Saturday, October 26, 2024

Post 509: PWAS Field Trip to the National Gallery of Art Part 1

PWAS Field Trip to the National Gallery of Art Part 1

Saturday, October 26, 2024. The Prince William Art Society group (PWAS) met at 9:45am along with a few members of the Manassas Art Guild (MAG) to take a little trip, take a little trip, to DC. Take a little trip with me. Destination? When you get a bus load of artists in the Northern Virginia area together, where else (?) but the National Gallery of Art.

A Blog Post Waiting for Its Pictures

The excitement, the waiting, the anticipation. Patience my friend, patience...

I joined PWAS in early 2021 and one thing that caught my attention about the art group from the brochure was that the group takes field trips. Well of course, you'll remember how difficult things were in 2020 through 21 - 22...the art group wasn't traveling so much, especially as a group. It has taken awhile, but finally, an actual field trip in a bus is scheduled.

I'm so excited by our trip that this blog post is in anticipation OF the trip, less its pictures! So this blog post is waiting for its pictures. Lord willing, they are coming soon. AND, here they are...

Here Come the Bus

We had 18 people signed up but due to various sniffles and sore throats, 15 came. We could have gotten about 26-28 on the bus. You snooze you loose! Everyone was on time so off to DC we go.

Our Day at the Gallery

Photo from Sandra McClelland Lewin

We had members of the Prince William Art Society, who sponsored this field trip and some members of the Manassas Art Guild (MAG) that took part in the excursion.

Almost everyone headed for the French Impressionism display which was about a 30-40 minute wait to get in. I suppose it pays to get there early. And I really didn't see that line get any shorter during the day.

I took a LOT of pictures. I would guess most of us did. I'll break this post into part 1 and 2. I'm not going to post the artist label card with the artwork...that will be yours to guess and test your art history knowledge. For many of the artworks, I found it better to not take the photo head on as the reflection was pretty serious if I did. And good to see so many of these were covered with glass to protect them. Much needed these days.

Click on the artwork for a larger view.

You will recognize some of these, I am sure. It is wonderful to see so many recognizable masterpieces right here and so near to us here in Northern Virginia. They're from all over the world and hundreds of years old. Some of us never made it to the more modern artwork areas. Larry Burch asked if anyone made it to where the furniture was...he may be the only one that did.

A few of us went to the cafe to get a snack and a drink around 12:30 and found some others from our group. So the chatter was of course did you see this yet or that yet? So after that we all branched off again to do the follow up as best we could before going for the bus at 2:45. And of course, the shopping.

There is just so much to see and the folks that work in the gallery were so knowledgeable and helpful if you were looking for certain things. We were on a mission to see the Leonardo di Vinci paintings and learned that was down the hall in M6.

Learn More:

10 Facts You May Not Know About the National Gallery of Art

National Gallery of Art

Well folks, we GOTTA do this again! There are other areas and buildings yet to be explored! Inspiration? You bet your booties. Many a "wow" was uttered today, and a lot of them were from me.

Part 2 of the National Gallery

What was your favorite piece? Drop it in a comment below. I hope you enjoyed this post too!

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

Photography/Video Credits: Donna Liguria, Sandra McClelland Lewin

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

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

Have an idea for a blog post? Are you a writer and want to help with the blog? Let me know! Thank you for visiting, and remember to Share, Follow, and Comment! pinterest-site-verification=3ad32cc9cfeae507ba5a382d62fcee17

Wednesday, October 23, 2024

Post 508: PWAS Member Call for Art Montclair Library Show

PWAS Member Call for Art Montclair Library Show

The Prince William Art Society is having an art show at the Montclair Library in November and December! This Call for Art is for the PWAS art group's members to submit art to display at the upcoming art show.

Call for Art

The Call for Art

As always for any call for art at ANY location, read and follow the directions as written.

Location: 5049 Waterway Dr, Montclair, VA 22025

Art Submission Dates: Tuesday, October 22 until Sunday, October 27, 2024 11pm DEADLINE.

Art Drop Off Dates: Monday, October 28 at the Tall Oaks Meeting at 7:30pm to a PWAS Board Member (12298 Cotton Mill Drive, Woodbridge, VA); OR bring to the Montclair Library on Saturday, November 2 between 10-11am.

Montclair Library Art Show Dates: Saturday, November 2 through end of December (Actual Closing Date TBD)

The beautiful Montclair Library is a wonderful showcase for an art display for the Prince William Art Society artists. The artwork will not be juried and not “themed” but we are limited to around 25 pieces (depending on submissions) so please reply and submit your entry as soon as possible in order to set up this opportunity.

All of the artwork will be for sale and will remain on display for the duration of the show, even if sold.
Artwork will be sold through the PWAS Art Store located at https://www.princewilliamartsociety.com/category/all-products See the filter for Montclair Library to narrow down results.

Please submit as an attachment up to TWO of your best artworks, with the FIRST artwork as your primary submission, and a SECOND piece as an option in case the entries are low. The information requirements are as follows:

Must follow the PWAS Display Requirements
Minimum Size (with frame) 11x14
Maximum Size (with frame) 30x30

Gallery Wrapped Canvases may be used unframed as long as the sides are finished.

