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Welcome to Reports of
the Art
Guild's
Recent Events!
Check the
Upcoming Events
page for future events.
Earlier activities
may be found on our Archives
pages.
Links to other sites
may be found on the Related Links
page.
Clicking on any of
the thumbnails on this site enlarges imaGge
May 16 - Art Guild
Meeting
Starting off with visiting and
lots of food, there were
numerous discussions and
decisions:
We voted to:
get a card reader and hook it to
our bank account to receive
charged purchases, including our
Martha McKinney paintings, which
we hope to put in the Art Fest
Waco next fall, and Cancel the
zoom account.
We also discussed:
The Art on Elm Street exhibit
and sale May 28-29, which
includes paintings by Chesley
Smith, among others,
Several members who are also
PACT members are entered in the
Breckenridge Fine arts Center
show.
The Uptown Art show and sale has
been moved to May 29,
Jackie Holmes sold a painting at
Sparrow Gallery downtown,
Rocky Kelley's new painting "If
Only" is online as a video, and
A site explaining how to label
your art.
There were also some paintings
brought for Show and Tell by
Chesley Smith and Sonny Rogers,
shown below.
Thanks to all who attended,
especially those who brought
food or paintings for Show and
Tell.
Chesley Smith
Sonny Rogers
April 11 - Linda Filgo
-Portraiture
Linda
Filgo demonstrated how she paints a
portrait, and was able to nearly finish
it during the meeting. That efficiency
arose from natural talent and much
practice, including 25 years as a
commercial artist, followed by almost 20
years of creating oil paintings, many of
which have won prizes. She credited the
study of others' paintings, demos by
Richard Schmid, and a recent “painting a
day” challenge. The photo at the right
shows Linda ready to start. Some of her
sketches and paintings are shown below.

She
uses walnut oil, rather than petroleum
products, to thin paint, and also to
clean brushes (followed by soap and
water). She uses only a few basic colors
and some gray to adjust value. She
refers to a series of color patches to
match colors. See photo at the left.
Remember that all thumbnails can be
enlarged by clicking on them. Sandy
Scott searched for the sources of the
materials Linda used. Links to those
appear at the end of this report, all of
which is based on her detailed notes.
Sandy will post the video of the demo
along with much of this report on our
Facebook page.
The
source photo, which Linda viewed on her
laptop screen, is at the right. Stages
in the painting are below. She began the
demo by painting a dark background
around the child with a mix of Alizarin
Crimson, Ultramarine Blue, Terra Rosa
and a tiny bit of Burnt Umber. Painting
the background first helps her to loosen
and warm up, and the darks later help
her get the right flesh color. Then she
began painting the hair using Yellow
Ochre, Ultramarine Blue, and some of the
dark background color. Next she painted
the lightest part of the painting, the
almost white bonnet, while she continued
to work on the hair.

Then
she added the face color using Yellow
Ochre and a warm red, paying attention
to the lighting to add shadows. She uses
only bristle brushes, large ones to
achieve a looser impressionistic style,
but switching to smaller ones for
details such as the eyes and lips, for
which she used shades of Ultramarine
Blue. She paints in layers, making final
adjustments using glazes
of a non-toxic
gel mixed with transparent oils. The
painting at the end of the demo is shown
at the right.

Many
thanks to Linda for an enjoyable and
instructive demo. She sent a photo of
the finished painting, which is shown at
the right. We also thank Central
Presbyterian Church for making space and
equipment available, Jean Thomas, Nancy
Cagle and Mark and Sandy Scott, for
provided refreshments, and those who
brought paintings for Show and Tell,
some of which are shown below.
Links to sources:
Linda Filgo Fine Art:
(Lindafilgoartist.com)
Richard Schmid (or Schmidt, either way,
he just died) :
www.richardschmid.com
&
https://www.pinterest.com/theriaultart/richard-schmidt-living-master
Angled bristle brush:
rosemaryandco.com
Solvent free paints:
gamblincolors.com
(for paints, including Torrit Grey &
tubed non-toxic gel)
Show & Tell:

Jo Forbus
Bill Franklin
Tim Lowe
Gloria Meadows

Sue Moore
Sonny Rogers Chesley
Smith
Jean Thomas
Online Exhibit-2021
April-May
The
works below will be on exhibit until the next exhibit is mounted. If you
want to buy any of the entries or other works by the artists, please contact
them directly.
Cathy Niekamp (3)
cniekamp@msn.com
Periwikles 8x10
prismcaolors SOLD
Chrisi 9X12 prismacolors SOLD
Mary 9x12 Prismacolors SOLD

Sue Moore (3)
susiemoore@windstrean.net
Old Fishing Hole 14x11 oil $50
My Front Yard in the Snow 14x11 oil $50

Judi Simon (1) jksimon123@outlook.com
Water Study16x20 oil
$50
Games We Used to Play 10x20 oil on board

Gloria Meadows (1)
gloriameadows42@gmail.com
Tim Lowe (2) 254-717-6068
Church and
Flowers 16x20 acrylic
Thee Guiding Light 14x11 oil $30
Kiki 14x11 Oil NFS

Sonny Rogers (3)
254-717-9287
Lonely Lighthouse 20x24 acrylic $250
Lonely Landscape 10x16 acrylic $200
Fancy Flowers 16x20 acrylic $200

Kay Reinke (3)
830-708-1436
Vortex
Odyssey
Morning in the Clearing

Sandra Scott (2)
horizonglam@gmail.com
Jo Forbus (3) 254-400-5839
Mark Jr. 18x24 oil NFS
Hummingbird 8x10 oil $50
Sheeva Barn 8x10 oil
Jean Thomas (3) 254-709-4574
Daffodils 8x10 oil
$75
Elk' View 16x20 oil $200
It's All in th Eye

Winter Peace 9x12 oil
Butterfly Resting 14x18 oil

Jackie Holmes (2)
214-766-9180
Cows Admiring Downey Paintbrush Along HWY 84 12x24 oil $300
Red Poppies 8x8 pen & ink & watercolor &75
B ill
Franklin (3) physicsnerd@yahoo.com
Four Horsemen, one
Driver, 17x23 watercolor $600
Banjo Ben 11x14 watercolor $400 Glad Girls 10x14 watercolor $400

Chesley Smith (3)
csmith188@hot.rr.com
Zulu Warrior 16x20
acrylic $300 Poetic Beauty 8x10 print of pen & ink $45
Kmala 16x24 acrylic $300
Online Exhibit-2021 February-MarchThe
works below will be on exhibit until the next exhibit is mounted in April.
That will be an online exhibit as well.
The work receiving the most votes
from our members has earned our People 's Choice
Award. The critiquer, Kevin Malone, has picked his top five for Merit
Awards. The winning paintings are labeled below. (Some of Kevin's works are
on display at Cultivate 7twelve through February 12, if you would like to see them.)
Patrick Pollei "Early Morning Walk" 30x20 oil NFS
walterpollei@me.com

Judi Simon "Saturday Evening Bath Time" 14x11 oil $550
jksimon123@outlook.com
People's Choice Award
Jean Thomas "All in a Day's Work" 8x10 oil SOLD
254 709 4574
Jeanthomas623@yahoo.com
Chesley Smith
"Protector" 18x24
collage $400
csmith108@hot.rr.com
Bill Franklin
"Banjo Ben" 10x14 watercolor $500
physicsnerd@yahoo.com
Jackie Holmes
"Storm Moving In" 20x20 oil $250
jacqueline.holmes123@gmail.com 214-766-9180
Merit Award
Kay Reinke "Poppies"
20x20 oil $800
kayreinke@gmail.com 830-708-1436
www.KayReinkeArt.com
Jo Forbus
"Nosey Bear" 8x10 oil NFS
jforbus38@gmail.com

Jean Thomas "Same But Different"
16x20 oil $100
Jeanthomas623@yahoo.com
254-709-4574
Judi Simon
"Afternoon Tea with Earl Grey" 12x9 oil $975
jksimon123@outlook.com Merit
Award
Christine
Niekamp "House and Carriage"
not eligible for awards
Jackie Holmes "Water Lilies" 12x4
oil $175
acqueline.holmes1328@gmail.com 214-766-9180.

Sue Moore "Trees in the Swamp" 16x20 watercolor NFS
susiem@windstream.net

Kay Reinke
"Sunflowers in Sunlight" 14x11 oil $500
kayreinke@gmail.com 830-708-1436 Merit
Award
Chesley Smith "I Have a Dream" acrylic $950
csmith108@hot.rr.com
Merit Award
Sandra Scott "Creeping Charlie" 16x20 oil $150
horizonglam@gmail.com
Bill Franklin
"Glad Girls" 14x20 Watercolor $500
physcsnerd@yahoo.com
Tim Lowe "One
Yellow Rose"
timothylowe50@yahoo.com

Cathy Niekamp
"Doc" 9x12 pencil SOLD
cniekamp@msn.com
Patrick Pollei
"French Flower Market" 22x28 oil NFS
walterpollei@me.com Merit Award
Jo Forbus
"Texas Deer" 8x10 oil NFS
jforbus38@gmail.com
Christine
Niekamp "Cat and Vase"
not eligible
for awards

Cathy Niekamp "Grandy"
9x12 pencil SOLD
cniekamp@msn.com

Sue Moore "Homeward
Bound" 24x38 oil NFS
susiem@windstream.net
Martin Museum - "Art of the Landscape" thru
3/7 & Rachel Meginnes" thru 4/1
March 27 - Uptown Art Walk on Washington Ave
The exhibit & sale will be at the Kieran-Sustruck
Gallery, MC Art, and other spaces in the 2000 & 2100 blocks of
Washington Ave. Some photos of the exhibits are shown below.

February & April - Exhibits at Cultivate
7twelve
There are a number of fine artists on exhibit through
April at 712 Austin Ave. Many are PACT members, some are Greenhouse
participants & some are regulars. Some of the variety is show below.
Stop by to see them; there is much to admire. Among others are our
members Chesley Smith, Judi Simon, Kevin Malone, and Kay Reinke,

Chesley Smith
Linda Filgo

Judi Simon
Lujanna Westerfield

Kevin Malone
Kay Reinke

Marsha Wilson
Joel Edwards

Brad Settles
Karen Cruce
Sean Oswald
January 24 - Art Guild - Tina Bohlman -
Plein Air painting
Tina Bohlman, a native
Texan, now living in Waxahachie, focuses on plein-air painting. Tina’s
artwork is sold around the world to private individuals and to
corporations. She has collected more than 60 awards and is the founder
and chairperson of the plein-air event “Paint Historic Waxahachie.” You
can see her work at
www.tinabohlman.com.
A couple of examples of her watercolors are below.
Tina began by
enthusiastically describing her beginnings in art, and her path in art
to the present. Before beginning the demo painting, she showed us her
two set-ups, one for watercolor, and one for oils. She carries both,
because she never knows which medium might better translate the scene.
Each has an easel, a palette, and is kept in a rolling sewing machine
bag from Hobby Lobby, which holds all her materials, including a 12x16
paper pad ($65 with a 40% off coupon and tax). Her watercolor palette is “En Plein-Air Pro,”
and her oil palette is “The Profilic Painter,” Both were designed by artists, and work very well. She also places a
value scale at the bottom of her colors on the palette, and a Fish Eye
mirror on the top of the tripod to see anyone coming up behind her. The
photos below are her watercolor setup, WC palette, oil palette & rolling
bag.

