Robert Douglas Hunter On Line

A one-hour televised visit with famed art artist Robert Douglas Hunter at his studio in Walpole, which was filmed by fellow-artist Bill St. George for Walpole Cable TV, is now on line and can be viewed by anyone with a computer. Simply go on line to http://www.walpolecommunitytelevision.com/, then click on the left-hand box, "Video on Demand", then click on the right-hand box labeled "Impressions" and then click on the 3d listing down, labeled "Impressions 365". You can also click on the double arrows at the bottom to make the  picture full screen. It is an interesting show, with lots of insights about Robert Douglas Hunter's long career as a resourceful artist.

Art Bus Trip to NYC April 13

Join the RI Watercolor Society on its 3rd Annual Bus trip to the Salmagundi Club in NYC to view the American Watercolor Societies 146th Annual International Exhibition. When:April 13th 2013. Fee: Members of RIWS: $30.00 Non-Members: $45.00 Pick Up: 6:30am at the Cardis Furniture Store in So. Attleboro, MA and 7:30am at the RTE 117 Park & Lock in Warwick. Leaving NYC: the Bus will leave promptly at 6:30pm from NY

Stops: the Bus will be making two stops once in NYC, the first stop will be to the Brooklyn Museum to view an exhibit of works by the late John Singer Sargent, and the second will be to the Salmagundi Club for the American Watercolor Exhibit. Everyone is welcome to come along on this trip. Please have your members contact us at the gallery 401-726-1876 or RIWSGallery@gmail.com to reserve their seat!

Spring Show Ribbon Winners

Pictured above is this year's FAA judge Cindy Baron, OPA, ASW, with her choice as the "Best of Show", Laura Zangetti's painting "Big Red". Cindy said that judging so many wonderful works was difficult, but in the end she relied on criteria such as creativity, design and brushwork. These are what she chose as her ribbon winners:
In Watercolor
1st Place: "It's a Ball", Donna MacLure
2nd Place: "Baskets", Elaine Levin
3rd Place: "Cabbage Head", Jerry Aissis
Hon. Mention: "Dories at Low Tide", Kris Occhino
Hon. Mention: "Open Door", Vera Cross
Hon. Mention: "Tulips", Karen Gordon
Hon. Mention: "Cape Cottages", Christine Tarter
In Oil/Acrylic
1st Place: "Reflections", Colleen Vanderventer
2nd Place: "Along the Bandon", Bob Finneran
3rd Place: "Sunset", Dick Fotland
Hon. Mention: "Heart of a Lion", Vania Noverca
Hon. Mention: "Moored in Barnstable" Adele Corrigan
Hon. Mention: "March - In Like a Lion" Martha Guillette
Hon. Mention: "You've Got Me in Stitches" Vania Noverca
Pastel
1st Place: "Indian Summer Sunset", Robin Carroll
2nd Place: "Pitcher with Pears", Kevin Lynch
3rd Place: "Stop River, Fall", Cindy Kerr
Hon. Mention: "Tim", Brita Cronin
Hon. Mention: "Blue and Gold Boulevard", Kathy Hutchinson
Hon. Mention: "June in Alaska", Carole Isgur
Hon. Mention: "Here Comes the Sun", Robin Carroll
Mixed Media
1st Place: "Roman Arches...Assisi, Italy", Marjorie Sardella
2nd Place: "Reflection", Ralph Bevivino
3rd Place: "Early Evening over rhe Grand Canyon", Jack Gannon
Hon. Mention: "A Universe Within", Steve Cross
Hon. Mention: "Cobblestones" Ralph Bevivino
Hon. Mention: "Soda Pop", Jack Gannon
Hon. Mention: "Giapetto's Pizzeria"
Best of Show:  "Big Red", Laura Zanghetti
But there's still one more ribbon! The People's Choice, which will be announced at the Saturday reception, March 24, sometime between 2 and 3 pm.

