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.

October 10 Demonstrator - Kim Weineck

Our originally scheduled demonstrator for October 10 meeting was Deb Friedman, color pencil artist.  Since the association did not have access to power point equipment, we were unable to accommodate Ms. Friedman’s power point based presentation.

Fortunately, our own Kim Morin Weineck was able step up at the last minute to provide an entertaining and educational presentation.  While possessing a talent for watercolors, when asked if she had a preferred medium Kim claimed oil paints and pastels.  Her humble admission of moving between the two mediums when she feels “stuck” got quite a few knowing chuckles. For our October meeting, Kim introduced us to the hybrid: using pastels on an oil underpainting.

Before she began, Kim recommended that the paper be pre-mounted on acid free foam core.  This step helps by not only providing a more stable “canvas” for the artist but also makes it an easier piece for the framer to manage.  Mrs. Weineck then demonstrated creating the oil underpainting from scratch.  As she painted, one association member asked if she always used a reference photo, or worked right out of her head.  Kim immediately waved her hands and replied, “Oh! I never do it out of my head!  I have such bad imagination!”  While this statement got quite a few laughs, it was surprising since her finished pieces show such beauty, talent and creativity.  The reference photo itself became another part of the night’s lesson. Kim, an artist as well as instructor, admitted it likely in the past that she’d recommend always using a high quality reference photo.  However, we all know rules were meant to be broken! For this demonstration Kim used a “lousy” reference photo with typical “errors” like poor lighting, low resolution, and cheap paper. She said she found that this actually helped her more, since it forced her “to be more creative, to take more risks”.

Mrs. Weineck provided numerous tips including diluting the oil paint with thinner.  This helps it to dry faster and can also create interesting effects as the paint runs and blends. However, we were reminded that the more thinner we use, the runnier –and therefore messier – the paint can become.  This technique could create wonderful results…or it can go horribly wrong!

 Kim finished her oil underpainting in time for intermission, allowing members to come up close to view and discuss.  After the break, Kim continued with pastel sticks on a “pre-baked” oil underpainting she had prepared ahead of time in order to have a dry base for the pastels.  Kim provided numerous helpful tips as she worked the various colors onto the painting in small, slashing, or broad strokes:

*Wearing disposable rubber gloves while working with pastels will keep hands clean.

*Using an alcohol based fixative helps keep the pastels from “dusting” or flaking

*While any alcohol will work, including vodka and gin, don’t waste “the good stuff” on fixative.

*Always test said fixative on scrap paper, not the work in progress, to see how it affects the color and consistency of the pastels.

A sincere thanks to Kim Weineck for her amusing, clever, and informative demonstration.  Her last minute save turned into quite a delight for us.  It is easy to see why her classes and art have such a loyal following! 

Kim Morin Weineck, artist and instructor, is the founder of Neponset Valley Artists.  Mrs. Weineck is a member of the Foxboro Art Association, the Arts Foundation of Cape Cod, and the Marion Art Center.  She is also a Juried Member of the Pastel Society of America. You can visit her website: http://kimmorinweineck.blogspot.com to find more information about Kim, including classes she offers and artwork for sale.

(Thanks to Meredith Whalen for this article.)

Ribbon Winners

Pictured above with Donna Maclure's watercolor painting "Tangled" is Judge Carole Berren and Show Coordinator Vera Cross. Ms. Berren awarded Donna's painting the "Best in Show" ribbon. Ms. Berren found it very difficult choosing among 111 beautiful pieces of art. Neverteheless, her are her final choices in each of the 4 media categories:

Watercolor: 1^st Daydre Hamilton, “Hog Heaven “

                        2^nd Leslie Berman, “Rocky Bottom “

                        3^rd  Brenda Hutchinson, “Strawberries in Crystal “

HM  Jerry Aissis, “Runners”

                        HM Karen Gordon, “Pears Reflecting “

                        HM Antonia Marshall, “Forgotten Dinghy” 

Oil/Acrylic:   1^st Vania Noverca-Viveiros, “Giving Thanks”

                        2^nd Laura Zanghetti, “Shoe Shopping”

                        3^rd Tony Donovan “Spanish Mission“

                        HM Lisa Bloom, “Radiant Peach”

                        HM Marilyn Healey, “Rainbow Bottles”

                        HM Ann Gorbett, “Summer Tans, 1950” 

Pastel:            1^st Kathy Hutchinson, “End of the Day “

                        2^nd Kim Weineck, “Summer Sky “

                        3^rd  Betty Brenton, “Swan River Sunset “

                        HM Diane Scotti, “Freeman’s Alley” 

Mixed Media: 1^st Christine Ravesi-Weinstein, “Ribbon”

                           2^nd Jack Gannon “Charleston Charm”

                           3^rd Nancy Antico “Wake Up Newport”

                          HM Rebecca Skinner “The Golden Hour “ 

BEST IN SHOW:  Donna MacLure, “Tangled”  (w.c.)

