beings. It is the same primitive urge that makes the birds build nests or beavers dams. I am sure they each have a distinct style even among the same species that is ingrained in their genes. As for us homo-sapiens, we express our creativity in very different forms that don’t necessarily fall under the category of fine arts.
How did Paradox come to be? What was your goal with the painting? As with most of my paintings, I did not have a clear goal in mind. I started this piece with a spontaneous approach applying acrylic medium on a very wet canvas letting paint expand and run into water. About 15 minutes into the process I already knew where the painting wants to take me. Our juror Liza Strelka was very observant, and I was thrilled, when she said, “it is very musical…” This painting led me into creating a whole new series—Music. I’ve done at least ten more paintings in my Music series, which is based on the concept of melody (organic forms) and rhythm (geometrical forms) running together and against one another. In the Music series I introduce the geometrical forms later on, which in this painting they are the vertical divisions. As for the title Paradox, the organic forms and the vertical stripes created a dichotomy or an odd sense of harmony. So I thought this title was a good one without being too suggestive.
What’s your creative process like, from an idea to a finished piece? How do you know when a piece is done? My artistic process is a spiritual journey that exists outside of the sense of self and intellect. More than an artist I consider myself a medium or a tool to manifest my belief that beings in this and other realms want to appear to us in a form, shape, or color visible to us. They first engage our subconscious. So in the beginning of the process I intentionally disengage my mind and try to let it pour (literally) from a place of feeling and not thinking. That is why I prefer abstract art. Pollock stated, “I can control the flow of paint: there is no accident.” He truly had crafted that level of control. I start with “accident” a lot and enjoy doing that, but I continue with structure. I’ve also developed certain techniques of “accidents”, but my intention is opposite of control in the beginning of the process.
Detail from Paradox by Abol Bahadori
Do you listen to music while you paint? I have listened to music while painting a lot. But recently (and even with the Music series) I make sure that I start in complete silence as I try to avoid any external input. Later on when I am continuing the work in a more conscious level, I may listen to some classical music. The other issue is that I have a certain level of anxiety that I find very productive. Music can calm me down or add a different type of energy and become counterproductive.
What’s your color strategy? How did pink come to dominate Paradox? I don’t have a color strategy, but definitely a color palette which is generally colors that please my own eye. I’ve realized that I am more attracted to analogous and split-complimentary colors rather than direct complimentary colors. I also never understand why we teach children that primary colors are blue, red, and yellow. In reality primary colors are cyan (turquoise), magenta, and yellow as well known in the print industry. I make my best reds by mixing magenta and yellow. I also create amazing blues by mixing turquoise and magenta. I love magenta, especially quinacridone magenta for its purity and transparency. As for the variety of pink dominating Paradox, it was born out of wet-on-wet mixes of white with various purple, magenta, red, and oranges. Whether that was a cocious decision or not, I don’t remember. I think pink always looks fresh and unusual just because majority of artists avoid it.
What’s your earliest memory of wanting to be an artist? I won the Best Young Artist award among the local schools in my home town Tabriz (capital city of Iranian Azerbaijan) when I was 9. Even before that I knew I am going to choose either music or visual arts as a profession. But I did not start music training until I was 14 and it was already too late. I had started painting much earlier—so early that I don’t remember when. My first art teacher at kindergarten had asked my parents to allow me develop my own style of painting and stay away from artisan schools such as miniature or calligraphy. I don’t necessarily agree with that idea—so popular all around the world in 60s. I could’ve gained many techniques I couldn’t possibly develop on my own.
What are you working on now? I consider myself a colorist type of abstract expressionist. Helen Frankenthaler’s works definitely resonate with me more than any other artist from that era. I know nowadays you have to come up with a completely new technique or mix of mediums to be considered “modern.” That has never been my intention because I know for a fact that each artist has a unique style, almost like a genetic signature, which will make him or her stand out. I have also realized that, even though I am not crazy about surrealism, people see a lot familiar forms in my paintings. This is almost like reading coffee or tealeaves that each viewer interprets my visual content differently. So recently, I am doing a series I call Oracle where I focus more on that aspect of the composition. I am also always pushing myself to experiment with colors and surfaces that are not as familiar to me. What really works for me is painting several different series at the same time. This prevents boredom which to me is opposite of creativity.
Baobab Tree from the January 2015 All-Media Exhibit, juried by Paul Reuther.
