Let’s Get Outside! Creating and Supporting the Visual Arts in Loudoun County, Virginia since 1944 LSC Newsletter Online: www.LoudounSketchClub.com – Featured Artist – Elly Friedman en plein aire. Photo by Robbyn Holmes Crystal Jordan 2015 Plein Air Painting Places Schedule Inside! Ready, Set, Newsletter It’s All About the Process by Gale Waldron Ask Crystal Jordan where she was living in any given year and you’ll learn not only where she was, but what she was doing and what was happening in the world around her at the time. This is even more remarkable when you know that Crystal has lived in 34 different places in 54 years! Born in Warner Robins, Georgia, Crystal drew from an early age and dreamed of being a fashion designer. But her application to New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology wasn’t accepted because she didn’t know how to sew. Deflated, she was Kailua Boats, acrylic on canvas, 16” x20” nudged by her father into business school at the University of Tennessee where she studied operations management. Graduating in 1982 and looking for work in a recession economy, Crystal enrolled in Officer Training School and became a budget officer in the Air Force. She later earned a MS degree in Cost Analysis and was tasked with preparing the Air Force communications budget for congressional approval. She married Air Force Captain John Jordan in 1991, and the couple was assigned to Dayton Ohio, where Crystal prepared cost estimates for refitting the B1 Bomber from nuclear to conventional weapons. But art was always in the back of her mind. The turning point came in 1994 when Crystal and John had their first child, and Crystal returned to her artwork. Never in one place very long, the family’s nomadic lifestyle took them to Alabama, Virginia, Florida, Nebraska, with Crystal taking art classes wherever she could. In Florida, she studied with Elena Cieuventas, learning portraiture and moving from oils to acrylics. In Hawaii, she found Mark N. Brown, an May/June 2015 artist who introduced her to plein air painting, something she has loved ever since. And throughout her moves to Italy, back to Hawaii and to England, she has continued to paint outdoors. “It is the process of painting that I love, not necessarily the outcome.” In Virginia, she discovered the Loudoun Sketch Club and its outdoor sessions. Crystal keeps a journal in which she records the Crystal Jordan, Secretary weather, her impressions of the and Show Chair place and the feelings it evokes – all of which are reflected in her work. “I make an initial sketch in the journal as a reference. What is happening around me is an important part of my art.” Trained by her mentor Mark to work quickly to capture the light, Crystal finds her spot and then works fast to get her impressions on canvas. “Finding the right spot is from experience – searching for the things I like to paint. Do I want to stretch myself today Ko’olina Daybreak, acrylic on canvas, 18” x 24” and paint something I’m not so familiar with, or do I want to be more comfortable and paint a water or garden scene?” She also uses her camera lens as a view finder to see what the scene might look like on a canvas. After painting the scene in her familiar loose style, she moves on to the next painting. “For me, it’s all about the process.” Old Fort Crook, acrylic wall mural, 10’ x 4’ Mary Champion, Membership Chair PO Box 1683 Leesburg, VA 20177 Loudoun Sketch Club Stamp A Letter from the President Dear Sketch Club Members, We’ve made it through another cold, dreary winter, and our plein air painting season is just around the corner! Thanks to the Winter Workshop Committee and Zeynep Baki (for allowing us to use beautiful Hillsborough Vineyards facilities), we more than endured our time “off” with incredibly valuable, enriching workshops given by our own talented members. These workshops have allowed our members to share skills, give and gain enrichment, and maintain old and gain new friendships. I’m Lori Goll thrilled that we’ve made the commitment to add the Winter Workshop Committee as a permanent fixture in our bylaws so that we can continue this wonderful new tradition. I want to thank all the folks that worked hard to organize and hang the LSC spring show at ArtSpace Herndon. Lorrie Herman and several volunteers did a great job of hanging approximately 55 pieces of art. The show is beautiful, and we’ve received many compliments. We were a little disappointed with the low participation. Twenty-nine of our 150+ members entered this show, which showcased our group’s art to a whole new group of patrons in the Metro DC area. Hopefully we will have more participation in the upcoming fall show at Aldie Mill, the annual Hillsborough LSC fall show and the Virginia Land Trust Show in the Spring of 2016. By the time this newsletter is out, we will have had our annual Spring LSC Meeting. I hope that I will have seen many of you there! And I’m looking forward to seeing you in the beautiful venues that the Outdoor Sessions Committee have lined up for us in 2015! Warm regards –Lori Goll, President Membership Update Officers President Lori Goll 571-251-9659 lorigoll@verizon.net Vice-President Patrick Roth 703-250-0641 proth25@gmail.com Secretary Crystal Jordan 703-729-1046 jordanjj@att.net Treasurer Steve Huelsman 703-777-8725 Historian Pam De Peña 703-421-0218 pam@depena.com Membership Mary Champion championart@aol.com E-mail Concierge Margaret Huddy 703-356-2363 mthuddy@gmail.com Newsletter Newsletter Desk/ Compilation and Design Dana Thompson 540-454-1989 danathompsondesigns@gmail.com Feature Writers There are currently 12 people on the wait list to join the Sketch Club. We are voting on new membership policies at the Spring Meeting; we may be welcoming new members soon! Currently we have 167 members. –Mary Champion, Membership Chair and Feature Writer – Don’t Forget to Pick ‘Em Up – The LSC Spring Show at ArtSpace in Herndon will be concluding so... Pick up unsold work: Sunday, May 3, 3 - 5 pm or Monday, May 4, 10 am - noon Wonderful Workshops From flowers, pets to seascapes the 2015 Winter-Spring Workshop Season was a true success. photos by Zeynep Baki and Patrick Roth Loudoun Sketch Club Volunteers Gale Waldron 703-771-0127 Mary Champion championart@aol.com also thanks to Patrick Roth, Lisa Zadravec, Suzanne Lago Arthur and Outdoor Sessions Committee Mary MacDonnell Jessica Wilson Becky Tighe Lee Kincaid 540-554-8181 301-642-6995 540-668-6447 540-554-2640 Show Committee Dell Keathley- Painting Flowers Crystal Jordan Zeynep Baki 703-729-1046 jordanjj@att.net 540-668-7787 Indoor Sessions and Workshop Committee Lorrie Herman 703-906-5815 Remington Restivo 703-443-0814 Patrick Roth 703-250-0641 Webmaster Lori Goll- Seascapes Simon Bland- Pet Portraits Margaret Huddy- Painting Light Dana Thompson 540-454-1989 ––––––––––––––– Would you like to help? Do you have a suggestion? Let us know. Cheri Miller’s painting Ruby Red was featured on April’s cover and artist’s bio page of Sasee Magazine. Member News Bethany Widom is happily ensconced in her new loft studio at LoCo Art Studios in Leesburg. There since February, she’s currently working on a detailed still life that has a lot of meaning to her – her mother’s antique treadle sewing machine that she learned to sew on and a dress she sewed from a vintage pattern. The studios provide a lively atmosphere to exchange ideas and just chat with other artists and visitors. Please come by and say hello, see her new paintings and let Bethany show you around the artists’ studios. Located at 312 D, East Market st. in Leesburg, next to the George C. Marshall house. Christine Lashley took part in Paint North Carolina, Germantown Gallery: An invitational paintout with 25 artists from around the US to paint for a week in North Carolina. Reception, demos and show were the weekend of April 10 - 12, 2015. Art will be up until May 15 where Christine won an Equal Award for her painting Rainy Street. Plein Air Telluride, Co: Rainy Street by Christine Lashley, Christine will be one of 30 Juried Artists at this famous festival nestled in the heart of the spectacular rockies in Colorado’s Resort town. July 1-5, 2015. Salmagundi Annual Members’ Exhibit: Juried exhibit at the Salmagundi Club NYC April 27 - May 21, 2015. Elaine Nunnally met another Loudoun Sketch Club member, Denise Pierce, at the Spring Maid Watermedia Workshops at the Myrtle Beach Conference Center in April. They were excited to see each other, eventhough they didn’t know each other before the event. Elaine worked with Linda Baker and Denise worked with Judy Morris. In addition, Elaine’s work was accepted into the American Watercolor Elaine Nunnally and Denise Pierce at Spring Maid Watermedia Workshops in Myrtle Beach Society’s 148th Annual in front of Elaine’s work during the Friday Night International Exhibition at Show. the Salmagundi Club in New York City that ran from April 6 through April 25. Sasee Magazine cover for April 2015 Roberta Day’s painting Street Play was accepted for the 2015 Virginia Watercolor Society Exhibition which will be held in Harrisonburg from May 18 to June 26. Street Play by Roberta Day, watercolor, 2015© Ann Noel’s painting of Color Passages was part of the “Layers” exhibit at Torpedo Factory’s Associates Gallery March 30 -April 29. Color Passages by Ann Noel, oil For Sale Linda Bowman has