May 10
BWS to elect officers,
draw still life in charcoal
Members will vote on the 2021-22 slate of officers forwarded by the Nominating Committee, chaired by Andy Roberts. The proposed slate includes Joanna Samorow-Merzer as president, Andy Roberts as first vice president, Patty Uffman as second vice president, Charlotte Griffin as secretary and Carol Rhodes as treasurer. Following the business meeting, Claude Cookman will present a hands-on experience in drawing a still life with charcoal. He sends the following comments.
We will start with a gesture drawing like this:
And refine it toward a finished level like this:
The objective is to combine the spontaneity with control — to achieve the best of both our left- and right-brain activity in our drawing.
Attached are two PDF files. The first details the content of the session, including thoughts about drawing and information about shadow theory, and the picture plane, and directions on how to use a must-have tool to calculate proportion, angle, and alignment. The second file contains suggestions on what you can do to prepare, including a materials list. Please be sure to have a barbecue skewer at our session.
In addition, please prepare your drawing pad like this: 1) Leave the first page blank; we will use it for warm-up exercises. 2) Tone your second page to a light–middle gray: Cover it with vine charcoal or powdered charcoal, then rub it with a tissue or cotton ball to smooth out the tones. You may make it absolutely even or leave some variation.
Why? We want a minimum of lines in our drawing. This toned background will give us a head start in creating edges with values instead of lines.
To inspire you, I recommend this review of a drawing exhibition by NPR’s Susan Stamberg: https://www.npr.org/2021/04/22/988011611/drawing-inspiration-from-artists-who-make-their-mark-on-paper-not-canvas.
And/or view the exhibition online at https://www.forumgallery.com/exhibitions/drawing-inspiration/installation-views?view=slider.
Bio: Claude has been trying to learn to draw since 1994. At the invitation of Nancy Davis Metz, he became a member of BWS in 2014. He is active in Upland Plein Air, and he directs the Bloomington Portrait Group.
You may read his academic bio at https://mediaschool.indiana.edu/people/profile.html?p=ccookman.
And an artist’s profile at https://mediaschool.indiana.edu/news-events/news/item.html?n=portrait-of-a-teacher-as-an-artist.
So you want to enter an art show?
By Kathy Truelove Barton
This article provides an overview of formal art shows. In addition to these, many county festivals each summer as well as the county fairs and the Indiana State Fair sponsor art shows open to artists to participate on a more informal basis.
To find shows, Google the phrase “Call for Artists (year)”; use the word “and” in the search to create a more specific search for your geographic area of interest. This would yield a search like “Call for Artists 2021” and Bloomington and Indiana. Other possibilities are “Call for Artists 2021” and Greenfield and Indiana; or “Call For Artists 2021” and Nashville and Indiana; or “Call For Artists 2021” and Brown County and Indiana. If no shows are scheduled for this year, you may not get any results for this year, or you may get a result for venues that usually have a show, but may not be sponsoring a show this year due to COVID-19 guidelines. Indiana is allowing small masked groups to gather if they are socially distanced and follow other CDC protocols. You can use other search engines as well as Google.
There is a list of juried shows on the sidebar of the BWS web page (https://bloomingtonwatercolor.org/home/activities/juried-shows-2019/).
If you have not exhibited, the BWS (Bloomington Watercolor Society) Member Show is a good place to start. This annual show is usually in the spring or fall. The 2021 BWS Member Show will be in October. You must be an active member to enter, so remember to pay your dues. There will be an entry fee this year since Viridian Moon Gallery will be handling sales. The artist will receive 80 percent of the sales price (minus tax) and 20 percent will go to the Gallery.
The show prospectus will be out in May or June of 2021. It will be posted at www.bloomingtonwatercolor.org and will include important information such as media, themes, dates, and deadlines.
Almost every show publishes a prospectus similar to what BWS uses. Always look for one and follow the rules set out by the show organizers. If you are a watercolor artist, make sure that the show you are applying to accepts watercolor media. Check the application for an entry fee. Some shows allow you to apply online and use a credit card to pay the fee. If so, print your application and receipt out for your show file. Before applying, check the list of dates relevant to the show. Will you be able to meet all the deadlines and deliver and pick up your work? I recommend completing your art work before applying. Allow two weeks before the deadline for framing your art work. Good luck!
