In June, we opened up the Tabletop exhibit to furniture, glass, and fiber art for the first time and marked the start of summer by returning to the classroom (and camp)
Reverie, walnut, by Ann Ruppert. Winner of the Bertha G. Harrison Memorial Fund Award for Classical Sculpture.
If Ann Ruppert’s wood sculptures seem to have been grown, not carved — well, that all comes down to how each sculpture emerges from the material.
Ruppert, who sculpts wood, stone, and other media, was the winner of this month’s Bertha G. Harrison Memorial Fund Award for Classical Sculpture. We asked her about working with her favorite media, her figural work, and more:
How did Reverie come to be?
Ann Ruppert: Reverie was a round piece of walnut and it said “figure.” I was on vacation and found the wood there, leading to the water, therefore the title Reverie.
Reverie (detail) by Ann Ruppert
Why do you work in wood and stone?
Wood and stone are a natural media and you never know what you will find. It’s exciting when you start seeing the grain in both, following the shapes of the form, because you really don’t know how it will react to your shape. As with Reverie, it was both exciting and rewarding to see as it flowed with her shape.
Sharing, soapstone, by Anne Ruppert
What’s your creative process like — do you start with the material, the idea, a sketch … ?
If I’m having a problem with an idea, sometimes a clay model or sketch will give me a view of something I’m visualizing in my head. Of course the clay model will give me a 3-D view.
There are times when I will go with the forms in the stone, simplify them and a pleasing line will appear, then I will go with that to get my forms to relate to each other.
With stone, sometimes, I will see something and go with it, or I work with a sketch or a model in clay, being flexible.
Celebrate by Ann Ruppert, from the June 2016 Open Exhibit.
What does it mean to “see something” in stone?
I had a large stone sitting in my fireplace for several months and I wasn’t sure what it was going to be, no inspiration yet and one day as I was passing by, I saw what seemed to be two figures, embracing. From there it just circled around, as their arms enfolded each other and included a child form.
What keeps you coming back to the human figure?
I love the human and animal form, because there is so much fluidity in them. I also enjoy curves, which they both have. I am a people- and animal-watcher, so I try to recreate a representational form of them.
Victory at Last, hickory, by Ann Ruppert
Why do you think you like curves?
I have always seen beauty in the human and animal form: the head of a mother looking down at her child, the curve of a polar bear or horse’s neck, also. I even enjoy curves in my abstracts, as in infinity. Curves seem endless.
How have your figural pieces changed over time?
Not so much. I’m more representational now, but I still like rounded forms, even in abstracts.
Deadline: January 1, 2017. The Albers Foundation residencies are typically two months long and take place throughout the year. There is no stipend. The residency is designed to provide time, space, and solitude, with the benefit of access to the Foundation’s archives and library.
Landscape photography
Deadline: January 25, 2017. All artist renditions on the Landscapes theme, genres, capture types and photographic processes are eligible for the Landscapes 2017 exhibit at the Center for Fine Art Photography (Fort Collins, CO). The juror is Lisa Volpe, associate curator of photography at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
Photography competition
Deadline: January 30, 2017. Photoworks Gallery (Glen Echo, MD) announces a Call for Entries for United/Divided, the upcoming public exhibition of photography in 2017.
Laurel Art Guild
Deadline: February 1, 2017. Any artist over 18 years old who resides in MD, VA, DC, PA, WV, DE, or NJ is eligible to submit to the Laurel (MD) Art Guild’s 48th Annual Open Juried Exhibition.
Plein air competition
Deadline: March 8, 2017. The Bucks County (PA) Plein Air competition is open to all painters age 18 and older. All entrants will be juried, and the total number of participants will be limited to 50.
Re-runs: These announcements have been posted here before, but it’s not too late to enter!
Stormy Weather
Deadline: December 28. Stormy weather is the theme of the Maryland Federation of Art’s 2nd annual exhibition.
New American Paintings
Deadline: December 31. The magazine New American Paintings holds regional competitions open to United States artists. The South competition is open to artists in AL, AR, DC, FL, GA, KY, LA, MD, MS, NC, SC, TN, VA, and WV. All styles and media are welcome, as long as the work is singular.
My America
Deadline: December 31. Tell your story of America for My America, January 21, 2017 at Edgewood Arts Center (Washington, DC). This community arts festival & fundraiser will welcome DC-area artists of all backgrounds. There is no submission fee. All videos will be projected without sound. All visual art will be placed on tables. There is available space for a very limited number of floor sculptures.