She strongly recommended
Arches Oil Paper (12 sheet 12x16 pad, $27 at Cheap Joe's. Also available
in 9x12, 22x30, and large rolls.). The top side is for oils, and the
bottom side is for watercolors. The surface is treated so that the
solvents soak into the paper, but
the pigments stay on the surface. The
fading that is usual for watercolor, is much reduced,
oils dry more
quickly, and the paper doesn't warp like regular WC paper. It also
allows the painting of WC almost vertically. With either medium, you can
cut a portion of the image out of the whole sheet. Something you
certainly can't do with a canvas. The photo at the right is an example
of an oil on paper. These are best attached to Gatorboard.
She uses Split primary
colors on her palette, warm and cool versions of Red, Yellow and Blue.
Mostly by Daniel Smith because they provide good dye colors. She gets
Winsor Newton Burnt Sienna because the pigment doesn't granulate like
most brands. She also uses Payne's gray to shift values, and gauche
(opaque WC) at times. The photo t the right shows Tina painting our
demo. She highly recommends
Silver Black Velvet Watercolor Brushes. For the demo, she used size 16,
12, and a ½ inch flat, which is especially good at lifting excess paint,
such as “run back,” which is where WC tends to move from wet areas to
dry ones. She says these brushes perform very well at a reasonable
price. She has brush holding cylinder that is no longer available, but
could probably be made from thin wall PVC or acrylic pipe.
Her demo painting was of a
shed in Cedar Hill SP near Dallas. It was fascinating to watch her
skillfully paint from her reference, deviating from the photo to improve
the composition. She pointed out that cast shadows are darker than
shaded ones. For shadows, she made a warm gray by mixing Cobalt blue and
Sienna. She enhanced depth by letting foreground objects hide background
ones. She also warned against letting background lines meet those in the
foreground. In just an hour or so, she was able to produce a beautiful
painting. We put our names in a can, and Tina drew Tim Lowe's as the
lucky recipient of the demo painting! The photos at below show her
sketch, and several stages of the painting.

We want to sincerely thank
Tina for traveling in the heavy fog and sharing her skills and ideas.
What a great demo; and such an engaging artist!!! We also thank Central
Pres Assistant Pastor David Rodgers for helping us use the room, and for
using his phone to capture the demo for the Zoom attendees (shown at the
right). Although a number of members brought their art, we didn't have
time for Show and Tell, due to a late start caused by zoom setup. We
hope we have that figured out now, and can avoid such delays in the
future.
December 5-16 - "Making History": The Art
of Historic Waco
The exhibit will
continue
at East Terrace House (shown at the right), 100 Mill Street, 10-4 Wednesdays through
Saturdays, and 1-4 pm Sundays. Although the address is on Mill Street,
the access is from Martin Luther King jr. The house is impressive, the
decorations are beautiful, and the art is worth seeing. Admission is free on Saturdays. Other
days you pay the usual $5 admission price. A number of Art Guild Members
and demo presenters have art in the exhibit, including Chesley Smith,
Judi Simon, Marsha Wilson, and Susan Sistruck. Photos of those and
others are shown below. As always, they can be enlarged by clicking on
them.

Chesley Smith
Judi Simon Marsha Wilson
Susan Sistruck

Pricilla Henry
Joel Edwards Melanie Stokes
Roy de Romera
November 27-February 12 - PACT "Studio Magic"
at Cultivate 7twelve
The
exhibit will last more than two months. As a result, there will be three
First Friday receptions: 5-9 on December 4, January 8, and February 5.
The exhibit will also be available 10-6 Thursdays through Saturdays,
except holidays. There will also be a
Christmas Market December 12, noon-7 pm. Some of the art is shown below.


November 8 - Greg Lewallen - Ink & Pastel
Pencil Wildlife Drawings

The November Art Guild meeting was
held outdoors at Jo Forbus' house. The weather was nice, and the demo
was very interesting and instructive. Greg grew up in Waco, volunteered
at the Baylor Strecker Museum (which has become the Mayborn), went on
field trips with graduate students,
and
learned how to collect and preserve specimens. He told us a little about
how he travels all over in search of exotic specimens, many of which are
insects, which he collects and uses as the subjects of his paintings. A
life-long passion for drawing, led to making detailed ink drawings of
the specimens. Greg speaking to us and one of his drawings are shown at
the right.

For us, he used a small, about 5x7,
drawing of a bald eagle, based on a photo he took at the Waco zoo, in
order to show us how he uses pastel pencils to color his finely detailed
ink drawings. The drawing and Greg coloring it are show on the right.
First, he draws over the ink drawings, largely obscuring the ink lines.
Next,
he uses a hard paper stylus to work the color
deeply into the hot press watercolor
paper. Then he uses an art gum eraser to lift the surface color, leaving
the embedded color, and exposing the ink lines again. If the pencil
lines stray out of the
intended area, it won't be embedded, and can be erased. To get into
tight corners, he uses a Mono Zero, basically a mechanical pencil with
an skinny eraser "lead." The photos below show Greg applying color,
scrubbing it in, erasing the surface color, and the instrument he uses
to erase in small spots.

In addition to Greg's demo, we also
had some Show and Tell. Cathy Niekamp brought three drawings, Chesley
Smith brought one of the paintings in his African mask series, and Nancy
Cagle showed us a couple of Don Magid drawing using zoom from her home.
These are show below, along with a photo of many of those who attended
in person. Remember that any of the thumbnails can be enlarged by
clicking on them. Our thanks to Greg for a great demo. We learned a lot
about how he accomplishes his amazing art. To better appreciate his
work, visit his permanent exhibit at Cultivate 7twelve at 712 Austin
Ave. Prints of many of his works are on sale there.

November 6-21 - Greenhouse Exhibit at
Cultivate 7twelve
The exhibit displayed the works of a
number of Waco artists who had participated in a Creative Waco project
to help artists get their careers going. It included sessions on
marketing and critiquing, and $3000 per artist in seed money. Some of
these artists may be familiar to you. After the poster, the first image
is a work of Quilter Judy Steward, who did a demo for us recently. The
next painting, by Brad Settles, is 6 ft high and 9 feet wide, and is
really stunning.
Many
of the others have appeared at Cultivate 7twelve previously. All can be enlarged by clicking on them.
Drop by to see the exhibit if you get a chance. Open Thur-Sat 10-6.


October 29-November 2 - Ofrenda (Day f the
Dead) Celebration
The Ofrenda was held outdoors this year,
and was expanded in size accordingly. It was at the intersection of
Dallas and Tyler streets, behind Lula Jane's. The displays were
spectacular. I hope you didn't miss it, but if so, the photos below give
some idea of what was there. The first two show workers constructing it.
The next two are nighttime views of the altar from the front and from
one end (which also gives a glimpse of the back). The next two show an
altr layout with Pre-Coloumbian artifacts, and behind it, a Mayan
calendar (and a row of dried flowers). The next three are skeletal
figures of a cow, a couple, and a cyclist. The last is the cemetery gate
decorated with paper flowers. The
cemetery
crosses can be seen in the background. At
night there was candle in front of each of the thirty or so
crosses. If you missed it this year, look for it next year. Remember
that you can enlarge any of these thumbnail photos by clicking on them.


October 24 -Sidewalk Sale at Kieran-Sistruck,
MC Art & Other Sites
There were some 20 artists exhibiting
their works at four locations in the 2000-2100 blocks of Washington Ave:
MC Art, Kieran-Sistrunk, and two parking lots to the left and right of
K-S, as well as guitarist Fred Exum. It was quite a feast of art. Some
photos are shown below.




October 11 - The Art Guild met in person for
Show & Tell
We
had a great meeting under the portico of the Central Presbyterian
Church. It was hot outside, but the breeze accommodated us quite well,
and the shade was shared by all, even with social distancing. Some of us
ate our bag lunches on TV trays. Jackie Holmes set up a table with an
ice chest with cold bottles of water, very much appreciated.
Several
people brought artwork, some of which is shown below. Some was finished
and some brought to solicit advice. Several members paid their 2021
dues. We also talked about an online art exhibit, in lieu of MCC.

Jo Forbus
Bill Franklin
Jackie Holmes
Tim Lowe
Tim sketching
Several members paid
their 2021 dues.
October 10 - Jesus Rivera "mural" at
Dichotomy, 508 Austin Ave.
The mural was
really a rather large painting (about 5' x 7') that was not even
attached to the wall, much less painted on it. I suspect that this was a
way to get some city funding for murals, while allowing Rivera to work
in his studio. The announcement said that posters and cards would be
signed by the artist 1-4 on Saturday, October 10, but the art is
available anytme the shop is open. Cards are $5, posters are $40 for a 18x24, and $65 for
a 24x30.The photos show the painting, and the easel with cards and
posters.

October 2 - Brad Settles & Wendy Davis
opening at Cultivate 7twelve
Although the exhibit was billed as Brad
Settles, and he was in the main gallery, the next gallery had the
paintings of Wendy Davis. Shown below are Settles' works. The first is a
small group of his landscape paintings just around the corner from the
main gallery, which are quite nice. The next two are the left and right
walls of the main gallery.
The left wall has some interesting ideas,
but no great artistic skill. The left hand painting seems to suggest
that whites buy, but blacks rent. The right hand one suggests that
gentrification supplies houses for the buyers, but loss of housing for
the renters.
The right wall is
two huge works which are bird's eye cityscapes
with large colored patches on them. The were a few smaller versions of
essentially the same thing on the wall facing the street.


Continuing into the next gallery, you find Wendy Davis'
mostly floral paintings, are shown below.


September 26 - Open Fence at Windstar Farm,
Lorena
Susan
Sistrunk orchestrated quite a show at Windstar Farm. There were quite a
few artists represented, including Art Guild members Chesley Smith, Judi
Simon and Kay Rienke. Susan and her partner, Mark Kieran, had paintings,
jewelry, poured acrylic pieces, and leatherwork. A major attraction was
an amazing playhouse that Susan had decorated with murals on every wall.
Other notable features were Guitarist Frank Exum (shown with the
playhouse in the background) and all the animals wandering about,
including dogs, horses, donkeys, geese, and chickens. I didn't
photograph the tamelife, but some of the art is shown below.




September 13- Susan Sistruck - acrylic resin
pouring
Waco
artist, Susan Sistrunk, is co-owner with Mark Kieran of the the Kieran-Sistrunk
Fine Art Gallery at 2120 Washington. She and Mark produce many handmade
items, including leather and jewelry items, and sell them at their
gallery and elsewhere.
Susan has been practicing different forms of art since childhood. After
her family moved from California to Texas, she attended Belton HS and
studied Studio Art at University of Mary Hardin Baylor.
Teaching is her great love. She has long taught at the Methodist
Children's Home, and she gives classes in various forms of art at her
gallery.
She
told us about her failures and successes with Art Resin. What follows is
her method to ensure success. She carefully measures equal amounts of
resin and hardener in separate measuring cups, and pours them together
into a third container. She then uses a popsicle stick to mix them
thoroughly (for at least 2 minutes), getting rid of large bubbles. (at
right)
She
arranges small objects, such as shells, on the bottom of a silicone mold
which has been sprayed with a mold release. When the small bubbles rise
to the surface of the mix, she pours some of it into the mold, but not
so much as to make the objects float (at left). Any remaining bubbles
can be brought to the surface and popped by blowing on the surface with
a heat gun, which is similar to a hair drier, but much hotter. (They are
inexpensive at Harbor Freight.) After the resin stiffens enough to hold
the objects in place, she can make and heat additional pours.
Using
a large
cubic
mold, she can trap objects on the five surfaces, one at a time, then
fill the central hollow. She makes night lights by putting a small LED
light in the center of a wooden disk (at right), and placing a finished
cube over the LED. Some LED lights will continuously change color, which
adds interest (at left).
Our thanks to Susan for showing how to successfully use art resin. You
may want to visit her gallery (after calling ahead to get access), or
the Windstar Cottage, 115 Brandy Hill, Lorena, where Susan has painted
murals, and painted designs on furniture.
There is an outdoor open house 10-6 Saturday, September
26.
August 29, 9am-1pm - Uptown Art Walk
This was the second Uptown Art Walk. and it had even more
artists. The first two photos below are our members Sue Moore and
Chesley Smith. The next four are some of the other artists, and the last
shows Frank Exum providing live music among yet other art.