Spring Show Reception 2-5pm

The Reception for the 2013 Members' Spring Show will be Saturday afternoon, March 24, from 2-5 pm. Light refreshments will be served. At that time, the "People's Choice" Ribbon will be announced.

Medway300 Arts Weekend

As part of the town of Medway celebrating 300 years, it has issued an open call to all Massachusetts artists for a juried art exhibition on the weekend of May 11 and 12 at Medway High School. The exhibition is open to photography, painting, drawing. digital media, mixed media and printmaking. It is titled "300" (open to interpretation). Entries can be no bigger than 36" x 36" There are 3 cash prizes and no entry fee. Each artist can submit one entry by e-mailing a quality photo (5Megabytes or more) no later than April 1 to Medway300visual@gmail.com (subject line: Medway 300 Art Exhibition). Artists will be notified by e-mail April 15. The drop-off and pick up dates are still to be announced.

Robin Carroll Exhibitions

Member Robin Carroll is exhibiting her watercolors, caligraphy and pastels in the Canton Library for the month of March. She is also participating in a Masscribes Exhibit: "New England Poets: A Calligraphic Interpretation" at the Norfolk Library, April 1-May 3. Opening reception, Friday, April 5, 5-8 pm. Calligraphy/watercolor poems will be on display, such as the one pictured above by Robin, titled "Midnight Sky".

Zorn Exhibit at Gardner Museum

The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum will exhibit 24 of Anders Zorn paintings Feb. 28-May 13 in its new wing. The museum is located down the street from the MFA at 280 the Fenway, Boston. This first historic exhibition will present new international scholarship about Anders Zorn, considered one of the most significant artists of the Belle Epoque (“Beautiful Era” 1871-1914). Although highly esteemed by contemporaries on both sides of the Atlantic, Zorn is little known in the U.S. today, although he is often favorably compared with his contemporary, John Singer Sargent. Isabella Stewart Gardner was one of his major patrons in the U.S. Admission is $15 for adults and $12 for seniors. The museum is closed Tuesdays. It is open the other 6 days 11 am-5pm, except Thursdays, when it is open until 9pm.

Spring Show March 15-24

The annual Spring Members' Show will be held at the Artists Studio & Gallery at Patriot Place for 2 weekends in March, 15-17 and 22-24. Members can submit up to 2 pieces each. The deadline for members to submit titles and other information is March 9. Delivery of the pieces at the gallery is late Thursday, March 14, 4-7 pm. Pick up is the second Sunday, March 24,  6-7 pm, or Monday, March 25, 4-7 pm. Questions? E-mail Frank Quinn at fxquinn@yahoo.com.

David Sturtevant Demonstrates

The Art Association met a week later than usual because of a conflict with St. Mark's service for Ash Wednesday. Nevertheless, our scheduled demonstrator, David Sturtevant, was able to accomodate our new meeting date of Feb. 20. His demonstration was most informative, showing how the "Old Masters" painted. So he started by painting a value study with 3 neutral tones: a light, medium and dark brown (sienna). His reference was urban rooftops, and the value study allowed him to simplify the scene with large, basic shapes. Once these were laid in, he added color and details, as shown above. David usually paints in oils, but for purposes of this live demonstration he used acrylic. He donated his finished painting as the raffle prize, which was won by Diane Scotti. Mr. Sturtevant proved to be a thoughtful, entertaining demonstrator who rewarded the surprisingly large audience who had weathered a cold and blustery night to watch him work. His work can be viewed on his web site:
www.threeTstudio.com.

