Post 174: PWAS Up to Our Elbows in Art Events, Shows

PWAS Up to Our Elbows in Art Events, Shows, Themes and Paint

A rehash of reminders, dates and goings on we are involved in - so be ready!

We are looking forward to an exciting rest of the year for the Prince William Art Society and at Open Space Arts. We have a lot on the radar and a lot of dates to be ready for. Please note the "red themes" to make sure you have art ready for those dates/shows.

June 2022

We are well into the Emerging Artists show at Open Space Arts (OSA) with the student artists showing well in the gallery. It has been a pleasure to work with these talented young people.

Come by the gallery and see the show!

June 12 was the rain date for the "Taste of Woodbridge" and the rain did hold off for a beautiful day! TONS of visitors to the gallery and LOTS of new homes with Prince William County artist's work now living there. It was a fun day hanging out with PWAS artists and meeting a lot of people. We have to do this show again!

Call for Art ends on June 17 for the July show - so submit your art! 

 

PWAS Popup Show for the Taste of Woodbridge started with rain early. Tent one of two we put up.

 

Second tent out front of the gallery

 

Richard Tyler creating a new masterpiece

 

We finally populated those shelves at the back with a quick, mini call for art from the members. It looked GREAT for all the visitors on Sunday (and some of that art was sold!

OSA Art Pickup and Drop Off: Sunday June 26 and Monday June 27

PWAS Meeting: Monday, June 27, 2022 at Tall Oaks in Lake Ridge.

July 2022

Theme: PWC Artists *OSA LOVES Large Artwork, so keep that in mind

OSA Gallery: "Summer Spotlight on Art" at OSA, is scheduled to start on June 29 and go through August 14. This show at the gallery will feature MANY artists from around PWC.

Independence Day is Monday, July 4. 

PWAS Meeting: Monday, July 25, 2022 at OSA

August 2022

Call for Art will go out in early August for PWC artists for the September Hispanic show

OSA Art Pickup and Drop Off: Sunday August 14 and Monday August 15

PWAS Meeting: Monday, August 22, 2022

OSA Gallery: Scheduled from August 17 through September 11 is a show for a Ghana artist.

September 2022

Theme: Hispanic Art/Artists

OSA Art Pickup and Drop Off: Sunday September 11 and Monday September 12

OSA Gallery: Hispanic artists and themes art show is scheduled from September 14 - October 16.

Arts Alive is September 11 and that is always a fun show for the PWAS members.

Occoquan Arts and Crafts - will PWAS be there?

PWAS Meeting: Monday, September 26, 2022

October 2022

Theme: The Art of India at OSA and PetOberFest - Animal theme

Call for Art will go out early October for PWC artists for the November show.  

1. OSA Art Pickup and Drop Off: Sunday October 16 and Monday October 17

OSA Gallery: "Art of India" scheduled for October 19-30.

Tall Oaks Fall Art Show - Date pending

PetOberFest Saturday, Oct 15 - the artwork will be pets, animals, furry friends and all creatures great and small.

"In October the shopping center will host an event called PetOberFest on Oct. 15th from 11:00 to 4:00. This gives us plenty of time to create some art work depicting animals. After the huge turnout we had for the Taste of Woodbridge event at Stonebridge, I know you'll want to participate in this event that will be held just outside our OSA gallery.  We will be posting more info as it comes available, but I wanted to give you a heads up to start painting animals." - Sandra McClelland Lewin

PWAS Meeting: Monday, October 24, 2022

2. OSA Art Pickup and Drop Off: Sunday October 30 and Monday October 31

November 2022

Theme: PWC Artists

Call for Art will go out early November for PWC artists for the December show.

OSA Gallery: The gallery will host a PWC artist's show from November 2-27.

November 25 (?): Tree Lighting at Stonebridge and Open Space Arts will be open for the visitors with the hustle bustle of Christmas on their heels.

Thanksgiving on Thursday, November 24, 2022.

Sunday, November 27 is Artist's Sunday https://artistssunday.com/

OSA Art Pickup and Drop Off: Sunday November 27 and Monday November 28 

PWAS Meeting: Monday, November 28, 2022

December 2022

Theme: PWC Artists

OSA Gallery: The gallery will host a PWC artist's show from November 30 - January 1.

Call for Art will go out early December for PWC artists for the January show.  

Christmas on Sunday, December 25, 2022.