August 7-September 26 - Cade Kegerreis
Exhibit at Cultivate 7twelve
The exhibit it titled "Devolved - Unity
Through Evolution, Diversity and Connection." The soft opening was
August 7. There will be a First Friday reception 5-10, September 4, coffee and
closing thoughts reception 12-3 September 26, and a closing reception
5-7 the same day.
A
booklet of his painting with artist comments is available. More
information about the artist and his work is in an article by Carl
Hoover on page 1C of the August 6 Trib. The gallery is at 712 Austin
Ave, and it will be open noon-7pm Thursdays-Saturdays. Some
examples of Cade's are shown below, along with some the other work on
display. There's lots else on display as well. It's worth a visit.

CK Depth, print on silk
CK Human Spectrum, oil
CK Amagamation Triptych, oil
CK Does Art Evolve? oil

A wall of Charles Wallis paintings

A wall of Greg Lewallen paintings

Marsha Wilson's latest woodburning
July 25 - Outdoor Exhibit & Sale at Kieran-Sistrunk & M C Art, 10-2
The exhibit included about 10 artists, some of which are
shown below. They included our Chesley Smith.

June 18-July - 31 Katie Ward: "Structure" Exhibit at Cultivate 7twelve
Katie Ward's works combine gold leaf with charcoal and
paint, protraying human figures with abstract backgrounds. It will be on
display noon to 7 pm, Thursday-Saturday until the end of July at 712
Austin Ave. Katie and some of her works are shown below.

June 18-July 31 - Works by Jay McMillen, Julie Pitman,
Mark Kieran, Susan Sistrunk & George Giddens
at Kieran-Sistrunk Gallery
To view the art, text or call 254-733-9478. The gallery
is at 2120 Washington Ave. Some works are shown below.

May 17 - AGCT Meeting
- Cancelled, but some created art that
afternoon
Sandra
Scott,
sandra@scott-usa.com
Creeping Charlie (wildflower),
May 2020, oils
This is what Sandra was finishing
Sunday, 5/17. Comments and suggestions are welcome.
Myrl
Luper,
myrl_luper@baylor.edu
Wildflower, May 2020, watercolor pencil, 5"X7"
Color was added Sunday. Comments are welcome
Bill
Franklin,
physicsnerd@yahoo.com
Glad Girls 1 with background,
watercolor, 10.5"X10.5"
The background was originally left white. I filled in the
greenery before Sunday, then added the critters Sunday. Comments welcome.
March 8 - Marsha Wilson - Pyrography
("painting" with a hot iron)
Marsha
Wilson, a master at pyrography, has always loved working with wood,
which began with cutting and creating objects
including crosses. Then, because she thought the wood objects looked a
bit bland, she began to burn designs into the wood, which is called
pyrography. She decorated those crosses and created solid silhouettes
and typography. She then began to construct plaques with unique
sayings. In the beginning, she did not have a temperature gauge on her
burning tools, which made it harder to control the burns. She now has
temperature control, shown at right, and some new tools.
Marsha’s present pieces
of art are highly shaded on wood, leather and paper. She creates many
depictions of animals, people, buildings, and other intricate and unique
designs from around the world and sites she sees around Waco. She transfers her
design onto the medium of her choice and burns with a Walnut
Hollow Versatool (at top right).
This
tool has different levels of heat, which along with the use of several
brass tips (one shown at left,) enable her
to shade more effectively. To
avoid uncomfortable heat, she recommends holding the tool further back
on the handle. Most of her supplies can be purchased at local
craft and lumber stores, but she orders some specialized brass tips
online (shown at bottom right).
She starts the burning
with the darkest tone and showed how she stroked the wood more quickly
for the lighter tones. She showed us her shading technique to avoid
blobs of burns, which was a swooping airplane landing-like motion on the
object. One example, a commission, is at the left. She also enjoys
designing on leather, which is very responsive to her touch with the
burning tool. But she mentioned that temperature control is very
important because it is easy to melt, instead of just burning the
leather. An example of that is at the right.
When burning paper, she
uses Strathmore Bristol paper, on which she can get better tones than on
wood. Plus, the tool does not burn holes into that kind of paper as she
details and shades her pictures. Marsha remarked that it
takes a long time to complete some pieces but that it was very relaxing
for her to do so in her meticulous manner. After her presentation, she
invited the attendees to try their hands at it. Some of those are shown
below.

She has been mentioned
as a master pyrographer in Woodcarvers Illustrated and Pyrography
Magazine, Baylor Lariat plus numerous internet blogs. She also had an
interview with Ann Harder before Ann retired. Marsha has been contacted
from many places throughout the world because of these publications.
And she is now in negotiations for bigger projects in Waco and
elsewhere.
And here is a great
video presented on KXXV, channel 25. Marsha is being interviewed by
Lindsay Liepman:
https://www.kxxv.com/story/39618391/texas-voices-marsha-wilson.
Many
of her pieces are shown on her website at:
https://woodburningbymarsha.com.
Another site with numerous designs is
https://www.instagram.com/wood_burning_by_marsha.
Her Facebook site is
https://www.facebook.com/woodburningbymarsha.
She also has studio
space at Cultivate 7twelve Gallery in Waco, 712 Austin Avenue, where she
has many of her items located. See
https://www.waco7twelve.com/
We are so thankful that
Marsha was able to take the time for bringing some sample work for us to
view and for explaining the details of the process. She has a great
talent for knowing which designs to use in her creations. Her
demonstration was mesmerizing in its entirety! Thanks also to those who
brought refreshments and art for Show & Tell, some of which is shown
below.
Show & Tell:

Nancy Cagle Jackie Holmes
Bill Franklin
Sue Moore

Tim Lowe
Cathy Niekamp
March Gallery Exhibits, All Had First Friday
Openings and Receptions
Cultivate 7twelve, 712 Austin Ave,
"Landscapes of the Soul"
The exhibit by Charles Wallis and Lauren Dickinson will
be on view Thursday-Saturday, 10:30-7:30. Some photos appear below. The
first two are works by Dickinson, the third is Wallis, and the
rest are his works. Remember that thumbnail photos can be enlarged by
clicking on them.

Kieren-Sistruck, 2120 Washington Ave,
"Euphoria"
The exhibit by Kavitha Samminathan will be on view
Monday-Friday 10-6 and Saturday 10-4. Some photos appear below. The
first is of Kavitha holding a painting she gave away as a door prize;
the next three are some of her works; and the last shows the live
entertainment. Remember that thumbnail photos can be enlarged by
clicking on them.

White Elephant, 1025 Austin Ave, Various
Artists
White Elephant displays the works of many artists, including our members
Lee James and Kay Reinke.
Some photos appear below. Remember that thumbnail photos
can be enlarged by clicking on them.

February 23 - Arboretum Reception, Critique,
and Merit Awards
We were proud to have a great exhibit for David Smith to
critique. He commented on every piece (running overtime to do so). He
gave Merit Awards to (in alphabetical order):
Faces of Jesus: Jesus and the Children by Gena
Deeds-Page,
Sunset Blossoms by Larry Garza,
Brame Park, Bellmead, TX by Frank Gutierrez,
Spanish Lady by Sue Moore,
Dust Storm by Christine Niekamp, and
The Eyes Have It – 1930's Hollywood Starlets by Judi
Simon.
Below there are photos of
some of the guests , the refreshments table, and David Smith critiquing
the art. You can enlarge them by clicking on them.


February 13-March 15 - Arboretum Exhibit Reception &
Critique
We have another
excellent exhibit with 28 works by 15 artists. The reception and
critique by David Smith will be February 23, 1:30-3. David will begin
about 2:15, so try to get there at the start to have time to view the
art and enjoy the refreshments before he begins. He will give five merit
awards to his favorites. Photos of the art are below, beginning at the
door and continuing around to the right. Because the photos are low
resolution, you will need to see them up close to appreciate them. You
can also see the exhibit 8-5 most weekdays and more limited hours on the
weekend. It's best to call before coming to be sure it is available.

Bill Franklin
Tim Lowe

Gena Deeds-Page
William Rogers

Christine Niekamp
Jo Forbus

Marion Jean Thomas
Tim Lowe
Christine Niekamp

Kay Lamb Shannon
Sandra Scott
Sandra Scott

Frank Gutierrez & Gena Deeds-Page Larry
Garza

Sue Moore
Kay Reinke
(chosen for the postcard)

Bill Franklin
Kay Reinke
Jo Forbus

Frank
Gutierrez Kay Lamb Shannon Sue Moore

Cathy Niekamp
Chesley Smith

Cathy Niekamp
Judi Simon
Judi Simon
January - B&W photos at Kieran-Sistruck Gallery & Other Events
The January exhibit
is "The
Wandering Artisans Excursions in Monochrome."
Also offered at the gallery at 2120 Austin Ave, will be "Open Paint
Night" on Jan 8 & 15 at 6:30 pm, and "Wake Up to Art" on Jan 9 and 16 at
10 am. A few photos are shown below. The images can be
enlarged by clicking on them. This will only give you an idea of the
range of the subjects. The quality of these images is far worse than the
originals. You'll have to go look to see that.

January 29 - March 1 Artist Talk & Reception
at Baylor's Martin Museum
John Hartley's "Played in America" exhibit has been sharing Martin
Museum space with the "Faculty Biennial" since January 16. There was a
reception and gallery talks for the latter on the opening date. Now
there is an artist talk and reception for John Hartley on February 29 at
5:30. If you can't make that, at least come by March 1,
Tue-Fri 10-6, Sat 10-4 or Sun 1-4.
Both exhibits are well worth seeing.
The
art is an amazing variety of genres and styles. A few of the offerings
are shown below. The thumbnails are impossibly small, but can be
enlarged by clicking on them. The first is one of John Hartley's works. The others have
names in the photos, except he last, which is 3D art by Robbie Barber
The red numbers refer to pages in the 80 page booklet that provides more
information about the exhibitors.

January 16-March 1 - Two Exhibits at Baylor's Martin Museum
Sharing
gallery space at the Martin Museum are two exhibits: "John Hartley:
Played in America" and "Baylor Art and Art History Faculty Biennial."
The opening began with three 30 minute lectures by faculty members,
4-5:30, followed by the reception and gallery viewing 5:30-7. The
exhibit remains on view Tuesday-Friday 10-6, Saturday 10-4, and Sunday
1-4 through March 1. This is an event that you don't want to miss. The
art is an amazing variety of genres and styles. A few of the offerings
are shown below. The thumbnails are impossibly small, but can be
enlarged by clicking on them. The first is a slide from one of the
lectures, the second is one of John Hartley's works. The others have
names in the photos, except he last which is art by
Robbie
Barber. The
red numbers refer to pages in the 80 page booklet that provides more
information about the exhibitors.

January 12 - Bill Franklin - Perspective Reality
Member Bill Franklin
reminded everyone that realistic art is an exercise in illusion. We look
at or imagine a 3D scene, and put marks on a 2D surface, which we hope a
viewer will perceive as the 3D scene we envisioned. Our brains do all of
that remarkably well. Understanding how it works can help artists to do
a better job. Bill began by showing photographs of a square grid viewed
from an angle. The grid tapers in the direction we are looking, and, if
extended, the tapering lines intersect at a point called the vanishing
point. An example of this is below at the left. He showed this operating
in both photographs and imagined scenes. Examples of these follow the
first image below.
 
