Thursday, April 14, 2022

Post 141: PWAS Meeting and Guest Artist Ken Meardon

April 25 PWAS Meeting and Guest Artist Ken Meardon

The Prince William Art Society, a non-profit art group, has been in the local Northern Virginia art scene for over 50 years. We would love for you to come by one of our meetings at the Tall Oaks Community Center in Lakeridge and see what we have going on! April 25 - 7:30pm (the fourth Monday of the month)

Ken Meardon

Title: An Unexpected Photoart Journey

The Prince William Art Society will meet at 7:30 pm at the Tall Oaks Community Center, 12298 Cotton Mill Dr., Lake Ridge, VA. All meetings are free and open to the public. Following a business meeting, Ken Meardon, a member of the Prince William Art Society, will share his unexpected journey into the realm of photoart and how it has evolved since he began making small multi-level photoart in 2004. With his original digital photos, he uses various computer programs to create a wide range of photoart images and styles. The discussion will cover such areas as the process for creating multi-level photoart, the computer programs and the filters used to create certain effects, and the media used for the final product.

Art by Ken Meardon:

"Coral"

"Madonna Lily"

"Mushroom Town"

"Vietnam Women's Memorial"

"Youghiogheny River"

 See you at the meeting!


Local Art: Visit us at Clearbrook Center of the Arts at 2230 B Tackett’s Mill Drive, Lake Ridge, VA 22192 on Saturdays and Sundays from 1 to 4
AND at Stonebridge Open Space Arts at 15000 Potomac Town Center, Woodbridge, VA - Open Wed to Sat 12-7 and Sun 12-5
Want to join PWAS? Go to https://www.princewilliamartsociety.com/membership


Thank you for visiting, and remember to Share, Follow, and Comment!

Author: Emily Hawes
An artist member of PWAS
 
Author: Donna Liguria
An artist member of PWAS in Woodbridge, VA specializing in acrylic painting. She paints landscapes, seascapes, animals and many subjects. Visit her Website at https://DonnaLiguriaArt.com & her Blog at https://donnascavepainting.blogspot.com/.

Photography/Video Credits:
Ken Meardon

Tuesday, April 12, 2022

Post 140: Happy Easter! Art Galleries in Woodbridge, VA

Art Galleries in Woodbridge, VA this Weekend

Where to find artwork this Easter weekend in Prince William County is what you were wondering, right? Well, we have the answer!

Clearbrook Center of the Arts at Tackett's Mill in Lakeridge

Clearbrook Center of the Arts Open is open Saturday from 1-4pm and will be CLOSED this Sunday in observance of Easter.

2230 B Tackett’s Mill Drive, Lake Ridge, VA 22192

Open Space Arts at Stonebridge

Open Space Arts is open Wednesday - Saturday from 12-7pm and will also be closed on Easter Sunday.

-AND- Open Space Arts at Stonebridge15000 Potomac Town Center, Woodbridge, VA

"The Day that Changed the World" by Donna Liguria 4x5 Acrylic

 
Support your local artists and have a great Easter!


Local Art: Visit us at Clearbrook Center of the Arts at 2230 B Tackett’s Mill Drive, Lake Ridge, VA 22192 on Saturdays and Sundays from 1 to 4
AND at Stonebridge Open Space Arts at 15000 Potomac Town Center, Woodbridge, VA - Open Wed to Sat 12-7 and Sun 12-5
Want to join PWAS? Go to https://www.princewilliamartsociety.com/membership


Thank you for visiting, and remember to Share, Follow, and Comment!

Author: Donna Liguria
An artist member of PWAS in Woodbridge, VA specializing in acrylic painting. She paints landscapes, seascapes, animals and many subjects. Visit her Website at https://DonnaLiguriaArt.com & her Blog at https://donnascavepainting.blogspot.com/.

Photography/Video Credits:
Donna Liguria

Monday, April 11, 2022

Post 139: Composition 5. Subject Symmetry and Visual Balance

Composition: Subject Symmetry and Visual Balance

Part 5 of my Composition Series

Visual Balance in art is described as, "when an Artist distributes the forms, color, line, and other elements of art to spread out in the space. Balance is one of the Principles of Art and Design and an essential one. People who do not understand balance in arts will feel that something is not right in the artwork." - From Madhansart.com

If your subject(s) are balanced across the canvas it could be that a visually heavy single item on one side is balanced by several smaller items on the other side. For instance, a single large tree to one side of the canvas has a grouping of smaller trees across from it. This helps to visually balance the design, not only with the number, but the 'weight' is distributed, via the colors, numbers, sizes, etc. Sort of like a balance on a scale of a single object may weigh the same as many objects on the other side.
 

