Saturday, February 12, 2022

Post 113: PWAS Art Shows and Member Art Events

PWAS Art Shows & Member Art Events

The Individual PWAS Member Art Events will be posted on or about, the first and the fifteenth of the month. Any of the PWAS (group) Events upcoming - these PWAS Art Shows, Meetings, etc will be posted, reminders posted, and recaps of the PWAS group events will be posted more often, or as needed.

PWAS Events

The upcoming Prince William Art Society events and goings on...

1. Stonebridge - Open Space Arts (OSA)

There is now a "Call for Art" open to all Prince William County Artists - so if you are a member of PWAS, PWCAC, MAG, or another PWC art group - you should have been sent an email for the Call. The final day to enter is March 19 so contact sm22026@comcast.net for the form. The Show is scheduled to start on April 2.

Stay tuned for this one - definitely all the artwork for OSA will be juried - so your best works will need to be ready for this!

2. PWAS Meeting - February 28, 2022 at 7:30 pm at the Tall Oaks Community Center

12298 Cotton Mill Drive. Woodbridge, VA 22192

3. ArtFactory in Manassas, Virginia - May 4 to June 4, 2022. It's actually never too early to start preparing for an art event (especially depending on what medium you use), so keep this art show in mind.

4. Tall Oaks Spring Art Show May 2022. Actual dates and more info to come.

5. Clearbrook Center of the Arts is open every weekend from 1 to 4 so stop in to see the art at 12298 Cotton Mill Dr, Lake Ridge, VA 22192. The new 'south of the border" restaurant Hector's of Lake Ridge is nearby!

PWAS Member Events Upcoming

Kelly Haneklan

K[squared]² March 5 at 7pm Atlas Performing Arts Center

I would like to extend an invite to everyone for this event. Would love to see anyone from our group there! Here is a link to the festival and the ticket page, scroll to March 5th to click on K[squared]²: https://www.atlasarts.org/events

Sandra found this Event to check out: OCTOBER 14 - 16, 2022 Craft + Design at Main Street Station, RICHMOND, VIRGINIA https://www.juriedartservices.com/index.php?content=event_info&event_id=1888

That's all that was sent to me so far this year. So be sure and send your events next time!

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, February 9, 2022

Post 112: Join us at the PWAS Meeting Feb 28, 2022

Join us at the PWAS Meeting Feb 28, 2022

On February 28th the Prince William Art Society will meet at 7:30 pm at the Tall Oaks Community Center, 12298 Cotton Mill Dr, Lake Ridge, VA 22192.

Following the business portion of the meeting there will be a program featuring Fine Artist Janet Hansen Martinet, whose watercolor paintings are both spare and rich. Ms. Martinet will share how she starts with an image - usually using one of her own photos and selects elements to include or delete for a stronger composition. She will focus her program on how working with frisket, peebo and a toothbrush are fundamental to producing many of her award winning watercolors, some of which can be seen at https://www.loftgallery.org/our-artists/watercolor/janet-hansen-martinet-watercolor/.

Spruce in Snow

End of the Train

Snowbird

Plan on being there to get the latest on PWAS and to meet Ms. Martinet!

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

Author: Emily Hawes

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, February 6, 2022

Post 111: Save Your Art Work!

Save Your Art Work!

What if your computer or phone stopped working? The dag-on machine just goes kaput. And wouldn't you know, all of your images of all the artwork you ever created are on it.

Technology Will Fail at some point, Fact

I have had computers, phones and other technology die in the past and if you haven't yet, at some point - you will too. Smart phones and other technology isn't so smart at that point, is it? That's when I call my smart phone, a smart--s phone.

Not that long ago, a friend was telling the story of how his computer had gone to its untimely death and all of the images he had accumulated over the years were on that PC. He was able to recover some images from various places, but some things were lost forever. Think about that, images of artwork you used for prints, templates, advertising, promotion, besides all your documentation - GONE.

Cue the "uh-oh". Talk about a heart attack...

Save yourself the panic, the stress, your spouse's ears, and the loss by saving your work. How?

Back up your computer, each computer at least every 6 months (or other device). If you create a lot of artwork, do it more often. Images on your phone? I have my Android connected to my PC so I move the images I want to there, so its easy for me to organize the art photos.

Where do you back up your data?

External Hard Drives and USB Memory Sticks

The reviews on the Western Digital My Passport Hard Drive were good, see LINK so off to Amazon I went (currently $69.21 for 2TB, and the next day I had the WD My Passport. Thank you Mr. Bezos.