 
Next, he asked us to
suggest clues other than lines converging toward a vanishing point to
suggest depth in a painting. These included the overlapping of distant
objects by closer ones, and the diminishing with distance of size,
sharpness of detail, contrast and color saturation, as well as an often
bluish haze in the distance. Then he showed the progression of Picasso's
art from realistic portrayal to abstractions that used the principles of
perspective and the distortion of familiar shapes to deliberately throw
the viewer off balance. Examples follow.

He finished by showing a
number of examples of works in which perspective had been used well or
badly, asking us to identify specific clues that worked to make us view
them as a 3D scene, or where they failed to do so. Examples are below.
Make your own judgments.


After the demo, we voted on
the paintings that members brought to be used as the art on the postcard
invitations to the reception for our upcoming exhibit at the Arboretum.
They are shown below. The winner was Sue Moore's Iris. Our thanks to
Bill, and to those who brought refreshments and/or art.

Gena Deeds-Page
Jo Forbus
Bill Franklin
Larry Garza
Sue Moore

Tim Lowe
Sandra Scott
Chesley Smith
Judy Steward
January 3 - Opening at Cultivate 7tweve, Joel Edwards & Brad Settles,
Joel Edwards
presented a number of pencil drawings, mostly of trees and some oil
landscapes. Brad Settles presented some oil landscapes and some large
paintings that appeared to be photos overlaid with transparent color
stripes. Mick Burson has abstract works of many sizes, from a few inches
to about six feet. Some examples are shown below. The first two are
Edwards', the next is Settles', and the last two are Burson's. These
exhibits are available Thursday-Saturday 10:30-7:30 at the gallery at
712 Austin Ave. The images can be enlarged by clicking on them.

December 31 -
Deadline for early dues discounts
Dues paid before
Jan 1 will be discounted as shown below.
Category
annual calendar year dues dues for the remainder of the current
year
Students (21 or younger)
$12 $1/month for the rest of the year
Regular members
$24 $2/month for the rest
of the year
Web Gallery
Members $36
$3/month for the rest of the year
Patron members
$100 $100
Timely
payment discount: If paid before
January 1, dues are $5 for student, $15 for regular, and $25 for Web
Gallery. Patron membership is $100, regardless of when it is paid.
December 31 - Closing of Lee James Gallery at Vibe in McGregor
December 27 - Marsha Wilson Closing at
Kieran-Sistruck Gallery
Recent Art
Guild presenter Marsha Wilson was the December featured artist at the
Kieran-Sistruck gallery at 2120 Washington Ave. There was an closing
reception Friday, Dec 27. Some of her art is shown below. The first photo is of
Marsha with an astounding image on paper of Notre Dame under
construction. The next one is on wood. The next two are on leather.
The last is Mark Kieran with one of his paintings, which also sold.
Marsha sold seven of her works during the show. An interview of Marsha is at
https://www.kxxv.com/news/central-texas-living/kieran-sistrunk-fine-art-gallery-to-present-burning-memories.
It is
also on our Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/ArtGuildofCentralTX/.

December 7 - Art Guild Annual Luncheon at
Olive Garden
We had a good turnout for our annual luncheon. The photos below are
taken from the two ends of a very long table.
It may be difficult to see those near the
center of the table.

December 6-27 - Marsha Wilson Opening at
Kieran-Sistruck Gallery
Recent Art
Guild presenter Marsha Wilson is the December featured artist at the
Kieran-Sistruck gallery at 2120 Washington Ave. There was an opening
reception Friday, Dec 6, 4-9 pm, shown below. The first photo is of
Marsha with an astounding image on paper of Notre Dame under
construction. The next one is on wood. The next two are on leather.
The last is Mark Kieran with one of his paintings. The exhibit is
available Tue-Fri 1-6 pm & Sat 11-4. An interview of Marsha is at
https://www.kxxv.com/news/central-texas-living/kieran-sistrunk-fine-art-gallery-to-present-burning-memories.
It is
also on our Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/ArtGuildofCentralTX/.

December 6-20 - Jesus Rivera exhibit at
Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
The venue is
located at 915 La Salle. Some photos of the exhibit are shown below.

November 15-Jan 6 - Art Guild Exhibit at MCC
Another impressive exhibit, with 24 paintings by 13 artists. The
painting are shown below as they appear on the wall, from left to
right. Of course you can appreciate them better with your own eyes,
rather than just seeing photographs of them. The exhibit is in the
foyer of the Performing Arts Center, which is within the loop formed
by Highlands Drive. The exhibit will be taken down on Monday,
January 6.
The best time to come is in the evening when there is
no glare from the opposite windows. You can take in a performance as
well by attending one of the following events. All are at 7:30, and all are FREE,
except as noted.
Nov 19 - Rock Band Concert
Nov 21 - Wind Ensemble Concert
Nov 24 - Concert Band Concert, 3 pm
Dec 5 - Guitar Ensemble & Vocal Tech Ensemble Concert
Dec 9 - Waco Jazz Orchestra Concert
Dec 12 - Waco Community Band Concert
Dec 19 - "The Sound of Music" by the Christian Youth
Theater, 9:30 am, $10 early, $12 at door
Dec 20 - Same as above, 7 pm
Dec 21 - Same as above, 2:30 pm & 7 pm
Dec 22 - Same as above, 2:30 pm & 6:30 pm
Even if you don't go to the "Sound of Music"
performance, the exhibit will be on view in the foyer.

Gena
Deeds-Page

Sandra
Scott and Jackie Holmes

Sue
Moore

Chesley
Smith

Tim Lowe

Bill
Franklin

Sonny
Rogers

Jean
Thomas

Cathy
Niekamp

Christine Niekamp

Jo
Forbus

Frank
Gutierez
November 10
- Art Guild meeting - Gena
Deeds-Page - Portraiture
Gena possessed an interest
in art from a young age, drew sketches of classmates in high school, and
graduated with a BFA from Hardin-Simmons University in 1982. She has
since had solo exhibitions in Waco and Dallas
and participated in national juried shows in other cities. You can see
her art on her webpage,
https://www.genadeeds-page.com including a series of
faith-based paintings depicting scenes from the Old and New Testament.
Her portraits range from a traditional old Masters style to a more
loose/painterly approach. She also creates more modern
mixed-media portraits and designs using acrylic paint, fabric, beads,
and embroidery. A few examples she brought are shown below. The first 2
are whole groups, the 3rd is a self portrait in which the right side of
her face is done with embroidery, and the last is done with gel pen.
Remember that any thumbprint on our site can be enlarged by clicking on
it.

For her demonstration, she
used a 16x20 Senso clear-primed linen natural colored canvas.
She squeezed tubes of acrylic paint onto a Stay-Wet Palette (which
contains a damp sponge to keep her paint from drying too quickly.) She
used brushes purchased from local arts and craft stores. She mentioned
that she tries to draw or paint every day.
Our lighting at the Meeting
room was fluorescent, but for lighting at home, she uses an Ottlite
Truecolor lamp to the left of her canvas. She prefers to paint from
life, and pointed out the drawbacks of using photo references, because
cameras create distortions compared to using a live subject.
Shirley, the
wife of Chesley Smith, volunteered to be Gena's model for the 2-hour
portrait session (photo at thr right). For Shirley's skin color, Gena
began with a mixture of dark umber an
ultramarine blue for the shadow areas, then added white where she wanted
highlights, brushing it in and/or adding skin color to tone the
highlights down. She blended in midtones containing umber, midtones containing umber,
burnt sienna and yellow ochre. When it got too dark, she added white;
when too light, she added the darker skin color. This went back and
forth, looking more like Shirley at each step. A few stages of this are
shown below. About halfway through the painting process, she stopped to
assess her work and then made more changes and added details. The lips
were painted with red, purple and brown. They started out looking pretty
good, but were eventually shaped into a smile. Then it really looked
like Shirley. After 2 hours, she signed her painting, and presented it
to Shirley and Chesley (shown at right).
      
We enjoyed watching Gena
paint every stroke, listening to her explanations of technique, and
answering our myriad of questions in her soft and patient voice. One
could easily see why her paintings look so meaningful as she has
injected feeling, warmth and personality into her canvas. Gena has
joined our Guild and will be participating in our upcoming MCC show. She
is a talented and delightful individual, and we are happy to have her as
a member.
Our thanks to Gena,
Shirley, those who brought refreshments, and those who brought art for
show and Tell, some of which are shown below.

Mary Behrens
Bill Franklin
Tim Lowe
Cathy Niekamp Chesley Smith
November 7 - Talk by Gary Goldberg at Martin Museum, Baylor
Gary
Goldberg is a photographer and artist. This exhibit, "Finding the
Universe in Oaxaca," is a series of photos and fabric art. Goldberg took
photos of small sections of walls in Oaxaca. The shapes and textures
suggested landscapes, and he painted then as abstracts that can easily
be read as landscapes. While he made some large prints, he wanted to
make them much bigger. He managed that by having local women duplicate
them as large felt tapestries. Most are six to eight feet wide or tall.
He explained his thinking and the process of making the felt
enlargements during his talk. The exhibit will continue until December
22. A few are shown below.
November 7 - Opening of Charles Wallis exhibit at Keiren-Sistruck Gallery
Charles
Wallis does expressionistic paintings, mostly landscapes. He is shown
below, along with a few of his paintings. The last two photos are works
of other artists. Wallis's are worth a trip. The others are a bonus. The
gallery is at 2120 Washington Ave. Call or text 254-733-9478 to make
sure it's open The exhibit will end December 29.

November 3 & on - McGregor open house including Lee James' studio
Lee James
has a gallery and studio in the Vibe
building, 216 S Main Street, McGregor. He has about 40 feet of wall
space, and it's full of his painting and prints. There are tables with
even more. A few photos are below. There was an open house Sunday,
November 3. It is not usually open on Sundays, but will be during
December.

November 1-22 - "Ekphrasis: Veracity" Exhibit at Cultivate 7twelve
The opening Ekphrasis
is a Greek word for poems that describe or interpret visual art. The
exhibit comprises 16 artist-writer pairs. There was an opening reception
from 6 to 10 on November 1 at Cultivate 7twelve, 712 Austin Ave, that
included readings and songs as well as a display of the art. Two of the
pairs are shown below. Clicking on a thumbnail enlarges it. You will
have to do that to read the poems. The exhibit is by the Central Texas
Artist Collective and the Waco Poetry Society, and it will continue at
Cultivate 7twelve through November 22.



DeShauna
Hollie & Julie Milstead
Angie Veracruz & Aaron Rollins
attendees
October 31-November 11 - 9th annual Waco Ofrenda, Dia de la Muerta
Ofrenda is
translated into English as offering, gift or sacrifice. It is a Mexican
celebration of the Day of the Dead. This is not a spooky Halloween
thing. It is a celebration of the lives of the departed, with Aztec and
Catholic roots, whose purpose is similar to All Saints' Day celebrated
in many churches. Skeletons and skulls are prominent, along with candles,
food and photographs of departed relatives.
The public were
encouraged to bring photos of departed family members. I brought one of
Judy, and was honored to see that it was placed on the main altar. The
art and decoration was fantastic. A few examples are shown below. The
1st is a cow decorated by Deborah Reed; the 2nd, manikins in one one the
many rooms decorated; the 3rd, the main alter; the 4th, Judy's photo;
the 5th. some of the attendees; and the last, Sandi Horton, who
contributed a prayer and music. You can still see the
exhibit 10-6 Monday-Saturday through November 11 at 402 Tyler (behind
Lula Jane's). There will be a closing reception on November 11.