Pandemic expands learning opportunities
through online experiences, classes
by Cassidy Young
Despite all the craziness, frustration, and adjustments brought on by Covid, a few good things have happened. By far my absolute favorite is the increased number of online/virtual workshops and art-making opportunities. Since my work schedule sometimes prohibits me from engaging in activities with the club or from taking classes locally, I’m finding that I can still get my art-making fix by joining other groups – even ones in the UK. Here are a few of my favorites:
Illustration Isolation
https://visualartspassage.com/illustration-isolation Thursdays, 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
As part of the Visual Arts Passage online schooling and online art services Studio Bridge, this illustration group has a free weekly draw-together activity. To participate you’ll want to follow the link, and click on the button “save your spot.” Watch out for the visual arts passage ad; just click to the side. Once you put in your name and email, you’ll receive a zoom link for the free Thursday meetings. Around 6 p.m. on Thursday, you’ll receive an email with the Zoom link and a link to the pictures that will be drawn that night; pictures don’t get loaded until 6:30 p.m. At the 7 p.m. meeting, several leading industry and working illustrators get together to draw the same pictures. They are friends and just chat about what they’re doing, the industry, and art. All participants who have registered can ask questions in the chat but are otherwise not on display and cannot speak. They do four pictures, each taking about 20 minutes. To really get the full experience, pull up or print out the pictures and draw with them. When you’re done, post each image onto Instagram with the tags #illustrationisolation and @visualartspassage as well as any other tags they suggest to support the photographer. At the end of the night, the hosts pull up all of the images from Instagram and display them. They always give positive feedback, and it’s so inspiring to see how so many people do the same pictures differently. Most of the pictures are portraits and figures but occasionally they do pets. If you choose to join Studio Bridge (with this group), there are more drawing opportunities like this during the day on Thursday, and they have demos from professional illustrators on Mondays, which are recorded and available to watch whenever you want. Studio Bridge is about $35 per month and you can try it out free for two weeks. But Illustration Isolation is free, and you don’t need to pay for anything to do it.
Need some figure drawing?
Mathew New and Shannon Hagen host a super inexpensive ($3) live figure drawing class a couple times a week. Although Mathew is the regular model, they do get guest models occasionally. You can check out information about upcoming events on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/figuredrawingclub/ or online at https://figuredrawing.carrd.co/. All you have to do to sign up is go to the Ko-fi website http://ko-fi.com/mathewnew and pay the $3. You will receive a link to the Zoom meeting about 10 minutes before it starts, so don’t forget when it is. If you are looking for a different figure model, check out https://www.instagram.com/whatifwefly_model/. The model is fantastic, but she’s in the UK so watch out for the times of the meetings. You might end up choosing a drawing session really late at night or super early in the morning.
Have you ever heard of Nature Journaling?
It’s awesome and https://johnmuirlaws.com/ has so many resources and tutorials and is constantly doing online workshops, many of which are low cost, for donation, or free. From the website check out the Events tab. There is a weeklong conference coming up in June that I can hardly wait for, but there are also weekly “Pencil Miles & Chill” low-key chat and draw activities. These events have no intended goal; just a bunch of people get together to work on their sketchbooks and journals.
Free museum events
So many museums have free online talks, workshops, and hangouts now, and I hope they last. IU Eskenazi Museum has a few every month; check out https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/news-events/calendar/index.html. The Mazza Museum in Cincinnati has monthly interviews with children’s book illustrators at https://www.mazzamuseum.org/events/. Mass Arts has several events, including a Noodle & Doodle event where live music is played over Zoom while people draw/paint and share their work. It’s all very family friendly. The link is https://calendar.massart.edu/.
Need a good art exercise/workout?