Ash Wednesday Meeting Postponed One Week to Feb. 20

Due to a scheduling conflict for Ash Wednesday at St. Mark's Episcopal Church, the Foxboro Art Association has been asked by the church to move our February meeting from this Wednesday, February 13th to Wednesday, February 20th. Accordingly we have changed our meeting to Feb. 20 and our scheduled demonstrator, David Sturdevant, has graciously agreed to be there as well.  We apologize for the short notice. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact President Kathy Hutchinson at shutchinson52@comcast.net

Impressionism Talk Feb. 6

      Beth Chariton, Secretary of the Walpole Cultural Council and  docent, will discuss The Impressionists Wednesday evening Feb. 6 at 7 pm in the Community Room of the Walpole Library. All are invited. The Impressionists of the late 1800s were painters of light, painters of nature, and painters of human nature, and changed the way the whole world looked at art.  Like a stone dropped into a still pond, the ripples from this revolutionary style of painting spread out, influencing a whole new generation of artists.  Join Beth for a closer look at many of the paintings that moved the world into the modern era.

 

 

Spring Members Show

Again this spring, members of the Foxboro Art Association will be able to exhibit their works at the Artist's Studio & Gallery at Patriot Place. The spring exhibit will take place during two weekends March 15-24. Members can submit up to 2 pieces, for $5 each, to cover paying for the judge and ribbons. Entry forms will be provided with the February Newsletter and need to be filled out and returned no later than March 9 so identifying labels can be printed. The works should be delivered to the gallery at Patriot Place on Thursday March 14 between 4 and 7 pm and will be hung in time for the gallery to open the next day at 5 pm. That first weekend the public will be invited to vote on their favorite work -- "The People's Choice". Votes will be counted and the winner will  be announced at the reception on the following Saturday afternoon, March 23. And between the two weekends, when the gallery is closed, a judge will award ribbons in each media category: watercolor, oil & acrylic, pastel, and mixed media (including photography). And again we are asking submitters to sit at the gallery and greet the public during the exhibit. We need at least three people at the gallery at all times. The works can be retrieved at the end of the weekend, either Sunday evening 6-7pm or Monday March 25 from 4-7 pm.

Workshops

The Foxboro Art Association has arranged for two workshops in April. The first will be conucted by Deborah Quinn-Munson in East Walpole on Saturday April 6 in Pastel. The second will be conducted by Susan Kelley in East Walpole for $50 on Saturday April 27 in oil and pastel. For those interested in joining the first pastel workshop, you should contact Nancy Bacevich at bacevich@verizon.net. For those interested in the Susan Kelley workshop, contact Frank Quinn at fxquinn@yahoo.com.

In addition, the Franklin Art Association is having a three day workshop with Charles Gruppe May 17, 18, 19, 2013 for $180. He works in acrylics and oils and they will be doing large paintings. The workshop will be held at Art Creations in Hopedale (not far from Market Basket in Bellingham). There are a few openings and members of the Foxboro Art Association who might be interested should contact Dorothy Downing at ddowning0371@aol.com).

January Demonstrator :: Ann Gorbett

Our January demonstrator was palette knife painter Ann Gorbett. 

Ann Gorbett with some of her palette knife
paintings before the demonstration began

Ann gave the members an overview of her artistic experience which led her to paint exclusively in palette knife and then started painting. Someone in the audience commented that her painting process seemed similar to icing a cake since she only uses a knife. Ann responded that it was similar and that she had 'painted' a cake before copying a Van Gogh! 

Ann Gorbett at work with her image reflected
in our demonstration mirror above

A few comments of note from the demonstration:

-Ann uses a reddish underpainting, this way she doesn't have to 'cover all the holes'

-Mottled paint in a color mixture can make the painted area more interesting

-try to complete the painting in the fewest strokes

-'noodling' a painting can lose the freshness of saying more with less

-sometimes scraping a painting can result in amazing chance results

If you attended the demonstration, what was your takeaway? Please share in the comments!

Thanks, Ann, for a great demo. 

January Demonstrator Ann Gorbett

Palette knife painter Ann Gorbett will demonstrate her knife painting techniques at our January meeting, Wednesday evening, January 9, at 7 pm.
The demonstration is free and open to everybody who wants to come. We are meeting downstairs at St. Mark's Episcopal Church, 116 South Street, Foxboro, right beside Foxboro High School. Come early and enjoy free refreshments too.

