Picasso drawing with light in 1949. Photograph by Gjon Mili.
Think of drawing, and you think of paper and pencil. It’s where we all started, right? Graphite, charcoal, pen and ink, and even chalk are all familiar drawing tools.
But there are many ways to make a line. Here are a few of the ways we’d like to try:
Draw with electricity
The Circuit Marker Pen draws with a silver-based ink that conducts electricity. It’s typically used to teach about circuits in school, but why not make art with it? See it in action in this Facebook video.
gif from tiltbrush.com.
Draw in three-dimensional space
If you buy this, please bring it by The Art League so we can play with it too.
The Tilt Brush pairs with virtual reality goggles of your choice to — more or less — turn the room into your canvas. You can draw in three dimensions and walk through your creation to admire it from other angles.
Drawing Machine 1 by J.L. Griffiths
Draw with a machine
It was only a matter of time before we taught machines to do our drawing for us …
These creations are less about the end product and more about the performance, pattern, and process of drawing (with a little bit of sculpture thrown in). They can be powered by pendulum, bicycle, rubber band, and frequently by computer.
Out of the Fire in Kari Van Tine’s studio
Dance a drawing
Another drawing that’s part performance, you might have seen one taking place in the Torpedo Factory last year. Artist Kari Van Tine uses her entire body to “dance” drawings with charcoal on large scrolls of paper.
Draw with light
Light drawing, more commonly known as light painting, was made famous by a collaboration between Pablo Picasso and Life magazine photographer Gjon Mili. In the age of digital cameras and LED lights, it’s an easy and fun way to experiment.
Basically, you need a camera that can do long exposures, and a source of light: an LED pen light, a sparkler, or even your smartphone’s screen. Find some tutorials to get you started on this website.
Eight of the portraits from Social Hour by Michael Price
Each of these friendly faces started life as a single strand of wire. Part contour drawing and part sculpture, 27 of them are hanging out together in the gallery as part of the installation Social Hour.
The curvy M in the corner stands for Michael Price, the young artist behind this installation. It’s proved very popular this month — the photo below was taken before the wall got covered in red dots — so we asked Price to tell us about how he got started bending, and the twists along the way.
Social Hour, black coated copper wire, by Michael Price (click for a larger image)Social Hour (detail) by Michael Price
What’s your age? Have you had your art in other exhibits?
Michael Price: I am 17 years old and this is my first time displaying artwork in a gallery/ exhibition.
How do you create a portrait in wire? What’s the process?
There is no real planning when I do my artwork. The hardest part is thinking about where to start, and how that affects where I will end up; but other than that, I think of the shape I want the wire in and bend it into that shape. After a while, all of the bends start to make sense as the final product grows nearer to being finished.
What was your goal with Social Hour?
I did not have very high goals for this exhibition as it is my first. My main goal was to make an installation that would but liked and appreciated by my fellow artists by channeling my youth and originality. I also wanted a way to honor those who had supported me as a rising artist and these portraits seemed like the perfect way to do that.
Michael Price installs Social Hour for “Not a Box.”Social Hour (detail) by Michael Price
What was the inspiration for making the portraits phone-sized?
The idea of making portraits was already a lingering idea in my head, as I have made several original portraits but struggled the most with those I had to model after actual people. While I was in school, one of my art teachers had commissioned a series that was framed in cell phones, and I decided to draw from that idea when I made this one. Plus, I thought it’d be more fun to do several small pieces instead of one massive piece and the diversity would make the process more bearable for myself.
Who are some of the people depicted?
The people range from having very a close relationship with me to being total strangers, based on the distance they are to me. I am in the center at eye level because, like most people, I sometimes see myself at the center of my world. My grandfather is to my right, my best friend at my left, and my younger sister is below me.
The only exception to my rule is the bottom four. They were originally four people I saw working in The Art League gallery while working on this project and I thought they deserved their own spot separate from the other people for pushing me to apply and then supporting me throughout the process.
How (or why) did you start using wire for sculpture? Do you work in any other media?
It has been about 10 months since I started using wire. The main reason I started was because I always had a material I would work with while in school. They helped keep me calm and gave me an escape when I needed it. After losing interest with the other media I had used prior, I decided to consider wire. It was foreign, yet familiar to what I used before and that made it perfect candidate.
I have worked in several media before wire, mostly as a sculptor. Materials like yarn, business cards, duct tape, and aluminum foil are all media I have worked with as well. Though, my skill in those materials has not reached the level I have with wire working.
Have you had any formal art training, or are you self-taught?
I am a self-taught artist.
As one of the younger artists at The Art League, what are your plans or goals for your art in the future?
One of my goals is to hopefully, to have the honor of presenting my work in another gallery installation. I would also like to reach the level that many artists in the Torpedo Factory have reached, having my own studio and being known throughout the art community. One of my biggest goals is just growing as an artist and learning how to eventually, make a living out of doing this.
“Not a Box” is open through Sunday, August 7. Follow Michael Price (@thecooloreo) on Instagram!
Deadline: July 29. The Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District and Bethesda Urban Partnership manage Gallery B in downtown Bethesda. This gallery is available to interested artists and arts organizations for one-month rentals. Gallery B does not take a commission on artwork sold.
Blue Man Group
Deadline: August 8. Blue Man Group, the critically hailed theatrical phenomenon, will celebrate 25 years of living in full color with the launch of a unique art competition in Chicago open to professional and emerging artists. The competition will award six $2,500 cash prizes to the winning artists.
Exhibit proposals
Deadline: August 31. The Arts Club of Washington (DC) continues its support for the visual arts with the Call for Entries for the 2017–2018 gallery season. Exhibitions are scheduled monthly from September 2017 through May 2018.