October 13 - Chesley Smith - Murals
Before our Demo, guest Susan Crowley put out
a call call for artists to volunteer to work on a mural they are
planning for the side of their Talitha Koum Nurture Center building on
1311 Clay Avenue. You can reach Susan at 254-498-9577 Their website is
https://www.talithakoum.org/.
The Talitha Koum's Nurture Center opened in 2003, and has continuously
structured it's program around the latest data on both brain
development, and how it is affected by early trauma, to give traumatized
children a strong foundation on which to self-regulate and learn.
A few local exhibits were mentioned,
including Climate Change exhibit at The Winery, 708 Austin through
November 2, The Brazos Fine Art Show and Sale, November 8-10 at the
Hilton Waco, and the rarely open Helen Marie Taylor Museum, 701 Webster
(https://wacohistory.org/items/show/33).
Then
we were treated to a presentation by our Art Guild member, Waco native,
Chesley Smith. He has bachelor’s and master’s degree in art Educatio n
and has exhibited across Texas and the U.S, 13 of which were solo
exhibits. He produces many commissioned works . He has 5 individually
painted murals, such as the one on the wall of Marilyn's Gift Shop (top
left) and 4 collaborative ones, including the the one at the East Waco
Library (bottom left), and the one recently painted on the side of the
Diversified Products at 1001 Webster Drive in
Waco
(shown below). At 156 feet wide, it is the biggest mural in Waco. The
mural depicts some highlights of Waco history, from about 1845 to 2019
including the Cotton palace, the major tornado of 1953, the Alico
Building, the Suspension bridge, Katy Park baseball, racetrack,
servicemen from Connally Air Force Base, Greyhound Bus Station, and
more.

The project began in the heat of May when
they worked for 4 hours in the
morning and then later in the evening for a total of 8 hours per day.
Diversified Products provided the paint and supplies, served them
Lunches and snacks and rented the lift for painting the upper portions
of the mural. For this project, the design was planned, approved and
sketched on 16 different panels that were then projected onto the wall
at night. The outlines were then sketched from the projected images. and
later blended, because sometimes the lines didn’t match up and the
artists had to fix proportions, etc. Chesley said that many painters
subsequently came to help, so there was no unified style of painting,
which is indicative of a collaborative effort. They used very expensive
but long-lasting, colors called Nova Acrylic Paint. Chesley said the
paint will be there long after he is gone. The Trib did a nice write up
of Chesley and the mural, which they framed and gave him (at the right)
Thanks, Chesley! Thanks too, to those who
brought refreshments, and those who brought art for Show and Tell, some
of which is shown below. After the demo, we had our second Auction
featuring more of the books donated by Sandra Vasek.
Show and Tell:

Mary Behrens
Bill Franklin
Susie Moore Christine
Niekamp Sandra Scott
October 4-6 Waco Arts Fest
There were many
arts on display at the Arts Fest. Music and Dance most of the time at
the main stage, poetry & prose in the convention center and at Baylor,
Science and Film in the convention center (Check out The Boy who
Harnessed the Wind on Netflix.), and art of all sorts scattered
around Indian Park. A very few of the latter are shown below. If you
missed going this year, don't make the same mistake next year!

our Chesley Smith
Gena Deeds-Page
Gretchen Weisgram

an entry in the Art Center trailer
a suit of armor
Baylor's Paul McCoy sculpture from scraps
September 8 - Show and Get Help
There was a large turn-out
and we had a lot of fun. We had such a diverse and extra amount of
member-provided foods, that we set up an extra table for all the good
food. We had a relaxed but very productive gathering. The meeting was as brief as
we could manage, minutes were read from last May’s meeting.
We discussed upcoming art
exhibits, including “The 3rd
Annual Climate Change Exhibit,” Aug.
28 until Nov. 2; Sonny Rogers has artwork
in this show and so does
Caitlyn Veazey,
granddaughter of Myrl Luper. Also, there is “The Bosque Art Classic,”
September 15-28, in which Judi Simon has a
painting. We also talked about places
available in Waco to show art, besides our own yearly shows.
A Slate of nominations will
be presented at the October 13th
meeting and our members were reminded to think about possible
nominations for 2020. We have a yearly luncheon in December and members
were asked to come up with suggestions, also by the October meeting.
Many Artists participated
in Show & Get Help and brought art just to show to us. Jackie Holmes showed
several paintings and asked for help before finishing; some were oil,
and some were acrylic. She was advised to put more light into the
background of her pink cornflower painting, also to add more bluebonnets
to the right side of another painting and general highlights into some
forest paintings. These are shown below.

Jo Forbus asked for advice
on a lovely painting of Bluebonnets in a basket which she painted on the
fibrous side of a Masonite board. Nobody had any suggestions for
improvement, because it already looked great!
Tim Lowe showed an outdoor
scene he painted from his recent trip to Alaska and asked for advice on
how to proceed with the bears and background.
Sandy Scott wanted to know
what kind of background to use on her oil painting of her backyard
chicken, the consensus was to leave the background dark and put more
emphasis on the chicken and Spider Lilies.
Susie Etheredge showed us
some of her pretty Tole paintings for the 1st
time. She brought 2 angels and a scarecrow; we hope she brings more of
these to show us at meetings.
Others just brought work
just to show us, including Sonny Rogers, Jean Thomas, Christine & Cathy
Niekamp, Mary Behrens, Susie Moore, Chesley Smith. And to top it off,
Judy Steward wowed us with several beautiful Quilt Art Pieces. Some of
those are shown below.

Sonny Rogers
Jean Thomas Susie
Moore Chesley
Smith

Christine Niekamp
Cathy Niekamp Mary Behrens
Judy Steward
After Show and Get Help, we
had an art book Auction of some of the almost-new books donated to our
Guild by Saundra Vasek. We wish to thank those who purchased many of the
books, we greatly appreciate it! Many more books will be available at
our next few meetings.
Our Fall Board meeting was
held at the end of Show and Get Help. We discussed payment levels for
non-member artists and our Guild who present demonstrations to our
group.
May 19 - Joe Taylor - Archeology and Art
Joe
Taylor is a Paleontologist and the director and curator of the Mt.
Blanco Fossil Museum. He
is one of the most skilled in his field of fossil restoration, and is
called in by many museums in the U.S. and abroad for his help. In fact,
he was called in by the team working on the Waco Mammoth Site, and made
the mold and exact reproduction of the bull and juvenile on display at
the Mayborn Museum.
He
was born and grew up near the town of Crosbyton in Mount Blanco
Community. He started collecting dinosaur bones many years ago when, as
a 12-year-old boy, he found a fossilized shark's tooth
His fossil achievement
stems from his artistic ability which brought him to the art success
back in his early days in California.
Trained as an artist
and sculptor, Joe headed to California during the Sixties to work as a
sign painter for major record companies. He painted large billboard
copies in artists oils of hundreds of album covers, including, Olivia
Newton John, Waylon Jennings, 3 Dog Night, Beatles, and many other
artists. He showed us slides of himself standing next to the larger
paintings on boards he did for advertisement. These are now showing at
his Museum in Crosbyton. A couple are shown below.
(Photos copyright Joe Taylor and Mt. Blanco Fossil Museum)
During his time in
California, Joe volunteered at the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles. In
Texas, a few years later he molded one of the saber tooth tiger skulls.
For our
Waco tornado-damaged Dr. Pepper Museum. Joe Taylor, in the 90’s, molded
the big sculpted sign on the front of the building. He restored a cast
of the sign and re-molded it so they could cast a new one in hadrocal
and stainless steel. Looks great now!
Joe led and took part in many
archaeological excavations. One of them being the Waco Sudden Death
Mammoth Site. He made the largest mold ever made of Fossils which were
still in dirt, such as the large mammoths trapped by the Brazos
limestone split.He
began working on this Mammoth site with Dr. Calvin Smith and Ralph
Vinson in 1988. Dr. Smith and Joe discussed the possibility of molding
the large mammoth herd bull with a juvenile on his tusks. In 1993 Joe
molded the complete skeletons of the bull and juvenile. Molding even one
of the mammoths while still in the ground (in-situ) was considered
virtually impossible, but Taylor went even further, molding the juvenile
in two layers, making it the largest mold ever made of animals still in
the ground as well as the most complex. As of May, 2019 , no similar
project has been attempted by major universities or museums.
“The importance of
molding a fossil skeleton still in the ground is that it allows us to
make an exact reproduction of the fossils that can be studied under
controlled conditions or displayed in a museum setting." In fact, Taylor
made a reproduction, colored exactly like the original, which is now
part of the new Mayborn Museum complex at Baylor University in Waco,
Texas.
Joe also showed us many
slides of some fossils he restored. He also had a picture of a skull
with an elongated head, nicknamed “Cinnamon.” It was sent to him asking
for analysis, molding and reproduction. He told the caretaker that it
looked like some skulls that he molded from the area of Peru, The DNA of
these 300 fossils found in Peru by Julio Tello, have been found to
originate from Europe and Mid-East. While it is possible that the heads
found had been bound in order to elongate, he mentioned that this
particular one had several Inca bones but no Sagittal suture.
(the sagittal suture is a
connective tissue joint between the two parietal bones of the skull.)
Joe has also hunted
fossils in the North Dakota Badlands and many other places in this as
well as other countries. He has found and restored many dinosaurs
including a Hadrosaur skull. He has excavated Triceratops bones with the
skin still on the bones and so much more.
Needless to say, you could easily hear
a pin drop during his presentation, because we were all so enthralled
with Joe his slides, and his story, what a rich life he has led!
Joe Taylor, thanks so much! Thanks
also to those who brought refreshments and those who brought art for
Show and Tell, some of which are shown below.
You can visit Joe's
site in Mt. Blanco, near Crosbyton, TX. 124 W. Main Street.
1-806-675-7777
Hours & Info
124 W. Main Street
P.O. Box 550
Crosbyton, Texas 79322
1-806-675-7777
Monday-Friday 9:00am-5:00pm
Or by Appointment
Show and Tell