December Demonstrator Jo Ellen Reinhardt

Our delightful December demonstration was Portrait and Still Life Artist Jo Ellen Reinhardt.  Her demonstration was to draw a charcoal portrait of her daughter as a live model. She gave the following guidelines as she drew her portrait:

 First, determine your composition: bust vs. full figure, skin vs. clothes, and the background. Positioning is also important.  For portraits, a frontal view is easier than a profile or ¾ view, which is the most challenging.  A helpful hint: Assume every line or mark is wrong, and you won’t be opposed to altering it. This helps you to let go, allowing you to erase and redraw instead of stubbornly trying to make it work.  Another mistake is not using (and keeping) a fine point. (Jo Ellen uses sandpaper affixed to a cutting board to sharpen her vine charcoal as she worked.)

Charcoal, chalk, and erasers are not the only tools.  Your brain is one too.  Artists tend to use the “Creative” right side of the brain versus the “Logical” or “Analytical” left side.  But with Portrait or Still Life, you should use both and try to see the math in the science of art. Rather than feeling overwhelmed by trying to capture the image as a whole, break the image down into patterns, shapes, geometry.  See the triangle shadow under the nose, while the shadow along cheekbone and jawline is a rhombus. To get the angles right: compare to a clock face or measure by the actual degree of the angle. Not a math fan? Use the alphabet instead:  pull out “S” shaped highlights in hair, recreate the “M” shape for lips.

Always start by measuring! Three methods are (1) relational measuring (using x & y axis), (2) comparative measuring (compare one part to another), and (3) proportional measuring (compare height to width).  Begin by marking where top and bottom line of head will be.  These give you reference marks with which to line up features. You may use a grid or cross to help map out the portrait. Using pencil and thumb as a measuring guide, extend your arm in front of you to “measure” the subject and to double check your progress on canvas.  Use other objects to measure the subject.  For example, the eye is width of eraser, or the nose is the length of thumbnail.  Mark the rough position of the top of head, bottom of chin, brow, eye, nose, and mouth.  . Placement of ears is crucial because that shows the viewer the position of head.  The top of the ear usually lines up with the top of the eyelid.  The bottom of the ear lines up with the bottom of mouth.  Faces break down into equal parts and measurements.  Helpful Hint: Lips are shaped like the letter “M”.  Mouth opening is horizontal with some curve. Also there is a shadow under the nose and bottoms of both upper and lower lip. Highlight the top of lower lip to help it “jut out”, giving it fullness and dimension. Area at the bottom and corners of the mouth has same value as skin underneath.

Symmetry is an essential factor for the beauty and accuracy of the portrait. The bottom of nose, middle line of lips, and the bottom of the chin are equal thirds.  The bottom of nose is about half way from eyebrow to chin. There is a similar amount of space from brow to hairline. As a general rule: Putting your thumb to your chin, the span of hand will reach hairline. A common mistake is to start the nose equal to iris or pupil.  It should actually be slightly higher. Eyes are generally in center of head.  Young and elderly subjects may be exceptions.  For very young children, the eyes are the largest and most noted feature. The average adult human eyeball has a 1 inch diameter, with a child’s being about 2/3 that size.  Measurement hint: the width of face is 5 “eyes” wide, with one “eye” between the eyes.  A common mistake is making too eyes too big. Eyebrows are uniquely shaped and help add definition to face/portrait.

