McGuffey Art Center Visit

On April 15, 2013, CVABA members visited Lee Halstead at McGuffey Art Center in Charlottesville, Virginia. Lee welcomed us into the classroom where we set up to draw or paint. We toured the galleries on each floor and were able to step inside several of the studios including Lee's studio where you see Judy Gilman-Hines and Hazel Buys admiring one of Lee's sunflower paintings.

CVABA members Holly Maillet from Charlottesville and Cindy Wood from Lynchburg were able to join us for the first time. Attendance was good, with twelve us present. We agreed that it was a day well spent and we look forward to another visit to McGuffey Art Center in the future.

 

 

Please visit the McGuffey website to learn more about the artists, the facility, exhibits, and the history of McGuffey School built in 1916.

http://mcguffeyartcenter.com/

Take a look at Lee Halstead's website to see some of her paintings, drawings, journals and classes that she offers at McGuffey Art Center.

http://www.leehalstead.com/

Spotlight on: Judy Gilman-Hines

"Amaryllis" above and "Crabapple" below by Judy Gilman-Hines

Spotlight on Judy Gilman-Hines

By Judith Towers

One of the admirable things about botanical artist Judy Gilman-Hines is her organization.

• Paintings are always the same size and framed alike.
• Each one is intensely colorful.
• Her classroom set-up features a live plant, a lamp, top-notch paints, brushes, HP watercolor paper, and Judy, comfortably seated and excited about her drawing.
• She is always enthusiastic!

Judy has a website www.gilmanarts.com where you can see at least 48 of her paintings. She participates in many shows with a booth at Strange’s Orchid Show (see photo below), a gallery space at Crossroads Art Center, and has work in the permanent collections of Longwood University, Farmville; St. Catherine’s School, Richmond; and Queens University, Charlotte, NC.

Her first botanical class was at Wintergreen in 1992 with James Linton Sain.

Judy has studied with several internationally known teachers, including Katie Lee, Jenny Phillips, Margaret Saul, Coral Guest; frequently you can find Judy at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden in Juliet Kirby’s botanical illustration classes.

Judy credits her love of plants and painting to her mother, Louise Blanks Cochrane, who still paints at age 96. Mrs. Cochrane’s Victory Garden turned rose garden led Judy into gardening and painting as well. Judy, surrounded by beautiful plants all her life, now paints “to bring (the) garden into the house year round.”

No doubt Judy Gilman-Hines, like her mother, will be painting roses and rhododendrons, peonies and passionflowers, lilies, lady’s slippers, and more for many years to come...

Learning Grisaille

Learning Grisaille

by Judy Thomas

I have a new favorite technique, grisaille!  Celeste Johnston and I wrote about this technique last month. The the class is not quite over (we were interrupted by the March snow storm), but all of us have made progress in learning this method. To refresh, grisaille involves a monochromatic underpainting or drawing, and color is applied on top. This Old Masters' technique creates a great deal of depth.  Celeste first showed us samples of ways to do the grisaille layer:  graphite, watercolor, colored pencil, India ink wash, Sumi-e ink wash, and technical pen.  Here are some of the samples we were shown and some student practice:

 

 Another model of grisaille from Celeste..  

We spent the first class practicing all the different techniques, deciding which to apply to our plants and flowers.

Below are our works, still in progress (they are not finished!), that show the stages of grisaille:

 Rebecca Spangler "Hydrangea in Winter," graphite and watercolor, in process

 Kay  Lindberg "Early Daffodils" graphite and watercolor, in process

Judy Thomas, "Amaryllis 'Tres Chic,'" graphite and colored pencil, in process

This is a wonderful technique that I love!

"If you hear a voice within you say 'you cannot paint,' then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced." Vincent Van Gogh
  

Artist to Visit LGBG

Betty Gatewood's work is represented in the nature journaling show, currently at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden Library. She will visiting the LGBG Library on March 30 from 1:00 to 4:00!  From the garden's announcement of this visit:

"Midway through her college career, Betty Gatewood changed her interest from laboratory science to the "outdoor" sciences of ecology and natural history; she's been outdoors ever since, teaching, learning, observing, and painting.

Instead of presenting the perfect specimen, Betty paints it as it is - the dynamic life stages of the dandelion, delicate detail of the broomsedge that dominates our Valley fields, to the bug-eaten leaflets of the Virginia Creeper.  her perfection the perfection of the survivor.