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash 

The balance in the image should be from left to the right, from top to the bottom and from foreground to background. Water reflections are very cool and interesting ways to show symmetry.

 
Photo by Matt Gross on Unsplash

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This is part of a series of blog posts on the guidelines, or rules of composition. Look for all of them in the Search this Blog feature at the top right by searching for the word "composition". I hope you enjoy the posts!

Local Art: Visit us at Clearbrook Center of the Arts at Tackett's Mill in Lake Ridge, VA on Saturdays and Sundays from 1 to 4 – it’s free to see the artwork! Want to join PWAS? Go to https://www.princewilliamartsociety.com/membership


Thank you for visiting, and remember to Share, Follow, and Comment!

Author: Donna Liguria
An artist member of PWAS in Woodbridge, VA specializing in acrylic painting. She paints landscapes, seascapes, animals and many subjects. Visit her Website at https://DonnaLiguriaArt.com & her Blog at https://donnascavepainting.blogspot.com/.
 

Wednesday, April 6, 2022

Post 138: PWAS at Clearbrook Center of the Arts NOMINATED for the Best of 2022!

PWAS at Clearbrook Center of the Arts Nominated for the Best of 2022!

Time to Vote! Prince William Art Society at Clearbrook Center of the Arts has been nominated as the Best Art Gallery on InsideNoVa!

You can vote once a day for your favorites - one per category. They are email authenticated too. There is also a category for your favorite Best of Prince William County artists too! How exciting!

Arts/Entertainment - Art Gallery




Local Art: Visit us at Clearbrook Center of the Arts at 2230 B Tackett’s Mill Drive, Lake Ridge, VA 22192 on Saturdays and Sundays from 1 to 4
AND at Stonebridge Open Space Arts at 15000 Potomac Town Center, Woodbridge, VA - Open Wed to Sat 12-7 and Sun 12-5
Want to join PWAS? Go to https://www.princewilliamartsociety.com/membership


Thank you for visiting, and remember to Share, Follow, and Comment!

Author: Donna Liguria
An artist member of PWAS in Woodbridge, VA specializing in acrylic painting. She paints landscapes, seascapes, animals and many subjects. Visit her Website at https://DonnaLiguriaArt.com & her Blog at https://donnascavepainting.blogspot.com/.

Photography/Video Credits:
Paragraph text here

Tuesday, April 5, 2022

Post 137: Here Come the Judge

Here Come the Judge, the Art Show Judge and Jury

If you are of a certain age you may get the "Here Come the Judge" reference. (If you remember it, let me know in the comments.) This blog post is about art shows that are juried, which means that someone or a group of someones are "judging" your artwork to decide if it will fit into that particular art show.

Who is the Judge/Jury?

True, there are art shows where there is a judge that studies all of the entries at the show and awards 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or more places which can be ribbons and/or prize money. But there also needs to be someone or a group of people that have to be the decider on what hangs in an art show or a gallery in the first place and what doesn't make the cut.
 
Photo by Robert Linder on Unsplash 

You may wonder who the judge(s) are as well as what their qualifications are to BE a judge or a jury...
 
  1. Does an art judge need to have an art education to be a good judge?
  2. Does an art judge need to be an art gallery owner?
  3. Can someone judge art even if he/she is not an artist?
  4. Should an artist who is jurying the art show, jury his/her own artwork?
  5. Can someone who's paint style is realistic judge abstract pieces?
  6. Should the names of the artists be "hidden" from the judging?

All good questions and maybe there are yes and no or pros and con answers applicable to each question, although a few of the questions do lean more toward a NO. In a perfect world, maybe the answers are more clearly obvious. I am also a proponent that life experiences can sometimes be just as good if not better than a degree in this or that...Nonetheless, there are basic objectives in the decision making process itself no matter who is making the judgment call.

Basic Judging Criteria Factors

  • Appeal Factor 
  • Theme Factor
  • Technical Skills Factor
  • Unique Factor 
  • Greater Meaning Factor
  • Presentation Factor

 

Appeal Factor

This is the "feel good", "I love it" initial impact when you first see the art piece. You like the emotion you feel when you view it which is pretty straightforward. There usually isn't much evaluation at this point and everyone has an opinion when they look at any piece of art. You like it or you don't. As the saying goes, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" and that judge should have at least one eye and has an opinion when beholding that artwork.
 
*There certainly SHOULD be the obvious "WOW!" or even the "Awwwww" or the even the wonder of how did this person do that??!!