A typical error is to use a circle for the head.  The human skull is rounded, but not perfectly round. Other common errors include using a hard outline around mouth, lips, and jaw.  Similarly the hair: no hard outline or it will look fake - like a bad wig.  These lines should be soft, especially around the temple.  Break curves down into points and connect the dots to create the proper slope for head, hairline, and jaw. Drop a plumb line to see how features line up and where.  Find the angles by simulating a clock face, e.g., 1 vs. 2 o’clock

Lighting can help define features or create effects.  You want strong lights and darks because shadow adds depth and fullness. The core of the shadow, the line where light meets dark, is incredibly important to still life and portrait art. First put in the darks, then add the highlights. Don’t  overuse white. And don’t use white for highlights in the hair. Instead use values of dark. You can use a kneaded eraser to lighten or pull out tones to create natural looking highlights. Typical highlights are bridge of nose, top of bottom lip and round of chin, and over eyebrow. There is order to how the light falls: where it hits first is lightest, everything will be a darker value. Determine which highlights are more important…too much and the face looks shiny.  And don’t use white for eyes or teeth. The “whites of the eyes” are not truly white.  Making eyes or teeth white is unnatural and will look it. Often the tint of the paper is sufficient for the middle tone.  Use the charcoal to shade or add curves, shadows, and depth. Use white for highlights – sparingly.  Keep charcoal and white chalk separate…don’t blend or mix the two because it will create a gray/muddy mess.   

Painting from a live model rather than by a photo yields a better result.  It helps capture the character or “essence” of your model.  An exception to this rule: when models, such as children or animals, tend to move.  It is also important to set up your own light source, because with natural light, the intensity and direction of the light changes and with it, the shadows. 

Composition is the key to a strong painting. Use of strong lights and darks in background, clothes, and subject will create a more dramatic and lifelike result.  For the demonstration, part of the dark shirt on the right side of the portrait was used to balance the dark length of her hair on the other. Keep in mind, too much detail can detract from the portrait, especially with patterns in backgrounds or clothes.  Knowing when the piece is done depends on the type of portrait…but don’t burn out or overwork it. Keep it simple.  Rather than draw each individual eyelash…sometimes a fuzzy line is better (for time management as well as artistic effect).

Jo Ellen Reinhardt is available for commissions and specializes in Adults, Children, Pets, Memorial, and Corporate Portraits.  Visit her website: www. JoEllenReinhardt.com or email her at joellenreinhardt@gmail.com for more information on Jo Ellen, her art, and workshops she offers.
-Meridith Whalen

November Demonstrator Lavonne Suwalski

Author: Meridith Whalen
I will admit…watercolors are not my forte…not even close.  That is why I was looking forward to our November Association meeting, featuring a watercolor demonstration by Copley Artist Lavonne Suwalski.  I was hoping to learn some tips and techniques, anything, to help improve my pitiful watercolor attempts.

Although I am a watercolor novice, I was relieved to note that mine was not the only jaw that dropped during the demonstration.  I knew to start out by wetting the watercolor paper, but Lavonne shocked us by completely soaking the page! She says she generally wets the page three times before she starts a watercolor painting.  I’m sensing a trend in these demos… the wetter the better! Recommended tip if you follow Lavonne’s very wet technique: place a towel under easel to catch the excess that drips from the paper, or use a plastic/rubber chair mat to protect a carpeted floor.

Lavonne’s favorite starting trick is to use blue painter’s tape to mask off a neat border for her painting, laying tape to completely cover the paper from the taped border out to the edge of the paper. This will protect the edges from errant strokes or drips and create a nice clean border for the piece, which then aids in framing.

Ms. Suwalski continued to stun the audience when she estimated that she paints approximately 500 pieces a year! The number seemed unrealistic until she explained that she frequently works on several paintings at once. Given her penchant for using an extremely wet page, she will stop several times while working on a piece.  Allowing time for the piece to dry helps to “control the chaos” and keep the paint from running too much or colors becoming muddy. She moves to a second, sometimes a third piece, then back to the first (and now) dry piece.

Watercolor artists can have a rather varied toolkit.  In addition to brushes, plastic cards or palette knives can be used to scrape and move the paint to create branches, fallen trees, rocks, or grasses. Sponges or tissue can be used to strategically lift color from the paper.  Be sure to turn the tissue to expose a clean section each time you touch it to paper, or you will smear the paint on the paper rather than lift it off.