Gloria Meadows
her rocks & a fossil
Susie Moore
Sonny Rogers
Chesley Smith
April 7 - Lee James - Acrylic Painting Using Palette Knives
Lee James
presented an instructive, enjoyable and interesting demonstration of
painting acrylics with palette knives. We had a good turnout despite the
rain. Jean Thomas and others brought refreshments and drinks. Guests
included BG Coulter and Judy Steward, both of whom decided to join, and
Shannon Birchum.
Lee did
engineering work for 50 years, moving more than a dozen times. He also
played guitar, saxophone and keyboard in his twenties, but his real
entry into fine art happened years later, when his five year old son
asked him to draw a Superhero . When Lee said that he couldn’t do that,
his son said "Dad, you always told ME not to say I
can't! So he drew a passable cartoon for him.
A year later, his wife bought him a set of oil paints and it progressed
from there.
He switched to watercolor
because they were easier to move about. Then he started using acrylics
in his watercolor paintings to add more vibrancy. Initially, he painted
in a more detailed, exacting style, a carryover from his engineering
background, but he studied with some nationally known artists in Bar
Harbor, Maine, because he felt the need to loosen his painting style. He
also took a plein-air workshop with Carlton Plummer, who was noted for
his loose style.
Lee takes many photographs,
and uses the computer to arrange parts of them
to
produce an artistically arranged reference. He puts this reference on a
large computer screen next to his canvas. For the demo, he brought a
small tablet, shown at the right. He doesn't
copy the reference, rather, he tries to achieve the impression he had at
that scene. He focuses on the effect of light on objects not on the
objects themselves. An example is at the right. He finds a 360 degree
spinal ruler (shown at the left) helpful in checking perspective lines
and proportions.
The
demo painting he brought already had the major shapes blocked in, with
the parts
placed with proper perspective, shown at the right. He had started with
an orangish wash, such as that shown at the left, and a 2” penciled grid
to help him with perspective and proportion. The wash was a mixture of
artist grade transparent colors, favorites being Quinacridone
Nickel Azo Gold and transparent Raw Sienna,
brushing vertically then horizontally with a Japanese Haik brush.
He
places relatively small dabs of paint (shown at right) on parchment
paper laid on top of a damp paper towel in a shallow box with a lid that
can be tightly closed to keep the paint from drying out. Some of the
colors used were Titan Buff, Milky White, Unbleached Titanium White,
Quinacridone Burnt Orange, Turquoise Deep, Paynes Grey,
Indanthrone
Blue, and Van Dyke Red. He is careful not to mix colors on his palette
as he picks up small slices of several compatible colors on his palette
knife, shown at left.
He began to place colors,
starting from the top of the canvas, using different
sizes
of short-sided, long-sided and round blade palette knives, shown at the
upper right. He used different hand scraping and tensions to apply the
paint in different directions to bring forth an impressionistic view
“evoking
an illusion of realism.” The scene was a Italian street with a cafe's
canopies along it,
shown
at the left. He painted parts of the canopies and also a window and a
table to illustrate how he worked. In places he left ridges, giving a
texture to the work, shown at the lower right. Before going back over an
area, he lets the first coat dry to keep the texture and avoid mixing
the new paint with the old.
At
the right is
the canvas at the end of the demo. You can compare the canopies, window
and table, with the reference photo above. Lee
has a gallery in McGregor, where he gives group and private lessons,
sharing his techniques, but also helping students improve their own
approaches. BG Coulter has taken
several lessons from him there, and she brought a beautiful painting
that she produced under his tutelage. Lee is shown holding it at the
left.
Lee
was also asked to comment on an unfinished painting by Jackie Holmes. He
is shown doing that at the right. We thank Lee for giving us such an
interesting demonstration, chock full of instructions and hints, we
learned a lot! To see more of his work, check out his his website,
https://leejamesfineart.com or his
Facebook page,
https://www.facebook.com/ArtistLeeJames.
You can also visit his gallery in McGregor. We also thank those who
brought refreshments and their art for our Show and Tell, some of which
is shown below.
Show and
Tell:

Nancy Cagle
BG Coulter Bill Franklin
Jackie Holmes Cathy Niekamp Chesley Smith
March 10 - Judy Steward - Art Quilting
We
want to thank Judy Steward, Master Quilt Designer/Instructor, who gave
us a spectacular demonstration at our meeting on 03-10-19. Quilting is a
form of art, in fact Judy fashions what are called “Art Quilts”
which
are usually smaller than regular quilts and displayed like tapestry on
walls. A few examples of these are shown here. She had many more. She
started quilting at a young age, using the old fashioned methods such as
making her own cardboard templates and tracing onto fabric to make the
pieces to quilt. She began design quilting in 1981 in order to make a
treasured quilt for her first baby which she brought with her for the
presentation. Since that time, she has learned and advanced herself to
her present expert level of design.
She takes many photos with her camera, and when making designs, she uses
one of her photos and
traces
it onto clear vinyl. Next she enlarges it to the size she wants the
final quilt to be. Now she can trace the design onto freezer paper for
her pattern, cut out each piece and iron onto the fabric and then cut
out the fabric pieces. She then irons “Misty Fuse” (which is a heat
sensitive
web
of glue) onto the back of the pieces, using parchment paper to keep the
glue off of the iron. These pieces would then be ironed onto her
background fabric. Afterwards, she stitches around the design. She
brought one example. She is holding an enlarged photo of a yellow door
in a blue wall in her left hand, and the quilt in her left hand. Another
example is the whimsical Lily Tomlin quilt at the right.
Another
method she uses is to paint watercolor designs free hand onto the fabric
with either Dye-na-Flow Fabric Paint or Textile Paint II by Jacquard.
Then she free-form machine
stitches
around the designs and all sorts of new little designs are born onto the
background. Sometimes she draws stencils onto the freezer paper and then
stencils the designs onto the background. One example is shown at the
left She often stitches down her pieces as she is quilting it.
That means that she has 3 layers she is stitching through. The top layer
with the design, the middle layer is batting (which is a thick layer to
give the quilt dimension), and the final layer of fabric called the
backing. By doing this she can make the design visible on the back in a
subtle way. This can be seen in the photo at the right.
Judy
set up her regular, multi-stitch sewing machine. In the photo at the
right, she is
showing
us how she can stitch even in the center of a large quilt with it. She
changed the pressure foot to a darning foot, dropped the feed dogs, and
threaded the machine bobbin and the top as usual before sewing a
garment. She then showed us how she does her free form designs. A
close-up is shown at the left.
Some
of her artwork was presented at the meeting in small squares onto a
large Felt Background Display, shown at the right. She showed us an
array of beautiful quilts. One was a whimsically designed quilt with a
bicycle in which she also utilized organza to make the
see-through portions between the stitches of the spokes. Her favorite
art quilt, shown at the left, is the gorgeous one she fashioned called “America’s
Soul Flag” which she did in honor of the military. The quilt depicts the
lyrics from the song, “America the Beautiful,”. This quilt encompasses
2004 fabric squares and took her over 20 hours to Quilt.
Judy
regularly holds Quilting Workshops and Retreats which you can see, along
with some of her work on her website,
http://judysteward.com/
and also a Facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/wrappedinquiltsjudysteward/.
She has her studio in Hewitt, TX and can be contacted by email:
quiltartist@judysteward.com
or by phone at:
254.495.0905.
Thanks again, Judy!!!
Thanks also to those who brought refreshments, and to those who brought
art for Show and Tell, some of which are shown below. Remember that
clicking on any thumbnail enlarges it.
Show and Tell:

Nancy Cagle
Jo Forbus
Bill Franklin
Tim Lowe

Myrl Luper
Christine Niekamp Chesley Smith
March 7 - ReStART
Opening/gala/awards/auction
The opening at 712 Austin Ave was well attended, and the
art was quite inventive. However, buyers were few. Among the entries
were some by Art Guild members Chesley Smith and Bill Franklin. Theirs
are first three shown below, followed by the winners of the first and
second prize winners. The second row begins with the popular choice
prize, followed by some of the other entries. There were 41 entries, and
some of them were multiple works. The exhibit can be viewed until March
30 at the Restore, 1224 Franklin Ave,
Wednesday - Friday, 9-4, and Saturday,
9-2. Click on thumbnails to enlarge them.



March 7-May 14 - Art Guild Exhibit at MCC
We have a bumper
crop of works in this exhibit: 32 entries from 15 artists! There
was barely room to hang them all. Photos of the entries are shown below,
but they can be appreciated better up close. Plan to drop by the foyer
of the Performing Arts Center (PAC) to see them. The best time to come
is in the evening, when there is less glare from the opposite windows.
There are only a few evening events scheduled so far. If you can make it
to one, you will get both a fine performance and a look at our exhibit.
All begin at 7:30, and all are free.
They are:
March 19 - Faculty Recital
April 7 - Student Exit Recitals
May 6 - Waco Jazz Orchestra Concert
May 7 - Waco Community Band Concert
From Left to right:

Tim Lowe

Mary Behrens

Kay Lamb
Shannon

Myrl Luper

Christine
Niekamp

Cathy
Niekamp

Sandra Scott

Sue Moore

Jean Thomas

Jackie
Holmes

Chesley
Smith

Frank
Gutierrez

Santos
Maldonado

Sonny Rogers

Jo Forbus
March 1 - Opening of Kieran-Sistrunk Gallery at 2120 Washington Ave
Mark Kieran and
Susan Sistrunk have made a duplex at 2120 Washington Ave into their
home, studio and gallery. It's a lovely, high-ceilinged home, filled
with their art. There was a good crowd for the opening. If you want to
visit, call or text to 254-733-9478. A few photos from the opening
follow. The first is Susan and Mark with some of Susan's art. The second
is Art Guild member Myrl Luper with more of Susan's art. The next two
are some of Mark's art, and the last shows the crowd and Bill Franklin
taking photos. As usual, you can click on a thumbnail to enlarge it.

February 5 - March 2 Art Guild Exhibit & Reception at the Arboretum
The reception was
well attended, even though the Trib failed to print our announcement. We
had many members and a number of guests who got postcards or were
invited by members. David Smith critiqued the art, finding things to
appreciate in every one, often things that most of us may have missed.
It really enhanced our experience of the art of others and even our own
art. It made us all
feel honored.
He also picked five
works for merit awards. Those were (in alphabetical order)
Bill Franklin -
Bellingham Bay, Gray Day.
Sue Moore -
Peaudouce Rose.
Kay Lamb Shannon - Aspen Trees.
Sandra Scott - His Bold Side.
Chesley Smith - Portrait in Relief II.
Here are some photos of David Smith discussing the art
with the artists:


Below are photos of the art, starting at the door and
moving around to the right. If you didn't come to the reception, visit
the exhibit 8-5 Monday-Friday or 10-2 Saturday to see the art properly.
These small photos don't do it justice.

Sandra
Scott, Christine Niekamp, Jo Forbus, Bill Franklin

Gloria
Meadows, Mary Behrens,
Kay Lamb
Shannon, Jacqueline Holmes, Sue Moore, Linda Green, Bill Franklin

Gloria Meadows, Larry
Garza, Frank Gutierez

Mary Behrens, Tim Lowes,
Kay lamb Shannon, Jo Forbus, Chesley Smith

Jacqueline Holmes, Sandra
Scott,
Cathy Niekamp, Judi Simon,
Cathy Niekamp, Tim Lowe

Sonny Rogers, Jean Thomas,
Chesley Smith

Linda Green, Sonny Rogers,
Jean Thomas
February 5-28 - Chesley Smith exhibit in Dawson
There was a opening reception on February 5. Some photos
from it are shown below. The first shows Chesley with his wife and the
pastor, who hung the show. The exhibit will continue through February
28. It is at the Methodist church in Dawson, which is a few miles beyond
Hubbard.

February 2 - Opening of Art Forum's Mi Corizon/My Heart exhibit
The opening was
well attended, and the variety of the artworks was amazing. Some
examples are shown below. The first row shows a talk by two of the
curators, Sandi Horton performing a poem, some Art Guild members in
attendance, and Bill Franklin with his entry. Some of these thumbnails
are too small to appreciate, but you can enlarge them by clicking on
them. The exhibit will continue through March 2, Tuesday-Saturday, 10-6.
The Art Forum is at 1826 Morrow.




January 8-31 - Susie Moore Exhibit in Dawson
Our member Susie
Moore has an exhibit at the First Methodist Church of Dawson, TX. They
have a well lit exhibit space, and Sue's paintings show up nicely. Three
sold at the January 8 opening. There were also refreshments and tables
for sitting down to enjoy them. A few of her paintings are shown below.

February 5-28 - Chesley Smith exhibit in Dawson
There was a opening reception on February 5. Some photos
from it are shown below. The first shows Chesley with his wife and the
pastor, who hung the show. The exhibit will continue through February
28. It is at the Methodist church in Dawson, which is a few miles beyond
Hubbard.