Historical Society
Deadline: January 3, 2017. The Historical Society of Washington, D.C. invites all artists residing in the Washington metropolitan area to enter its 2017 For the Record juried exhibition and fundraiser.
Facing Our Fear
Deadline: January 4, 2017. The prospectus for Facing Our Fear, to be exhibited in Norfolk, VA, is now live. Artists may apply the student, amateur, or professional category.
Spectacular Skies
Deadline: January 4, 2017. For “Spectacular Skies” at Annmarie Sculpture Garden & Arts Center (Solomons, MD), artwork should seek to fill viewers with a sense of wonder and mystery. All media welcome; small to large-scale installations; new media encouraged; indoor and outdoor works accepted; cash awards to be presented.
International Women’s Day (IWD) Artwork
Deadline: January 7, 2017. The National Resource Center on Domestic Violence invites female identifying artists in the Washington, DC metropolitan area to submit their artwork to be considered for our 2017 IWD artwork. This year we are trying to lift up a piece as well as an artist who embodies the struggles and ideals behind IWD. The chosen piece will be bought with the rights to be distributed, nationally, on an IWD greeting card, and shared across our online channels. All art mediums are welcome. Pieces, purchase price, artist statement, as well as artist bio can be submitted to Justine Robillard at [email protected].
Fine art photography
Deadline: January 9, 2017. ArtSpace Herndon invites photographers from Virginia, DC, Maryland, and West Virginia to participate in the 2017 ArtSpace Herndon Fine Art Photography Competition.
Emulsion
Deadline: January 9, 2017. Emulsion, the fourth annual East City Art regional juried show, is open to anyone 18 years and over who resides or creates art within 50 miles of East City Art’s headquarters located at 922 G Street SE in Washington, DC.
Deadline: January 15, 2017 (early bird November 21). The NoVa Mini Maker Faire brings together an amazing collection of tech enthusiasts, engineers, woodworkers, metal workers, auto hackers, artists, teachers, and craftspeople from all over the northern virginia, Metro DC area and beyond.
Public art request for portfolios
Deadline: January 17, 2017. The DC Department of General Services has issued a Request for Qualifications in which interested artists will submit portfolios for review, followed by site-specific proposals for public art at the Marie Reed Community Learning Center. Find the details in this PDF.
TFAA annual jury
Deadline: January 27, 2017. The annual jury is the process by which artists can join the Torpedo Factory Artists Association’s thriving network of professional artists in Alexandria, VA. All artists working in fine arts and fine crafts are eligible.
Deadline: January 30, 2017. The Prince George’s County Traffic Box Art Wrap project is announcing a Call for Artists. Hyattsville CDC seeks five designs for reproduction on vinyl wraps to cover 11 traffic boxes, at pre-determined sites within Prince George’s County.
Fiber art
Deadline: February 4, 2017. Fantastic Fibers at Yeiser Art Center (Paducah, KY) is an international competitive exhibition that seeks to showcase a wide range of outstanding works related to the fiber medium.
Ephemera
Deadline: February 5, 2017. Target Gallery (Alexandria, VA) invites national and international artists to submit work for Ephemera, an all-media exhibition that challenges the concept of timeless art by exploring ephemeral artwork. Ephemeral is defined as “fleeting, short-lived, momentary, or brief.”
Matador Review
Deadline: February 28, 2017. The Matador Review, an online literature and art quarterly based in Chicago, publishes poetry, fiction, flash fiction, creative non-fiction, and visual art. Art submissions for the Spring 2017 issue are now being accepted.
France residency
Deadline: February 28, 2017. The BAU Institute residency in Cassis, France supports the development of work in the Visual Arts (including photography, video and new media), Creative Writing, Dramatic Writing, Performance and Musical Composition.
Harrisonburg juried exhibit
Deadline: March 15, 2017. All artists residing in the U.S. are invited to enter artwork completed after January 1, 2015 into the 14th annual VMRC Juried Art Exhibition (Harrisonburg, VA). No commission is charged on sales.
Current and recent students
Deadline: March 22. Wet Paint at the Workhouse Arts Center (Lorton, VA) is open to any artist who graduated with a Bachelor or Masters degree in 2014, 2015 or 2016, or any current student artist in a Bachelor or Masters program.