Last weekend, 194 ballots were cast by members of the public for their favorite pieces. As it turned out, the choice was clear and there were no hanging chads. The PEOPLE’S CHOICE was awarded to Laura Zanghetti's “Shoe Shopping”, shown above.

Thanks to all 56 members of the Foxboro Art Association who participated in this wonderful show, and to those members who worked at the gallery during the 2 weekends of the show. And special thanks to Vera Cross, Paula DePierro, Meredith Whalen and Frank Quinn who helped put the show together.

Reception Saturday 2-5 pm

A reception will be held for the 2012 Fall Members Show at the Artist's Studio and Gallery at Patriot Place, this Saturday, Oct. 13, 2-5 pm. Light refreshments will be served and the public is invited. 111 works of art by 56 local artists will be on display until 6 pm Sunday, Oct. 14. Ribbons were awarded by our judge, Carole Berren, AWS. In addition, the public's many ballots will be counted Saturday and the announcement of the "People's Choice" award will be made during the reception.

Paintout Successful

Thanks to the many members who showed up Saturday, the Paintout drew a steady crowd into the Gallery who frequently voted for the "People's Choice" award. The weather was mostly sunny, although a bit windy, and the public seemed most appreciative of the artists' efforts. The People's Choice will be announced during the reception at the Gallery next Saturday (Oct. 13) 2-5 pm, along with the other ribbons awarded by judge Carol Berren.

Paintout Saturday Oct 6 1-5 PM

Members' Art Show

Friday evening, Oct. 6, kicked off the 2-weekends of the Members' Fall Art Show at the Artist's Studio & Gallery at Patriot Place. Some of the artists are pictured above sitting at the gallery Friday evening. This year the public is invited to vote on their favorite piece of art for a ribbon to be awarded as the "People's Choice", in addition to the ribbons to be awarded by judge Carol Berren later in the week. And with 110 pieces of art on display, it won't be easy. The ribbon winners will be revealed at the reception to be held next Saturday, Oct. 13, 2-5 pm. Light refreshements will be served and the public is invited.

Foxboro Art Association TV interview!

Check out this great video interview with our very own Frank Quinn and Jack Gannon talking all about The Foxboro Art Association and The Artist's Studio and Gallery at Patriot Place.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xm9UwYgiC3w

Jack and Frank on the set.

Fall Members' Show Now

The Fall Members' Show is on display at the Artist's Studio & Gallery at Patriot Place for the first 2 weekends in October. Over 110 pieces in all media are being exhibited and the public is invited to vote for its favorite work of art, be it a painting, a photograph, or mixed media. A reception will be held on the second Saturday, Oct. 13, from 2-5 pm. Ribbons will be awarded and the public is invited.

Paintout Postponed One Week

Due to the rainy weather forecast, the paintout scheduled for this Saturday, Sep. 29, has been postponed to the following Saturday, Oct. 6. Hope you can make it!

Time to plan your submissions for the Fall Members Show

Once again this year's Fall Members' Show will be displayed at the Artist's Studio & Gallery at Patriot Place and will be on display the first two weekends in October -- Oct. 5-7 and Oct. 12-14. Each member can submit two works for a fee of $5 for each entry. And if you haven’t paid your dues yet, now is the time to do so. The artist's reception is planned for the second Saturday, Oct. 13, from 2-5. A judge will award ribbons in each media sometime before the second weekend and, for the first time, the public will also be asked to vote for "The People's Choice Award". All the ribbon winners will be recognized during the reception on Oct. 13.  The drop off of entries will be at the gallery on Thursday, Oct. 4, 3-7 pm. And the pick-up will be Sunday Oct 14 at 6-7pm or Monday, Oct. 15 3-5 pm. And as we did last year, the members will be asked to help cover the gallery and greet the public for 4-hour shifts both weekends. The more the merrier!  And just so you know, the first Sunday of the exhibit (Oct. 7) will coincide with a 4:15 Patriots football game against the Denver Broncos. But no Patriot games are scheduled for Gillette Stadium the second weekend.  As usual, the forms are included with this newsletter and will also be available at the September 12 meeting. Feel free to e-mail Frank Quinn with any questions at fxquinn@yahoo.com.