The brushes themselves do not need to be limited to specific sizes, brands, or uses.  One of Lavonne’s favorites is the “Beste” One Stroke by Creative Mark available at Jerry’s Art-A-Rama.  A simple brush technique she applied to a beautiful wooded winter scene had numerous association members asking questions and taking pictures. Lavonne would tap her brush to speckle the paper with paint or water to create interesting (and totally envied!) effects for flowers, berries, rain, and snow.

Another technique Lavonne incorporates is to paint with water, drop the color in and rock the paper back and forth. This creates interesting results for backgrounds, especially for water, sky, and mountains.  “Dauby, dauby, dauby…” Lavonne wasn’t sure of the spelling of the fun (and catchy) little phrase, but used it throughout her demonstration.  “Dauby, dauby, dauby…” with the tissue here and we have nice puffy clouds. “Dauby, dauby, dauby…” with some dark paint on the brush and a line of trees appears.

Suwalski briefly discussed and described a transfer painting technique. In some of her classes, Lavonne employed a great technique to make creating the watercolors fun, quick, and easy!  To start, place the inspiration photo under/behind a piece of clear acrylic. Using watercolors, paint directly onto the acrylic to reproduce the image from your inspiration photo.  Once your image is ready for transfer, wet your watercolor paper, lay it over the painted acrylic, and press down firmly. Gently rub with your hand or roll a burnishing tool over it to be sure of the best transfer of color.  Gently peel paper from acrylic then let dry.  Both beginners and more experienced artists can apply and enjoy this simple technique!

Feeling intimidated? Lavonne suggests we “don’t look at it as painting a scene or object…see it as the movement of color across the page”.  She reminded us all that, in art and life, it’s usually best to just “keep it simple”.  Remove the pressure and the expectation, and just see what happens. For a really eye catching finishing technique use a polymer based gloss to add shine to (dry) watercolor paintings.

Thank you Lavonne, for a great demonstration - witty and inspiring! With your tips and techniques, I am actually looking forward to working with watercolors for the first time ever!

Visit her website for information about Lavonne herself, classes and workshops that she offers, and art for sale.  Links to view videos of Lavonne demonstrating her techniques are available on her website www.lavonnesuwalksi.com and also on the Holliston Cable Access Television website www.hcattv.org .

Contact Information for Lavonne Suwalski :

50 Walnut Road, Holliston, MA 01746 (Phone: 774-217-8718)

Email: suwalski@verizon.net   Website: www.lavonnesuwalksi.com

Franklin Art Show & Sale Nov. 24 & 25

The Franklin Art Association is holding it annual Art Show & Sale the weekend after Thanksgiving at Dean College's Student Center, Main Street, Franklin. Free Admission, Saturday Nov. 24, 11am-9pm, and Sunday, Nov. 25, 12pm-6pm. This is the perfect time to buy that special holiday gift.

Norwood Holiday Art Sale Nov. 10

The Norwood Art Assn will hold its Holiday Art Sale Saturday, Nov. 10, 10am - 2pm at the Civic Center, 165 Nahatan Street, Norwood. A wide selection of original art work, prints, photographs, and cards will be available for purchase as holiday gifts.

Saturday Reception at Walpole Library

Three members of the Foxboro Art Association are showing their work at the new Walpole Library, one block from the center of town, at the intersection of Stone and School Streets . The artists are pictured here, right to left, Kathy Hutchinson, Diane Scotti and Frank Quinn. More than 60 of their pieces are on display. The artists will host a reception this Saturday, Oct. 27, 12 - 2 pm. The public is invited to come and meet the artists. Light refreshments will be served.
By the way, the newly constructed Walpole Library, pictured to the left, offers a lovely exhibit space for local artists and/or members of the Foxboro Art Association, individuals or groups. Anyone interested in exhibiting there should contact Diane Scotti at lowercased@hotmail.com.