Drawing transparent objects sounds difficult, but Art League instructor Scott Hutchison demonstrates a simple approach in the video above. This drawing uses just charcoal, white conte, and an eraser. It’s all about paying attention to the values you see, the shapes of the highlights and shadows — and a few tricks.
This demo is from Hutchison’s Basic Drawing class at The Art League. Here are some examples of student work on toned paper:
Red Nude by Wil Scott, winner of The Art League Best in Show Award
When it came time to select the Best in Show for the December Open Exhibit, juror Robert Yi already had a piece in mind. He had been coming back to one photograph all day, continually drawn to the painterly look and the balance of color.
That photo, Red Nude, represents the start of a new focus for Wil Scott, a photographer and art historian. We asked the best-in-show artist to tell us more about this piece, his photography in general, and the new addition of the human figure into his work:
What was your goal for Red Nude?
Wil Scott: I haven’t photographed nudes until very recently. The room where Red Nude was taken has excellent filtered light, and the down comforters on the bed always catch the light and cast shadows in complicated patterns. The seams of the comforters and the edges add more linear complexity. And, the red pillow and dark wood supply color in restrained notes.
I’ve tried making a still life of the bed, but it lacked vitality. That’s when I realized that I needed to add something more to the composition. And, what better to accomplish that than with the warmth of a nude woman’s body? The warmth of her skin tones and the curves of her body made the photograph. Her red nail polish was an element I hadn’t noted until I saw the image on my monitor. In some ways, the nail polish makes the final work succeed.
Nude in Doorway by Wil Scott (click for larger image)
Is it part of a series? If so, how did the series start, and where is it now?
It is part of a series, now, but wasn’t when I made it. I’ve been able to use the same model a few times. Another shot of her in a doorway was incorporated into a shot of an abandoned farmhouse through Lightroom. This photograph was just juried into the winter member’s show at the Maryland Federation of Art in Annapolis. As long as the model will work with me, I have a number of other ideas I’d like to explore.
Why are you a photographer?
This is the most difficult question for me to answer. I’m going to be blunt about it, because every time I start to flesh it out, it sounds pretentious or boring. I make photographs because I have to. It just seems like a part of me. I see things almost daily that make me want to make a photo. So, I do it.
TJ’s Lunch Counter by Wil Scott (click for larger image)
What is your creative process like? What is your ideal photo shoot?
It’s pretty basic. I carry a camera almost always. I see something interesting, and I start shooting. Sometimes, it’s one shoot. Sometimes, it’s dozens. In front of the computer, most images get a little cropping and/or adjusting of lighting and contrast. More and more, I flip the image into black and white, although I always shoot in color.
My ideal shoot: a camera, a car, and some place I’ve never explored before.
What is the gear you always make sure to pack? That’s basic, too. I almost always carry a Canon SC710HS (a point-and-shoot with super-telephoto capability). When I go out primarily to make photos, I take a Canon 50d with a 55-250 lens or the 5d III with a 18-105 lens and a tripod.
Mannequins by Wil Scott (click for larger image)
What are your influences as a photographer?
I have a doctorate in the history of American art with a concentration on late-nineteenth and early-twentieth century painting, sculpture, and photography. My mentor was William I. Homer, a world-renowned expert on Alfred Stieglitz and his circle. During my thirty years at the National Gallery of Art, I lectured frequently on photography. I probably know the history of photography more than most photographers. This can’t help but influence what I do in the field, but it’s not something that is conscious when shooting. I frequently don’t notice the influence of some master of the medium until a viewer points it out. I hope that means that I’ve absorbed valuable lessons from others without letting their influence overwhelm or intimidate me.
What are you working on now?
As the Red Nude shows, I’m more interested in people than ever before. That means studio work, like nudes, and street photography. We’ll see where that leads.
I’ve always been fascinated by architecture, patterns, and moody landscapes. I tried to create a body of cloud images, but still haven’t figured out what I can bring to an over-worked subject to make it my own. I haven’t given up on clouds. I think I just need to work through some other things and then go back to the clouds. After all, they’ll always be there.
Deadline: December 31. Tell your story of America for My America, January 21, 2017 at Edgewood Arts Center (Washington, DC). This community arts festival & fundraiser will welcome DC-area artists of all backgrounds. There is no submission fee. All videos will be projected without sound. All visual art will be placed on tables. There is available space for a very limited number of floor sculptures.