Public sculpture
Deadline: September 23. The Riverdale Park (MD) Public Art Initiative is announcing a Call for Artists. The initiative seeks five sculptures of various styles and sizes to display for a one year-long placement, at pre-determined, publicly-accessible sites within the Town of Riverdale Park. The stipend is $2,000 per selected work.
Re-runs: These announcements have been posted here before, but it’s not too late to enter!
New Mexico residency
Deadline: July 30. The Starry Night Residency Program provides artists, writers, and curators with the opportunity to live and work within a small, creative community.
Ceramics
Deadline: July 30. Fire and Earth at Del Ray Artisans isa hybrid show that combines a national ceramic cup exhibit with a regional 2-D exhibit. This exhibit honors how fire in the kiln transforms earth (clay) into functional drinking vessels (cups, mugs, tankards, tumblers, goblets, and tea bowls). The 2-D exhibit on the walls of the gallery should reflect and communicate about these elements and with the 3-D ceramic pieces.
Projekt30
Deadline: August 1. Projekt30 is accepting submissions for an open-theme, monthly juried exhibition for September 2016 to include thirty artists. This is an online exhibit following a “public jurying” format.
Harrisonburg juried exhibit
Deadline: August 1. National Juried Art Show at Larkin Arts in Harrisonburg, VA: This is a national juried visual art competition and exhibition that is open to any artist, who is a resident of the United States and is over the age of 18, working in two-dimensional media. Painting, drawing, printmaking, photography or other traditional or non-traditional two-dimensional media, excluding film, are welcome.
Pets and animals
Deadline: August 10. For “Fur, Feathers, and Fins” at Annmarie Sculpture Garden and Arts Center, the jury seeks works that explore the wide world of pets. All media welcome; small to large-scale installations; new media encouraged; indoor and outdoor works accepted; cash awards to be presented.
Games
Deadline: August 18. For “Games: From Marbles to Minecraft” at Annmarie Sculpture Garden and Arts Center, the jury invites artists to submit works that celebrate and explore the broad spectrum of game history, development and innovation, including game design, production, packaging, and marketing.
Athenaeum
Deadline: August 18. The Athenaeum Invitational in Alexandria, VA is a theme-based event featuring the works of both specially-invited artists who have exhibited in the Athenaeum Gallery in the past, as well as works selected through a call for submissions open to anyone living or working in Virginia, the District of Columbia, West Virginia, or Maryland.
Fairwood Arts Festival
Deadline: August 19; early bird discount before July 29. The Prince George’s County Dept. of Parks & Recreation is seeking art vendors for the Fairwood Arts Festival in Bowie, MD. The application fee is $50 through July 29.
Chalk contest
Event: August 20; advance registration required. As part of the Annual Riverfront Chalk Festival in Lynchburg, VA, adults and children are invited to register for a 4′ × 4′ space for chalk art and compete for cash prizes. First prize is $500.
Uplifting art
Deadline: August 22. For “Light of Our Future” at Children’s National in DC, artists are invited to create artwork to uplift spirits of the children, families, hospital staff and visitors.
Fall art show
Deadline: September 1. The 45th Annual Fall Foliage Art Show (Waynesboro, VA) is seeking fine artists and artisans for the annual two day outdoor juried fine art exhibition.
Digital Fabrication Residency
Deadline: September 1. Digital Fabrication Residency program residents learn and gain hands-on experience with laser cutting, CNC routing, FDM 3D printing, digital embroidery, 2D plotting and 3D scanning. Applications for the 3 Day Onsite Residency Program in Easton, MD must include a project proposal that outlines what the resident plans to work on while onsite.
The nude figure
Deadline: September 9. The Nude Figure at Wayne Art Center in Wayne, PA is juried by Paul DuSold and Scott Noel. Open to all artists working in painting, drawing and sculpture.
Art League solo exhibits
Deadline: September 23. Entry is now open for 2018 solo artist exhibits at The Art League. Entry is open to all Art League members.
Paintings
Deadline: September 28. “Root to Bloom: Places Artists Call Home” at Principle Gallery (Alexandria, VA) will feature paintings representative of where the featured artists call “home.” Works must be paintings no more than 40 inches along the longest edge (measured unframed).
Contemporary craft
Deadline: September 30. The Greater Denton Arts Council announces the opening of its 2017 Call for Entries for the 30th Annual Materials: Hard + Soft Contemporary Craft Exhibition. This exhibition celebrates the evolving field of contemporary craft and the innovation of artists who push the boundaries of their chosen media.
Small works
Deadline: September 30. The Council for the Arts (Chambersburg, PA) presents “Miniature Art 2016.” 2-D artwork must have an image size no greater than 4″ by 6″, and sculpture should not exceed 5″ in any direction. No crafts, jewelry, photography, laser prints or computer-generated artwork.
Photography about homelessness
Deadline: October 1. For Picture This, organized by Flashlight Baltimore, entries can depict the homeless experience from around the country, however the Baltimore region is preferred. Entries must be original photography.
Bas-relief
Deadline: October 3. The Dexter Jones Award, an unrestricted prize of $5,000, is presented annually to a sculptor for an outstanding work of sculpture in bas-relief. Each competitor must be a United States sculptor between the ages of 18 and 39.
Figure & figurative
Deadline: October 11. Gallery Underground announces “Figuratively Speaking,” a national juried art competition. All-media artists, sculptors, and photographers are invited to create visual works that interpret the theme “Figuratively Speaking” in two different ways: by depicting human forms, faces and features in representational or abstract works (portraiture, sculpture and all subject matter including people); or works which depict a broader interpretation of the theme, such as figurative language and figures of speech.
Deadline: Ongoing. Washington ArtWorks (Rockville, MD) is holding an Open Call for the Walls. Artists pay a fee to hang work for two-month periods in these unjuried exhibits.