The artwork MUST be for sale.
Any medium fine art; there is no ‘theme’ requested. Original photographs and digital art are allowed as long as the PWAS Display Requirements are met.
File Name: ArtistFirstInitial_LastName=Title of artwork

Example: J_Smith-Waterfall Dream

Primary Submission

Include Your Name
Title of Artwork
Medium of Artwork (if Mixed Media, include major medias used)

Example: Acrylic, Alcohol Inks, Colored Pencils

Size of Artwork

Example: 16x20

Price of Artwork

Optional Second Submission- similar as above

Include Your Name
Title of Artwork
Medium of Artwork (if Mixed Media, include major medias used)
Size of Artwork
Price of Artwork

Send your entry to pwas.art1@gmail.com along with a good quality image your PRIMARY and optional SECOND Entry with the above requirements, plus your address and phone number (which will only be used in case of notification of a sale and for sending a check). Please be clear about which one is your PRIMARY artwork.

The image of your artwork can include the frame but should NEVER include any other background.

Artwork will NOT be sold by the Montclair Library staff, but a QR code will be placed with a price list of all the artwork on display. Potential Buyers will have the option to purchase artwork via a QR code provided which will take them to the PWAS Art Store. The website is set up to take payments plus tax and after the duration of the show, PWAS will take a 20% Commission and checks for the remaining 80% will be sent to the Artist at the end of the show.

https://www.princewilliamartsociety.com/category/all-products

The Buyers can pick up the sold artwork on the day of the show ending at the library; OR the Artist can make arrangements with the Buyer for pickup/dropoff after the show ending. Buyers should provide the emailed sale confirmation and the Artist is provided the Buyer details.

Please NOTE:

1. We hope to use all the primary submissions on a first come-first served basis and will notify you if we need your second submission, but this will be based on how many members enter and the sizes of artwork entered.

2. We plan on collecting artwork EITHER at the PWAS meeting Monday, October 28 at 7:30pm OR you can bring the artwork to the Montclair Library on Saturday, November 2 from 10am-to 11am. If dropping off at the PWAS meeting, please have the artwork wrapped/safely protected in something easily disposed of.

3. PWAS will create the Library LABEL about your artwork with the details you provided above, but the Artist is responsible for the proper wiring and labeling on the back of the artwork. Artwork not wired correctly cannot be hung.

4. In the PWAS Art Store, there is room for an artist/artwork description, so please include some interesting details for the website. You will be notified when your artwork is live in the Store, so please check and let me know immediately if you see any discrepancies!

5. PWAS is notified when artwork sells from their Art Store and the Board will be notified as well. A Board member living near the library will place a red dot on the sold artwork and the website is updated to show that the piece is no longer available for sale.

6. YOU can and should help promote the Montclair Library Art Show and Art Store in any of your social media or marketing options. Contact friends and family - spread the word!

For those new to being part of an art show Call for Art, PWAS provides information to help you learn your way so please see the following:

Basic Tips for Calls for Art - LOTS of info you need to know

Learn to Take Better Photos - an imperative part of art show submissions

Good luck everyone, let's put a great show up at the library!

Tuesday, October 22, 2024

Post 507: Creating Beauty from Chaos Upcoming PWAS Meeting

Creating Beauty from Chaos Upcoming PWAS Meeting

Come on by the next Prince William Art Society's (PWAS) next meeting on Monday, October 28th at 7:30pm at the Tall Oaks Community Center in Woodbridge and enjoy our guest artist, M. Jane Johnson. Also on the agenda is our Lime Challenge and what our art group has been up to. And we have a new PWAS member art show call for art.

MJJ Written in Code

Creating Beauty from Chaos

The Prince William Art Society will meet October 28th at the Tall Oaks Community Center, 12298 Cotton Mill Drive, Woodbridge VA at 7:30 pm. The meeting will begin with a program by M. Jane Johnson who will share her work and how she creates one of her paintings. Meetings are free and open to the public, who are cordially invited to attend.

MJJ In a Swirl

M. Jane Johnson uses a process-driven technique when she is creating her work. She has learned to let the painting tell its story and carry her along on the path to completion. As she works, she will photograph the work and use the value study to help guide her in the next phase of the painting. She mixes various acrylic gels to create textures to play opposite collage she has added, so each piece is an intricate weaving of color, pattern, texture, and it's own history. As it moves closer to completion, she will start honing down the chaotic process.

MJJ Floral 2

Ms. Johnson has a BFA in Fine Arts with a focus on drawing and painting. She studied art in Italy and took many classes at the Art League School in Alexandria, VA, and her work is in international, corporate, and private collections. Twelve of her paintings are in the Heart Clinic at Children’s National Medical Center. She has had successful solo shows at the Art League Gallery in Alexandria, at the Arts Club of Washington in DC, at Artist & Makers in Rockville, and at the Workhouse Arts Center, as well as having participated in group shows and art fairs. Ms. Johnson teaches at the Workhouse Arts Center and the McLean Project for the Arts.

MJJ Floral 1

PWAS Lime Challenge

In September, PWAS sent out a Lime Challenge artwork challenge based on this solo lime sitting on a table while we were taking part in the Arts Alive Art Show in Manassas. So at this PWAS meeting, all members are requested to bring in their Limes! I know some of you created artworks based upon your green vision. See Lime Challenge. So be sure and bring in your lime artwork and let's pick our favorite.

PWAS Montclair Library Art Show

A call for art from the PWAS members was just sent out for the Nov-Dec art show at the Montclair Library, so check your emails!!