Betty provided the cover art for Virginia's Mountain Treasures, published by the Wilderness Society, and for the Virginia Native Plant Society's Wildflower of the Year 2009 brochure.  She has co-conducted local art and journaling workshops for teachers.

Betty is the teacher-in-residence at Mary Baldwin College in Staunton, teaching teachers and students about watershed conservation and place-based education.  Getting students outside to observe, analyze and document the natural world through art and journaling is her passion.  Frequently on her outdoor ramblings, she is accompanied by her husband Mark, an avid outdoorsman, who often suggest particular subjects to document with her art. "

Please come by to meet her and see the exhibit before it is gone!

Exhibition Opportunity: Botanica

Exhibition Opportunity, BASNCR Membership, Brookside Classes

  By Jane Zander

From The Montgomery Parks, MD Website: 

"Botanica 2013: The Art & Science of Plants - June 29 - August 9.

This annual juried exhibition of botanical art by teachers, current and former students is displayed at Brookside Gardens’ Visitors Center. This year we are delighted to share this exhibition venue with artworks completed by members of the Botanical Art Society of the National Capital Region. Be sure to allow time when visiting Brookside to enjoy this beautiful art, inspired by a love and a fascination for plants, portrayed in the finest of detail."

From Jane Zander: Please submit works to Botanica.   We are encouraging  ALL BASNCR (Botanical Artists of the Northern Capital Region) members (information on joining BASNCR is below) to send 3- 5 pieces of work to Botanica, an exhibition of Botanical art in the Vistor Center of  Brookside Garden in Wheaton, Maryland. This exhibition is a collaboration with Brookside Garden’s School of Botanical Art and Illustration  http://www.montgomeryparks.org/brookside/botanical_art_school.sht   International artist, Margaret Saul will jury all art work.  Part of the exhibition will focus on students from her school, but there will be a section of the show that displays art work by BASNCR  members.  This is the first time that members, who do not have a previous affiliation with Brookside, have been invited to exhibit.  BASNCR Members living in Central Virginia will be able to car pool their work to the exhibition for set-up and take-down.

These link will take you to exhibit information: 
Botanica 2013 Exhibitor Information and Guidelines
And here is the entry form:

Botanica 2013 Entry Form    

Please read both documents carefully.  The exhibit is from June 29- August 9. Submissions deadline is May 13. Take down is 9:00 August 10. Brooksidelearning@montgomeryparks.org

Information for joining BASNCR is available on http://basncr.wordpress.com/ Dues are $37, and should be sent to Al Yergey, 10359 Launcelot Ln, Columbia, MD 21044. There is no fee for the exhibition.

We have also applied for a new exhibition and the focus will be on CONTEMPORARY BOTANICAL ART.  The focus is still on botanical accuracy, but it invites increased emphasis on, vitality, composition, and the use of a variety of media. More information about this exhibition will be forthcoming.  However, the fact that Hillary Parker, Scott Rawlings, and Mindy Lighthipe are coming to teach at Brookside was a factor in deciding on this theme.  Each of these artists is innovative in their approach to botanical art and should be able to give your art work an “edge” in this juried competition.  Please sign up for these classes quickly since the deadline is very close.  You can sign on online, or call 301-962-1451. These classes are open to everyone, but online registrants must apply for a Montgomery County Park pass to register.  Telephone registration is also possible, but the registrar is  only available part time.

    

Questions? Contact Jane Zander, President, BASNCR, 804- 320-2808, timber2012@yahoo.com

Interested in Sketching Raptors?

By Jane Zander

Is anyone interested in sketching Owls, hawks, or eagles? I am planning to invite an animal rehabilitator to my home (or neighborhood clubhouse) to sketch an owl close up.  She usually takes the animals to schools.  Her fee is $100 an hour, and the money goes to rehab other animals.  We would split the fee depending on how many people are interested. We could do it more than once because she has a variety of animals, but brings them one at a time.

E-mail me, if you are interested and I will get a date. Jane Zander, timber2012@yahoo.com

Notice: Next Meeting in a New Place!

We will be meeting in the classroom at McGuffey Art Center on April 15.  Members will receive more details in the CVABA Newsletter!

McGuffey Art Center was established in 1975. The City of Charlottesville and McGuffey Art Association shared the renovation of the former McGuffey School which was build in 1916. The building contains galleries, studio space for 45 artists and a gift shop. There is more information about MAC on the website: mcguffeyartcenter.com  

See you there!