Deadline: March 20. The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities is seeking to purchase original two and three-dimensional works of art — including but not limited to paintings; drawings; mixed media; prints; photographs; fabric art; ceramics; sculptures; installations, and video work. More about the DC Art Bank →
Mural artists
Deadline: March 31. Meridian International Center – a non-profit based in Washington, D.C. – is now accepting applications for the 2015-2016 Community Engagement through the Arts Exchange Program for American mural artists. More about the program →
Strictly Painting 10
Deadline: April 17. From McLean Project for the Arts: All Mid-Atlantic artists (DC, VA, MD, PA, NJ, DE, WV) are invited to submit up to 4 jpegs of paintings or works related in some way to painting completed in the last two years and not previously exhibited at MPA. More about “Strictly Painting” →
Tabletop ceramics
Deadline: May 1. The Art League presents its annual, international juried exhibit of ceramic works designed for food, drink, and the table. This year’s juror is Trevor Dunn. More about “Tabletop” →
Athenaeum Invitational
Deadline: June 15. Artists who live or work in Virginia, Maryland, or the District of Columbia may submit work based on the theme “Don’t Fence Me In.” Work must be wall-mounted and less than 9 inches deep. More about the invitational →
Re-runs: the announcements below have appeared here before, but it’s not too late to apply!
Truro Anglican Church
Receiving: March 18–19. As part of the City of Fairfax’s Spotlight on the Arts, Truro Anglican Church presents its 5th Spring Arts Festival Art Show. Work can be submitted in two categories: Adult and Youth. Work will be exhibited in the Truro Anglican Church Gallery and Undercroft from March 20 – May 22, 2015. Cash prizes will be awarded to each age category. More about the Spring Arts Festival →
South Atlantic Juried Exhibit
Deadline: March 20. This exhibit will be at the Montpelier Center in Montpelier, VA. The South-Atlantic Juried Exhibition is open to all professional artists who reside in Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, Washington, D.C., North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. More about the exhibit →
2016 Solo Exhibits
Deadline: March 25. VisArts in Rockville, MD invites artists working in all media to apply for 2016 Solo Exhibitions in the Gibbs Street Gallery and Common Ground Gallery. More about exhibiting at VisArts →
“Red”
Deadline: March 30. Gallery Underground in Crystal City is asking artists to explore the color red for an exhibit opening April 27, juried by watercolorist Frank Eber. More about “Red” →
Touchstone Foundation Fellowship
Deadline: March 30. The Fellowship provides a 2 year membership in Touchstone Gallery in downtown DC. This guarantees a solo exhibition as well as participation in gallery group shows, mentorship, and a presence on the gallery website. The monetary value of the fellowship exceeds $4,500. The Fellowship is awarded to 1 or more emerging artists who have not been represented by a commercial gallery in at least 10 years. The application and related information can be found on the TFA website.
Force of Nature
Deadline: March 30. When women demonstrate their feminine power and energy in positive ways that command deep respect, they are often referred to as a Force of Nature. Women’s Caucus For Art, New Hampshire Chapter is calling for artwork to reflect this theme. WCA members and non-members of any gender, working individually or collectively, who live in the United States are invited to submit artworks for this exhibition. More about the exhibit →
Torpedo Factory loading dock mural
Deadline: March 31. This is an open call for artists to design and execute a mural to cover the exterior of the Torpedo Factory Art Center loading dock. More about the mural →
Philadelphia Craft Show
Deadline: April 1. The 39th Annual Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show, a juried exhibition and retail sale, will be held at the Pennsylvania Convention Center from November 12 to 15, 2015, with a Preview Party on November 11. The jury will accept 195 craft artists. More about the show →
Transformation
Deadline: April 1. This exhibition at Pyramid Atlantic Art Center in Silver Spring, MD gives every artist the opportunity to interpret “transformation” as they wish. All media will be considered. More about the exhibit →
Heroes & Villains
Deadline: April 1. Whether you look to history books or comic books, or your own fantastical imagination, this exhibit welcomes artists that explore the complexities and nuances of heroes and villains. All media welcome; small to large-scale installations; new media encouraged; indoor and outdoor works accepted; cash awards to be presented. Juror to be announced. More about the exhibit (PDF) →
Two April exhibits @ The Art League
Receiving: April 6–7. There are two juried group exhibits at The Art League in April, and members can enter both. Jayme McClellan will jury the April All-Media Exhibit, and Millicent Young will jury “Bits & Pieces,” an exhibit of work of or about found objects.