OSA Art Pickup and Drop Off: Sunday January 1 and Monday January 2, 2023

January 2023

Theme: PWC Artists versions styled after the Art Masters

OSA Gallery: "After the Masters" styled art.

A lot of things penned in for 2023. Please note that some items are subject to change so watch for any updates on the PWAS website or on this blog.

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Local Art: Visit us at Stonebridge Open Space Arts at 15000 Potomac Town Center, Woodbridge, VA - Open Wed to Sat 12-7 and Sun 12-5
The Prince William Art Society is a 50-year old non-profit art group in PWC for the the appreciation of fine art throughout the county and Northern Virginia.

Want to know how to get involved at OSA?
If you are an artist (18 or older) living in Prince William County, or are a member of a PWC art group, you are welcome to get on our next art show's emailing list. Send it to us, OR come by the gallery to find out more.

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

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

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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

Post 173: Composition 14. Go Into the Light, Attracting Attention

Composition: Go Into the Light, Attracting Attention

This is Part 14 of my series on Composition

The use of light and shadow is operating procedure in nearly all artwork isn't it? Gosh, that reminded me of a song I hadn't thought about for years - 'Me and My Shadow'...Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr...anyway, I digress.

If you have light, there is a shadow. It's how you use both in photos and art that can make the piece go from ho-hum to spectacular. Our eyes are drawn to the light - very naturally. The use of the contrast of the two in so many ways can add and make the drama stronger. 

The time of day is an important part of the composition as well as the season of the year which affects the type or cast of light, the angles, the sharpness, the tonal contrasts and the differences between the midday, the morning sunrise and the evening sunsets.

Artificial and/or natural light use can be made even more interesting when they are combined.

Always be aware of the position of the light source is. Your subject and your subject's shadow must follow through when you want something to look realistic.

Playing with the contrasts that can occur with light and shadow can make artwork really pop when you make the contrast the focal point.

 

 

Photo by Justin Luebke on Unsplash  

 

Photo by Darren Richardson on Unsplash 

 

Photo by mirna rivalta on Unsplash 

 

"How to Build Better Composition by Using Light" Stefen Baumann

 

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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!

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Local Art: Visit us at Stonebridge Open Space Arts at 15000 Potomac Town Center, Woodbridge, VA - Open Wed to Sat 12-7 and Sun 12-5 – 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!

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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/.

 

 

Post 172: Field Trip - Home School Students Visit to Open Space Arts

Field Trip - Home School Students Visit to Open Space Arts

Friday, June 11, 2022 - Eleven young home schooled art students (and their moms) visit Open Space Arts at Stonebridge. Prince William Art Society member Penny Shaw was the docent for the day for the student's visit to the gallery.

Field Trip to an Art Gallery

What an awesome idea! A field trip to our NEW art gallery in Woodbridge! A date and a program were arranged and about 11 home schooled youngsters (plus their parents), were brought to Open Space Arts at Stonebridge in Woodbridge, VA on Friday, June 11. The students were treated to a guided tour of the gallery which is now featuring older art students and other artwork. They paused to take pictures  followed by a program in the workshop area, where they created paper bookmarks and tassels.

All of the students were excited about identifying favorite colors and seeing how the student artists used graffiti and abstract ideas in executing their artwork. They really identified with Kayla's work.

 

Bring your budding artists by the gallery when you get a chance!

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Local Art: Visit us at Stonebridge Open Space Arts at 15000 Potomac Town Center, Woodbridge, VA - Open Wed to Sat 12-7 and Sun 12-5
The Prince William Art Society is a 50-year old non-profit art group in PWC for the the appreciation of fine art throughout the county and Northern Virginia.

Want to know how to get involved at OSA?
If you are an artist in Prince William County, 18 or older OR are a member of a local art group, you are welcome to get on our next art show's emailing list. Send it to us, OR come by the gallery to find out more.

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

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

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Author and Docent: Penny Shaw

 

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:
Penny Shaw

Post 171: Getting Ready for Upcoming Art Shows

Getting Ready for an Upcoming Art Shows

Pssst...Take a look to the right and see the Open Space Arts at Stonebridge NEWS section? Look under that and see the Upcoming OSA Schedule? if you are looking for inspiration on what to paint next, you may want to consider what's coming up next at Open Space Arts. Especially depending on what your medium is, so that it can be ready on time when the Call for Art goes out for that show!