January 6 - Pat Blackwell - Stained glass
Thanks to all of you who attended our
meeting on Sunday, January 6, 2019. Many members and visitors came to
enjoy refreshments, a short but information packed meeting and a
wonderful demonstration by Pat Blackwell.
We had 2 new members at the meeting, Jean
Thomas and Sonny (William Rogers) who are brothers and sisters, both
artists who will also be showing art at our Arboretum Show starting
February 5th.
Pat Blackwell
is
a well-known local artist especially for her stained glass. She showed
us several of the techniques she uses to create commissioned pieces for
windows in homes, businesses, and churches, as well as articles for
sale. She also brought some examples in the form of hangings that she
also sells. She answered many questions while keeping her hands swiftly
working!
Pat
explained that she uses a variety of glass. She shops at local home
improvement stores for clear glass and usually purchases the specialty
glass such as opaque, colored, textured and beveled from Hollander Glass
Co. in Houston. The piece at the far right uses cobalt glass and beveled
pieces for the star.
For
the
demonstration, she marked her design on paper, put it underneath the
glass and then traced it onto the glass with a Black marker (silver
marker if on a darker piece of glass.) She cut out the design pieces
with a glass cutting tool coated with a special oil. She then used
running pliers to break off the larger pieces, and Grozing pliers to nip
off small pieces that remain outside the markings. Afterwards, if there
is any necessary smoothing to do, she paints the glass with a special
oil and while keeping it wet, she grinds the piece smooth, as shown at
the left.
She
used copper foiling strips, she peeled the backing off the copper and
wrapped, then pressed it snugly around the front and back of the piece,
as shown on the right. To tack the pieces
together she applied dots of flux to desired areas and then melted small
blobs of 60/40 solder on top of them. Then she again applies flux to all
the copper seams on the front of the piece and tins them with melting
solder , as shown at the left. For the hangers, she wraps copper
pre-tinned wire around a pencil, removes the coil and snips with a
special tool to make a partial circle and solders that onto the finished
piece of art.
Thanks for being with us Pat, your
demonstrations are always so welcome and we learn so much from you!
Thanks also to those who brought refreshments, and to those who brought
art for Show and Tell, many of which are shown below. After the demo, we
voted for which painting we wanted for the postcard announcing the
Arboretum exhibit in February. Sue Moore's painting of a yellow rose was
chosen, with Larry Garza's painting of a Colorado stream finishing a
close second.
Show and Tell:

Pat Blackwell
Bill Franklin
Larry Garza
Linda Green Jackie Holmes

Sue Moore
Christine Niekamp Sandra Scott
Chesley Smith
January 4-February 14 - PACT Exhibit at Cultivate 7 Twelve gallery
The Professional
Artists of Central Texas mall Works Exhibit (A Bit of Red) at Cultivate
7 twelve gallery, 712 Austin Ave, began with an opening reception 6-10
pm on Friday, January 5. Eleven artists will be represented, some of
whom have done demos for the Art Guild. Others are good possibilities
for the future. Drop by the gallery, look them over and let our program
chairs, Jo Forbus and Mylr Luper, know which ones you would like to see
at our meetings. There are also many larger works by PACT members and
others. Some photos taken at the opening are below. Clicking on a
thumbnail photo will enlarge it.


December 22 - Art Forum Closing Reception for
Judy Steward's Quilts
The reception was very much worthwhile.
Bright sun streaming in through large windows really made the bright
colors of the quilts pop. There was also music by the Horton Duo, and
some very tasty refreshments. A few photos are below. The middle one
shows Judy discussing her art with Rick Allen, a former Waco Councilman.
Click on a photo to enlarge it.

December 8 - Luncheon at George's
We had a good turnout for the luncheon,
upwards of twenty, including many guests. There were lots of good
conversations in small groups, although the long table and background
noise precluded large group discussions. The food was good, and everyone
seemed to be enjoying themselves. A couple of photos are shown below.
Unfortunately not everyone present is in them.
 
November 20 - January 8 Art Guild Exhibit at
MCC
We have another fine exhibit at MCC in
the foyer of the Performing Arts Center (PAC). There are 26 works by 12
artists. Photos of the art are below, but it's much better to see them
in person. Since some behind glass and are rendered hard to see in the
daytime because of reflections of the opposite windows, it's best to see
them at night. Fortunately, there are many evening events in the PAC, so
you can see both the art and an excellent performance in one trip. All
of the events listed below are at 7:30, and are
FREE!
Nov 26 Guitar Ensemble Concert
Nov 27 Vocal Tech and Guitar Ensemble
Concert
Nov 28 Student Chamber Ensemble Concert
Nov 29 Rock Band Concert
Dec 3 Waco Jazz Orchestra
Holiday Concert
Dec 6 Highlander Holiday
Concert
Dec 11 Waco Community Band Concert

Jacqueline
Holmes

Santos
Maldonado

Sandra Scott
and 2 by Susie Moore

Bill
Franklin

Tim Lowe

Larry Garza,
below a sign by Jennifer Scott

Christine
Niekamp

Cathy
Niekamp

Jo Forbus

Chesley
Smith

Judi Simon
November 16-17 Apple Tree Bazaar
We
had a booth at Apple Tree Bazaar again this year, with things for sale
by Jo Forbus, Charleen Isbell, Susie Moore, Myrl Luper, Nancy Cagle,
Bill Franklin, Sandra Scott, Karen Gorman and Tim Lowe. Many of them,
Linda Green, Mark Smart Jennifer Scott and Mark Scott also helped set up
and/or stayed
with the booth to make sales and encourage membership. A sampler of
their paintings is at the right. There were also some handcrafts, and
Susie Moore and Jennifer Scott brought food to sell. An overview
of the booth and some of those who manned it is at the left. We didn't
sell much art, but we did pick up two new members, which was our
principal reason for displaying there.
Pat
Blackwell has for years had the booth just in front of us, but lost it
this year due to not receiving the sign-up info. However, they gave her
an area along the front wall, which really gave her more display space
than before. Her booth is shown at the right. The images are too small
to see, but you can enlarge them by clicking on them.
November 11 - Jo Forbus - painting
sandblasted glass with oils
During the business meeting, we
elected officers, and discussed webpage decisions, the Appletree Bazaar
and the MCC exhibit. We got volunteers for the Bazaar, and decided to
have the annual luncheon at George's in Hewitt on December 8, if it is
available.
The demonstration was presented by Jo Forbus. She began
painting in her early 30’s in Corpus Christi, TX, after a tragic
accident that killed both of her parents. She continued to paint when
possible while working as the Nueces County Medical Examiner’s Office
Administrator and director of the Sparkling City Chorus of Sweet
Adeline’s International.
In 2005, Jo suffered a debilitating stroke, which forced
her to relearn walking, reading, and writing. Music and art were
instrumental in her recovery. After moving to Lubbock in 2007, she
joined the Art League of West Texas and arranged to bring artist Jerry
Yarnell there for a 2-day workshop. She was active in the Lubbock art
group until her move to Waco in 2017.

Jo brought several examples of her
paintings (see above) on sandblasted (not etched) glass, and showed us
how it was done. This involves several steps, not all of which could be
done during our demonstration time. She had already made a pencil sketch
on paper, and traced the pattern with a sharpie to make it visible
through the translucent sandblasted glass. Then she taped her 8X10 glass
over the design, and taped that sandwich to a wooden frame. Next, she
painted the design, using oil paints, and allowed it to dry. An
important point was that this procedure made it easy to get the design
the right size and properly centered.
For us,
she
removed the paper and taped the glass on the frame so that the back side
was
up (top left). Then she used her finger to smear the background
(top right), checking the effect by flipping the frame over to see it
from the front side. A view from the back side is shown at the bottom
left. When satisfied, she can set
it aside to dry, and frame it. The
final
result is shown at the bottom
right.
This was new to everyone, and we enjoyed learning about it. Our thanks
to Jo for the presentation, to all who brought refreshments, and to
those who brought art for show and tell, some of which is shown below.
The painting by Jackie Holmes isn't finished. She brought it to ask for
suggestions for the river. Remember that all of the images can be
enlarged by clicking on them.
Show and Tell:

Pat Blackwell
Bill Franklin
Larry Garza
Jackie Holmes
Gloria Meadows Christine Niekamp
Chesley Smith
November 9-11- Professional Artists of
Central Texas Exhibit at the Hilton
This was a great show! Keep it on your
radar for next year. There were more than twenty artists with booths,
with a wide range of media from jewelry to painting and drawing to wood
and bronze sculpture. A few images are below. You can enlarge them by
clicking on them. The first one is a piece by our member Judi Simon. It
is painted porcelain with an attached porcelain flower.


October 14 - Show and Get Help
Due to a church program, our meeting was delayed, however
the Board met at 1:30. The Board decided to increase the presenter
honorarium to $100 for non-members, $150 if they lived more than 50
miles away. Members will not receive an honorarium. Dues were discussed,
but not changed.
The business meeting began about 3:00, followed by a
“Show and Get Help” session. Several of our members brought
paintings and asked for suggestions before finishing. Jo Forbus
asked for suggestions to de-emphasize the flowers above the guitar in
her painting, and the group offered several ideas. Jackie Holmes
had a painting of her grandson dressed as a chef in the kitchen, she
needed help on the little guy’s hand shape. Sandy Scott brought
her Church in Hawaii painting and needed help transitioning the ocean
into the sky and also in arranging the placement of palm trees into a
more pleasing arrangement.
Several other members brought paintings to show, and
Karen Groman brought a lovely yellow shawl that she crocheted just in
time for the cooling weather. Some of these things are shown below. Bear
in mind that many are not finished, since the artists brought them for
suggestions for improvements. We hope to see the finished works at a
future meeting.
Many thanks to all who brought drinks and baked goods
to the meeting.

Pat Blackwell
Jo Forbus
Bill Franklin
Karen Groman

Jackie Holmes Gloria
Meadows Christine Neikamp
September 9 - Becky Wilkes - Photography
Becky Wilkes is the daughter of our member
Mary Behrens. Educated as a chemical engineer at Texas A&M, she has
“spent much of her life as a stay-at-home mother of four children who
have now blessed her with a multitude of perfectly fantastical
grandchildren.” She credits her parents with instilling the virtues of
picking up litter, particularly things that might pose a hazard to
children.

Her current vocation is a blend of urban
archaeologist, anthropologist, sociologist, trash collector, and
photographer. These areas are reflected in her body of artwork centered
around lakeshore debris collected near her home in Eagle Mountain
Lake,TX. She currently has several works on display at 500X Gallery in
Dallas and will open a second solo show October 5 at the Fort Worth
Community Arts Center.

She presented a great demo a couple of years
ago, so our expectations were high. We weren't disappointed by her slide
show about her unusual process for blending her photography of lakeshore
debris. She had photographed each item separately in a creative way, and
used Adobe software to build digital collages. She separated her photos
into Categories such as, Fishing Gear, Tin Cans, Rusty Metal, Broken
Glass, Plastic Bottles, etc. With the items jumbled together in these
categories, she began to see totally different shapes and new pieces of
artwork were born.

In Fall 2014, Texas was in
the midst of a multi-year drought. Receding water levels in area lakes
unveiled hidden shorelines and abundant debris. her walks on the beach
became a treasure hunt, albeit of contemporary archeology. She
documented each piece of debris as it lay, often not knowing what I was
photographing until it was unearthed. Then she removed them.