Art @ the Park
Deadline: April 10 (early bird April 4). Art @ the Park 2015 is a regional festival (Mid-Atlantic Region) located in Annapolis MD in the magnificent setting of Quiet Waters Park. It features original art work from exhibitors throughout the region and includes musical performances, children’s activities, eclectic food, wine and beer. More about exhibiting at the festival →
Smithfield Arts Festival
Deadline: April 10. The Smithfield (Virginia) Fall Festival of the Arts is a juried outdoor fine art show featuring accomplished travelling artists from throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. There will be live entertainment throughout the day on an adjacent stage. The show has openings for more than 80 artists in the first year, and room for expansion in the future. We welcome artists working in Ceramics, Drawing, Fiber/Leather, Glass, Jewelry, Metal, Painting, Photography, Wood, and other media. Prizes include $1,000 for Best in Show, and $200 prizes for first place in each category. More about the festival →
Interactivity: Sight and Sound
Deadline: April 17. Sounds, music or voices seen as colors is referred to as synesthesia. Artists are invited to consider this concept and propose an exhibit of works that might connote or express it for an exhibit at Montgomery College. More about “Interactivity: Sight and Sound” →
Small Works on Paper
Deadline: April 20. Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania invites all artists to participate in a juried exhibition of small works on paper in conjunction with The 25th Annual International Conference on Virginia Woolf. Works on paper (15″ x 11″ or smaller) in all traditional and experimental visual arts media, including photography, will be considered. More about the exhibit →
Art Uniting People
Receiving: May 1. This exhibit is open to anyone whose life has been affected by mental illness, substance use disorders, or intellectual disabilities. This includes those who have been diagnosed with one of these conditions, family members, friends and caregivers. More about the exhibit →
In addition to recipes, fashion, and decorating ideas, Pinterest — as we’ve written previously — is a great resource for gathering art ideas and inspiration. Following the boards of artists you like is the best of both worlds: not only do they post their own art (and, if you’re lucky, works in progress), but they share what inspires them, too.
Here are some of the Art Leaguers who do just that, and a few artist from outside The Art League as well. This doesn’t include the wealth of museums around the world that share tidbits from their collections! See some of the people we follow below, and let us know your favorite artist pinners in the comments!
Ted Reed
Pinner bio: A portrait and figure artist who teaches at The Art League
Sometime Wednesday morning, an Art League video was watched for the 1,000,000th time on YouTube! Excuse us while we celebrate.
Fanfare for Five by Art League instructor Rachel Collins.
Of course, this is only the beginning for our YouTube channel. We love making videos to let people know about our awesome classes, exhibits, and events — which is good, because those things happen all the time! And we owe a thank-you to all the artists who have been the on-screen talent.
To keep on top of new videos whenever we add them, subscribe to our channel here! What do you want to see in our next video?
Crayons, pastels, conté crayons, oil sticks — they’re all based on the same idea: pigment and binder. In other words, pure color and something to hold it together. Your box of Crayola used wax as a binder and had some filler, too; you’ll find pastels (and artist-grade crayons) have a better feel on the paper and keep their color longer.
In grade school, you probably made clay pinch pots (or coil pots), then one day your teacher brought them back from the kiln and they were hard, shiny, and lasted forever. You can have even more fun with clay as an adult — just ask our ceramics department!
No joke — you can make someseriousart with pencils (that is, graphite) and colored pencils, and all without making a mess. In some drawing classes, you’ll expand your repertoire to media like charcoal and ink, too.
Were you the kid who was mixing stuff into your paint, or collecting cool stuff you found on the ground so you could make it into something? Good news! The art world has legitimized your experiments, which are called (respectively) “mixed media” and “found object” art. Translation: you see art everywhere, and that’s pretty cool.
New deadline: March 14. Hamiltonian Artists on U St. NW encourages all interested artists who have not had prior gallery representation to apply for their competitive, two-year fellowship program. More about the fellowships →
Two April exhibits @ The Art League
Receiving: April 6–7. There are two juried group exhibits at The Art League in April, and members can enter both. Jayme McClellan will jury the April All-Media Exhibit, and Millicent Young will jury “Bits & Pieces,” an exhibit of work of or about found objects.