Naturally, we love books about art and movies about art around here. For some good studio-time motivation, though, there’s something to be said for podcasts.
Why podcasts? Because they’re free and anybody can make them, they’re a great way for working artists to share resources and build community. As you’ll see in our selections below, you don’t have to be famous to be interviewed on a podcast, which makes them the perfect place to hear from artists at different points in their careers.
Here are five to download for the next time you’re in the studio:
These five all share the same basic format: the artist interview. Green excels at it. Part of the appeal is the occasional big-name artist, but you’ll also hear from writers, art historians, and the like.
While other podcasts (below) dive into artists’ business experiences, and arts journalism often focuses on the global art market, Green prefers to keep things about the art itself.
Even if you haven’t heard of the Jealous Curator, you’ve probably seen her influence: the artwork featured on the blog spreads like wildfire to Pinterest and beyond. The blog features a different contemporary artist a day, based on the common sentiment “Damn! I wish I’d thought of that.” The podcast is an extension of the same idea.
The podcasts feature a more conversational style and less-famous artists than Modern Art Notes, along with a healthy dose of enthusiasm from the host. You get a sense of how the interviewees live as artists, from surviving art school to getting noticed on the internet.
As you can tell from the title, the Conversation follows a similar interview-based format, striving for more of an informal and perfomative feel. In the first episode linked above, Shaw and guest Gaylord perform an amusing real-life email chain between Gaylord and an art scammer.
In other episodes, you’ll hear artists, writers, and gallerists talk about the places they live and work (usually New York or LA)
Here’s one to listen to when you sit down to edit. This is a podcast from the photo retailer, B&H, so you might expect the focus to be on gear — and while there are episodes about equipment, people and processes are also a big part of the conversation.
The B&H Podcast frequently has multiple guests per episode, for more of a roundtable feel than some of the other interviews here. It’s also less than a year old, so it doesn’t have too deep a back catalog to sift through, but we’re excited to follow it.
Just over two years old and already 232 episodes in, this is — you guessed it — a podcast about pottery and ceramics. Every few days brings a new interview with a different potter, accompanied by additional materials on the website. They talk about process, of course, but also careers and the reality of living as an artist: the podcast’s tagline is “picking up where the art degree ends.”
The episodes tend to be a little too long, but it’s a nice conversation to listen to while you do other things.
There’s our list! We hope that, if you really enjoy one of these podcasts, you’ll leave the creator a comment or a donation. What art podcasts do you listen to? Let us know in the comments!
Installation art can be hard to capture in a photograph: it’s often about the experience of being in a particular space.
That’s true for artist Andy Yoder’s Tire Swing, an installation in our “Not a Box” exhibit that you need to see in person. It’s an installation that is completed in the viewer’s mind via an optical illusion — in other words, there’s no hole in the wall in the photo above.
For this month’s artist Q&A, we’re starting with some questions of our own, but we want to feature your questions, too! This piece has gotten a great reaction from visitors, so if you have a question for the artist, leave it in the comments at the bottom. We’ll post more questions and answers in this space.
The Art League: What was your goal with Tire Swing?
Andy Yoder: My goal was to build a familiar object in an unfamiliar way, and see what came of it.
AL: What materials does it use?
My brother came across boxes and boxes of the tiny flowers in a salvage warehouse in Portland, OR, and shipped them to me. They reminded me of Vermont meadow flowers, and that led to the idea for the piece.
Tire Swing from every angle.
Viewer question: Why is the illusion so convincing?
It’s because it’s a Mylar mirror, which gives a much brighter and true reflection than a glass mirror. Another advantage is that the whole mirror (4′ x 6′) only weighs a couple of pounds; the Mylar is stretched over a wooden frame, with rigid foam inside.
AL: The reaction it’s gotten in the gallery is pretty strong, usually along the lines of “Is it really there, and can I touch it to find out?” What sort of response were you aiming for?
I’m glad to hear it’s coming across like that; I seem to produce work that people want to touch, no matter what the materials. My aim is always to get under the viewer’s skin and engage them with the work.
Door Number Four; Styrofoam, Plexiglas, artificial flowers; by Andy Yoder
AL: Your sculptures often recreate familiar objects in different materials and contexts. How do you select the right material for the subject?
Sometimes, as with this piece, material presents itself, and I use free association to think of an idea that suits it. This is one reason I like public commissions: the site leads to new ideas. Other times I might trip over an idea while sketching, or taking a shower, and then look for the best material to express it, as with the licorice shoes.
Licorice Shoes; licorice, silicone and Styrofoam; by Andy Yoder.
AL: What’s your creative process like — how does an idea become a finished piece?
Before I get started I usually have a strong feeling that the idea is worth pursuing. I need this, as sometimes they can be hugely time consuming. Then along the way I try to remain open to letting unexpected changes occur, so that it can get more interesting.
Donald, lead crystal in the form of a piggy bank, by Andy Yoder
AL: When did you know you wanted to be a full-time artist?
Probably during my time at the Cleveland Institute of Art, where the commitment level of the other students was huge. I’d transferred from an Ivy League college where art was a small portion of the curriculum, which frustrated me.
Grain by Grain; Bread, resin and aluminum; by Andy Yoder. At the Cleveland Food Bank.
AL: What are you working on now? Highest Honor! It’s been a great experience so far. Now I’m looking forward to assembling the pieces, and seeing it installed.
Deadline: August 1. Projekt30 is accepting submissions for an open-theme, monthly juried exhibition for September 2016 to include thirty artists. This is an online exhibit following a “public jurying” format.
Uplifting art
Deadline: August 22. For “Light of Our Future” at Children’s National in DC, artists are invited to create artwork to uplift spirits of the children, families, hospital staff and visitors.