two items for sale: Artograph 500W Prism Projector, lens and table stand. Projector model #225-090. The projector as been used very little and is in excellent condition. Original box and user manual are missing. The user manual is available for download on Artograph’s website. The table stand may have never been used and looks brand new. $150 or offer. Custom, 5 fluorescent bulb, solid oak Light Box. Size: 27"W x 35"L x 5 1/2 H. Plexiglass top. The light box is solidly built, glued and screwed, and is quite heavy. There is an personal inscription, made with a felt marker, on the inside of the cabinet. This could be sanded off. Extra long, 7’ wire with ground. $150 or offer. Anyone interested may call or email Linda Bowman 703-777-2718 naturartist@aol.com What To Do, What To Do... Virginia Museum of Fine Arts tors. This highly rendered style of painting 200 N. Boulevard, Richmond, Virginia eventually led to the creVan Gogh, Manet and Matisse: ation of the French Academies with a focus The Art of the Flower on training artists for the The VMFA in Richmond has lucrative porcelain trade a block-buster exhibit currently and other luxury goods on view through June 21st. patronized by the Much more expansive than its French court in Paris. In namesake, this survey of French the next room, Eugène floral still life painting begins in Delacroix’s A Vase with the mid-18th Century and culmiFlower declares war nates in the first decades of the against such scientific 20th Century. There are 65 precision. This revolupaintings on display demonstrattionary sketch is more about the rendering of the paint ing the great breadth of the itself in a “premier coup” manner. Delacroix’s approach to genre including Franco-Dutch the genre ushered in a new era of French floral still life artists, French Academy painting. In the second half of the exhibition, you see how painters, the Impressionists and their contemporaries and ending with Matisse and Redon. the Impressionists evolved into masterful painters by The exhibit opens with exquisite paintings of dew speckled experimenting with paint handling, space, color and patflowers, insects and birds by such artists as Anne Vallayer- tern on floral still life’s, many of which are on view. This exhibit is must for plein air painters. But beware, Spring Coster (painter to Marie Antoinette) and other Dutch ~Suzanne Lago Arthur trained artists like Gerard van Spaendonck. Many of these Fever is sure to follow. Left: “A Vase With Flowerss" by Ferdinand Victor Eugéne Delacroix, oil,1833. artists led dual careers as painters and botanical illustraRight: “Bouquet of Flowers in a Blue Porcelain Vase" by Anne Vallayer-Coster, oil, 1776. Purcellville Music and Arts Festival and Juried Art Show May 16 from 10 am to 7 pm Fireman’s Field and Bush Tabernacle 250 South Nursery Ave. Visit their Facebook page: www.facebook.com/ Purcellville Music and Arts Festival Spring Brings “Feathered Nest” to Berkshire Hathaway Home Services PenFed Realty in Hamilton Feathered Nest – new paintings by Linda Hendrickson – will be on display at PenFed Realty (Berkshire Hathaway Home Services) from April 22 – August 30, 2015. Known for her charming and whimsical portraits, Linda has earned many awards for her paintings of dogs, cats and other animal friends. Please join Linda for her opening reception on Thursday, May 14, 5 - 7 pm. Feathered Nest". Mixed Media on paper. 11 x 11" River District Arts 3 River Lane, Sperryville, VA 22740 Frederick Kahler: The Art Speaks May 1 - June 28, 2015 Opening Reception: Saturday May 2 from 5-7 pm. The drawings of Rappahannock resident artist Frederick Kahler will be on exhibit in this rare hometown show. Recognized as a selftaught artist, Fred’s drawings have been acquired by renowned collectors nationally and internationally, and are in the collections of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA; and American Visionar y Art Museum, Baltimore, MD. For more, visit: www.RiverDistrictArts.org/rda-exhibits Burwell-Morgan Mill’s Art at the Mill Spring Show Continues through Sunday, May 10, 2015 Show Us Your Stuff From the Newsletter Desk Here’s the schedule for Newsletter copy and images: Deadlines for submitting info: Issues for 2015: July/August June 10 September/ October August 10 November/December October 10 Issues for 2016: January/February December 10 March/April February 10 May/June April 10 Please send your news and pictures to Dana at DanaThompsonDesigns@gmail.com When e-mailing your news: Please put “LSC News” or other clear and relevant words in the subject of the e-mail so I don’t delete it thinking it’s spam from an e-mail address I don’t recognize. Please include Images!! We’re a visual organization, and our newsletter (and website for that matter) should reflect that. Images should be color jpegs, 300dpi, at least 3” wide or larger (no less that 1000 pixels if possible). If the image is your artwork, please include title, unframed size, medium and date for each. If the image is a person or event, please include an appropriate caption and identification. Contributing Writers Wanted: Helpful Hints; Upcoming Shows and Exhibits; Classes and Workshops; Competitions and Deadlines; Great Websites or Organizations... Anything that would be of help or interest to our members. Thank you to the contributers who continue to inform and inspire. And please know, all members are encouraged to participate. Keep it coming! Lost Your Newsletter? Or maybe you’d like another copy to send to a friend or potential new member? You can now go to the Sketch Club website and download any newsletter you need. Go to www.LoudounSketchClub.com –Dana Thompson The Gateway Gallery ––––––––––––––––––––– Bouquets for Mom at the Gateway Gallery The Gateway Gallery in Round Hill, VA presents a reception honoring mothers on Sunday, May 3, from 2 pm until 4 pm. Beaded and embroidered jewelry by Round Hill resident Robin Wilkinson and watercolors painted by Round Hill resident Catherine Hillis will be featured, and both artists will be on hand to discuss their work – and have a little fun as well. Every mother in attendance will receive fresh cut flower. We are located on Rt. 7 just west of Round Hill, in the Hill High Orchard Building, which we share with the Round Hill Arts Center, the Bogati Bodega wine & tapas tasting room, and Mom’s Apple Pie. Open daily from 11 - 6 pm. Learn more at www.thegatewaygallery.com. Round Hill Arts Center ––––––––––––––––––––– www.RoundHillArtCenter.org • 540-338-5022 Draw & Paint from Life Tuesdays 7 - 9 pm; $10 per person, Age 18 & up; bring your own art supplies. RHAC provides easels – bring a drawing board and whatever else you need. May Handy Hour: Introduction to Calligraphy with Karen Helble Friday, May 29, 6:30 - 9 pm. $20 plus $10 materials fee, Age 18 & up. Get started on this artistic form of handwriting -- no experience needed! Peace Love and Tie Dye with the Immortals Sunday, June 7, 2 - 4 pm on the Loading Dock. Concert and dyeing is FREE, $10 charge for t-shirts. An amazing afternoon of rocking music & tie-dye! Bring your own shirt or buy one...and with a free concert by rock and roll favorites The Immortals. Basketry: Make a Utensil Basket with Karen Helble Saturday, June 14, 9 am - 3 pm, $80 plus $14 materials fee, Age 16 & up. Join Karen Helble and make a sturdy basket you'll use every day! Oil Color Workshop with Jessica Wilson Saturday, June 27, 1:30 - 5 pm. $75 per student, Ages 18 & up. Please bring canvas or panel and brushes to class. Jessica will share information and ideas that help other artists in their work in this informational workshop, using and demonstrating the paints and mediums produced by nationally known paint company, Gamblin Colors. Free samples and educational literature will be available to participants.and your own creativity. Western Loudoun Artists Studio Tour Join the conversation on Facebook! ––––––––––––––––––––––––––– And don’t forget to send Admission: $5 for adults, $3 for seniors, students free your July/August 2015 news and images to the LSC Newsletter. E-mail DanaThompsonDesigns@gmail.com by June 10, 2015. Visit www.clarkehistory.org for more. Current Gallery Exhibit: Fabric Fantasies II –continues to Sun., May 10 Upcoming Exhibit: Open to everyone to enter – In the Garden Fri., May 15 to Sun., June 14. Visit www.franklinparkartscenter.org under “In the Gallery” for more info. 10th Annual Sundays - Fridays 12 noon - 5 pm and Saturdays 10 am - 5 pm Artist’s Reception: Sunday, May 3 • 2 - 5 pm Franklin Park Arts Center –––––––––––––––––– Saturday, June 20 and Sunday, June 21 10 am to 5 pm each day Many of our Loudoun Sketch Club members will open their studios or be guest artists during this year’s Western Loudoun Artists Studio Tour. Grab a booklet and visit the studios of over 70 talented artists as you wind through the scenic countryside and historic villages of western Loudoun County. Enjoy paintings, pottery, jewelry, photography, fiber, sculpture and more! A Letter from the President Dear Sketch Club Members, We’ve made it through another cold, dreary winter, and our plein air painting season is just around the corner! Thanks to the Winter Workshop Committee and Zeynep Baki (for allowing us to use beautiful Hillsborough Vineyards facilities), we more than endured our time “off” with incredibly valuable, enriching workshops given