Art Uniting People
Receiving: May 1. This exhibit is open to anyone whose life has been affected by mental illness, substance use disorders, or intellectual disabilities. This includes those who have been diagnosed with one of these conditions, family members, friends and caregivers. More about the exhibit →
ArtSpace Herndon
Deadline: Rolling. ArtSpace Herndon is soliciting proposals from experienced artists for exhibits in the Nelson J. and Katherine Friant Post Gallery. Proposals for month-long exhibits of fine art are requested and will be considered periodically. How to make your exhibit proposals →
An untitled sculpture by Elena Tchernomazova.Forest, from Claudia Cappelle’s exhibit of acrylic and mixed-media paintings.Rise of the Ancestors (detail), ceramic and mixed media by Chris Malone.Two award winners from the March All-Media Exhibit: Paradox, acrylic by Abol Bahaori, and Gabriela, terra cotta by Barrie Ripin.From March’s All-Media Exhibit“Reconstructing the Landscape”
From the March All-Media Exhibit.
Serene by Melanie Vacchio
This Thursday is your chance to meet the artists in these two exhibits and celebrate the arts in Alexandria! Come join us Thursday, March 12 at 6:30 pm for the opening reception for “Reconstructing the Landscape” and the March All-Media Exhibit.
We at The Art League have a new neighbor upstairs in the Torpedo Factory — or, more accurately, new neighbors. The Associates Gallery in studio 319 is the newest gallery in the Factory, and they’re presenting a new exhibit in March.
This inaugural exhibit, “Four,” presents the work of four artists: Julie Patrick, Kara Hammond, Barbara Muth, and Jill Finsen.
Clockwise from bottom left: Hurricane Neon by Julie Patrick, And Another Thing by Barbara Muth, Oasis by Kara Hammond, and Roundabouts by Jill Finsen.
The Associates Gallery comprises 15 artists, including painters, photographers, fiber, and ceramic artists, all juried members of the Torpedo Factory Artists’ Association. You’ll recognize six of the members as Art League members, too: Barbara Muth, Maria Simonsson, Ellen Delaney, Gail Spencer Saour, Jo Ann Tooley, and Susan Sherwin.
This exhibit runs March 1 to 29, with a new show to follow each month! The Associates Gallery is open daily from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm.
Deadline: March 6. Strathmore’s upcoming exhibition: Women Chefs: Artists in the Kitchen, is scheduled for September 5 to November 8. Each selected artist will be matched with a chef so the artist can create and redefine a “portrait.” More about the exhibit →
Micro-granting proposals
Deadline: March 13. The next CRAVE micro-granting dinner is Saturday, March 28. Find information here about how to submit a proposal for consideration!
Force of Nature
Deadline: March 30. When women demonstrate their feminine power and energy in positive ways that command deep respect, they are often referred to as a Force of Nature. Women’s Caucus For Art, New Hampshire Chapter is calling for artwork to reflect this theme. WCA members and non-members of any gender, working individually or collectively, who live in the United States are invited to submit artworks for this exhibition. More about the exhibit →
Transformation
Deadline: April 1. This exhibition at Pyramid Atlantic Art Center in Silver Spring, MD gives every artist the opportunity to interpret “transformation” as they wish. All media will be considered. More about the exhibit →
Heroes & Villains
Deadline: April 1. Whether you look to history books or comic books, or your own fantastical imagination, this exhibit welcomes artists that explore the complexities and nuances of heroes and villains. All media welcome; small to large-scale installations; new media encouraged; indoor and outdoor works accepted; cash awards to be presented. Juror to be announced. More about the exhibit (PDF) →
Re-runs: the announcements below have appeared here before, but it’s not too late to apply!
Summer exhibit at Target Gallery (last chance!)