International Women’s Day (IWD) Artwork
Deadline: January 7, 2017. The National Resource Center on Domestic Violence invites female identifying artists in the Washington, DC metropolitan area to submit their artwork to be considered for our 2017 IWD artwork. This year we are trying to lift up a piece as well as an artist who embodies the struggles and ideals behind IWD. The chosen piece will be bought with the rights to be distributed, nationally, on an IWD greeting card, and shared across our online channels. All art mediums are welcome. Pieces, purchase price, artist statement, as well as artist bio can be submitted to Justine Robillard at [email protected].
Deadline: January 27, 2017. The annual jury is the process by which artists can join the Torpedo Factory Artists Association’s thriving network of professional artists in Alexandria, VA. All artists working in fine arts and fine crafts are eligible.
Re-runs: These announcements have been posted here before, but it’s not too late to enter!
Attachments
Deadline: December 21. For “see attached,” VAE (Raleigh, NC) will be accepting submissions through email and printing out the attachments to hang. Alongside the attachments will hang the corresponding emails as artist statements, website, and label information.
Stormy Weather
Deadline: December 28. Stormy weather is the theme of the Maryland Federation of Art’s 2nd annual exhibition.
New American Paintings
Deadline: December 31. The magazine New American Paintings holds regional competitions open to United States artists. The South competition is open to artists in AL, AR, DC, FL, GA, KY, LA, MD, MS, NC, SC, TN, VA, and WV. All styles and media are welcome, as long as the work is singular.
Historical Society
Deadline: January 3, 2017. The Historical Society of Washington, D.C. invites all artists residing in the Washington metropolitan area to enter its 2017 For the Record juried exhibition and fundraiser.
Facing Our Fear
Deadline: January 4, 2017. The prospectus for Facing Our Fear, to be exhibited in Norfolk, VA, is now live. Artists may apply the student, amateur, or professional category.
Spectacular Skies
Deadline: January 4, 2017. For “Spectacular Skies” at Annmarie Sculpture Garden & Arts Center (Solomons, MD), artwork should seek to fill viewers with a sense of wonder and mystery. All media welcome; small to large-scale installations; new media encouraged; indoor and outdoor works accepted; cash awards to be presented.
Fine art photography
Deadline: January 9, 2017. ArtSpace Herndon invites photographers from Virginia, DC, Maryland, and West Virginia to participate in the 2017 ArtSpace Herndon Fine Art Photography Competition.
Emulsion
Deadline: January 9, 2017. Emulsion, the fourth annual East City Art regional juried show, is open to anyone 18 years and over who resides or creates art within 50 miles of East City Art’s headquarters located at 922 G Street SE in Washington, DC.
NoVa Mini Maker Faire
Deadline: January 15, 2017 (early bird November 21). The NoVa Mini Maker Faire brings together an amazing collection of tech enthusiasts, engineers, woodworkers, metal workers, auto hackers, artists, teachers, and craftspeople from all over the northern virginia, Metro DC area and beyond.
Public art request for portfolios
Deadline: January 17, 2017. The DC Department of General Services has issued a Request for Qualifications in which interested artists will submit portfolios for review, followed by site-specific proposals for public art at the Marie Reed Community Learning Center. Find the details in this PDF.
Deadline: January 30, 2017. The Prince George’s County Traffic Box Art Wrap project is announcing a Call for Artists. Hyattsville CDC seeks five designs for reproduction on vinyl wraps to cover 11 traffic boxes, at pre-determined sites within Prince George’s County.
Fiber art
Deadline: February 4, 2017. Fantastic Fibers at Yeiser Art Center (Paducah, KY) is an international competitive exhibition that seeks to showcase a wide range of outstanding works related to the fiber medium.
Ephemera
Deadline: February 5, 2017. Target Gallery (Alexandria, VA) invites national and international artists to submit work for Ephemera, an all-media exhibition that challenges the concept of timeless art by exploring ephemeral artwork. Ephemeral is defined as “fleeting, short-lived, momentary, or brief.”
Matador Review
Deadline: February 28, 2017. The Matador Review, an online literature and art quarterly based in Chicago, publishes poetry, fiction, flash fiction, creative non-fiction, and visual art. Art submissions for the Spring 2017 issue are now being accepted.
France residency
Deadline: February 28, 2017. The BAU Institute residency in Cassis, France supports the development of work in the Visual Arts (including photography, video and new media), Creative Writing, Dramatic Writing, Performance and Musical Composition.