Small works
Deadline: September 30. The Council for the Arts (Chambersburg, PA) presents “Miniature Art 2016.” 2-D artwork must have an image size no greater than 4″ by 6″, and sculpture should not exceed 5″ in any direction. No crafts, jewelry, photography, laser prints or computer-generated artwork.
Figure & figurative
Deadline: October 11. Gallery Underground announces “Figuratively Speaking,” a national juried art competition. All-media artists, sculptors, and photographers are invited to create visual works that interpret the theme “Figuratively Speaking” in two different ways: by depicting human forms, faces and features in representational or abstract works (portraiture, sculpture and all subject matter including people); or works which depict a broader interpretation of the theme, such as figurative language and figures of speech. Juried by John Morrell.
Re-runs: These announcements have been posted here before, but it’s not too late to enter!
Ward 5 Wonders
Deadline: July 20. Art Enables is seeking work made by Ward 5 artists for the August/September exhibition, “Ward 5 Wonders” (see bottom of page) in Off-Rhodes Gallery.
Sculpture at The Art League
Deadline: July 22. Taking Shape is an exhibit to showcase sculptural and 3-D works. Entry is open to Art League exhibiting artist members. Artists are encouraged to submit works that explore the use of space.
New Mexico residency
Deadline: July 30. The Starry Night Residency Program provides artists, writers, and curators with the opportunity to live and work within a small, creative community.
Ceramics
Deadline: July 30. Fire and Earth at Del Ray Artisans isa hybrid show that combines a national ceramic cup exhibit with a regional 2-D exhibit. This exhibit honors how fire in the kiln transforms earth (clay) into functional drinking vessels (cups, mugs, tankards, tumblers, goblets, and tea bowls). The 2-D exhibit on the walls of the gallery should reflect and communicate about these elements and with the 3-D ceramic pieces.
Harrisonburg juried exhibit
Deadline: August 1. National Juried Art Show at Larkin Arts in Harrisonburg, VA: This is a national juried visual art competition and exhibition that is open to any artist, who is a resident of the United States and is over the age of 18, working in two-dimensional media. Painting, drawing, printmaking, photography or other traditional or non-traditional two-dimensional media, excluding film, are welcome.
Pets and animals
Deadline: August 10. For “Fur, Feathers, and Fins” at Annmarie Sculpture Garden and Arts Center, the jury seeks works that explore the wide world of pets. All media welcome; small to large-scale installations; new media encouraged; indoor and outdoor works accepted; cash awards to be presented.
Games
Deadline: August 18. For “Games: From Marbles to Minecraft” at Annmarie Sculpture Garden and Arts Center, the jury invites artists to submit works that celebrate and explore the broad spectrum of game history, development and innovation, including game design, production, packaging, and marketing.
Athenaeum
Deadline: August 18. The Athenaeum Invitational in Alexandria, VA is a theme-based event featuring the works of both specially-invited artists who have exhibited in the Athenaeum Gallery in the past, as well as works selected through a call for submissions open to anyone living or working in Virginia, the District of Columbia, West Virginia, or Maryland.
Fairwood Arts Festival
Deadline: August 19; early bird discount before July 29. The Prince George’s County Dept. of Parks & Recreation is seeking art vendors for the Fairwood Arts Festival in Bowie, MD. The application fee is $50 through July 29.
Chalk contest
Event: August 20; advance registration required. As part of the Annual Riverfront Chalk Festival in Lynchburg, VA, adults and children are invited to register for a 4′ × 4′ space for chalk art and compete for cash prizes. First prize is $500.
Fall art show
Deadline: September 1. The 45th Annual Fall Foliage Art Show (Waynesboro, VA) is seeking fine artists and artisans for the annual two day outdoor juried fine art exhibition.
Digital Fabrication Residency
Deadline: September 1. Digital Fabrication Residency program residents learn and gain hands-on experience with laser cutting, CNC routing, FDM 3D printing, digital embroidery, 2D plotting and 3D scanning. Applications for the 3 Day Onsite Residency Program in Easton, MD must include a project proposal that outlines what the resident plans to work on while onsite.
The nude figure
Deadline: September 9. The Nude Figure at Wayne Art Center in Wayne, PA is juried by Paul DuSold and Scott Noel. Open to all artists working in painting, drawing and sculpture.
Art League solo exhibits
Deadline: September 23. Entry is now open for 2018 solo artist exhibits at The Art League. Entry is open to all Art League members.
Paintings
Deadline: September 28. “Root to Bloom: Places Artists Call Home” at Principle Gallery (Alexandria, VA) will feature paintings representative of where the featured artists call “home.” Works must be paintings no more than 40 inches along the longest edge (measured unframed).
Contemporary craft
Deadline: September 30. The Greater Denton Arts Council announces the opening of its 2017 Call for Entries for the 30th Annual Materials: Hard + Soft Contemporary Craft Exhibition. This exhibition celebrates the evolving field of contemporary craft and the innovation of artists who push the boundaries of their chosen media.
Photography about homelessness
Deadline: October 1. For Picture This, organized by Flashlight Baltimore, entries can depict the homeless experience from around the country, however the Baltimore region is preferred. Entries must be original photography.
Bas-relief
Deadline: October 3. The Dexter Jones Award, an unrestricted prize of $5,000, is presented annually to a sculptor for an outstanding work of sculpture in bas-relief. Each competitor must be a United States sculptor between the ages of 18 and 39.
Deadline: Ongoing. Washington ArtWorks (Rockville, MD) is holding an Open Call for the Walls. Artists pay a fee to hang work for two-month periods in these unjuried exhibits.