Deadline: March 9. This call is open to all artists from North America working in all visual media. The selected artist or group will receive a solo exhibition at the Target Gallery from July 25 – August 30, 2015, as well as a stipend and an exhibition catalog. A panel of independent arts professionals will review submissions and select the final proposal. Our jurors this year are John James Anderson, Amy Boone-McCreesh, and Alex Goldstein. More about exhibiting at Target Gallery →
Share your failures
Deadline: March 9. For “Lower Moments” at Pleasant Plains Workshop in NW DC, you are encouraged to submit your most embarrassing artwork, art moment, curatorial disaster, embarrassing artist statement, or awkward art story! More about “Lower Moments” →
Faces of Humanity
Deadline: March 9. Art-Competition.net is proud to announce this call for artists with $7,600 in cash and prizes. The artwork or photography should capture the diversity of humanity in faces. The emotion, beauty, love, hope and wisdom in the faces should connect the viewer to the many different cultures of the world. The work can be from representational to non-representational. More about the exhibit →
Virginia artists
Deadline: March 13 (early bird February 16). The Bay School Community Arts Center in Mathews, VA invites all adult Virginia artists to enter Art Speaks on the Bay 2015, a juried exhibit with $3,200 in prize money. More about “Art Speaks on the Bay” →
Truro Anglican Church
Receiving: March 18–19. As part of the City of Fairfax’s Spotlight on the Arts, Truro Anglican Church presents its 5th Spring Arts Festival Art Show. Work can be submitted in two categories: Adult and Youth. Work will be exhibited in the Truro Anglican Church Gallery and Undercroft from March 20 – May 22, 2015. Cash prizes will be awarded to each age category. More about the Spring Arts Festival →
South Atlantic Juried Exhibit
Deadline: March 20. This exhibit will be at the Montpelier Center in Montpelier, VA. The South-Atlantic Juried Exhibition is open to all professional artists who reside in Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, Washington, D.C., North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. More about the exhibit →
2016 Solo Exhibits
Deadline: March 25. VisArts in Rockville, MD invites artists working in all media to apply for 2016 Solo Exhibitions in the Gibbs Street Gallery and Common Ground Gallery. More about exhibiting at VisArts →
“Red”
Deadline: March 30. Gallery Underground in Crystal City is asking artists to explore the color red for an exhibit opening April 27, juried by watercolorist Frank Eber. More about “Red” →
Touchstone Foundation Fellowship
Deadline: March 30. The Fellowship provides a 2 year membership in Touchstone Gallery in downtown DC. This guarantees a solo exhibition as well as participation in gallery group shows, mentorship, and a presence on the gallery website. The monetary value of the fellowship exceeds $4,500. The Fellowship is awarded to 1 or more emerging artists who have not been represented by a commercial gallery in at least 10 years. The application and related information can be found on the TFA website.
Torpedo Factory loading dock mural
Deadline: March 31. This is an open call for artists to design and execute a mural to cover the exterior of the Torpedo Factory Art Center loading dock. More about the mural →
Philadelphia Craft Show
Deadline: April 1. The 39th Annual Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show, a juried exhibition and retail sale, will be held at the Pennsylvania Convention Center from November 12 to 15, 2015, with a Preview Party on November 11. The jury will accept 195 craft artists. More about the show →
Art @ the Park
Deadline: April 10 (early bird April 4). Art @ the Park 2015 is a regional festival (Mid-Atlantic Region) located in Annapolis MD in the magnificent setting of Quiet Waters Park. It features original art work from exhibitors throughout the region and includes musical performances, children’s activities, eclectic food, wine and beer. More about exhibiting at the festival →
Smithfield Arts Festival
Deadline: April 10. The Smithfield (Virginia) Fall Festival of the Arts is a juried outdoor fine art show featuring accomplished travelling artists from throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. There will be live entertainment throughout the day on an adjacent stage. The show has openings for more than 80 artists in the first year, and room for expansion in the future. We welcome artists working in Ceramics, Drawing, Fiber/Leather, Glass, Jewelry, Metal, Painting, Photography, Wood, and other media. Prizes include $1,000 for Best in Show, and $200 prizes for first place in each category. More about the festival →
Interactivity: Sight and Sound
Deadline: April 17. Sounds, music or voices seen as colors is referred to as synesthesia. Artists are invited to consider this concept and propose an exhibit of works that might connote or express it for an exhibit at Montgomery College. More about “Interactivity: Sight and Sound” →
Small Works on Paper
Deadline: April 20. Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania invites all artists to participate in a juried exhibition of small works on paper in conjunction with The 25th Annual International Conference on Virginia Woolf. Works on paper (15″ x 11″ or smaller) in all traditional and experimental visual arts media, including photography, will be considered. More about the exhibit →
Bethany Beach Boardwalk
Deadline: May 1. The 37th Bethany Beach Boardwalk Arts Festival will be held Saturday, September 12. Entry is open to artists 18 and over. More about the festival →
Art League abstract painting instructor Deanna Schwartzberg has an exhibit open right now at the Art Museum of the Americas F Street Gallery, and Thursday is your chance to see it — with a guided tour by the artist!
