Introducing Art Website Reviews

One way to learn more about art and art techniques is to spend time viewing the work of other artists and learning from the methods they have developed.  If you are new to art, it's an easy way to have free art lessons right in your studio.  For experienced artists it's a way to add to your repertoire and reinforce what you've already learned.  RFAA's bloggers would like to share some of the websites we've found along with a little review of what you'll find in each.  Here's our first one:

http://www.artshow.com/juriedshows/south.html

                If you are into entering art shows, this site is for you.  It lists all sorts of Calls for Artists by region of the country + international shows.  It also gives grant opportunities, art tutorials listed by medium, workshops, a market for selling your art (at a fee of course) and much much more.  Check it out when you have lots of time to browse all Artshow.com has to offer!

Art Hack #3 -- Acrylic Mediums

  What’s the Difference Among All Those Acrylic Mediums?

Walking down the medium aisle in your favorite art supply store or browsing through a catalogue at all those choices can get confusing so here’s a basic primer, on just a few of the mediums you might choose.  Mediums are used to thin the paint for glazing (creating transparent or translucent paint) Remember that every brand may be slightly different so buy a small bottle to see what suits your style the best.

Gloss Medium is shiny and dries clear. It may be thick or thin depending on the brand

Matte Medium is flat or dull and dries slightly less clear.  It too can be thick or thin.

Semi-gloss Medium is halfway between gloss and matte.

Heavy Body Mediums are thicker and may dry clear or slightly cloudy.

Gel Mediums are thicker and can be used to glue down collage as well as create Impasto or thick paint applications

Molding or Modeling Paste is a chalky super thick paste that can be sculpted but remains pliant after it dries -- for use in creating heavy texture.

AZALEAS AND FRIENDS RECEPTION

Twenty-nine RFAA artists submitted fifty-eight paintings to our beautiful Azaleas and Friends Show.  As part of the Roswell Azalea Festival artists created wonderful variations on azaleas and other types of flowers as well.  At the reception, attendees voted for the best representation of azaleas and Barbara Heath took home the ribbon and the prize. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed all the wonderful food and wine provided by various members. One painting sold before the show even opened and we look forward to having lots of visitors admire the show before it closes on June 15th.  The Gallery at 9100 Fouts Road, Roswell, 30076 is open to visitors on Fridays from 10 - 1 and on Saturdays from 10 - 4.  Seven guests took home lovely live azaleas as door prizes, including Bonnie Watson (below left).

Gallery Sitting and Mentoring Go Hand and Hand

      According to Webster’s Dictionary a mentor is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person.  At RFAA mentoring has a similar but somewhat broader application.  Every Friday and Saturday, members “Gallery Sit” to provide open hours for guests to view the current show  in our Gallery at 9100 Fouts Road in Roswell Georgia.  At first glance the concept of gallery sitting sounds pretty dull, kind of like watching paint dry, but for our members it is an opportunity to share what we love best – making art and talking about it.  Members who are less experienced are often sitting with more experienced artists and it’s the perfect opportunity to find out how to do something.  If several more experienced artists are painting together they might have an impromptu critique session, another form of mentoring.  More often than not, looking at the work of others’ inspires all of those present to try something they hadn’t considered doing before.  Members often invite their friends to come paint with them, creating a new outlet for an artist who might have previously only painted alone. The prospect of sitting with a person you haven’t met is another positive that creates relationships  that might otherwise not have happened.  When a group starts a dialogue, painters might share places they’ve been that were wonderful for plein air (outdoor) painting or talk about workshops they’ve taken and what they learned.  Regardless of how the conversation starts or where it leads, there are so many things to be gained from painting together and sharing our expertise and our delight in discovery with one another.  Members, if you haven’t signed up to gallery sit, don’t miss one of the best experiences about being a part of Roswell Fine Arts Alliance.  To sign up visit http://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F054BAFAB2CA3F85-gallery