Harrisonburg juried exhibit
Deadline: March 15, 2017. All artists residing in the U.S. are invited to enter artwork completed after January 1, 2015 into the 14th annual VMRC Juried Art Exhibition (Harrisonburg, VA). No commission is charged on sales.
Current and recent students
Deadline: March 22. Wet Paint at the Workhouse Arts Center (Lorton, VA) is open to any artist who graduated with a Bachelor or Masters degree in 2014, 2015 or 2016, or any current student artist in a Bachelor or Masters program.
If you love art, you’ve surely come across the term trompe l’oeil. It’s often defined simply by explaining that the words are French for “fool the eye,” but that doesn’t really tell the whole story.
With trompe l’oeil artist Dennis Crayon in the solo gallery this month, it’s the perfect time to explain what the technique is, how it works, and share some examples:
Trompe l’oeil vs. photorealism
Both trompe l’oeil and photorealism both involve depicting something as realistically as possible, but there are a few differences:
Trompe l’oeil is intended to fool the eye into thinking something is really there, so the subject matter is limited to objects that could conceivably be on a wall. Playing cards, window scenes, and recognizable materials like wood and marble are common subjects. In photorealism, the subject could be anything.
The two techniques have different goals: a trompe l’oeil artist wants to trick the viewer with the illusion of three-dimensionality. (Look at the shadows and folds painting at the top of this post.) Photorealism aims simply to recreate an image as realistically as possible, in two dimensions.
Photorealism is inspired by photography, so the compositions are closer to what a camera would see than what the eye sees. Trompe l’oeil is a tradition that goes way, way back before photography existed.
Nicholas, graphite, by Wendy Donahoe, winner of best in show in December 2012.
So, the above drawing by Wendy Donahoe could be described as photorealistic, but not trompe l’oeil. For one, because it’s monochrome, it doesn’t try to fool the eye the way a drawing or painting in color could. The composition is that of a classic portrait, as well: the figure is posing within the frame, not attempting to climb out of it.
How do they do it?
There are many tricks and techniques painters can use to fool the viewer.
This painting by Art League instructor Patrick Kirwin uses the texture of wood and attention to the details of light to create an illusion that would be at home in a carnival.
Art League instructor Patrick Kirwin shows how he uses things like a turkey feather and plastic bag to paint marble in these videos. (Kirwin is known for painting murals, a common setting for trompe l’oeil because there’s no frame to give away the illusion.)
Crayon, this month’s solo artist, explained some of his process in our 2013 Q&A interview. He starts with a photograph and plans out the composition in Photoshop before starting the painting.
“R is for Rose” by Dennis Crayon was awarded second prize in the “Flora & Fauna” exhibit.
Regardless of the approach, a smooth surface is an essential starting point. Crayon paints and sands many layers of gesso (a white, paint-like material) onto his panels before he starts painting.
Off the wall
Trompe l’oeil isn’t limited to painting, either.
Ghost Clock, bleached Honduras mahogany, by Wendell Castle.
In Wendell Castle’s famous Ghost Clock sculpture, what appears to be a clock draped in cloth is in fact a single piece of wood, partially bleached to complete the illusion.
In other settings, trompe l’oeil can provoke a stronger reaction. For example, these life-size security guard sculptures can make museum visitors jump. And you’ve probably seen photos of crowd-gathering trompe l’oeil sidewalk chalk artworks. Instead of popping out from the wall, these illusions rise up out of the ground, and they need to be viewed from just the right angle.
Dennis Crayon, “That Which Was Once Whole”
How to fool your eye
Now that you’ve learned what trompe l’oeil means, it’s time to see it in action! Dennis Crayon’s “That Which Was Once Whole” is on view at The Art League through January 2, 2017.
You’re invited to two upcoming artist talks at The Art League! We’re honored to host juror Robert Yi and solo artist Dennis Crayon this Saturday to talk about our December exhibits. In January, watercolorist and visiting artist Timothy Clark will give a free lecture ahead of his Art League workshop.
Both events are free and open to the public. Follow the links above to RSVP!
Deadline: December 31. The magazine New American Paintings holds regional competitions open to United States artists. The South competition is open to artists in AL, AR, DC, FL, GA, KY, LA, MD, MS, NC, SC, TN, VA, and WV. All styles and media are welcome, as long as the work is singular.
Emulsion
Deadline: January 9. Emulsion, the fourth annual East City Art regional juried show, is open to anyone 18 years and over who resides or creates art within 50 miles of East City Art’s headquarters located at 922 G Street SE in Washington, DC.