by our own talented members. These workshops have allowed our members to share skills, give and gain enrichment, and maintain old and gain new friendships. I’m Lori Goll thrilled that we’ve made the commitment to add the Winter Workshop Committee as a permanent fixture in our bylaws so that we can continue this wonderful new tradition. I want to thank all the folks that worked hard to organize and hang the LSC spring show at ArtSpace Herndon. Lorrie Herman and several volunteers did a great job of hanging approximately 55 pieces of art. The show is beautiful, and we’ve received many compliments. We were a little disappointed with the low participation. Twenty-nine of our 150+ members entered this show, which showcased our group’s art to a whole new group of patrons in the Metro DC area. Hopefully we will have more participation in the upcoming fall show at Aldie Mill, the annual Hillsborough LSC fall show and the Virginia Land Trust Show in the Spring of 2016. By the time this newsletter is out, we will have had our annual Spring LSC Meeting. I hope that I will have seen many of you there! And I’m looking forward to seeing you in the beautiful venues that the Outdoor Sessions Committee have lined up for us in 2015! Warm regards –Lori Goll, President Membership Update Officers President Lori Goll 571-251-9659 lorigoll@verizon.net Vice-President Patrick Roth 703-250-0641 proth25@gmail.com Secretary Crystal Jordan 703-729-1046 jordanjj@att.net Treasurer Steve Huelsman 703-777-8725 Historian Pam De Peña 703-421-0218 pam@depena.com Membership Mary Champion championart@aol.com E-mail Concierge Margaret Huddy 703-356-2363 mthuddy@gmail.com Newsletter Newsletter Desk/ Compilation and Design Dana Thompson 540-454-1989 danathompsondesigns@gmail.com Feature Writers There are currently 12 people on the wait list to join the Sketch Club. We are voting on new membership policies at the Spring Meeting; we may be welcoming new members soon! Currently we have 167 members. –Mary Champion, Membership Chair and Feature Writer – Don’t Forget to Pick ‘Em Up – The LSC Spring Show at ArtSpace in Herndon will be concluding so... Pick up unsold work: Sunday, May 3, 3 - 5 pm or Monday, May 4, 10 am - noon Wonderful Workshops From flowers, pets to seascapes the 2015 Winter-Spring Workshop Season was a true success. photos by Zeynep Baki and Patrick Roth Loudoun Sketch Club Volunteers Gale Waldron 703-771-0127 Mary Champion championart@aol.com also thanks to Patrick Roth, Lisa Zadravec, Suzanne Lago Arthur and Outdoor Sessions Committee Mary MacDonnell Jessica Wilson Becky Tighe Lee Kincaid 540-554-8181 301-642-6995 540-668-6447 540-554-2640 Show Committee Dell Keathley- Painting Flowers Crystal Jordan Zeynep Baki 703-729-1046 jordanjj@att.net 540-668-7787 Indoor Sessions and Workshop Committee Lorrie Herman 703-906-5815 Remington Restivo 703-443-0814 Patrick Roth 703-250-0641 Webmaster Lori Goll- Seascapes Simon Bland- Pet Portraits Margaret Huddy- Painting Light Dana Thompson 540-454-1989 ––––––––––––––– Would you like to help? Do you have a suggestion? Let us know. Cheri Miller’s painting Ruby Red was featured on April’s cover and artist’s bio page of Sasee Magazine. Member News Bethany Widom is happily ensconced in her new loft studio at LoCo Art Studios in Leesburg. There since February, she’s currently working on a detailed still life that has a lot of meaning to her – her mother’s antique treadle sewing machine that she learned to sew on and a dress she sewed from a vintage pattern. The studios provide a lively atmosphere to exchange ideas and just chat with other artists and visitors. Please come by and say hello, see her new paintings and let Bethany show you around the artists’ studios. Located at 312 D, East Market st. in Leesburg, next to the George C. Marshall house. Christine Lashley took part in Paint North Carolina, Germantown Gallery: An invitational paintout with 25 artists from around the US to paint for a week in North Carolina. Reception, demos and show were the weekend of April 10 - 12, 2015. Art will be up until May 15 where Christine won an Equal Award for her painting Rainy Street. Plein Air Telluride, Co: Rainy Street by Christine Lashley, Christine will be one of 30 Juried Artists at this famous festival nestled in the heart of the spectacular rockies in Colorado’s Resort town. July 1-5, 2015. Salmagundi Annual Members’ Exhibit: Juried exhibit at the Salmagundi Club NYC April 27 - May 21, 2015. Elaine Nunnally met another Loudoun Sketch Club member, Denise Pierce, at the Spring Maid Watermedia Workshops at the Myrtle Beach Conference Center in April. They were excited to see each other, eventhough they didn’t know each other before the event. Elaine worked with Linda Baker and Denise worked with Judy Morris. In addition, Elaine’s work was accepted into the American Watercolor Elaine Nunnally and Denise Pierce at Spring Maid Watermedia Workshops in Myrtle Beach Society’s 148th Annual in front of Elaine’s work during the Friday Night International Exhibition at Show. the Salmagundi Club in New York City that ran from April 6 through April 25. Sasee Magazine cover for April 2015 Roberta Day’s painting Street Play was accepted for the 2015 Virginia Watercolor Society Exhibition which will be held in Harrisonburg from May 18 to June 26. Street Play by Roberta Day, watercolor, 2015© Ann Noel’s painting of Color Passages was part of the “Layers” exhibit at Torpedo Factory’s Associates Gallery March 30 -April 29. Color Passages by Ann Noel, oil For Sale Linda Bowman has two items for sale: Artograph 500W Prism Projector, lens and table stand. Projector model #225-090. The projector as been used very little and is in excellent condition. Original box and user manual are missing. The user manual is available for download on Artograph’s website. The table stand may have never been used and looks brand new. $150 or offer. Custom, 5 fluorescent bulb, solid oak Light Box. Size: 27"W x 35"L x 5 1/2 H. Plexiglass top. The light box is solidly built, glued and screwed, and is quite heavy. There is an personal inscription, made with a felt marker, on the inside of the cabinet. This could be sanded off. Extra long, 7’ wire with ground. $150 or offer. Anyone interested may call or email Linda Bowman 703-777-2718 naturartist@aol.com View from Sky Meadows by Mary Championl Check It Out! Strapless: John Singer Sargent and the Fall of Madame X Artistic Opportunities New Studios in Round Hill Working artists seeking studio space are invited to contact the Hill High Marketplace in Round Hill. Five studios will become available in May, with seven more coming this summer in the familiar Hill Hill High Orchard Building High Orchard building on Route 7. This iconic building currently houses the Round Hill Arts Center, Gateway Gallery, Mom’s Apple Pie and Bogati Winery. Studios range in size from 150-200 square feet. Artists may view the studios by appointment, and those interested may request an application at artistsloft@hill-high.com. Artists will be selected by a jury. Be In The First Annual $50 5x7 Artworks Event! Deadline for Submission Extended to May 1st The Friends of Leesburg Public Arts (non-profit) invites artists to participate in this fundraising event The $50 Friends 5x7 Art Works! Proceeds from the sale of your donated art will go to support public arts initiatives in Leesburg. For event dates and details you can download PDF at www.leesburgpublicarts.org/5x7-art-works.html or leave a voice message at 571-252-3336 with any questions. Trinity House Café Call for Art Trinity House Café in downtown Leesburg is inviting Loudoun Sketch Club members to submit work for a “Farm to Table” exhibit to celebrate Loudoun’s local food movement. We are looking for original framed paintings or drawings depicting an aspect of local food, farm life, or agriculture (examples: barns, planting, harvesting, vineyards, orchards, pigs, cows, chickens, vegetables, fruit, etc.). Loudoun’s local food movement culminates each year in the Farm to Fork Loudoun initiative. From July 23 to August 2, Trinity House Café will participate in this highly-anticipated celebration of local farm produce by showcasing a special menu of locally-sourced foods. Please submit a photo of your work along with its dimensions by June 15 to LSC member Jessica Wilson jessnotes94@gmail.com for consideration. Space is limited so we will be hanging salon style to accommodate as many members as possible. Submission limit is one large piece per member (16 x 20 max) or two smaller pieces. Selected artists will be notified by June 29. Juried artwork will need to be delivered on July 20, from 3 - 5 pm for hanging. Trinity House Café will take a 20% commission on artwork sold through the Café. Artists will be expected to sign a sales contract in order to sell their work, however the artwork does not have to be for sale in order to participate. Artwork hung on display will not be insured by Trinity House Café. Show dates: July 22 to September 27 Submission deadline: June 15 Notification: June 29 Drop off artwork: July 20 from 3 - 5 pm Pick up of unsold artwork: Sept 28 from 3 - 5 pm Central Virginia Watercolor Guild Call for Entries A call for entries has gone out for the Central Virginia Watercolor Guild 2015 Annual Show – September 4 September 27, 2015, McGuffey Art Center 201 Second