“I’ve had people look at it, and go: ‘that reminds me of, could that place be … is that the Adirondacks?’ Or ‘Is that the hotel that’s on Kennebunk Beach?’ And the answer is yes. Because I am painting real places … that sense of ‘I’ve been there before’ — I think is part of what I’d like the viewer to have.” — Kathleen Best Gillmann
One of the reasons we love “Vision at Water’s Edge” so much is the way it transports you to the places depicted in the paintings.
Another reason: all of these paintings depict real places.
The artist, Kathleen Best Gillmann, shared with us the locations depicted in the exhibit. With one exception (a lake in the Adirondacks) the painted waterscapes can be found within a two-mile radius of Parsons Beach in Kennebunk, Maine. Mousam River, Merriland River, Lords Point, Mothers Beach, and Rachel Carson Wildlife Refuge are just some of the locations you can see in the gallery this month.
Visual art is full of rich subject matter for literature, and artists themselves have served as muses (and authors) for the books below — their personalities, their subjects, their lives, and the process of artmaking.
Because it’s that time of year, we’ve gathered 22 titles you can load into your suitcase, or on your Kindle, for your summer reading. (And yes, some of them have pictures.)
The short version: See what Kahlo wrote, drew, and painted in her notebook (with English translations in the back). Less a memoir or autobiography than a series of snapshots of the artist’s consciousness, which may inspire you to break out your own notebook more often.
The short version: Presented as dialogues between the artist and the author, an art critic, this is one recent document (2011) with the thoughts of a knowledgeable and open artist (he also has an autobiography and several documentaries, for the Hockney fans). Gayford has also published a firsthand account On Sitting For a Portrait By Lucian Freud.
The artist: ceramicist Edmund de Waal, U.K. (author) and Japanese netsuke artists (subject)
The short version: This story starts with the artist’s inheriting a collection of 264 netsuke — small Japanese carvings that were originally used as garment ornamentation. As in other art stories, the story of the objects tells a larger story. (Also check out the illustrated edition and the author’s story of porcelain in last year’s The White Road.)
The short version: This is a 2015 memoir by a Virginia photographer who is famous for her photos of family members, particularly her children. Mann touches on her own childhood, family, home, and artistic endeavors in her own voice — and, of course, with photographs.
The short version: Written by a poet, this memoir is about the author’s attempts to heal, post-divorce, by searching out Vermeer paintings. White has also written a book of poetry based on Vermeer paintings, Vermeer in Hell.
The short version: The book’s U.S. release got the subtitle “The Astounding Life and Outrageous Times of Britain’s Great Modern Painter” — hinting at the sometimes insightful, sometimes gossipy details about this famous portrait painter, who died in 2011.
The artists: Painters Édouard Manet and Edgar Degas, France; Henri Matisse, France, and Pablo Picasso, Spain; Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning, U.S.; Lucian Freud and Francis Bacon, U.K.
The short version: Set to be released in August 2016, and with outstanding advance reviews, this tells the stories of the four pairs of “artistic rivals” listed above.
The short version: An entry in the subgenre of the “art history mystery,” this tells the story of a bookseller in the 19th century and his “obsession” with Velázquez.
The short version: From the publisher: “Off the Wall chronicles the astonishingly creative period of the 1950s and 1960s, a high point in American art.” The focus is on Rauschenberg, the inventive American painter and printmaker.
The short version: More than just a biography: “the upheaval in American art in the middle of the 20th century comes into clearer focus,” writes the New York Times. (Note that this book is about Willem, not Elaine, de Kooning.)
The short version: In real life, Pan was famous for painting in the Western style. The book imagines her life as a female artist and as a woman in pre-revolutionary China.
The artists: six historical and one fictional portrait artists
The short version: The author takes her cue not from the artists, but from their common subject, women reading — and imagines the lives of the models for seven such images throughout history.
The short version: Juan de Pareja was born into slavery, served artist Diego Velázquez, and was later freed and became a painter as well. This is the story told from his perspective.
The short version: This is another novel inspired by an artist’s muse, in this case her sister. The five real-life paintings of Lydia Cassatt are reproduced in color pages.
The short version: The artist narrates his life during and after World War II, and his changing understanding of Japanese culture. You may recognize the term “floating world” from the Japanese genre of ukiyo-e, or “pictures of the floating world.”
The short version: The artist and narrator is a down-on-his-luck roguish painter struggling through the end of his career, and who describes the things he sees in a painterly, poetic way. Technically part of a trilogy, but can be read on its own.
The short version: This recent release follows the story of the fictional artist’s 1636 painting At the Edge of a Wood, which in 1957 is her only surviving work. And it’s been stolen!
The short version: Preparing for a retrospective, the artist returns to her hometown of Toronto and her memories of childhood there. This is Atwood’s followup to The Handmaid’s Tale.
What’s on your summer reading list? Let us know in the comments!
Deadline: July 13. MFA (Maryland Federation of Art) invites all artists to enter the online exhibition, Global Landscapes. Any fine art original 2-D or 3-D landscape will be considered.
FUN-derful
Deadline: July 18. This curated exhibition at Del Ray Artisans, open to all Alexandria-area artists, will have artwork in all mediums—everything that puts a smile on your face. Artists may submit up to three pieces.
Sculpture at The Art League
Deadline: July 22. Taking Shape is an exhibit to showcase sculptural and 3-D works. Entry is open to Art League exhibiting artist members. Artists are encouraged to submit works that explore the use of space.
Ceramics
Deadline: July 30. Fire and Earth at Del Ray Artisans isa hybrid show that combines a national ceramic cup exhibit with a regional 2-D exhibit. This exhibit honors how fire in the kiln transforms earth (clay) into functional drinking vessels (cups, mugs, tankards, tumblers, goblets, and tea bowls). The 2-D exhibit on the walls of the gallery should reflect and communicate about these elements and with the 3-D ceramic pieces.