Prince George’s County artists
Deadline: January 30. The Prince George’s County Traffic Box Art Wrap project is announcing a Call for Artists. Hyattsville CDC seeks five designs for reproduction on vinyl wraps to cover 11 traffic boxes, at pre-determined sites within Prince George’s County.
Ephemera
Deadline: February 5. Target Gallery invites national and international artists to submit work for Ephemera, an all-media exhibition that challenges the concept of timeless art by exploring ephemeral artwork. Ephemeral is defined as “fleeting, short-lived, momentary, or brief.”
Current and recent students
Deadline: March 22. Wet Paint at the Workhouse Arts Center (Lorton, VA) is open to any artist who graduated with a Bachelor or Masters degree in 2014, 2015 or 2016, or any current student artist in a Bachelor or Masters program.
Re-runs: These announcements have been posted here before, but it’s not too late to enter!
Small Impressionist paintings
Deadline: December 14. For “Impressions: Small Works Showcase” at the American Impressionist Society (Costa Mesa, CA), work must be original, impressionistic in style, must have been completed within the last three years and may not have been exhibited in a previous AIS show. Work done in class and/or under the guidance of an instructor is not eligible for entry. Artists must join as members of the society to enter.
Fellowship: Center for Emerging Visual Artists
Deadline: December 15. The 2017 CFEVA Visual Artist Fellowship application is now available. Emerging, mid-career, and established visual artists are encouraged to apply. The Visual Artist Fellowship is designed to help artists within 150 miles of Philadelphia reach new levels in their careers.
Habits
Deadline: December 16. Open to Art League exhibiting artist members only. For “Habits” at The Art League, artists are encouraged to examine habits, patterns, routines, and rituals – either in the context of their own lives, their own artwork, different cultures, or humanity as a whole. Juror: Rebecca Chaperon.
Vessels
Deadline: December 18. Capitol Hill Art League presents its 6th Annual Metro DC Open Juried Call with “Vessels,” open to 2-D and 3-D art around that theme. The juror this year is Chris Cooley.
Attachments
Deadline: December 21. For “see attached,” VAE (Raleigh, NC) will be accepting submissions through email and printing out the attachments to hang. Alongside the attachments will hang the corresponding emails as artist statements, website, and label information.
Stormy Weather
Deadline: December 28. Stormy weather is the theme of the Maryland Federation of Art’s 2nd annual exhibition.
Historical Society
Deadline: January 3, 2017. The Historical Society of Washington, D.C. invites all artists residing in the Washington metropolitan area to enter its 2017 For the Record juried exhibition and fundraiser.
Facing Our Fear
Deadline: January 4, 2017. The prospectus for Facing Our Fear, to be exhibited in Norfolk, VA, is now live. Artists may apply the student, amateur, or professional category.
Spectacular Skies
Deadline: January 4, 2017. For “Spectacular Skies” at Annmarie Sculpture Garden & Arts Center (Solomons, MD), artwork should seek to fill viewers with a sense of wonder and mystery. All media welcome; small to large-scale installations; new media encouraged; indoor and outdoor works accepted; cash awards to be presented.
Fine art photography
Deadline: January 9, 2017. ArtSpace Herndon invites photographers from Virginia, DC, Maryland, and West Virginia to participate in the 2017 ArtSpace Herndon Fine Art Photography Competition.
NoVa Mini Maker Faire
Deadline: January 15, 2017 (early bird November 21). The NoVa Mini Maker Faire brings together an amazing collection of tech enthusiasts, engineers, woodworkers, metal workers, auto hackers, artists, teachers, and craftspeople from all over the northern virginia, Metro DC area and beyond.
Public art request for portfolios
Deadline: January 17. The DC Department of General Services has issued a Request for Qualifications in which interested artists will submit portfolios for review, followed by site-specific proposals for public art at the Marie Reed Community Learning Center. Find the details in this PDF.
Deadline: February 4, 2017. Fantastic Fibers at Yeiser Art Center (Paducah, KY) is an international competitive exhibition that seeks to showcase a wide range of outstanding works related to the fiber medium.
Matador Review
Deadline: February 28. The Matador Review, an online literature and art quarterly based in Chicago, publishes poetry, fiction, flash fiction, creative non-fiction, and visual art. Art submissions for the Spring 2017 issue are now being accepted.