Street, NW, Charlottesville, VA 22902 The Central Virginia Watercolor Guild invites all Virginia artists to enter its 24th Annual Exhibition. Our juror is UVA faculty member Julia May who holds a Masters and Ph.D. in Art History. An author of numerous papers, essays, and book reviews on various art-related topics, Dr. May has also served as a judge for art exhibitions in Indiana and Ohio. The show is open to all resident artists of Virginia and deadline for submissions is Saturday June 6, 2015. To access the show Prospectus and Entry Form, visit the CVWG website at: www.central-virginia-watercolor-guild.org/shows Amazon Web Services (AWS) Call for Art Purchase for Permanent Art Collection AWS seeks to purchase a wide range of original artwork in various media for their corporate office in Washington D.C. from artists who are either current students, alumni, or faculty of Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts (VCUarts) from all campuses or artists eighteen years and older who live, work, or who have their studios in the Metropolitan D.C. region. The entry deadline for DC Metro artists is May 3, 2015 at 12:55 p.m. ET. Notification by email of artwork accepted for purchase consideration will be sent by May 13, 2015. Further key dates and information will be supplied to artists with notification of artwork accepted for purchase consideration. For much more information and to register, visit: http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/ event?utm_medium=email&oeidk=a07eamhswpr0db5dfc2&llr= uhpd6pcab&utm_campaign=AMNZart+Call+for+Art&utm_sour ce=AMNZart+ For questions or additional information, contact Mercia Hobson, Director of the AMZNart Project, by email at AMZNart@artspaceherndon.com. by Deborah Davis A book review by Lis Zadravec I am not only late to this party but approaching it with some trepidation. This book was published back in 2004 coinciding with a resurgence of Sargent interest after a world-wide tour of his work. I remember that exhibit. I sent my students so prepared that even my toddler daughter knew more about Sargent than most. John Singer Sargent Madam X by John Singer Sargent -1884 to those like me who make Metropolitan Museum, New York Oil on canvas portraits, is a favorite. There 208.6 x 109.9 cm (82 1/8 x 43 1/4 in.) in the awed hush of a gallery, my daughter piped up, Look, Mommy, it’s Madame X! And parroted some not-so-well-known information in that preschool-rote manner children have when they say something “everyone knows”. Heads spun around to see the tiny child speaking from my arms. Having written a college paper on my favorite artist, my fear was, there is not a thing you could tell me, ever. Certainly not from an author who is a script writer! My literary snobbery held as high as Madame Gautreau’s nose, I cracked this book to be taught a few lessons. 1) Script writers do their homework. In straight forward prose that is not as high hat as my usual fare, Ms. Davis begins the story of Amelie Gautreau. And if you are going to tell it, why not start with her great grandparents! I am immediately struck by what I don’t know of our Southern and particularly, Louisiana history and its French roots. But even more so by what I don’t know at all of French history. Like this historic preamble, about fifty pages from the end of the book Davis begins to tie up loose ends and tells us the fate of every single character and side character. Thorough. And in the end, the writing is not as artless as I had feared. In fact from the time Mr. Sargent himself is woven into my study of European history and the American ex-patriots who inhabit it, this book has become a page turner. Deftly parsing the fact from the myth and urban legend of the day, or how the devotees and naysayers have passed that history down, I realize my college paper was riddled with twisted information. My information was gathered from sources tempered with either the disdain of the painting’s subject or the saintly depiction of the painter. Now I have before me the full facts from which to draw a new picture of the artist. As a student at the Corcoran School of Art, I had once been privy to the amazing collection of male nude drawings flawlessly rendered by this unmatched artistic deity. Taken out of their drawers only once a year or so for a lucky audience. The paper held before my marveling eyes seemed to beg more of a story than I had ever heard. Here was a love of beauty crossing gender lines and the hand to capture it. Sargent’s private life has always been a mystery. He was a private man who barely betrayed that side to himself, let alone the public. But Ms. Davis has done her homework. What clues may exist, she has unearthed and here lies a most complete depiction of the man behind the gift. Celebrity following and Reality TV of today have nothing on the society of the past. Human nature being what it is, we rubberneck the macabre and mock the rising star. It is an ugliness that dawns in biblical times. Jealousy, cultural values, even politics bend us and expose our most offensive flaws. All of this, as well as the culture of the times and an adherence to a group mentality play important roles in what happens next. We are shocked, we think ourselves better, yet happily Kardashian-bash over red carpet events and seek out shocking CSI plot lines. Are we really better than society back then? Or did Deborah Davis just make it glaringly clear that we are the same human animals in a different frame. Who suffered most from these events and mores? I won’t give away the scoop or what happens to each life involved, for therein lies the story. We now see Sargent’s skill was his strength as well as his downfall. We root for Sargent to rally his spirit and paint again. Somehow we know he will because he has yet to paint some of our favorites. Eventually it all evens out and a man once scorned for his painting is recognized again, even within his lifetime. But since, he has fallen in and out of fashion with the winds of changing tastes in genre. Is it the rage to like the realist? Are we hating traditionalism this year? Culture, values, popularity and perspectives evolve from one era to the next and so our fickle tastes in art. In spite of these arbitrary changes, Sargent will always be to some, like me who fell in love with his elegant style and perfect draftsmanship, the best in a field the rest of us mortals can only aspire to. We may know a bit of the ending, heard some of what happened to his subject, but I assure you, not all. Putting myth to bed at last, what of poor Amelie, Madame X? I’d love to tell you but I will leave it to this expert. I am only here to entice you to read. Surfing the Web An interesting blog and one of my favorite artists, Renato Mucillo: linesandcolors.com/ 2014/03/26/renato-muccillo/ Some members of the LSC Facebook Group had a lively discussion on Tonalism; here is another artist that claims an affinity for tonalism: www.JohnMacDonald.com Studio paintings and plein air paintings. –Mary Champion Misty Landscape by Renato Mucillo 2015 Plein Air Painting Places Date June 16 and 23 Where and Who Blooming Hill Lavender Farm Description Blooming Hill Farm is a tiny “farmlet” that raises over 600 19929 Telegraph Springs Rd., Purcellville, VA 20132 Owner: Peter & Cyndie Rinek lavender plants in almost 50 different varities. Beautifully landscaped on 4 acres by the owner who is a landscape architect and who also built the colonial home, charming shop and petite English inspired greenhouse. Directions From Leesburg: Rt.7W to Purcellville Exit. Turn left at light on to Berlin Turnpike (Rt. 287). Turn right at roundabout (Biz. Rt.7). Go through town until you come to Rt. 690S Lost? (32nd St.) it becomes Silcott Springs Rd. Turn left then continue until you Contact: come to the blinking light, Snickerville Pike. Turn left and another immediate Mary MacDonnell 540-554-8181 left onto Telegraph Springs Rd. – 2nd house on left. From the South: Rt. 50 W through Middleburg to St. Louis Rd. (Rt. 611) Continue to blinking lighting, Snickersville Pike. Turn right then an immediate left onto Telegraph Springs Rd. – 2nd house on left. You can park in the yard or on the road – Very limited parking. PLEASE CARPOOL IF YOU CAN June 30 and July 7 Lenhart Farm 14955 Neer Lane, Purcellville, VA 20132 Lenhart Farm is really a pretty property. The hill above the house has views of Breaux and Hillsborough Vineyards, the gap down Rt. 9 and Harpers Ferry Rd. and the Purcellville reservoir. The stucco farmhouse was built in early 1800s and added onto after the Civil War. It has many out buildings near it including smokehouse, springhouse, storage sheds, etc. There is a large white, wooden bank barn with a stone addition used as a yoga studio with restroom. There are also horses and a small wetland and very nice large pond that reflects the near by buildings. Directions From Leesburg: take Rt. 7 to Rt 9. Pass Hillsborough Vineyard and take the next left onto Cider Mill Rd. Turn right on Neer Lane. 14955 is on the left as you go up the hill you can see the large white barn. The property is very close to Hillsborough Vineyard. July 14 and 21 Meadow Grove Farm 19931 Ebenezer Church Rd., Bluemont,VA 20135 Owner: Matt & Sasha Cohir Lost? Contact: Becky Tighe 540-668-6447 Meadow Grove Farm –We came here in 2012, it has a long drive that takes you