Please bring up to three artworks to the Ball Performing Arts Center at MCC between 2:30 and 3:30 on November 10. Your entries must be hangable with a suitable wire, and must be at least 16" x 20" including the frame. There is no restriction on subject matter except good taste. The exhibit will remain until Christmas break in early December.

Come to the reception 6-9 pm Friday evening to see the works of a wide array of artists, including several Art Guild members. The Art Center is just across the street from the Ball PAC. Many of the artists will be in attendance, and refreshments will be served.

Where have all the artists gone? Thanks to four stalwarts and two new members, we had enough for a decent show, but the 14 paintings received are stretched pretty thin. The space can accommodate about twice that many. We need better participation if we are going to continue having exhibits. Below are photos of the exhibit, from left to right. They show up much better at night, so come to some of the performances and view the exhibit while there. The musical performances are free, and the play is inexpensive. All are at 7:30 in the Ball Performing Arts Center.

 

Tue Nov  15  Contemporary Christian Ensemble Concert

Thu Nov 17 "Equivocation" $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and students

Mon Nov 21 Wind Ensemble & Corale Concert

Mon Nov 28 Guitar Ensemble Concert

Tue Nov 29 Vocal Ensemble Concert

Mon Dec 5 Waco Jazz Orchestra Concert

Tue Dec 6 Waco Community Band Holiday Celebration Concert

 

                        David Leifeste

 

                                                                               Bill Franklin

 

                                                                                                                           Nancy Cagle

 

                                                                                          Carol McClinton

 

                                                                                                                    Judy Franklin

 

                                                                                      Frank Gutierrez

We have long admired the paintings that Christine Niekamp brings to meetings and exhibits. At last we will have a chance to see how she does it. Christine, a native Wacoan,  earned a B.A. degree in Art/Education from Baylor University.  During, and following a long career in advertising, she always painted realistic scenes in oil.  She continues to paint scenery, animals, still life, and of course, her favorite:  Portraits. A couple of examples appear here as thumbnails. You can enlarge them to see the textures better by clicking on them.

 

We will meet at our usual time and place, Waco Charter School, 615 N 25th Street, 1:30 for refreshments and conversation, 2:00 for the meeting, which will include officer elections, and the demo. First time visitors are free, so bring friends to enjoy the demo. Also, bring art for Show and Tell.

 

It's time to pay your 2012 dues. If paid before January 1, basic membership is only $15, and gallery level is only $25. After January 1, these increase to $24 and $36. Add $5 if you don't have email. Pay at the meeting or send a check made out to AGCT to Gloria Meadows, P.O. Box 23994, Waco, TX  76702.

 

Christine, a native Wacoan,  earned a B.A. degree in Art/Education from Baylor University.  During, and following a long career in advertising, she always painted realistic scenes in oil.  She continues to paint scenery, animals, still life, and portraits, which are her favorites. This month we were fortunate to have the chance to see her create the textures we have long admired in her paintings. You can enlarge them to see the textures better by clicking on them.

 

Christine began by showing several of the paintings she had done and explained the artistic changes she had made as she transferred the image referenced in the photo to her canvas. She explained how she painted fur on animals - with an underpainting to give the illusion of softness and fullness, then with individual strokes with a very fine brush to show detail. She had painted a portrait of her granddaughter holding a Russian doll, and Christine explained her decisions to paint contrasts and details.

She shared several "tricks of the trade" which helped to give her the effect she wanted. She used colored pencil over dried oil paint for very small details. She wore a latex glove with the fingers cut out to use as a mini-palette. For the tiny decorations on the doll and for fur details, she uses a # 0 to #3 brush and picks up a small amount of paint on her glove. She uses foil on a plate for her palette, which she can put in the freezer to preserve the paint when she's not using it. Her palette consisted of the following Winston oils: yellow ochre, burnt sienna, VanDyke brown, alizerin crimson, sap green, cobalt blue, and cerulean blue.

The painting for her demonstration was of a cat sitting on a table next to a rose in a vase. The cat's body was facing away from the viewer and its head was turned to look at the viewer. Christine had done an underpainting of the black and white cat, its green eyes, the table and vase, and background colors of dark burnt umber, yellow ochre, and black. (See right photo in the paragraph above and the head at right.) She started putting finishing touches on the fur of the cat's ears and head with her tiny brush (at left).

 

She emphasized that fur looks more realistic if the brush strokes are made in the direction of the growth of the fur. She worked very slowly at first, and as she worked on the fur strokes of the cat's body and tail she painted more quickly (right and left). She worked on the flowers last, leaving the finishing touches on the background for another time. The photo in the paragraph below shows the painting at the end of the demo. Christine promised to bring the completed painting to a future meeting.

 

We thank Christine for a very helpful demo that may give more of us the courage to try animals. We also thank those who brought refreshments and those who brought their work for show and tell, which are shown below.

 

Show and Tell:

 

                   

Nancy Cagle          Bill Franklin            Judy Franklin  Kathy Haberman Charleen Isbell

We will have the same booth at the Apple Tree Bazaar again this year, very near the front door, a bit to the left, right behind Pat Blackwell's booth. We set up Friday morning 9-12:30, and the exhibit opens at 1 pm. It continues until 5:30 pm on Friday and is open again Saturday 9-4. Those who volunteer to man the booth or set it up and take it down are allowed to display and sell their art. However, the main focus of the booth is to make the Art Guild better known and to sign up new members. If you would like to be part of this, contact Bill Franklin at physicsnerd@yahoo.com or 741-0960.

The Hunting Prize offers only one prize: $50,000. There is no telling what the judge will pick, so anyone might get lucky. In 2010 the pick was one I didn't think was of any consequence at all. So why not try? It's very easy to enter. You submit ONE photo by November 30 on their website www.huntingartprize.com. Those selected for entry will be notified in March, and must deliver the piece to Houston around April 1. The winner will be announced at the Gala on April 28.

 

Just getting accepted is a prize, since the Gala is truly that. There is lavish food, abundant flowers, and many artists and art patrons to converse with. Collectors and dealers attend, so your art could sell. If so, there is no commission. Only flat art and no collages are accepted, with no dimension greater than 72."