France residency
Deadline: February 28, 2017. The BAU Institute residency in Cassis, France supports the development of work in the Visual Arts (including photography, video and new media), Creative Writing, Dramatic Writing, Performance and Musical Composition.
Harrisonburg juried exhibit
Deadline: March 15, 2017. All artists residing in the U.S. are invited to enter artwork completed after January 1, 2015 into the 14th annual VMRC Juried Art Exhibition (Harrisonburg, VA). No commission is charged on sales.
Winter classes at The Art League start in exactly one month!
The week of January 9–15 marks the start of Winter term, and that means you have a few weeks left to sign up for that art class you’ve been eyeing. As always, we’re offering nine-week classes and shorter-term workshops.
Not sure how you want to get creative? Here are a few ideas:
Get more fiber
Student work from felting classes.
Fiber art classes are the perfect place to make something warm for yourself, or something beautiful for your home! These classes cover it all, from felting to weaving to knitting to hand stitching. (Read our full guide to the fiber arts.)
This class is a little different from the rest of the catalog: it’s a seven-week dive into facial anatomy and reconstruction with forensic artist Joe Mullins. Bet you didn’t think we’d have a class in crime-solving!
Week 3 of Basic Drawing with instructor Scott Hutchison
If you’re really unsure what to take, you can’t go wrong with Basic Drawing. It’s recommended for absolute beginners, lapsed artists, and anyone in need of a refresher. (Here are five things you’ll learn in Basic Drawing.)
Still looking? The best way to find the class that’s right for you is by contacting our office. We know all the classes and instructors and can make suggestions for you:
“Women’s Work,” a new exhibit of four artists, opens today in the Torpedo Factory Art Center’s Site 3 gallery (on the third floor near the elevator). The four artists featured are all Art League members as well!
Genevieve Keillor, who curated this exhibit, had this to say:
“I decided to focus on the theme of feminism for the show because I believe that women are under-represented and under-appreciated within the world of art. I chose Julie Dzikiewicz, Lizzy Lunday, Naomi Christianson, and Fierce Sonia because of their distinct styles and diverse media they employ in their work.”
Art League artists are finishing strong this year, with two December exhibits that will have you singing.
Foreground: The Choir (detail) by Christine Hubloue Morerenhout
First up: our final Open Exhibit of the year is juried by painter Robert Yi, who selected 66 artists and artworks from the hundreds submitted.
In the solo room, painter Dennis Crayon unleashes his trompe-l’œil paintings, which “fool the eye” into seeing photographs that are really painted. These works start with real-life photographs that the artist extrapolates into nostalgic scenes for “That Which Was Once Whole.”
“That Which Was Once Whole”
The opening reception for both exhibits is this Thursday, December 8, from 6:30 to 8:00 pm. Please join us!
“That Which Was Once Whole”The December Open Exhibit
Deadline: December 14. For “Impressions: Small Works Showcase” at the American Impressionist Society (Costa Mesa, CA), work must be original, impressionistic in style, must have been completed within the last three years and may not have been exhibited in a previous AIS show. Work done in class and/or under the guidance of an instructor is not eligible for entry. Artists must join as members of the society to enter.
Historical Society
Deadline: January 3, 2017. The Historical Society of Washington, D.C. invites all artists residing in the Washington metropolitan area to enter its 2017 For the Record juried exhibition and fundraiser.
Public art request for portfolios
Deadline: January 17. The DC Department of General Services has issued a Request for Qualifications in which interested artists will submit portfolios for review, followed by site-specific proposals for public art at the Marie Reed Community Learning Center. Find the details in this PDF.
Matador Review
Deadline: February 28. The Matador Review, an online literature and art quarterly based in Chicago, publishes poetry, fiction, flash fiction, creative non-fiction, and visual art. Art submissions for the Spring 2017 issue are now being accepted.
Re-runs: These announcements have been posted here before, but it’s not too late to enter!
Migrations
Deadline: December 9. The Maryland Federation of Art seeks conventional and unconventional renderings of migrations that can make viewers see the changing world in a new light.
Animals
Deadline: December 11. For Gimme Shelter at Ciel Gallery (Charlotte, NC), artists are invited to show the souls of the animals they love, whether feathered or furred, realistic, whimsical, or imaginary. All US artists working in any medium are eligible to enter.
Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival
Deadline: December 11. The Greater Reston Arts Center invites artists to showcase their best contemporary art and craft in the 26th annual Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival, to be held in May 2017.
