What's on Your Easel?
Most months, I like to ask the Prince William Art Society artists a question to something art related but more often I ask what they are working on, sometimes in various ways. What's on your easel isn't always the right thing for every artist as they work in various mediums or surfaces. Nonetheless, let's see what the artists are doing at the moment.
Take note on the painting styles and process visible in some of the artist's work on how they block in and move through the piece.
PWAS Member Lizzy Javier
I am responding to your request for photos of current projects. I just finished these four paintings for the Waterford Fair. They are all acrylic on canvas and the first three are 11" x 14" size and the last one is 8" X 10".
PWAS Member Bettie Sperty
I do a weekly workshop/class at Creative Brush in Manassas and classes just started up for the fall. I had to decide what I would paint - which is a one of the most difficult things of the whole class! I thought I would ease into this session by painting from a photo I took at Virginia Beach a few years ago. It was an overcast day in November. The seagulls were active, the waves were beautiful and we had the beach all to ourselves and was sooooo peaceful. This is the very beginning of the painting. Mary (owner of Creative Brush and instructor) suggested I place my seagulls using white. That way, if I didn’t like the placement I could blend them back into the clouds and try again (I’m using oils). Brilliant !!!!!!!
Mary Reilly is full of useful tidbits. This is 11”x14” on canvas panel.
PWAS Member Zee Berrios
The title will be "Still Death". The medium is acrylic on canvas. It is a small painting, only 20" X 24".
PWAS Member Donna Liguria
I have a few things up my sleeves for some upcoming opportunities.
PWAS Member Larry Burch
I did this as part of a Paint Manassas show that is now hanging in a small coffee shop in Manassas. Organized by MAG and pARTners.
PWAS Member Michelle Evans
My latest piece- Inspired by an upcoming trip to the Oregon coast!
Why Do You Create Art?
Almost every month, I like to ask the Prince William Art Society artists what they are working on, or some other question or art tip that they want to share. What's on your easel is an often asked question, but there is a question out for "Why Do You Create Art?" Only 2 responses though...
PWAS Member Donna Liguria
I create art for several reasons and I'm not sure I have answered this question before (although I proposed the Q to the PWAS artists). I'm anticipating answers to range from "because I must" to the "I love the hobby" to "it calms me" types of narratives. I always hope that many members will explain their answers to the questions I offer - sometimes some of them do. Life is busy, I know....
The challenges provided in painting and solving how to capture the right colors, getting the lights and shadows just right, the ability to express myself in the enjoyable "work" of the painting process is addicting. Perhaps I can compare it to reading in a way. When reading a book, you can lose yourself and enjoy the story in another place, in another time, in solving the mystery before you get to the last pages. Painting is much like that for me. Although the mixing of the paint to get it "just right" is challenging, sometimes perplexing, I can lose myself in the process.
And I like the push to get it exactly where it should be and that often means adding paint, adding paint, tweak those colors. Keep on going, keeping on pushing. Turn it up-side-down for a different perspective and keep on adding paint. Tweaking is a part of the process.
If you are of an age to remember the commercial, you might remember "Calgon, take me away!" Making art, painting, is a way to relax and enjoy the comfort and ART HUG!
PWAS Member Zee Berrios
Art is an outlet to thoughts, energy, feelings and a view into the soul. As some have said: "to express these inner states and also reflect culture, to evoke emotions, tell stories, to invest into humanity's experience."
Ok, that's the artists that participated this month, what do you think? Drop a comment below.
Author: Donna Liguria is the Blogmaster for the PWAS Artistry Spin Blog and Donna's Cave Paintings Blog, and an artist member of the Prince William Art Society (PWAS) in Woodbridge, Virginia. And she takes on the PWAS social media duties as well (help me!) Donna specializes in acrylic painting of landscapes, seascapes, historic locations, animals and many subjects. Visit her Website at DonnaLiguriaArt.com and her Donna's Esty site to shop her art.
Local Art:
The Prince William Art Society is a 50+-year-old non-profit art group
in PWC for the appreciation of fine art throughout the county and
Northern Virginia. Visit us at any of our local art shows or join us for
our monthly meetings - held on the 4th Monday of the month at the Tall
Oaks Community Center at 12298 Cotton Mill Dr, Woodbridge, VA at 7:30pm
(typically, but check the website in case of any changes).
Want to join PWAS? Go to https://www.princewilliamartsociety.com/membership
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