to an 18th century Quaker stone farmhouse. It has a large front porch over-looking a 10-acre lake where we painted past lotus lilies. We now hope the lilies will be in their full glory. Most will be gone next year since they are taking over. There are also mountain views and maybe some hay bales. Directions Lost? From Leesburg: Take Rt. 7W to Round Hill, turn right – from gas station turn Contact: left onto New Cut Rd. (Rt. 719) which becomes Airmont Rd. After 4 miles, cross Mary MacDonnell 540-554-8181 over Snickersville Pike. Go about 3 miles to second Ebenezer Church Rd. (church and cemetery) – turn right – Meadow Grove is about ½ mile on left. From the South: Take Rt. 50 W through Middleburg, just before you come to Upperville and the horse show grounds take right onto Willsville Rd. (the name will change Millsville Rd. on the curve that bares left). Turn right on Greengarden Rd. (name will change to Airmont Rd. at Trappe Rd. Go through little town of Bloomfield to Ebenezer Church Rd. (church and cemetery). Turn left – Meadow Grove is about ½ mile on your left. We will be having a show of LAND TRUST PROPERTIES next Spring hopefully at Oatlands. So save your best paintings from this summer and last from Land Trust Properties. Last year’s farms that are on the Trust: Past years’ farms that are on the Trust: East Lynn Farm–Airmont Rd., Bluemont Windsor Farm–Trappe Rd., Upperville Dresden Farm–Snickersville Pike, Middleburg Peace and Plenty–Delaplane Grade Rd., Upperville Talbot Farm–Clarks Gap Rd., Waterford Grace Hill (now Legacy Farm)–Ebenezer Church Rd., Copeland Farm–Ashbury Church Rd., Purcellville Bluemont Silverbrook Farm–Woodgrove Rd., Purcellville near Hillsboro Tuckahoe–Bloomfield Rd., Bluemont Woodgrove Meadow–Woodgrove Rd., Round Hill Weatherlea Farm–Weatherlea Farm Lane, Lovettsville 2 Loudoun Sketch Club More Artistic Opportunities Roots at 657 Call For Art Opening in the Fall of this year, Roots at 657 (42301 Spinks Ferry Road, Leesburg, VA 20176) is looking for artists to be featured in their business. The location is in Lucketts near the polka dot silo. Tracy, the owner, and her partners envision a destination location with farm-to-market produce and café with a chef who has a creative flair. The place will be a Mennonite-built barn used for a yearround farm market and café. They are hoping to feature an artist or two each month or two and are looking for individuals with a body of work willing to show/sell in this alternative setting. If artists are interested contact Tracy@ROOTSat657.com. Visit Rootsat657.com Oatlands – Call For Art Oatlands announces a Call to Artists for the Seventeenth Annual Four Seasons of Oatlands Art Show and Sale. This annual Art Show takes place in the historic Carriage House at Oatlands, a National Trust Historic Site. The show begins with a preview party on June 28 for artists, patrons and Friends of Oatlands (by invitation). Participating artists are invited to the event free of charge. Please visit www.oatlands.org/eventdescriptions/EventDescriptions/163/month--201505/vobid--1899/ to get the registration forms for your submissions to the summer show. Please include these forms with your slides or photographs for the jury process along with your $35 fee ($15 for student work). As in the past, 25% of the purchase price of pieces sold will be retained by Oatlands. Submissions are due by May 26 at 5 pm. Email Julie Goforth at hospitality@oatlands.org with any questions. Geographical regions for this year’s show will include Oatlands, the Mosby Heritage Area, the Journey Through Hallowed Ground corridor, Washington, DC, New York City, New Mexico, Italy, France and the United Kingdom. All media of artwork will be accepted, including but not limited to, paintings, photographs, ceramics, textiles and sculpture, as long as it meets the above criteria. The show will be juried by representatives of the local art community. As in years past, we will have a section highlighting student (under age 18) artwork. The show will continue through July 31, 2015. Looking for Volunteer Instructors, and Input, for the 2016 Winter Workshops Now that the 2015 Winter Workshops are over it’s time to think about next year’s workshops. The committee is looking for volunteers to conduct workshops in 2016. There is a lot of talent out there and this is your chance to give back to the club for all those great Tuesday painting opportunities in the spring, summer, and fall. In addition there is a $200 honorarium offered to worksop instructors. We are also looking for program input. Is there something that you think would be a good workshop topic? Let us know. If you have a suggestion as to who would be a good instructor for that topic, also let us know that too. You don’t have to limit yourself to proposing only club member instructors. The committee will consider all suggestions. Contact any Winter Workshop Committee member. Lorrie Herman lahermanart@cox.net, Remington Restivo remingtonrestivo@gmail.com, or Pat Roth proth25@gmail.com. In The Garden Franklin Park Arts Center Call For Art The art show runs from Fri., May 15 – Fri., June 15, 2015 The Opening Reception is Sunday, May 24 from 3 - 5 pm The show will be held in the lobby gallery of the Franklin Park Arts Center which is open every day from 9 am - 5 pm and on evenings and weekends during performances. Some Terms and Conditions For much more information and to download the Application Agreement, visit: www.franklinparkartscenter.org/exhibitions/ • There is a $20 nonrefundable entry fee. • Artists may submit one piece of artwork in any medium (oil, acrylic, watercolor, photography, pastel, ceramics, sculpture etc.). • Artwork must be properly framed, matted (if appropriate) and ready to hang with hooks, eyes and sturdy wire (no saw tooth hangers). • Artist’s name, title of piece and sales price must be marked on the back of all artwork. • No previously entered artwork will be accepted. • All artwork must be for sale. • Artist will receive, from the County of Loudoun, a check for 80% of the money collected for artist’s sold artwork. • Delivery dates are Mon. to Wed. from 9 am - 5 pm. After- hours delivery by appt. • Pick up dates of unsold artwork are Mon., May 11 to Wed., May 13 from 9 am - 5 pm. After- hours pick up by appt. For questions, please call Barbara Sample at 540-338-7973 or email barbara.sample@loudoun.gov Live An Artful Life Scale – A Juried Art Show – Call for Entries Exhibit & Sale Runs September 26 – October 11, 2015 Live An Artful Life® Gallery(6474 Main St The Plains, VA 20198) invites artists residing in Maryland, Virginia and Washington D.C. to interpret “scale”.With this show, artists have a unique opportunity to create two paintings in any medium, of two scales - one miniature measuring 8” x 10” (image size) or smaller and one medium size painting at 18” x 24” (image size). Because of the theme and the gallery, these sizes must be followed. The theme lends itself to interesting possibilities. A still life for example, might have one piece of fruit depicted in the miniature, while a whole bowl is done larger, but it also could be the other way around. Or a landscape could be done large and small, or the small painting could be a piece of the other. What ever you choose, the point is to offer an interesting viewpoint and variety while keeping within the theme. ARTIST SCHEDULE: Submission Deadline: Aug. 31, 2015 Email Notification: Sept. 8, 2015 Delivery to Gallery: Sept. 21, 3 - 5 pm or Sept. 22, 10 am - 12 pm Shipped Artwork: Must arrive by Sept. 21, 2015 Opening Reception: Saturday, Sept. 26 – 5 - 7 pm Exhibit Ends: Sunday, Oct. 11, 2015 Artwork Pick Up/Shipped: Oct. 12, 3 - 5 pm or Oct. 13, 10 - 12 pm For rules, fees, award, registration and much more information, visit www.liveanartfullife.com/show-prospectus-2 Loudoun Sketch Club 3 What To Do, What To Do... Virginia Museum of Fine Arts tors. This highly rendered style of painting 200 N. Boulevard, Richmond, Virginia eventually led to the creVan Gogh, Manet and Matisse: ation of the French Academies with a focus The Art of the Flower on training artists for the The VMFA in Richmond has lucrative porcelain trade a block-buster exhibit currently and other luxury goods on view through June 21st. patronized by the Much more expansive than its French court in Paris. In namesake, this survey of French the next room, Eugène floral still life painting begins in Delacroix’s A Vase with the mid-18th Century and culmiFlower declares war nates in the first decades of the against such scientific 20th Century. There are 65 precision. This revolupaintings on display demonstrattionary sketch is more about the rendering of the paint ing the great breadth of the itself in a “premier coup” manner. Delacroix’s approach to genre including Franco-Dutch the genre ushered in a new era of French floral still life artists, French Academy painting. In the second half of the exhibition, you see how painters, the Impressionists and their contemporaries and ending with Matisse and Redon. the Impressionists evolved into masterful painters by The exhibit opens with exquisite paintings of dew speckled experimenting with paint handling, space, color and patflowers, insects and birds by such artists as Anne Vallayer- tern on floral still life’s, many of which are on view. This exhibit is must for plein air painters. But beware, Spring Coster (painter to Marie Antoinette) and other Dutch ~Suzanne Lago Arthur trained artists like Gerard van Spaendonck. Many of these Fever is sure to follow. Left: “A Vase With Flowerss" by Ferdinand Victor Eugéne Delacroix, oil,1833. artists led dual careers as painters and botanical illustraRight: “Bouquet of Flowers in a Blue Porcelain Vase" by Anne Vallayer-Coster, oil, 1776. Purcellville Music and Arts Festival and Juried Art Show May 16 from 10 am to 7 pm Fireman’s Field and Bush Tabernacle 250 South Nursery Ave. Visit their Facebook page: www.facebook.com/ Purcellville Music and Arts Festival Spring Brings “Feathered Nest” to Berkshire Hathaway Home Services PenFed Realty in Hamilton Feathered Nest – new paintings by Linda Hendrickson – will be on display at PenFed Realty (Berkshire Hathaway Home Services) from April 22 – August 30, 2015. Known for her charming and whimsical portraits, Linda has earned many awards for her paintings of dogs, cats and other animal friends. Please join Linda for her opening reception on Thursday, May 14, 5 - 7 pm. Feathered Nest". Mixed Media on paper. 