Emerging curators
Deadline: December 12. Applications for the 2017 VisArts Emerging Curator program are now open. VisArts (Rockville, MD) invites applications from emerging curators to work with an experienced mentoring curator to develop and present an exhibition.
Fellowship: Center for Emerging Visual Artists
Deadline: December 15. The 2017 CFEVA Visual Artist Fellowship application is now available. Emerging, mid-career, and established visual artists are encouraged to apply. The Visual Artist Fellowship is designed to help artists within 150 miles of Philadelphia reach new levels in their careers.
Habits
Deadline: December 16. Open to Art League exhibiting artist members only. For “Habits” at The Art League, artists are encouraged to examine habits, patterns, routines, and rituals – either in the context of their own lives, their own artwork, different cultures, or humanity as a whole. Juror: Rebecca Chaperon.
Vessels
Deadline: December 18. Capitol Hill Art League presents its 6th Annual Metro DC Open Juried Call with “Vessels,” open to 2-D and 3-D art around that theme. The juror this year is Chris Cooley.
Attachments
Deadline: December 21. For “see attached,” VAE (Raleigh, NC) will be accepting submissions through email and printing out the attachments to hang. Alongside the attachments will hang the corresponding emails as artist statements, website, and label information.
Stormy Weather
Deadline: December 28. Stormy weather is the theme of the Maryland Federation of Art’s 2nd annual exhibition.
Facing Our Fear
Deadline: January 4, 2017. The prospectus for Facing Our Fear, to be exhibited in Norfolk, VA, is now live. Artists may apply the student, amateur, or professional category.
Spectacular Skies
Deadline: January 4, 2017. For “Spectacular Skies” at Annmarie Sculpture Garden & Arts Center (Solomons, MD), artwork should seek to fill viewers with a sense of wonder and mystery. All media welcome; small to large-scale installations; new media encouraged; indoor and outdoor works accepted; cash awards to be presented.
Fine art photography
Deadline: January 9, 2017. ArtSpace Herndon invites photographers from Virginia, DC, Maryland, and West Virginia to participate in the 2017 ArtSpace Herndon Fine Art Photography Competition.
NoVa Mini Maker Faire
Deadline: January 15, 2017 (early bird November 21). The NoVa Mini Maker Faire brings together an amazing collection of tech enthusiasts, engineers, woodworkers, metal workers, auto hackers, artists, teachers, and craftspeople from all over the northern virginia, Metro DC area and beyond.
Deadline: February 4, 2017. Fantastic Fibers at Yeiser Art Center (Paducah, KY) is an international competitive exhibition that seeks to showcase a wide range of outstanding works related to the fiber medium.
France residency
Deadline: February 28, 2017. The BAU Institute residency in Cassis, France supports the development of work in the Visual Arts (including photography, video and new media), Creative Writing, Dramatic Writing, Performance and Musical Composition.
Harrisonburg juried exhibit
Deadline: March 15, 2017. All artists residing in the U.S. are invited to enter artwork completed after January 1, 2015 into the 14th annual VMRC Juried Art Exhibition (Harrisonburg, VA). No commission is charged on sales.
A view of the kiln at Highfield Pottery, where the workshop takes place
The Art League’s Woodfiring Workshop is an opportunity for potters to experience woodfiring from beginning to end. Using a kiln built by instructors Allison Coles Severance and Blair Meerfeld, participants learn centuries-old techniques while enjoying food and conversation in a mountaintop setting.
How does the woodfiring workshop work?
You’ll arrive on Saturday morning for this weekend workshop, bringing at least two dozen pots created for the wood kiln (with high-fire clay and glazes).
On the first day, students will work with instructors to load the pots, with lots of discussion about placement. “It’s important to think about the flame’s pathway around the kiln and pots,” Severance said.
Then, the kiln is preheated overnight, and fired on Sunday. It takes about four days to cool down enough to take the pieces out.
by Allison Severance
What kind of kiln is it?
The kiln itself is a downdraft bourry box built by Severance and Meerfeld. They chose the bourry box design because it provides a smoother surface: perfect for kitchen wares, as Severance explained to us. The kiln (and workshop) are located at Highfield Pottery in Northern Maryland, among the Catoctin Mountains.
by Blair Meerfeld
When’s the next woodfiring workshop?
As of this writing, the next workshop is December 17–18, 2016. But you can see future scheduled workshops in the catalog.