“Initially,
I set aside my biases about trash and focused on my “treasures”. But,
with the
abundant runoff of the May 2015 flood, and subsequent barrage of debris
filling the lake, I began to understand the migratory nature of trash in
our waterways flowing from our drainage ditches and roadways ... the
countryside is being inundated on a massive scale by the individual
fingerprints of personal irresponsibility – as indicted by the 5,585
pieces of trash collected.” During the presentation, Becky passed
out copies of some of her found items and gave us time to draw and
create something totally different around those objects. One by Mary
Behrens is shown at the right.
Becky is an inspiring steward of the land.
If more of us followed her example, we could truly have America the
Beautiful! You can see some of her work pictured here. But to truly
appreciate her work, visit her website:
http://www.BeckyWilkesPhotography.com
After Becky’s demonstration we enjoyed
seeing the many paintings and drawings brought by members. Some of us
also brought artwork to ask for advice, some of which is shown below.
The critiques were appreciated by everyone.
Show and Tell:
Dianne Harris
Charleen Isbell
Tim Lowe
Gloria Meadows

Cathy Niekamp Christine Niekamp
Chesley Smith
May 6 - Marsha Wilson - Pyrography
(wood-burning art)
Marsha
Wilson, a master at pyrography, has always loved working with wood,
which began with cutting and creating objects including crosses. Seven
years ago she began to burn designs into the wood, which is called
pyrography. She decorated those crosses and created solid silhouettes
and typography .
Her journey led into her present pieces of art, which are highly shaded
on wood, leather and paper. She creates many
depictions of animals, people, buildings, and other intricate and unique
designs from around the world and sites she sees around Waco.
She
transfers her design onto the medium of her choice and burns with a
Walnut Hollow Versatool (at right). This tool has different levels of
heat, which along with the use
of
several brass tips (one shown at left), enable her to shade more
effectively. To avoid uncomfortable heat, she recommends holding the
tool further back on the handle. Most of her supplies can be purchased
at local craft stores, but she orders some specialized brass tips
online.
When
burning paper, she uses Strathmore Bristol paper, on which she can get
better tones than on wood. Plus, the tool does not burn holes into that
kind of paper as she details and shades her pictures. The work
began at the right is based on the photo at the left.She also enjoys
designing on leather, which is very responsive to her touch with the
burning tool.
The
art group
gathered
around Marsha to watch her shading a drawing of a Longhorn cow on a
piece of wood. The photo at the lower right shows how far she got during
the demo. As she worked, she
remarked that it takes a long time to complete some pieces but that it
was very relaxing for her to do so. She started burning with the darkest
tone and also showed how she stroked the wood more quickly for the
lighter tones.
Many
of her pieces are shown on her website at:
https://woodburningbymarsha.com.
Another site with numerous designs is
https://www.instagram.com/wood_burning_by_marsha.
She also has studio space at Cultivate 7twelve Gallery in
Waco, 712 Austin Avenue, where she has many of her items located. See
https://www.waco7twelve.com/
We
are so thankful that Marsha was able to take the time for bringing some
sample work for us to view and for explaining the details of the
process. She has a great talent for knowing which designs to use in her
creations. Her demonstration was mesmerizing in its entirety! Thanks
also to those who brought refreshments and art for Show & Tell, some of
which are shown below.
Show and Tell:

Pat Blackwell
Nancy Cagle
Cathy Niekamp Christine
Niekamp

Sandra Scott
Chesley Smith (Please excuse the relections)
April 8 - Judith Baker - Watercolor Pencils
During our April 8, 2018
meeting, we were fortunate to have Judith Baker.
Judith
has worked with colored pencils (CPs) for over a decade, and the
foundation of her CP training was provided by Bet Borgeson – “…an
awesome mentor”. (Judith explained that Bet, the “Godmother of Colored
Pencil”, authored the groundbreaking first book about the CP medium in
1983 --followed by five more books in later years – holds many awards,
and “…knows everything there is to know about colored pencils”.)
Judith’s particular interest is in
botanical art, and she holds a diploma from the Society of Botanical
Artists
(UK) botanical illustration course. Both of her pieces appearing here
have botanical subjects. The bromeliad above is entirely watercolor CPs.
The ornamental corn at the left uses watercolor pencils for
underpainting, with both wax- and oil-based “dry” CPs layered on top.
The ornamental corn piece is currently appearing in the Conroe Art
League’s 3rd
Annual National Invitational exhibit that runs through March 31st.
You can view all 101 pieces in the show, including Judith’s, by clicking
on the following link:
www.conroeartleague.com/now-on-view.html
Judith
uses artist-grade water-soluble pencils. She explained the different
characteristics of the sets and brands that are available in the USA.
She demonstrated techniques in their use, including dry on dry (then
wet), dry on wet, wet on wet and blending. She uses sets of 8 different
brands of watercolor pencils
She added that
water-soluble pencils blend well, are cost effective, and are convenient
for use in the home and for travel. She also discussed water-soluble
blocks, bars, crayons and sticks, along with three- value wash pencils.
Judith
said that watercolor pencil brands vary in price based on
characteristics such as type of wood and lacquer coatings of the
pencils, and other differences, including high pigmentation and
dissolvability. She suggested staying with the same brand for consistent
shades and recommended avoiding student-grade (scholastic) pencil brands
due to less pigment and thus lesser quality.
She told us that
water-soluble bars are good for making backgrounds in a quick and
efficient manner. She then made a temporary palette by rubbing a swath
of color onto dry scrap paper and dabbing it with a wet brush. A more
permanent palette is made by using a 3x5 piece of Aquabord. When the
puddle of pigment dries on that, it can be saved and simply re-wetted to
use again.
As
Judith showed a variety of techniques, she handed around examples as
further illustrations. She demonstrated vignette and soft focus methods,
starting with dark line or ring and spreading and teasing the color out
with a wet brush (Make a thicker ring to spread more color.) She also
showed artistic tricks such as stroking a pencil against a kitchen sieve
or an art shop grater for differing sizes of spots to be then blown,
sprinkled, or spattered onto wet paper. Baker also demonstrated small
misting vials, available in art shops, to pour or squirt color.
An additional helpful tip
that Judith gave to the Guild members was to create a personal color
wheel for the pencil sets you use. Another tip was to make color
reference samples: prepare a grid of strips and paint a color in five
values, dark to light, on each strip. After they dry, cut the strips
apart and attach to a ring to provide a handy color reference of your
pencil set.
Thank-you
Judith for a well-organized and interesting demo.
And thanks
to all Art Guild members that brought such wonderful works of art to
show at our meeting.
Some of those are shown below.
Show and
Tell:

Mary Behrens
Pat Blackwell
Nancy Cagle
Jo Forbus
Linda Green

Gloria Meadows
Cathy Niekamp Christine Niekamp
John Perdichi
Chesley Smith
March 12 - May 9 Art Guild Exhibit at MCC
We have another excellent exhibit in the
foyer of the Ball Performing Arts Center at MCC. The images below are
photos of the entries from left to right, but you really need to see
them in person to appreciate them. It's best to come in the evening when
there is no glare from the windows on the opposite wall. Besides, there
are many good evening programs, and most are FREE. A list of scheduled
programs follows. All begin at 7:30 and are free, unless noted
otherwise. Enjoy a performance and see the exhibit, a two-fer that makes
the trip worthwhile.
April 6 & 7: La Fille du Regiment
(musical performance)
April 10: Student Jazz Band Concert
April 12: Chorale Concert
April 16: Country Ensemble and
Cotemporary Christian Music Concert
April 17: Rock Ensemble Concert
April 23: Vocal Tech and Guitar Ensemble
Concerts
April 26: Wind Ensemble Concert
April 27: Wind Band Concert
April 29 (3 pm): Concert Band Concert
April 30: Waco Jazz Orchestra Concert
May 8: Waco Community Band Concert

Pat
Blackwell
Frank Gutierez
Cathy Niekamp

Christine Niekamp
Mary Brehens

Sue Moore
Kay Lamb Shannon

Nancy Cagle
Jackie Holmes

Chesley Smith
Tim Lowe

Santos Maldonado
March 11 - Pat Blackwell - Acrylic
Landscape Painting
Our
Art Guild of Central Texas meeting was highlighted by a demonstration of
landscape painting in acrylic by Art Guild member Pat Blackwell.
Pat
started painting in 1979, and opened an arts and crafts store in 1990,
Pat’s Art at Brazos Craft Mall, with a large area for paintings. She
also displayed and sold many other people’s work. She closed the store
in about 2006 or 2007 and now operates out of her backyard workshop,
with the main product being stained glass windows. Pat gives lessons in
stained glass and painting. If you are interested, you can reach her at
patsyruthb1@yahoo.com, or call her at (254) 756-3854
She emphasized how one should always have fun while
painting and it was fun for us also, watching her have fun creating the
painting!
Pat used a Styrofoam paper plate palette loaded with 5
simple acrylic colors. She used several different bristle brushes and
applied colors of black, white, blue, yellow, red and yellow ochre. From
time to time she used plain water to spray the palette and canvas
lightly to keep the acrylic paints from drying too quickly. This helped
to facilitate blending until she was ready for it to dry. The photos
below are just thumbprints. Click on any of them to enlarge them.
She
suggested beginning a
painting
with the farthest background area--in most cases, the sky. Pat used blue
and white for sky and adding more white for clouds (at left), and adding
some black to gray down some areas to create the look of distance (at
right). She advised that mixing additional black into the lower clouds
will help highlight the upper clouds.
Using
a stippling technique, Pat used her green and yellow and red to create
greens and browns for trees and bushes below the horizon (at left). She
also had bushes at the bottom of canvas but then decided to have water
in the painting. Quickly she overpainted those bushes to create a pond
(at right).
Pat
then
double-loaded
blue on one side and white on the other side of a small flat edged brush
and dabbed with each color to create some Texas bluebonnet wildflowers.
She then dabbed on additional spots of red and yellow, saying that where
there are bluebonnets you usually will also see Indian paintbrush
wildflowers (at left). Blackwell finished off her creation by painting a
few high-flying birds over the then-dry canvas and highlighting the
water with white palette knife strokes to reflect the brightness of the
sky (at right).
We asked Pat many questions during the presentation
and learned a lot from her. Of special interest, she used a Reducing
Glass. She explained how she liked to sit while painting and
demonstrated how the Glass made the painting look further away, so a
person, while still sitting, could judge how it would look from a
distance.
Thanks, Pat Blackwell, for such and interesting and
fun demonstration! Thanks also to those who brought refreshments and art
for Show and Tell, some of which are shown below.
Show and Tell:

Pat Blackwell
Gloria Meadows Christine Niekamp
Chesley Smith
February 11 - Exhibit, Meeting and
Reception at the Arboretum
Our exhibit at the Carleen Bright Arboretum will run from
February 7 to March 11. Many of our members saw it at the reception on
February 11. If you weren't able to attend, be sure to see it. There are
many wonderful works on display. The first three photos below show some
of those in attendance. The rest show the exhibit starting at the right
of the front door and continuing around to the right. While they provide
a hint of the excellence of the art, the resolution is too low for a
close examination. Besides, a close up look at the actual art is far
better than any photo.
  
 
Santos
Maldonado, Cathy Niekamp, Christine Niekamp
 
Nancy Cagle,
Christine Niekamp, Kay Lamb Shannon
 
Mary Behrens,
Cathy Niekamp, Gloria Meadows
 
Nancy Cagle,
Pat Blackwell, Mary Behrens
 
Jackie Holmes,
Tim Lowe

Sue Moore
 
Chesley Smith,
Larry Garza
 
Larry Garza,
Tim Lowe
 
Sue Moore,
Frank Gutierrez

Frank
Gutierrez
 
Kay Lamb
Shannon, Jackie Holmes,
 
Janet
Martinez, Santos Maldonado, Pat Blackwell
 
Chesley Smith,
Janet Martinez

Judi Simon
January 14 - Nancy Cagle - Drawing
Workshop
Most
attendees showed up with drawing tools and material to work on. Sandra
provided materials for those who didn't. Nancy arranged some objects as
possible subjects, but those who brought reference materials were
encouraged to use them. We had a good time drawing and sharing what we
produced.
Those
who wanted to have their art used for the Arboretum exhibit postcard
brought their entries. There were many excellent choices, but we voted
to use Larry Garza's Peacock. Some of the art brought is below as Show
and Tell. Our thanks to Nancy, those who brought art, and those who
brought refreshments.
Show and Tell:

Mary
Behrens Pat Blackwell
Suzi Etheredge Karen Groman
Larry Garza

Jackie
Holmes Sue Moore
Cathy Niekamp Chesley Smith
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