Contemporary craft
Deadline: September 30. The Greater Denton Arts Council announces the opening of its 2017 Call for Entries for the 30th Annual Materials: Hard + Soft Contemporary Craft Exhibition. This exhibition celebrates the evolving field of contemporary craft and the innovation of artists who push the boundaries of their chosen media.
Re-runs: These announcements have been posted here before, but it’s not too late to enter!
Hyattsville Arts Festival
Deadline: July 15. Exhibitor applications for the Downtown Hyattsville Arts Festival (September 10, 2016) are now available online. Artists from DC, Maryland, and Virginia are invited to apply to this juried festival.
Deadline: July 18. For the second “Paint the Town,” the Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District invites artists to beautify the plaza at 3 Bethesda Metro Center. Applicants must be residents of DC, MD, or VA who are 18 years or older.
Railroad art
Deadline: July 18. The Berkeley Arts Council in Martinsburg, West Virginia announces the Call for Entries for “Heavy Metal,” a juried exhibit of railroad art to be on display from August 31 through October 1, 2016. The exhibit is open nationally to all visual artists over the age of 18 in all media.
Ward 5 Wonders
Deadline: July 20. Art Enables is seeking work made by Ward 5 artists for the August/September exhibition, “Ward 5 Wonders” (see bottom of page) in Off-Rhodes Gallery.
New Mexico residency
Deadline: July 30. The Starry Night Residency Program provides artists, writers, and curators with the opportunity to live and work within a small, creative community.
Harrisonburg juried exhibit
Deadline: August 1. National Juried Art Show at Larkin Arts in Harrisonburg, VA: This is a national juried visual art competition and exhibition that is open to any artist, who is a resident of the United States and is over the age of 18, working in two-dimensional media. Painting, drawing, printmaking, photography or other traditional or non-traditional two-dimensional media, excluding film, are welcome.
Pets and animals
Deadline: August 10. For “Fur, Feathers, and Fins” at Annmarie Sculpture Garden and Arts Center, the jury seeks works that explore the wide world of pets. All media welcome; small to large-scale installations; new media encouraged; indoor and outdoor works accepted; cash awards to be presented.
Games
Deadline: August 18. For “Games: From Marbles to Minecraft” at Annmarie Sculpture Garden and Arts Center, the jury invites artists to submit works that celebrate and explore the broad spectrum of game history, development and innovation, including game design, production, packaging, and marketing.
Athenaeum
Deadline: August 18. The Athenaeum Invitational in Alexandria, VA is a theme-based event featuring the works of both specially-invited artists who have exhibited in the Athenaeum Gallery in the past, as well as works selected through a call for submissions open to anyone living or working in Virginia, the District of Columbia, West Virginia, or Maryland.
Fairwood Arts Festival
Deadline: August 19; early bird discount before July 29. The Prince George’s County Dept. of Parks & Recreation is seeking art vendors for the Fairwood Arts Festival in Bowie, MD. The application fee is $50 through July 29.
Chalk contest
Event: August 20; advance registration required. As part of the Annual Riverfront Chalk Festival in Lynchburg, VA, adults and children are invited to register for a 4′ × 4′ space for chalk art and compete for cash prizes. First prize is $500.
Fall art show
Deadline: September 1. The 45th Annual Fall Foliage Art Show (Waynesboro, VA) is seeking fine artists and artisans for the annual two day outdoor juried fine art exhibition.
Digital Fabrication Residency
Deadline: September 1. Digital Fabrication Residency program residents learn and gain hands-on experience with laser cutting, CNC routing, FDM 3D printing, digital embroidery, 2D plotting and 3D scanning. Applications for the 3 Day Onsite Residency Program in Easton, MD must include a project proposal that outlines what the resident plans to work on while onsite.
The nude figure
Deadline: September 9. The Nude Figure at Wayne Art Center in Wayne, PA is juried by Paul DuSold and Scott Noel. Open to all artists working in painting, drawing and sculpture.
Art League solo exhibits
Deadline: September 23. Entry is now open for 2018 solo artist exhibits at The Art League. Entry is open to all Art League members.
Paintings
Deadline: September 28. “Root to Bloom: Places Artists Call Home” at Principle Gallery (Alexandria, VA) will feature paintings representative of where the featured artists call “home.” Works must be paintings no more than 40 inches along the longest edge (measured unframed).
Photography about homelessness
Deadline: October 1. For Picture This, organized by Flashlight Baltimore, entries can depict the homeless experience from around the country, however the Baltimore region is preferred. Entries must be original photography.
Bas-relief
Deadline: October 3. The Dexter Jones Award, an unrestricted prize of $5,000, is presented annually to a sculptor for an outstanding work of sculpture in bas-relief. Each competitor must be a United States sculptor between the ages of 18 and 39.
Restaurant residency
Deadline: ongoing. The Artist-in-Residence program at Palette 22 showcases and promotes the original work of VA- based and regional artists inside and beyond the restaurant.
Deadline: Ongoing. Washington ArtWorks (Rockville, MD) is holding an Open Call for the Walls. Artists pay a fee to hang work for two-month periods in these unjuried exhibits.
Michael Price installs Social Hour for “Not a Box.”Lisa Schumaier working on her “Not a Box” installation, a habitation of bees.Beverly Ryan installing Drone Free Zone
The artists have finished working (for now). Our new exhibits — one our first ever installation show, and the other an ode to water — are ready. The only thing that’s missing is you!
We’re having an opening reception for “Not a Box” and “Vision at Water’s Edge” on Thursday, July 14 at 6:30 pm, and we can think of 14 reasons you’ll want to come:
This guest post was written by Alex Paik, an installation artist and the juror for “Not a Box.”