“In the paintings of Deanna Schwartzberg, we enter a world of color and light that inspires us to contemplate the shared presence of humanity and the natural world. A figure, often of life size proportions, merges with elements of nature, creating an energy that flows throughout.”
“Primal Connections” was curated by Ana María Ascano. Schwartzberg will be having a talk and tour of the exhibit on Thursday, March 5, at 11:00 am. The Art Museum of the Americas F Street Gallery is located at 1889 F Street NW in DC.
If you’re interested, please RSVP to [email protected]. The exhibit closes Friday and is open by appointment only.
Playing tricks on the eye is the name of the game in trompe l’œil, a style of painting that creates illusions of texture and depth. (Trompe l’œil is French for “fool the eye.”) In spirit and attention to detail, it has much in common with photorealism, with the main difference being composition and subject matter — in photorealism, the painter strives to accurately recreate any scene, but a trompe l’oeil painting is meant to create the illusion of a real object.
Patrick Kirwin, a trompe l’oeil master, shares his bag of tricks in his classes at The Art League. We recently visited the classroom to see how he paints picture-perfect marble:
And later returned to film him painting translucent moulding over that same marble — a classic trompe l’oeil look:
Real student artwork from classes and camps on The Art League’s actual fridge. (Not part of the exhibit.)
With Summer Art Camp registration just starting up, there’s no better time to show off some of the artwork by our young students!
A companion exhibit to the annual Student/Faculty Show downstairs, the Young Artists Student Show features artwork by the past year’s students in our classes for teens and kids ages 5 and up. You can find it on the second floor of the Torpedo Factory, outside the School office.
Self-portraits by students in Ali Wunder’s Art Fun-damentals class for 5–8 year-olds.Still lifes by students in Ali Wunder’s class.Ceramics by students in Art Fun-damentals (ages 5–8) with instructor Jean Stark.Above and below: paintings by students in Karen Day’s classes, Painting And Drawing (ages 8–12) and Creative Painting and Drawing for Teens.
For our catalog of classes for kids and teens, click here.
For photos from the rest of the Student/Faculty Show downstairs, see this blog post.
Receiving: March 1 & 2. For this exhibit at Del Ray Artisans in Alexandria, let your dreams inspire your art. All area artists are invited to explore and express in any medium.More about the exhibit →
All-Media Exhibit
Receiving: March 2 & 3. The March exhibit in The Art League Gallery is an all-media exhibit juried by Liza Key Strelka. Entry is open to all Art League members. More about the exhibit →
Faces of Humanity
Deadline: March 9. Art-Competition.net is proud to announce this call for artists with $7,600 in cash and prizes. The artwork or photography should capture the diversity of humanity in faces. The emotion, beauty, love, hope and wisdom in the faces should connect the viewer to the many different cultures of the world. The work can be from representational to non-representational. More about the exhibit →
Touchstone Foundation Fellowship
Deadline: March 30. The Fellowship provides a 2 year membership in Touchstone Gallery in downtown DC. This guarantees a solo exhibition as well as participation in gallery group shows, mentorship, and a presence on the gallery website. The monetary value of the fellowship exceeds $4,500. The Fellowship is awarded to 1 or more emerging artists who have not been represented by a commercial gallery in at least 10 years. The application and related information can be found on the TFA website.
In the foreground: Riding Free, a stained glass bicycle by Ann Abercrombie.
This year’s Student/Faculty Show is open through this Sunday, March 1, when we’ll have a closing reception (come join us, 2:00–4:00 pm) and the announcement of awards.