Ever wanted to do a Barque drawing (academic drawing from plaster casts) but not sure how to get started? Join John Skelcher for his weekly Classical Figure Drawing Course. It happens on Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m. London time (2:30 p.m. our time EST). You can get information directly from John at skelcherj@yahoo.co.uk. But you can also find more information about this from the Eventbright website: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/classical-figure-drawing-course-weekly-tickets-152746556061?aff=ebdssbonlinesearch&keep_tld=1.
There are literally hundreds more opportunities out there and Eventbright is a good place to start looking. Use the search bar in the upper left (near the logo) and put something in: Drawing, Painting, Figure, Game –whatever. You’re bound to find something exciting.
Honestly, I’m sharing all of this for very personal motives. I want to see these sites keep going, even when we can work and meet in person, and I think they will if people keep signing up.
May Paint-out
Yellowwood Lake Shelter
S. Yellowwood Lake Rd.
Yellowwood State Forest
May 22, 10 a.m.
Start time subject to change based on weather
Member News
Penny Lulich has two paintings juried in to the St. Louis Watercolor Society 2021 show: “Testing the Waters” and “Yo-Yo Ma.” “Testing the Waters” was awarded an honorable mention. The juror was Sandra L. Strohschein, and the online show began May 1.
Andy Roberts sent images of two painting he completed while in Florida for the winter. They depict his interest in seascapes of the local beaches he and his wife frequent. Andy has sold both of these paintings to an area collector and is now back in Indiana ready to paint and join plein air excursions.
Several BWS members are exhibiting in Upland’s 2021 Member Exhibition at Viridian Moon Art Gallery, 1600 W. Bloomfield Rd. in Bloomington. The show hangs from April 30 to May 22. Meri Reinhold and Jacki Frey sent images of their works that are included in the exhibit. Jacki is also currently showing her work at The Juniper Art Gallery and Gift Shop, located on the courthouse square in Spencer. The gallery is open Noon to 5 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and Noon to 4 p.m. Sundays.
“Twins” is an 11-inch x 15-inch watercolor painted by Tim Lewis with QoR paints on Arches 300# cold-pressed. Twin Aspen trees in a typical Colorado Aspen grove. Tim was inspired by a photo he shot in a typical Colorado Aspen grove in the San Juan National Forest on vacation a few years ago. This is the second painting he has done of the San Juan National Forest in southern Colorado
Beyond BWS
Hoosier Art Salon 2021 Juried Show: Call for Entries
The dates for the 97th Annual Exhibition are Aug. 21 to Oct. 24 at the Indiana State Museum in Indianapolis. Online entries will be accepted from May 3 to June 30. For further details go to 97th Annual Exhibition at https://www.hoosiersalon.org.
Missouri Watercolor Society 2021 Juried Show: Call for Entries
The 2021 International MOWS Judged Exhibition will be shown from Aug. 27 to Oct. 2 at the MOWS Gallery in St. Louis, Mo. Online entries will be accepted from April 23 to May 29. For further details see: https://www.mowsart.com.
Illiana Gallery: Call for Landscapes
ArtIlliana Gallery in Terre Haute has a call for landscape paintings. The deadline is June 4. For more information, email artillianagallery@gmail.com.
Watercolor Society of Indiana 2021 Juried Show: Call for Entries
The 2021 Watercolor Society of Indiana will be shown at the Indiana Museum of Art from Aug. 6 to Sept. 25. Online entries are currently being accepted through May 3. For further information see: www.watercolorsocietyofindiana.org
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Calendar
Now – May 22 Upland’s Member Exhibition at Viridian Moon Art Gallery
May 10 BWS monthly meeting on Zoom, 6 p.m. Link to be sent via email to members
May 22 Paint-out at Yellowwood Lake Shelter on S. Yellowwood Lake Rd in Yellowwood State Forest. The start time is tentatively set for 10 a.m. but is subject to change based on weather conditions.
The Last Word
Following the April meeting program on “Exhibiting Your Work,” Stephen Edwards had one last bit wisdom to share that seems particularly pertinent to those of us collecting stacks of our own paintings. He said this comes from the late Crawford Donnelly: “Don’t let your paintings become children. For you to grow as an artist, they need to have homes of their own.”