I enjoyed looking through the submissions and was happy to see that many artists were trying new things in their studio practice for this exhibition. The work that stood out to me often involved interesting uses of material as well as an awareness of how the work could interact in the physical space of the gallery. The work that was selected often felt like it had a story to tell through the environment — sometimes the story was personal, other times it dealt with larger social issues. Each of the installations that were selected have a distinct voice and also pushed their materials in new and exciting ways.
Tire Swing (artificial flowers, rope, and mirror) by Andy Yoder
Andy Yoder’s Tire Swing does a lot with very little. By using a familiar object (a tire swing) and altering it slightly by slicing it in half and covering it with artificial flowers, he disrupts the way that we look at such a commonplace object and this disruption itself becomes a metaphor for the nature of knowledge and perception. I love how such a simple gesture can be visually arresting as well as layered with meaning. This graceful installation was a clear standout for me, which is why I was thrilled to award it Best in Show.
Drop Your Axes (mixed media) by Rosemary LuckettDrop Your Axes (detail)
Rosemary Luckett’s Drop Your Axes combines poetry, photography and sculpture into an installation that uses the artist’s personal history as a way to investigate humanity’s collective impact on forests. I was especially impressed with how the all of these disparate media were integrated seamlessly into each other.
Can’t I (wall decals) by Clare Winslow
In Can’t I by Clare Winslow, we are presented with both a painted version as well as a vinyl decal of an abstract doily-like pattern. It calls attention to the slight differences in surface between the mediums as well as wrapping around the corner of the wall, threatening to continue to grow. I loved how such a small gesture could take over a huge visual space.
Marble Machine Magic (wood) by Joan Woodill
Joan Woodill’s Marble Machine Magic takes the classic child’s toy and makes it monumental. I was intrigued to see how taking a simple child’s toy and expanding it into a larger, more ambitious scale would transform into something else.
Tunnel Vision (photographs, fishing wire, “pony tail” of hair, gold paint, Rogaine cans) by Lizzy Lunday
What interested me about Lizzy Lunday’s Tunnel Vision was the way that Lizzy uses photographs as a wall to manipulate and alter the gallery space. The claustrophobic hallway of photographs mirrors the obsessive, interior headspace of someone who is losing their hair.
Social Hour (black coated copper wire) by Michael PriceSocial Hour (detail)
Michael Price’s Social Hour spreads out across the wall, each small wire portrait spaced according to the person’s closeness with the artist. I was drawn to this piece because the individual portraits seemed interesting as both singular 3d line drawings while at the same time being part of a larger piece. I’m curious and excited to see how the shadows interact with the line drawings.
R&B2GO (acrylic mixed media on cradled board) by Marsha Staiger
R&B2GO by Marsha Staiger also uses the space between things as a compositional device. Each time she shows this piece it is altered according to the wall as well as to how she feels that day, adding an element of improvisation and play to her geometric forms. I was attracted to how variability and performance were built into the concept of her installation.
In Your Shoes (mixed media) by Jinny Isserow
Jinny Isserow’s In Your Shoes is one of the most intimate installations in the show. Instead of sprawling outwards, this work invites the viewer into a small, dense space.
Night Windows Gallery (acrylic, wood, plastic, glass, LED electronics) by Sam MillerNight Windows Gallery (detail)
Similarly, as viewers pass by Sam Miller’s Night Windows Gallery, their motion will turn on the lights in the miniature landscapes and windows. Again, this installation invites viewers to look closer and the small surprise of the motion-sensor lights adds an element of interaction to the work.
One Week (found objects) by Rose O’DonnellDrone Free Zone (mixed media) by Beverly Ryan
Several artists used their installations to talk about larger social issues. Rose O’Donnell has created a shrine to one week of her family’s waste in One Week, drawing attention to the amount of waste the average family creates, while Beverly Ryan’s Drone Free Zone speaks about surveillance, privacy, and our military’s drone program.
Ritual Markings of Moon Goddess (cotton, linen, fiber-reactive dye, coffee and tea stains) by Maikue Vang
Ritual Markings of Moon Goddess by Maikue Vang uses the language of abstraction to talk about the stigma surrounding menstruation. I’m excited for the way these panels of cotton will move slightly as viewers walk past.
a habitation of bees (found objects, recycled christmas lights, recycled books, yellow pages, leftover theater lighting gels) by Lisa Schumaiera habitation of bees (detail)
Lisa Schumaier’s a habitation of bees uses recycled materials to create an installation of bees and their hives. By using recycled materials, she highlights both the destruction of bees due to man-made environmental changes as well as casts a light on our own impact on the environment.
About the juror: Alex Paik is a Brooklyn-based artist using cut and folded hand-colored paper to explore reflected color, visual counterpoint, and repetition as a tool for development. His work is influenced by his childhood training as a classical musician and his interest in polyphonic musical structures. Paik’s work has been exhibited in galleries and art fairs both nationally and internationally, and one of his wall installations was recently featured at Art on Paper. He is represented by Gallery Joe in Philadelphia and is the director of Tiger Strikes Asteroid, a network of artist-run spaces with locations in Philadelphia, Brooklyn, and Los Angeles.
Follow @theartleague on Instagram for more photos this month!
Deadline: July 10. Van Ness Main Street is looking for performing, performance, public and visual artists to be part of Art All Night in Van Ness on September 24. There will be a stipend available to participating artists.
Deadline: July 30. The Starry Night Residency Program provides artists, writers, and curators with the opportunity to live and work within a small, creative community.
Re-runs: These announcements have been posted here before, but it’s not too late to enter!
Politics
Deadline: July 5. For the national juried exhibition Art as Politics at Touchstone Gallery, express everything you love and hate in the current election process as a visual art form.