 

Theme Factor

Theme is included here because many art shows have calls for art for a particular theme, genre, or for categories or sizes of works. Did the artist submit artwork that fits that criteria in a clear and concise way so that it CAN be included for consideration, even if it has the "WOW" factor?

Also note here that the artist should submit what the maximum number of pieces that fits all the criteria requested but DO NOT submit more. And you should always submit your best works per theme request.

 

Technical Skill Factor

This factor is leaning more to the quality of the work and how professionally made it is. While creativity, originality and "WOW" tend to be what a judge may first notice, the technical skill factor is usually the most important review of the art piece. This is when the art experience of the judge(s) is critical. The judge will consider how the artist controlled/mastered the medium, the balance, the color harmony and values. The artwork must have good composition and design no matter what the depiction subject is or if it is an abstract.

The judge may compare between all of the artist's submitted works. Comparison may also include compared against other artists of similar medium and style. Of possible note is that some may argue that a larger piece may have a better chance at consideration than a much smaller piece when all the elements of good design and composition are in place.
 
The judge should assess the talent level of this artist and how consistent he/she is in the medium presented as well as the artist's rendition using the visual components of color, form, line, shape, space, texture and value. Also his or her use in the principles of art: emphasis, balance, unity, contrast rhythm, proportion, repetition, and harmony. Consideration is how well the art "rules" are demonstrated or even how artfully they were bent.

 

Unique Factor 

Have you ever read the short art book by Austin Kleon, "Steal Like an Artist"? The author has the basic argument that everything that could ever possibly be painted in human history has probably already been painted before. The trick is to somehow find a way to put your own spin on it, your own style in a way to make your version of it stand out in a more interesting way. It would be great if a judge would think, "why didn't I think to do it that way?"
 
The originality and uniqueness of the artwork is the, I will call it "bonus factor" that may move an artist's work to the top of the heap. These pieces can make the show a lot more interesting!

I'm sure you have entered art shows and a lot of artists have submitted subjects similar to yours, let's say several artists have painted koi fish. What have you done in your depiction to make yours more interesting, or to have a fresh point of view?

 

Greater Meaning Factor

Judging, or specifically jurying art, is sometimes a quick decision when there could be hundreds of works to consider, but is there a statement or point the artist is trying to get across? What is the artist trying to say with his/her art? The statement could be political, a challenge, humor, a metaphor, an important message or an emotion the artist wants you to feel. Is there something being said by the piece and is that message conveyed so you can readily understand it?

Is there a fulfilled point to the art piece? Sometimes there is with art and the artist may have it articulated in their artist statement.

 

Presentation Factor

When a call for art goes out, the importance of great quality photos and images cannot be stressed enough, as your initial start of your presentation of work. And remember, do not submit images with a watermark. 
 
If your artwork is selected to appear at the show, occasionally the presentation of the artwork cannot be considered until the piece is actually seen in person and this may only happen at the art drop off. When artwork is submitted online, the work is reviewed at image and face value only, without the frame. It is not an actual view to the so-called finished product.
 
*Artwork at check in will need to be actually checked out too.
 
Presentation can include the overall appearance of the work:
  • Clean edges - care has been taken not to scratch, scrape, or otherwise beat up the canvas/frame from all angles.
  • Should the piece be framed and is it properly framed? The juried image should NOT have the frame in the image submitted but for hanging the artwork at the show, the painting may need to be framed. Typically gallery wrapped canvas would not have to be framed, but read the show rules.
  • Does the hardware for hanging meet the requirements in wiring or hanging materials?
  • Does the artwork have finished edges? I usually go around the edges continuing the painting from the front around the sides, but if that is not feasible, I paint the edges solid black (best) or an appropriate color from the front of the canvas.
 
Remember, a bad frame can make great artwork look bad and a good frame can make bad artwork look better. Review your overall presentation and be careful when moving your artwork from place to place!
 
I recently saw someone on a Facebook group asking what they could do about their artwork that they had wrapped in bubble wrap to move it. Well, for one thing, you DO NOT wrap it with the bubble ON the surface of the canvas. Wrap it with the bubbles OUT, preferably with acid free paper first. The painting had the imprint of the bubbles all over it.

 

And to Finish Up

When a call for art goes out, it includes the rules/directions, if there is a theme, any presentation specifications, sizes, and other optional info that the gallery has required. If the judging criteria is also listed, make sure you follow ALL of those directions!

There really isn't a way to "beat the system" and most artists learn rather quickly that a piece of art can be refused in many art shows yet win first place in another. Or vice-versa, a winning piece in one show could get rejected in another art show. After all, judges are humans too.