Upcoming OSA Schedule

• Aug 17-Sept 11, 2022 Ghana Show
  
• Sept 14-Oct 16, 2022 Hispanic Show (Call for Art early to mid September)
  
• Oct 19-30, 2022 India Show (Pending)
  
• Nov 2-27 PWC Artist Show (Call for Art early October)
  
• Nov 30-Jan 1, 2023 PWC Artist Show (Call for Art early November)
• Jan 4-29, 2023 After the Masters Style (Pending)
• Feb 1-26, 2023 Black History Show (Pending) 

For the month celebrating women, we are hoping to have not only art BY women artists, but OF women - being family-friendly of course. We have some other art shows under discussion with tentative months as well. The committee plotted out through July 2023 and we will map it out more definitively as it comes together to let you know what is happening.

Pending means that the art show isn't written in stone as yet (not confirmed), but its what we have planned out on our calendar. But in order to have oil paintings especially done in time, you need to get started, right?

The Open Space Arts Committee is tickled with the "After the Masters Style" show. Our idea for this art show is to approach a Master's work and do your version of their style. This should be a fun show and we really want to see what everyone comes up with! It might be fun too to have a paragraph written to print out with your label on which master you are styling your creation after and your ideas behind the canvas/work.

So your self portrait may look rather Picasso-ish, or your Whistler's Mother could be your Grandma with a laptop and fuzzy slippers...so get those ideas going.

 

I'm not positive these will necessarily work for the "After the Masters Style" as yet, but these were four mini paintings I did late 2021 in the master's styles subjects...They are only 3x4 acrylic paintings. I'm trying to learn to paint people - it is slow going, but I'm trying. Lucky are you if you can paint people well!

 

 

The Masters I tried to reproduce:

Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci

Girl with the Pearl Earring by Johannes Vermeer

Water Lilies by Claude Monet

Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh

Donna Liguria mini paintings, 3x4 in acrylics

By the way, there is a Call for Art out now for the July show at OSA, so if you need to know more, see this blog post https://artistryspin.blogspot.com/2022/06/post-169-art-shows-at-open-space-arts.html

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Local Art: Visit us at Stonebridge Open Space Arts at 15000 Potomac Town Center, Woodbridge, VA - Open Wed to Sat 12-7 and Sun 12-5
The Prince William Art Society is a 50-year old non-profit art group in PWC for the the appreciation of fine art throughout the county and Northern Virginia.

Want to know how to get involved at OSA?
If you are an artist in Prince William County, 18 or older OR are a member of a local art group, you are welcome to get on our next art show's emailing list. Send it to us, OR come by the gallery to find out more.

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/.

Post 170: Composition 13. Aesthetically Pleasing? Straighten Your Lines!

Composition: Aesthetically Pleasing? Straighten Your Lines!

This is Part 13 of my series on Composition

Ever look at a painting or a photo and the water on the horizon is crooked? Doesn't it feel like the water should be dripping off the image? What should be straight, be straight about it. Use your level, a ruler, or for goodness sake painter's tape.

 

Photo by Ruth H Curtis on Unsplash 

See the difference in the photos? Its very slight but the top one the horizon isn't quite horizontally straight.

 

Be careful with architectural images and especially multiple lines, where you might select on as the main focus as in a building with columns. Straighten one line at least, or its painfully obvious the perspective is off.

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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!

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Local Art: Visit us at Stonebridge Open Space Arts at 15000 Potomac Town Center, Woodbridge, VA - Open Wed to Sat 12-7 and Sun 12-5 – 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/.

 

 

Post 169: Art Shows at Open Space Arts at Stonebridge & a Call for Art

Art Shows at Open Space Arts at Stonebridge & a Call for Art

As soon as one art show comes down, another art show goes up, and the next art show that follows begins its countdown. By countdown, I mean that at the beginning of the month we typically send out the call for art for the next month's art show. And so it begins all over again.

Currently at Open Space Arts (OSA)

Just opening this past Wednesday, June 1, 2022 is an art show called "Emerging Artists" with about eight very talented student's artwork on display from PWC. This show is actually a combination of the featured student's art, but a section of the gallery is dedicated to our recently lost Prince William Art Society member, Jim Gallagher. 

Also on display in another section, are some selected art pieces from some local PWC adult artists. There is certainly a lot of art, some pottery and some small art works to see around the gallery.