11 x 11" River District Arts 3 River Lane, Sperryville, VA 22740 Frederick Kahler: The Art Speaks May 1 - June 28, 2015 Opening Reception: Saturday May 2 from 5-7 pm. The drawings of Rappahannock resident artist Frederick Kahler will be on exhibit in this rare hometown show. Recognized as a selftaught artist, Fred’s drawings have been acquired by renowned collectors nationally and internationally, and are in the collections of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA; and American Visionar y Art Museum, Baltimore, MD. For more, visit: www.RiverDistrictArts.org/rda-exhibits Burwell-Morgan Mill’s Art at the Mill Spring Show Continues through Sunday, May 10, 2015 Show Us Your Stuff From the Newsletter Desk Here’s the schedule for Newsletter copy and images: Deadlines for submitting info: Issues for 2015: July/August June 10 September/ October August 10 November/December October 10 Issues for 2016: January/February December 10 March/April February 10 May/June April 10 Please send your news and pictures to Dana at DanaThompsonDesigns@gmail.com When e-mailing your news: Please put “LSC News” or other clear and relevant words in the subject of the e-mail so I don’t delete it thinking it’s spam from an e-mail address I don’t recognize. Please include Images!! We’re a visual organization, and our newsletter (and website for that matter) should reflect that. Images should be color jpegs, 300dpi, at least 3” wide or larger (no less that 1000 pixels if possible). If the image is your artwork, please include title, unframed size, medium and date for each. If the image is a person or event, please include an appropriate caption and identification. Contributing Writers Wanted: Helpful Hints; Upcoming Shows and Exhibits; Classes and Workshops; Competitions and Deadlines; Great Websites or Organizations... Anything that would be of help or interest to our members. Thank you to the contributers who continue to inform and inspire. And please know, all members are encouraged to participate. Keep it coming! Lost Your Newsletter? Or maybe you’d like another copy to send to a friend or potential new member? You can now go to the Sketch Club website and download any newsletter you need. Go to www.LoudounSketchClub.com –Dana Thompson The Gateway Gallery ––––––––––––––––––––– Bouquets for Mom at the Gateway Gallery The Gateway Gallery in Round Hill, VA presents a reception honoring mothers on Sunday, May 3, from 2 pm until 4 pm. Beaded and embroidered jewelry by Round Hill resident Robin Wilkinson and watercolors painted by Round Hill resident Catherine Hillis will be featured, and both artists will be on hand to discuss their work – and have a little fun as well. Every mother in attendance will receive fresh cut flower. We are located on Rt. 7 just west of Round Hill, in the Hill High Orchard Building, which we share with the Round Hill Arts Center, the Bogati Bodega wine & tapas tasting room, and Mom’s Apple Pie. Open daily from 11 - 6 pm. Learn more at www.thegatewaygallery.com. Round Hill Arts Center ––––––––––––––––––––– www.RoundHillArtCenter.org • 540-338-5022 Draw & Paint from Life Tuesdays 7 - 9 pm; $10 per person, Age 18 & up; bring your own art supplies. RHAC provides easels – bring a drawing board and whatever else you need. May Handy Hour: Introduction to Calligraphy with Karen Helble Friday, May 29, 6:30 - 9 pm. $20 plus $10 materials fee, Age 18 & up. Get started on this artistic form of handwriting -- no experience needed! Peace Love and Tie Dye with the Immortals Sunday, June 7, 2 - 4 pm on the Loading Dock. Concert and dyeing is FREE, $10 charge for t-shirts. An amazing afternoon of rocking music & tie-dye! Bring your own shirt or buy one...and with a free concert by rock and roll favorites The Immortals. Basketry: Make a Utensil Basket with Karen Helble Saturday, June 14, 9 am - 3 pm, $80 plus $14 materials fee, Age 16 & up. Join Karen Helble and make a sturdy basket you'll use every day! Oil Color Workshop with Jessica Wilson Saturday, June 27, 1:30 - 5 pm. $75 per student, Ages 18 & up. Please bring canvas or panel and brushes to class. Jessica will share information and ideas that help other artists in their work in this informational workshop, using and demonstrating the paints and mediums produced by nationally known paint company, Gamblin Colors. Free samples and educational literature will be available to participants.and your own creativity. Western Loudoun Artists Studio Tour Join the conversation on Facebook! ––––––––––––––––––––––––––– And don’t forget to send Admission: $5 for adults, $3 for seniors, students free your July/August 2015 news and images to the LSC Newsletter. E-mail DanaThompsonDesigns@gmail.com by June 10, 2015. Visit www.clarkehistory.org for more. Current Gallery Exhibit: Fabric Fantasies II –continues to Sun., May 10 Upcoming Exhibit: Open to everyone to enter – In the Garden Fri., May 15 to Sun., June 14. Visit www.franklinparkartscenter.org under “In the Gallery” for more info. 10th Annual Sundays - Fridays 12 noon - 5 pm and Saturdays 10 am - 5 pm Artist’s Reception: Sunday, May 3 • 2 - 5 pm Franklin Park Arts Center –––––––––––––––––– Saturday, June 20 and Sunday, June 21 10 am to 5 pm each day Many of our Loudoun Sketch Club members will open their studios or be guest artists during this year’s Western Loudoun Artists Studio Tour. Grab a booklet and visit the studios of over 70 talented artists as you wind through the scenic countryside and historic villages of western Loudoun County. Enjoy paintings, pottery, jewelry, photography, fiber, sculpture and more! View from Sky Meadows by Mary Championl Check It Out! Strapless: John Singer Sargent and the Fall of Madame X Artistic Opportunities New Studios in Round Hill Working artists seeking studio space are invited to contact the Hill High Marketplace in Round Hill. Five studios will become available in May, with seven more coming this summer in the familiar Hill Hill High Orchard Building High Orchard building on Route 7. This iconic building currently houses the Round Hill Arts Center, Gateway Gallery, Mom’s Apple Pie and Bogati Winery. Studios range in size from 150-200 square feet. Artists may view the studios by appointment, and those interested may request an application at artistsloft@hill-high.com. Artists will be selected by a jury. Be In The First Annual $50 5x7 Artworks Event! Deadline for Submission Extended to May 1st The Friends of Leesburg Public Arts (non-profit) invites artists to participate in this fundraising event The $50 Friends 5x7 Art Works! Proceeds from the sale of your donated art will go to support public arts initiatives in Leesburg. For event dates and details you can download PDF at www.leesburgpublicarts.org/5x7-art-works.html or leave a voice message at 571-252-3336 with any questions. Trinity House Café Call for Art Trinity House Café in downtown Leesburg is inviting Loudoun Sketch Club members to submit work for a “Farm to Table” exhibit to celebrate Loudoun’s local food movement. We are looking for original framed paintings or drawings depicting an aspect of local food, farm life, or agriculture (examples: barns, planting, harvesting, vineyards, orchards, pigs, cows, chickens, vegetables, fruit, etc.). Loudoun’s local food movement culminates each year in the Farm to Fork Loudoun initiative. From July 23 to August 2, Trinity House Café will participate in this highly-anticipated celebration of local farm produce by showcasing a special menu of locally-sourced foods. Please submit a photo of your work along with its dimensions by June 15 to LSC member Jessica Wilson jessnotes94@gmail.com for consideration. Space is limited so we will be hanging salon style to accommodate as many members as possible. Submission limit is one large piece per member (16 x 20 max) or two smaller pieces. Selected artists will be notified by June 29. Juried artwork will need to be delivered on July 20, from 3 - 5 pm for hanging. Trinity House Café will take a 20% commission on artwork sold through the Café. Artists will be expected to sign a sales contract in order to sell their work, however the artwork does not have to be for sale in order to participate. Artwork hung on display will not be insured by Trinity House