Sunday, October 30, 2011

Fun events at the LAC Art Center today!

Loraine works with student Jan Kitchell
Saturday watercolor class hard at work
It was a lively day at the gallery today with a couple of different activities going on.  Loraine Miller's watercolor class was having a great time painting florals and landscapes.  She is a patient teacher who emphasizes the fun of working in watercolor.  Each of her students gets special attention as she helps them find their own style of painting.

As soon as the class ended, the classroom was reorganized to get ready for a calligraphy demonstration presented by Wendy Wham Mills.  Wendy is a co-owner of pARTiculars co-op gallery in Old Town Lafayette where she teaches and exhibits her calligraphy, oil painting and jewelry.  She had lots of interesting and helpful information to pass on to the group about the art of creative lettering and manuscript illumination. She is a warm and friendly person who speaks with enthusiasm and knowledge.  The group enjoyed the afternoon which included refreshments of pumpkin muffins and cinnamon flavored coffee. Yum! Visit Wendy's website at www.WendyWhamMills.com.


Wendy Wham Mills visits with LAC member Lynnette Kupferer following the program.

Throughout the day, several visitors came in to see what is new at the gallery as well as view the "Spotlight on Colorado Artists" show upstairs.  This is the last week for this exhibit so be sure to stop by before it closes.  There is also a lot of new work in the Co-Op gallery on the main floor. A new exhibit of small works arrives in the LAC Member's Gallery on Monday - just in time for the big Holiday Arts and Crafts Show coming on November 8th.

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Interview with Juror Joanne Burney


 “Plane Tree II”, oil, 30x20”
Joanne Burney
  1. When you jury an exhibit what is the first thing about a painting that jumps out and says "I deserve an award"?
Paintings have presence. They say, “Look at me!” Once a painting gets your attention, you check to see if it is worth an award. (See my criteria below.)


  1. Knowing you teach at the Denver Art Students League, what do you find the most rewarding as a teacher?
Being able to share what I know about art. I was very fortunate to have an exceptionally good art education. I went to good schools and studied with great artists and teachers. I feel I owe it to them to pass it on.


  1. Your work with trees is amazing. What are the things you have learned about your subject and about yourself with this intimate focus?
Trees have something to say. They are not just fillers in a broad landscape, but are individually worthy of study. They may represent strength, or reaching for the sky (symbolically as well as physically), or silent suffering or abundant beauty – anything. I’m not interested in painting vistas, but as a portrait painter I am interested in character, and trees have plenty of that. At first I was intimidated by their complicated branch structure, foliage and unfamiliar attributes. But I learned that if I stayed with it, I could paint them.


  1. What does a day in the life of Joanne Burney look like?
I get up, have coffee and make my husband’s lunch. I exercise, walk the dog, do chores and go to work (paint/art business/teaching). Then I make dinner. After dinner I relax a little and do more “stuff”. Then I walk the dog. Some days I teach all day and into the night. My day looks pretty much like anybody else’s, unless anybody else has kids, servants or no dog.


  1. Do you spend time marketing? What activities have you found useful in marketing your art.
Artists have to spend a lot of time marketing. I enter shows, send out newsletters, advertise my classes and workshops, read trade journals and check out galleries.


     6.   Do you set goals for your artwork? What are two of your goals for next year?

I do set goals. Currently I am looking for another gallery and am doing more portraits.

     7.  Any comments you have about the LAC exhibit in general would be most interesting to our readers.
The LAC show looked good right from the start. I wish I’d had more awards to give. While subject matter per se and medium per se are not considerations when I choose a work for award, I was impressed with the range of subject matter and the range in mediums, and the quality throughout, that serendipitously provided me with such variety in the award winners.


    Any comments for the award winners?
When I give awards I judge for several things –
1. Form and function (does the piece communicate something and do it appropriately with the composition and materials chosen?),
2. Technique (does the piece show good technique, and do it in such a way that you don’t notice technique, i.e. does the artist make it look effortless and natural – not belabored?),
3. Use of formal elements (has the artist taken full advantage of the use of line, shape, proportion, value, color, texture, gestalt). Whether representational or abstract, the piece has to use them well.
4. The “surprise” (does the piece show something new or something old in a new way?) This does not mean that the piece always is pleasant or communicates a happy mood. It means it touches us in a meaningful way.

The Best of Show had all of those and what a surprise! You just don’t see a piece like that every day.

The 2nd place oil had a sense of lush technique and great shapes and color, showing wonder at the plays of light and beauty of the flowers.

The 3rd place had killer color and design, and the surprise that it was a photo of a wall.

The Marge Steinbach award – the patterned integration with the subject of butterflies and background was so perfect to both. The piece had great color and movement and was an inspiration, much as Marge herself must have been to inspire that award.


The Merit Awards
      - The Acrylic Landscape had an exceptional moodiness and a unique look that supported/created it.
      - The Abstract Acrylic also had mood and flow and space, integrating the black into the otherwise colorful    piece very successfully.
      - The Pastel had a lovely, contemplative mood and a beautiful handling of the pastels, especially used to create the various objects in the still-life.


“Ponderosa - Light on the Morraine”, Pastel, 20x16”
Joanne Burney

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Spotlight on Colorado Artists Installed

Juror Joanne Burney, instructor from the Art Students League, was happy to know she wouldn't have to reject any entries. She diligently set about selecting the award winners.

Article by Kathy Berls

Wow - what a show! I'm happy to say that the new exhibit is now up and ready for the opening on Thursday, Oct 6th. For awhile there, there was some doubt as to whether it would all fit. When all the registrations came in, we noticed that there were several three dimensional pieces. Since they don't take up wall space, Barbara Tobiska, exhibits co-chair and I decided we'd take a chance and accept all the entries. We knew it would be a big show, but seemed a great way to end our juried exhibits line-up for 2011. Little did we know that many, many of the works would be really, really, really big! Needless to say, once it was all up, I breathed a sigh of relief. The challenge is always how to group the works together so that each piece has a chance to shine. Grouping the pieces according to color harmony, taking into account sizes and dimensions, the artwork is first placed all around the room to see where it will fit. But, it's not until I actually start hammering in the nails that I can be sure. Now it's done and the results produced a wonderful, exciting and diverse show that is not to be missed. Thank you to all the artists who supported this exhibit and a special welcome to those of you who have entered for the first time.


The winners circle

Best of Show winner: Dragon Tails, a stunning wood piece by Arvada artist Jeff Herring.

 A Special memorial award was presented this year in honor of past member Margwyn Steinbach. The award went to "Flutterflies" by Andy McKelvy.

The walls are full of wonderful artwork, including many 3-d pieces.