These artworks will be on display at OSA until June 26, 2022.

Upcoming Art Show at OSA - A Call for Art

Scheduled for Wednesday, June 29 until Sunday, August 14, 2022, the art show will be called "Summer Spotlight on Art" so the Call for Art for this show is out NOW! The requirements are:

• You need to be 18 or older.
• You need to be a member of a Prince William County art group, OR;
• You need to be a resident of Prince William County.
  

 

Please contact shawonesent@gmail.com for more information. The submission deadline is June 17. We look forward to seeing you and your art!

Some of the artworks by the students on display for the "Emerging Artists' show.

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Local Art: Visit us at Stonebridge Open Space Arts at 15000 Potomac Town Center, Woodbridge, VA - Open Wed to Sat 12-7 and Sun 12-5
The Prince William Art Society is a 50-year old non-profit art group in PWC for the the appreciation of fine art throughout the county and Northern Virginia.

Want to know how to get involved at OSA?
If you are an artist in Prince William County, 18 or older OR are a member of a local art group, you are welcome to get on our next art show's emailing list. Send it to us, OR come by the gallery to find out more.

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

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

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Author: Donna Liguria
An artist member of PWAS in Woodbridge, VA and Artistry Spin Blog Admin, specializing in acrylic painting. She paints landscapes, seascapes, animals and many subjects. Visit her Website at DonnaLiguriaArt.com, Donna's Etsy site and her Blog at Donna’s Cave Paintings.

Post 168: In Memorandum: James Joseph Gallagher

In Memorandum: James Joseph Gallagher 

February 21, 1948 - March 29, 2022

A longtime member of the Prince William Arts Society and the Prince William County Arts Council, James Gallagher is being honored at Open Space Arts at Stonebridge in June 2022. His artwork will be displayed from June 1 to June 26, 2022. He is survived by his wife, Judy Gallagher. They were married for 30 years and would have celebrated 31 years on May 18th.

James Gallagher

Jimmy became an artist fairly late in life. Although he enjoyed art, he didn't pursue it until his 50s.

In 2010, he and Judy joined the Merrimac Farm Master Naturalists, a chapter within the Virginia Master Naturalist program where volunteers provide education, outreach, and service dedicated to the beneficial management of natural resources and natural areas within their communities. There is a volunteer service requirement each year, and Jimmy's first project was to paint the entry kiosk at Merrimac Farm Wildlife Management Area in Nokesville.

The Prince William Conservation Alliance, which administers Merrimac Farm Wildlife Management Area along with the Marine Corps and the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, organizes a Bluebell Festival at Merrimac Farm each year. Jimmy soon became active in the Conservation Alliance, and painted nature-themed rain barrels each year to be used as a fund raiser at the Bluebell Festival.

Various organizations had exhibits at the Bluebell Festival, and the Prince William Arts Society (PWAS) displayed there in 2008 or 2009, which is how Jimmy discovered PWAS. Always present to help out in any way, when PWAS needed someone for Vice President, Jimmy stepped in. Soon after Jimmy stepped up to fill PWAS' President position and served for several terms. He also served briefly as Treasurer. He served on the Prince William County Arts Council, representing PWAS, and also served on the nominating committee. In 2019, the Prince William County Arts Council awarded Jimmy the Kathleen Seefeldt Pioneer Award for Lifetime Contribution to the Arts.

Jimmy spent a number of years teaching scuba diving. He painted old scuba tanks with scuba-related themes for Woodbridge Scuba, a local dive store, making them into very beautiful and very heavy lamps. He belonged to the Paisley Clan Society, a genealogical organization, and designed their renewal postcards.

With his wife Judy's (an accomplished award-winning photographer) support, Jimmy was able to fulfill his dreams. Although he is now gone, Jimmy’s art lives on in private collections.

 

 

You are welcome to come by the gallery during the regular open times (below) and see the works of James Gallagher.

See also the page on the Prince William Art Society website.

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Local Art: Visit us at Stonebridge Open Space Arts at 15000 Potomac Town Center, Woodbridge, VA - Open Wed to Sat 12-7 and Sun 12-5
The Prince William Art Society is a 50-year old non-profit art group in PWC for the the appreciation of fine art throughout the county and Northern Virginia. Want to join PWAS? Go to https://www.princewilliamartsociety.com/membership

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

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Author: Judy Gallagher

 

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: 

Judy Gallagher