The exhibit’s judge was Joseph C. DiBella, an artist and Distinguished Professor of Art at the University of Mary Washington. He selected a number of works among the hundreds in the show for special recognition:
Process and Communication by Jean Stark won the Best in Show award (class: Lisa Semerad, Pencil Techniques)Reclining Male by Susan O’Neill won the John Foreman Life Figure Award (class: Robert Liberace, The Figure and Portrait)Sunset by Sheila Flanders won the Landscape Award (class: Lisa Semerad, Painting Projects)“Ready, Set, …” by Virginia Coffindaffer won the Potomac Valley Watercolorist Award (class: Gwen Bragg, Watercolor: Start to Finish)No Peace for the Wicked by Elena Strunk won the Jennie Lea Knight Creativity Award (class: Bev Ryan, Developing the Narrative)Cities by Sandra Dalal won the Dennis Davis Award (class: Carlos Beltran Baldiviezo, Ceramics)
DiBella also named 18 Equal Merit Awards, listed here along with the artist’s class and instructor:
Harriet Westfall, Ocean Deep (Bryan Jernigan / Abstract Painting)
Allison O’Shea, Fish Grotto/Portland Street View
(Patrick Kirwin / Trompe L’oeil and Photorealism)
Gerlinde Binder, Untitled (Delna Dastur / Abstracting with Acrylic Paints)
Dominique Cooper, In Honor of Dorothy Height, Civil Rights Leader
(Renate Maile-Moskowitz / Advanced Felting)
Cheryl Roesel, Origami Bag
(Renate Maile-Moskowitz / Wet Felting: Expanding the Possibilities)
Stephen Sherwin, Snow Fall (Jimmy Powers / Stained Glass)
Masami Bryant, Pinwheel (Kirke Martin / Ceramics)
David Marquardt, Untitled (John Murray / Still Life in Oil)
Robin Brown, Industrial Revolution (Beverly Ryan / Abstract Painting)
Julie Sagatov, Eye of the Storm (Marsha Staiger / Abstract Acrylic & Mixed Media)
Sharon Lienemann, Violets in Bloom – Shawl
(Andrea Blackmon / Projects and Advanced Weaving)
Monica Kruszka, Barbie: Deconstructed (Beverly Ryan / Abstract Painting)
Betsey Goldberg, Roman Ruins (Rachel Collins / Watercolor From Start to Finish)
Don Rubin, Path From Above (Marsha Staiger / Emerge: Advanced Acrylic and Mixed Media)
Samantha L. Shelton, At the Door (Penny Barringer / Printmaking Projects and Techniques)
Scott Van Domelen, Untitled (Lisa Semerad / Figure Drawing: Long Pose)
Sung Ho Chung, Waiting For the Tide (Peter Ulrich / The Watercolor Experience)
Ann Abercrombie, Riding Free (Jimmy Powers / Stained Glass)
We hope you’ll come see the show before it closes Sunday! For the judge’s statement and full exhibit program, see the exhibit page.
“I had lots of mentors in my life without whom I don’t know where I would be.”
Can you think of the mentors in your life that helped you become who you are today? You can pay that feeling forward and be an important part of a young person’s life. It all starts with attending an info session to see if Space of Her Own is right for you.
Space of Her Own (SOHO) is a mentoring program for at-risk girls in Alexandria, with art and life skills forming the foundation of the program. To find out more about how to mentor, read on.
SOHO Old Town is holding an info session for mentors on Friday, February 27, from 5:30 to 6:30 pm in The Art League’s Madison Annex at 305 Madison Street. We need adult women to be mentors for the 2015/16 school year! Please RSVP to [email protected].
Taryn Wilkinson, quoted above, is just one of the SOHO mentors in the Old Town program this year. She found the mentorship listed on idealist.org. Having heard about the program already because of the SOHO photography exhibit, Taryn signed up.
Making aprons in the 2012/13 school year.
Since then, it’s become a part of the week for Taryn to look forward to. “It’s taken me by surprise,” she said.
SOHO Old Town meets every Tuesday. When Taryn and the other mentors arrive, the girls are finishing up a life skills lesson. They talk about the lesson and have dinner together, followed by that week’s art project.
Art is a central component of SOHO, with an eye toward the ultimate goal from which the program gets its name: Space of Her Own. In April, the year’s program culminates with a room renovation to transform the girls’ bedrooms into a beautiful, personal space. Projects like mosaic mirrors, lampshades, and the big photography project make that space unique.
The artistic angle of SOHO is part of what made mentoring a good fit for Taryn, an art enthusiast from an arts-oriented family. With a background in painting, drawing, and music, she finds the weekly art projects not only keep things interesting, but pushes each mentee-mentor pair toward a new accomplishment each time they meet. That’s especially important for girls who don’t have time or supplies for art at home or school.
All the paints for this year’s room renovations!
This SOHO year got started in early fall. For mentors, it began with mentor-only meetings to learn about what to expect. The first few meetings take place before mentors are paired with mentees on Match Night, after which they continue building a relationship with weekly meetings and other outings. Part of the program is driving the girls home at the end of the night to build a relationship with her family, too.
Right now is the most exciting time of the year, Taryn said. They’re doing more outings and get-togethers, like a cookie decorating night, and getting ready for those room renovations in April.