Café. Show dates: July 22 to September 27 Submission deadline: June 15 Notification: June 29 Drop off artwork: July 20 from 3 - 5 pm Pick up of unsold artwork: Sept 28 from 3 - 5 pm Central Virginia Watercolor Guild Call for Entries A call for entries has gone out for the Central Virginia Watercolor Guild 2015 Annual Show – September 4 September 27, 2015, McGuffey Art Center 201 Second Street, NW, Charlottesville, VA 22902 The Central Virginia Watercolor Guild invites all Virginia artists to enter its 24th Annual Exhibition. Our juror is UVA faculty member Julia May who holds a Masters and Ph.D. in Art History. An author of numerous papers, essays, and book reviews on various art-related topics, Dr. May has also served as a judge for art exhibitions in Indiana and Ohio. The show is open to all resident artists of Virginia and deadline for submissions is Saturday June 6, 2015. To access the show Prospectus and Entry Form, visit the CVWG website at: www.central-virginia-watercolor-guild.org/shows Amazon Web Services (AWS) Call for Art Purchase for Permanent Art Collection AWS seeks to purchase a wide range of original artwork in various media for their corporate office in Washington D.C. from artists who are either current students, alumni, or faculty of Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts (VCUarts) from all campuses or artists eighteen years and older who live, work, or who have their studios in the Metropolitan D.C. region. The entry deadline for DC Metro artists is May 3, 2015 at 12:55 p.m. ET. Notification by email of artwork accepted for purchase consideration will be sent by May 13, 2015. Further key dates and information will be supplied to artists with notification of artwork accepted for purchase consideration. For much more information and to register, visit: http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/ event?utm_medium=email&oeidk=a07eamhswpr0db5dfc2&llr= uhpd6pcab&utm_campaign=AMNZart+Call+for+Art&utm_sour ce=AMNZart+ For questions or additional information, contact Mercia Hobson, Director of the AMZNart Project, by email at AMZNart@artspaceherndon.com. by Deborah Davis A book review by Lis Zadravec I am not only late to this party but approaching it with some trepidation. This book was published back in 2004 coinciding with a resurgence of Sargent interest after a world-wide tour of his work. I remember that exhibit. I sent my students so prepared that even my toddler daughter knew more about Sargent than most. John Singer Sargent Madam X by John Singer Sargent -1884 to those like me who make Metropolitan Museum, New York Oil on canvas portraits, is a favorite. There 208.6 x 109.9 cm (82 1/8 x 43 1/4 in.) in the awed hush of a gallery, my daughter piped up, Look, Mommy, it’s Madame X! And parroted some not-so-well-known information in that preschool-rote manner children have when they say something “everyone knows”. Heads spun around to see the tiny child speaking from my arms. Having written a college paper on my favorite artist, my fear was, there is not a thing you could tell me, ever. Certainly not from an author who is a script writer! My literary snobbery held as high as Madame Gautreau’s nose, I cracked this book to be taught a few lessons. 1) Script writers do their homework. In straight forward prose that is not as high hat as my usual fare, Ms. Davis begins the story of Amelie Gautreau. And if you are going to tell it, why not start with her great grandparents! I am immediately struck by what I don’t know of our Southern and particularly, Louisiana history and its French roots. But even more so by what I don’t know at all of French history. Like this historic preamble, about fifty pages from the end of the book Davis begins to tie up loose ends and tells us the fate of every single character and side character. Thorough. And in the end, the writing is not as artless as I had feared. In fact from the time Mr. Sargent himself is woven into my study of European history and the American ex-patriots who inhabit it, this book has become a page turner. Deftly parsing the fact from the myth and urban legend of the day, or how the devotees and naysayers have passed that history down, I realize my college paper was riddled with twisted information. My information was gathered from sources tempered with either the disdain of the painting’s subject or the saintly depiction of the painter. Now I have before me the full facts from which to draw a new picture of the artist. As a student at the Corcoran School of Art, I had once been privy to the amazing collection of male nude drawings flawlessly rendered by this unmatched artistic deity. Taken out of their drawers only once a year or so for a lucky audience. The paper held before my marveling eyes seemed to beg more of a story than I had ever heard. Here was a love of beauty crossing gender lines and the hand to capture it. Sargent’s private life has always been a mystery. He was a private man who barely betrayed that side to himself, let alone the public. But Ms. Davis has done her homework. What clues may exist, she has unearthed and here lies a most complete depiction of the man behind the gift. Celebrity following and Reality TV of today have nothing on the society of the past. Human nature being what it is, we rubberneck the macabre and mock the rising star. It is an ugliness that dawns in biblical times. Jealousy, cultural values, even politics bend us and expose our most offensive flaws. All of this, as well as the culture of the times and an adherence to a group mentality play important roles in what happens next. We are shocked, we think ourselves better, yet happily Kardashian-bash over red carpet events and seek out shocking CSI plot lines. Are we really better than society back then? Or did Deborah Davis just make it glaringly clear that we are the same human animals in a different frame. Who suffered most from these events and mores? I won’t give away the scoop or what happens to each life involved, for therein lies the story. We now see Sargent’s skill was his strength as well as his downfall. We root for Sargent to rally his spirit and paint again. Somehow we know he will because he has yet to paint some of our favorites. Eventually it all evens out and a man once scorned for his painting is recognized again, even within his lifetime. But since, he has fallen in and out of fashion with the winds of changing tastes in genre. Is it the rage to like the realist? Are we hating traditionalism this year? Culture, values, popularity and perspectives evolve from one era to the next and so our fickle tastes in art. In spite of these arbitrary changes, Sargent will always be to some, like me who fell in love with his elegant style and perfect draftsmanship, the best in a field the rest of us mortals can only aspire to. We may know a bit of the ending, heard some of what happened to his subject, but I assure you, not all. Putting myth to bed at last, what of poor Amelie, Madame X? I’d love to tell you but I will leave it to this expert. I am only here to entice you to read. Surfing the Web An interesting blog and one of my favorite artists, Renato Mucillo: linesandcolors.com/ 2014/03/26/renato-muccillo/ Some members of the LSC Facebook Group had a lively discussion on Tonalism; here is another artist that claims an affinity for tonalism: www.JohnMacDonald.com Studio paintings and plein air paintings. –Mary Champion Misty Landscape by Renato Mucillo Dagmar Wilson Loudoun Preservationist and Artist Capturing the Disappearing Landscape Dagmar Wilson is remembered as a towering figure in the American peace and social justice movement who, among other things, founded the Women’s Strike for Peace. At the height of the Cold War, she led a coalition of women to meet their Russian counterparts over concerns about the nuclear arms race. The women activists were later credited with influencing the leadership of both countries to agree on a limited test ban treaty. She passed away January 9, 2011 just shy of her 95th birthday. As the Sketch Club celebrates its 70th anniversary, it’s appropriate to celebrate Dagmar Wilson, Loudoun resident, artist, preservationist, club member, and club President 1975-76. A graduate of London’s Slade School of Art and Hamilton Water Tower, watercolor already an accomplished illustrator of children’s books, Dagmar and her husband Christopher moved to Mount Gilead in 1971. Mt. Gilead was already a weekend home for painters Alfred and June McAdams and Margaret and Ed Marks. Over time it came to be known as an artists’ colony. A few years later when they were joined by painter Robert Sivard and his wife Ruth the artists organized tours of their studios. Dagmar’s Loudoun art sought to capture the beauty of the countryside and it’s architectural history before it was lost. The Washington Post quoted her saying “I’ve concentrated all my efforts on Loudoun landscape because it is so beautiful. I like the agricultural country, but it’s getting more and more scarce and getting further away.” This love of the countryside led to her becoming a founding member of the Preservation Society of Dagmar at her easel Loudoun County. She worked in oil, watercolor, and pencil. “I have found inspiration in such artists as Hopper, Scheeler and David Inshaw. I try to ferret out the abstract designs to be found in architectural structures