What can you share about your experience with juried art show?

Suggested Reading

Mining the Mind of an Art Show Judge 

Art Evaluation: How to Appreciate Art? 

Five Tips for Getting into Juried Art Shows 


Local Art: Visit us at Stonebridge Open Space Arts at 15000 #140 Potomac Town Center, Woodbridge, VA - Open Wed to Sat 12-7 and Sun 12-5
Want to join PWAS? Go to https://www.princewilliamartsociety.com/membership


Thank you for visiting, and remember to Share, Follow, and Comment!

Author: Donna Liguria
An artist member of PWAS in Woodbridge, VA specializing in acrylic painting. She paints landscapes, seascapes, animals and many subjects. Visit her Website at https://DonnaLiguriaArt.com & her Blog at https://donnascavepainting.blogspot.com/.

Monday, April 4, 2022

Post 136: Composition 4. Add Energy with Diagonal Lines

Composition: Add Energy with Diagonal Lines

Part 4 of my series on Composition. Part 3 was on "Leading Lines"

It is said that the use of vertical lines add strength and that horizontal lines can create stability in an image. Then we toss in diagonal lines and we may get dynamic tension, uncertainty - and possibly an interesting engaging energy when we get 'leaning lines'.

When using diagonal lines, be rather obvious about it, and take the intersection off the frame or have it come from or into a corner. If you are too subtle with diagonals it may look more like a mistake than an intentional decision.

Get those "triangles" in there too!

Photo by Joshua Tsu on Unsplash 

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This is part of a series of blog posts on the guidelines, or rules of composition. Look for all of them in the Search this Blog feature at the top right by searching for the word "composition". I hope you enjoy the posts!

Local Art: Visit us at Clearbrook Center of the Arts at Tackett's Mill in Lake Ridge, VA on Saturdays and Sundays from 1 to 4 – it’s free to see the artwork! Want to join PWAS? Go to https://www.princewilliamartsociety.com/membership


Thank you for visiting, and remember to Share, Follow, and Comment!

Author: Donna Liguria
An artist member of PWAS in Woodbridge, VA specializing in acrylic painting. She paints landscapes, seascapes, animals and many subjects. Visit her Website at https://DonnaLiguriaArt.com & her Blog at https://donnascavepainting.blogspot.com/.

Sunday, April 3, 2022

Post 136: PWAS - an Art Group in PWC with Art in 2 Locations

PWAS - an Art Group in PWC with Art in 2 Locations

The Prince William Art Society (PWAS) is a non-profit art group with the purpose of promoting the appreciation of visual art and fine crafts; gaining recognition and publicity for the work of local artists; and providing a variety of educational art programs and fine art exhibits to the Prince William community.

The members of PWAS have the opportunity to display their artwork at 2 different art galleries in the county, with locations in Lake Ridge and Woodbridge as well as at various art exhibits, popup shows and other opportunities.

Prince William County, Virginia - Local Art: Visit us at Clearbrook Center of the Arts at 2230 B Tackett’s Mill Drive, Lake Ridge, VA 22192 on Saturdays and Sundays from 1 to 4
AND at Stonebridge Open Space Arts at 15000 Potomac Town Center, Woodbridge, VA - Open Wed to Sat 12-7 and Sun 12-5

Want to join PWAS? Go to https://www.princewilliamartsociety.com/membership

Open Space Arts at Stonebridge

Open Space Arts (OSA) is OPEN! We had a great first day with LOTS of visitors. We talked to so many people that thoroughly enjoyed browsing the art of local Prince William County artists.

OSA is found between the new Barnes and Noble and the Loft and Ulta on the other side. This show called "Coloring the County" will be open until Sunday, May 1, then a different art show will be on display.

Come by and see the artwork and if you are an artist living in PWC (18 or older) get on our mailing list for the NEXT call for art. OR if you are a member of a local PWC art group - listen for the next art call too!




Clearbrook Center of the Arts at Tackett's Mill

The members of PWAS have the opportunity to show their art at Clearbrook every weekend. Come by and see the gallery! 

Join PWAS today to be a member of this great team! 



Thank you for visiting, and remember to Share, Follow, and Comment!

Author: Donna Liguria
An artist member of PWAS in Woodbridge, VA specializing in acrylic painting. She paints landscapes, seascapes, animals and many subjects. Visit her Website at https://DonnaLiguriaArt.com & her Blog at https://donnascavepainting.blogspot.com/.

Photography/Video Credits:
Donna Liguria