Photography competition
Deadline: July 8. The Academy Center of the Arts (Lynchburg, VA) 2016 National Juried Photography Exhibition applications are now available! Entries must be original photographs or photographically derived work. Open to U.S. residents 18 years or older.
Plein air competition
Deadline: July 8. Harford Plein Air (October 10-15, 2016) invites artists from all over the U.S. to enter this second annual competition to create art in the “open air.” 30 competing artists, juried by Michele Byrne, will paint throughout Harford County, MD.
Holiday Market
Deadline: July 9. The Downtown Holiday Market (outside the Donald W. Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture) is a juried, high-quality crafts and gift market featuring a diverse display from exhibitors of many types of merchandise, as well as prepared food and beverage vendors.
Hyattsville Arts Festival
Deadline: July 15. Exhibitor applications for the Downtown Hyattsville Arts Festival (September 10, 2016) are now available online. Artists from DC, Maryland, and Virginia are invited to apply to this juried festival.
Mural project
Deadline: July 18. For the second “Paint the Town,” the Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District invites artists to beautify the plaza at 3 Bethesda Metro Center. Applicants must be residents of DC, MD, or VA who are 18 years or older.
Railroad art
Deadline: July 18. The Berkeley Arts Council in Martinsburg, West Virginia announces the Call for Entries for “Heavy Metal,” a juried exhibit of railroad art to be on display from August 31 through October 1, 2016. The exhibit is open nationally to all visual artists over the age of 18 in all media.
Ward 5 Wonders
New deadline: July 20. Art Enables is seeking work made by Ward 5 artists for the August/September exhibition, “Ward 5 Wonders” (see bottom of page) in Off-Rhodes Gallery.
Harrisonburg juried exhibit
Deadline: August 1. National Juried Art Show at Larkin Arts in Harrisonburg, VA: This is a national juried visual art competition and exhibition that is open to any artist, who is a resident of the United States and is over the age of 18, working in two-dimensional media. Painting, drawing, printmaking, photography or other traditional or non-traditional two-dimensional media, excluding film, are welcome.
Pets and animals
Deadline: August 10. For “Fur, Feathers, and Fins” at Annmarie Sculpture Garden and Arts Center, the jury seeks works that explore the wide world of pets. All media welcome; small to large-scale installations; new media encouraged; indoor and outdoor works accepted; cash awards to be presented.
Games
Deadline: August 18. For “Games: From Marbles to Minecraft” at Annmarie Sculpture Garden and Arts Center, the jury invites artists to submit works that celebrate and explore the broad spectrum of game history, development and innovation, including game design, production, packaging, and marketing.
Athenaeum
Deadline: August 18. The Athenaeum Invitational in Alexandria, VA is a theme-based event featuring the works of both specially-invited artists who have exhibited in the Athenaeum Gallery in the past, as well as works selected through a call for submissions open to anyone living or working in Virginia, the District of Columbia, West Virginia, or Maryland.
Fairwood Arts Festival
Deadline: August 19; early bird discount before July 29. The Prince George’s County Dept. of Parks & Recreation is seeking art vendors for the Fairwood Arts Festival in Bowie, MD. The application fee is $50 through July 29.
Chalk contest
Event: August 20; advance registration required. As part of the Annual Riverfront Chalk Festival in Lynchburg, VA, adults and children are invited to register for a 4′ × 4′ space for chalk art and compete for cash prizes. First prize is $500.
Fall art show
Deadline: September 1. The 45th Annual Fall Foliage Art Show (Waynesboro, VA) is seeking fine artists and artisans for the annual two day outdoor juried fine art exhibition.
Digital Fabrication Residency
Deadline: September 1. Digital Fabrication Residency program residents learn and gain hands-on experience with laser cutting, CNC routing, FDM 3D printing, digital embroidery, 2D plotting and 3D scanning. Applications for the 3 Day Onsite Residency Program in Easton, MD must include a project proposal that outlines what the resident plans to work on while onsite.
The nude figure
Deadline: September 9. The Nude Figure at Wayne Art Center in Wayne, PA is juried by Paul DuSold and Scott Noel. Open to all artists working in painting, drawing and sculpture.
Art League solo exhibits
Deadline: September 23. Entry is now open for 2018 solo artist exhibits at The Art League. Entry is open to all Art League members.
Paintings
Deadline: September 28. “Root to Bloom: Places Artists Call Home” at Principle Gallery (Alexandria, VA) will feature paintings representative of where the featured artists call “home.” Works must be paintings no more than 40 inches along the longest edge (measured unframed).
Photography about homelessness
Deadline: October 1. For Picture This, organized by Flashlight Baltimore, entries can depict the homeless experience from around the country, however the Baltimore region is preferred. Entries must be original photography.
Bas-relief
Deadline: October 3. The Dexter Jones Award, an unrestricted prize of $5,000, is presented annually to a sculptor for an outstanding work of sculpture in bas-relief. Each competitor must be a United States sculptor between the ages of 18 and 39.
Restaurant residency
Deadline: ongoing. The Artist-in-Residence program at Palette 22 showcases and promotes the original work of VA- based and regional artists inside and beyond the restaurant.
Deadline: Ongoing. Washington ArtWorks (Rockville, MD) is holding an Open Call for the Walls. Artists pay a fee to hang work for two-month periods in these unjuried exhibits.
This is your last chance! These exhibits are leaving The Art League after Sunday, July 3.
Watch the video above for a preview of Alex Tolstoy’s “Watermarks,” and we’ll see you in person this weekend!
“Tabletop” installation viewThe June Open Exhibit, juried by Jeff HuntingtonFrom the June Open Exhibit“Watermarks” by Alex Tolstoy“Tabletop”: Place Setting by Herrick Smith