and in sunlight and shadows. I like to reveal the subtle differences in qualities of light: between summer and winter, indoor and outdoor, direct and reflected. But my pictures also portray aspects of man’s work and his impact—not always beautiful—on the environment.” Dagmar’s works are recognizable for their crisp depictions of farm architecture and the surrounding countryside and domestic farm interiors. Quoted in the Loudoun Times Mirror, Loudoun painter Antionia Walker stated that her work is both “rigorous and beautiful…realistic and abstract.” Similarly quoted, Gale Waldron looking at her detail noted that “You can Back Stairs Red Shoes, watercolor look, look, and look and still you don’t see it all.” Margaret Marks, who studied under Hans Hoffman, was “struck by the simplicity and accuracy of her work.” She painted daily, if she could, and was active well into her eighties. That said, she said “I think most of my favorite paintings as still in my head, waiting to be painted. And they have a lot to do with structural things.” This is probably a good place to end. Our club’s membership’s favorite paintings are still in our heads, out there, waiting to be painted, on Tuesdays. –Patrick Roth 2015 Plein Air Painting Places Date May 5 and 12 Pointers 4 Loudoun Sketch Club Trappe Hill Farm 20561 Trappe Rd., Upperville, VA 20184 Owners: Bruce and Eddie Smart Description Trappe Hill Farm We went to this farm in 2012 and members have wanted to return when the cherry trees are in bloom. Hopefully we are in luck this year with the late spring. Besides the cherry trees which line the driveway this is a large thoroughbred horse farm with a Normandy-style house, stone outer buildings, large horseshoe-shaped barn and several ponds. LAND TRUST PROPERTY. Lost? Directions Contact: From Leesburg: Rt.7 W to Round Hill, turn right to gas station – turn left Mary MacDonnell onto New Cut Rd (Rt.719) which becomes Airmont Rd. After 4 miles cross 540-554-8181 over Snickersville Pike – continue on thru Bloomfield to Trappe Rd. – turn right – continue to sharp left in road - have arrived at 20561 on right. From South: Take Rt.50 W through Upperville. Turn right onto Trappe Rd. on west side of town Continue on Trappe to 20561 on left. May 19 and 26 Chilton Farm 23156 St. Louis Rd., Middleburg, VA 20117 Owners: Mark & Jana Leepson Chilton Farm is a 66-acre farm with stone house (c.1929). Original owners were of the Belmont Races family. Woodlands, open fields, old barn, and picturesque views along Rt. 611. Horses graze in a pasture next to enclosed horse training facility which is off limits. Lost? Contact: Jessica Wilson 301-642-6995 Directions From Leesburg: Take Rt. 15S to Rt. 50. Keep right onto 50. Follow Rt. 50 through Middleburg, continue 3.8 miles to St. Louis Rd. Turn right onto (Rt. 611) and continue .3 miles until you see sign on right for Chilton Farm. Turn right into driveway. Ignore first driveway on immediate right. Stay straight until you come to circular driveway in front of house where you can park. Picture Instruction in all this terminology is beyond the scope of an LSC Newsletter article, but we can point the brave and willing to several sources to help you gain understanding. You may need to augment the software that came with your computer. It is almost impossible for an artist to promote An industry favorite is Photoshop – and you can do everything you need with Photoshop Elements. It is so widely used that there are their work, enter shows, or print business cards and other great tutorials on the web: www.photoshopessentials.com/essentials promotional materials without some basic understanding of image size, file size, and resolution when it comes to pictures has explanations with illustrations for terms like image quality, resolution, and resizing. of their work. A free alternative is GIMP, www.gimp.com. The website for The prospectus for a juried show may ask for something like “longest side at 1000 pixels” and specify “resolution at 300 dpi, this image manipulation program also offers tutorials to get with maximum file size 3 MB.” You use the “resize” function you started. If all you teach yourself is how to crop, straightthat’s on your computer and often find that you can get one or en and resize images to certain specs, you will be rewarded with the knowledge that you can properly prepare your wonthe other, but not both, especially if you are starting with a low resolution image file and you need to make it both larger derful paintings for any use. and higher resolution. This action may require what is called You will never have to pass on an opportunity because you “resampling” essentially adding pixels to the image file so that don’t have the right image files to send in! –Mary Champion it does not appear blurry or pixilated when enlarged. Where and Who June 2 and 9 Spring House Farm Spring House Farm has an interesting old house that has 21504 Greengarden Rd., Upperville, VA 20184 been added onto over the years in stucco, stone, log and clapboard with porches along the back. Nice old barns and spring house. Views from the back field of the mountains and a very large neighbor’s pond. Owners: Michael & Allyson Alto LAND TRUST PROPERTY. Lost? Contact: Mary MacDonnell 540-554-8181 Directions From Leesburg: Rt.7W to Round Hill, turn right to gas station – turn left onto New Cut Rd. (Rt.719) which becomes Airmont Rd. – cross over Snickersville Pike – continue through tiny town of Bloomfield past Trappe Rd. (Airmont Rd. now becomes Greengarden Rd.) – continue on about 2 miles second drive on left past Newstead Farm. From the South: Rt.50 W through Middleburg to just before you come to Upperville and horse show grounds – turn right on Willisville Rd..(the name will change to Millsville at curve) - turn right onto Greengarden Rd.- third driveway on right. Loudoun Sketch Club 1 Let’s Get Outside! Creating and Supporting the Visual Arts in Loudoun County, Virginia since 1944 LSC Newsletter Online: www.LoudounSketchClub.com – Featured Artist – Elly Friedman en plein aire. Photo by Robbyn Holmes Crystal Jordan 2015 Plein Air Painting Places Schedule Inside! Ready, Set, Newsletter It’s All About the Process by Gale Waldron Ask Crystal Jordan where she was living in any given year and you’ll learn not only where she was, but what she was doing and what was happening in the world around her at the time. This is even more remarkable when you know that Crystal has lived in 34 different places in 54 years! Born in Warner Robins, Georgia, Crystal drew from an early age and dreamed of being a fashion designer. But her application to New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology wasn’t accepted because she didn’t know how to sew. Deflated, she was Kailua Boats, acrylic on canvas, 16” x20” nudged by her father into business school at the University of Tennessee where she studied operations management. Graduating in 1982 and looking for work in a recession economy, Crystal enrolled in Officer Training School and became a budget officer in the Air Force. She later earned a MS degree in Cost Analysis and was tasked with preparing the Air Force communications budget for congressional approval. She married Air Force Captain John Jordan in 1991, and the couple was assigned to Dayton Ohio, where Crystal prepared cost estimates for refitting the B1 Bomber from nuclear to conventional weapons. But art was always in the back of her mind. The turning point came in 1994 when Crystal and John had their first child, and Crystal returned to her artwork. Never in one place very long, the family’s nomadic lifestyle took them to Alabama, Virginia, Florida, Nebraska, with Crystal taking art classes wherever she could. In Florida, she studied with Elena Cieuventas, learning portraiture and moving from oils to acrylics. In Hawaii, she found Mark N. Brown, an May/June 2015 artist who introduced her to plein air painting, something she has loved ever since. And throughout her moves to Italy, back to Hawaii and to England, she has continued to paint outdoors. “It is the process of painting that I love, not necessarily the outcome.” In Virginia, she discovered the Loudoun Sketch Club and its outdoor sessions. Crystal keeps a journal in which she records the Crystal Jordan, Secretary weather, her impressions of the and Show Chair place and the feelings it evokes – all of which are reflected in her work. “I make an initial sketch in the journal as a reference. What is happening around me is an important part of my art.” Trained by her mentor Mark to work quickly to capture the light, Crystal finds her spot and then works fast to get her impressions on canvas. “Finding the right spot is from experience – searching for the things I like to paint. Do I want to stretch myself today Ko’olina Daybreak, acrylic on canvas, 18” x 24” and paint something I’m not so familiar with, or do I want to be more comfortable and paint a water or garden scene?” She also uses her camera lens as a view finder to see what the scene might look like on a canvas. After painting the scene in her familiar loose style, she moves on to the next painting. “For me, it’s all about the process.” Old Fort Crook, acrylic wall mural, 10’ x 4’ Mary Champion, Membership Chair PO Box 1683 Leesburg, VA 20177 Loudoun Sketch Club Stamp
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