Image files are big, so get the biggest one you can afford though, especially if you take a ton of photos. While a hard drive of 3 or 4TB is bigger, a lot more expensive, but definitely a business expense, in my humble opinion. All of those art images must be preserved.

I also have a SanDisk Cruzer USB 2.0 Flash Drive that I plan on backing up my main photos to ASAP. Those will be for the ones that may go to a print shop.That's the plan anyway.

There are other options though, so explore those. There is Cloud Storage, One Drive, and there are other free and paid services too. But it comes in handy to take the backup hard drive and put it in your fireproof safe or bank safety deposit box so you KNOW you can get to your artwork images if and when disaster happens.

How do you save your artwork? Or are you going to start now?

"Mysteries of the Deep" 11x14 Acrylic on canvas by Donna Liguria - sort of the way it might look if you have to try to FIND all your images after technology failure.

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

Saturday, February 5, 2022

Post 110: Clearbrook Center of the Arts February 2022

Clearbrook Center of the Arts February 2022

What's Black and White with a Pop of Color? The theme wall at Clearbrook of course!

The Art is BACK!

After closing for the month of January, Clearbrook Center of the Arts at Tackett's Mill in Woodbridge, VA is open again on Saturdays and Sundays from 1 to 4. About 15 or so local Prince William County artists of the Prince William Art Society (PWAS) have their artwork on display for you to see. There is such a wide variety of styles, there is sure to be something that you like - whether an original or a print.

Valentine's Day is coming...and some flowers that don't wilt might be just the thing! And supporting the arts is a good way to go too.

Sneak Peek at the Art

The theme wall is to the right when you come in the door and here are a couple of pictures of the pictures so you can picture what might look good in your home.

And there are a couple of rooms of other GREAT artwork to browse as well. So if you are in Lake Ridge around Tackett's Mill, maybe at Lidl, or Safeway come by! There is a new Mexican Restaurant called Hector's at Lake Ridge nearby and The Bee Store is one of the cutest shops you will ever see. Pop in and see the "Black and White with a Pop of Color" art work as well as talk to the artists 'manning' the gallery!

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

Photography/Video Credits:

Donna Liguria

Friday, February 4, 2022

Post 109: The Artwork of Staci Blanchard, a PWAS Member

The Artwork of Staci Blanchard, a PWAS Member

Staci Blanchard is a member of the Prince William Art Society, as well as the brand new Vice President of PWAS. Here is Staci's online blog gallery for Artistry Spin. To learn more about her, read Staci's article on "Why I Art", by clicking here LINK.

The Art Gallery - Clearbrook Center of the Arts...

The members of the Prince William Art Society display their artwork at Clearbrook Center of the Arts in Lake Ridge, Virginia which is typically open every Saturday and Sunday, barring any bad weather. Staci's art is on display there as well as other PWAS Members so go by and see the art this weekend! Seeing in person is indeed a much better way to appreciate the art than online, but for those that can't be there, here is a sampling of her work.

Please enjoy and let us know what you think by leaving a comment!

"Peek-a-Bloom" Acrylic Fluid 12x16

"Rainbow" Acrylic Fluid 12x16

"Garden" Acrylic Fluid 14x14

"Unnamed" Acrylic Fluid 12x12

"Unnamed" Acrylic Fluid 12x16

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

Photography/Video Credits:

Staci Blanchard

Thursday, February 3, 2022

Post 108: Storing Your Artwork

Storing Your Artwork

Bless those artists with a large studio space with the superb lighting, lots of room for huge canvases, a couple of easels, work tables, and archival-art-gallery-level humidity-free storage space for all the artwork they create. I don't know about you, but I'm NOT that lucky to have that kind of space, hence I need to come up with some creative ways to store artwork until it sells.

Where to Store Your Artwork

Many artists have an extra room in their home that they convert to an art studio, which is fine, you work with what you have. The art studio room could be an extra bedroom or bonus room, and the closet might be where the 'art storage' is. Very often in studio images, you see artwork lined up and leaning against a walls and a path through the canvases. I keep picturing myself accidentally kicking in the canvas as I walk by or tripping over them. (Makes me wonder how often that happens.)

The actual storage of all those finished canvases does need to be addressed at some point.

Unless your basement is totally finished and has a consistent temperature and NO humidity, do not store your artwork in a basement (too damp) or in an attic (too hot). And think Gizmo here, no bright lights. Stay away from sunlight, direct sun, and fluctuating temperatures. Artwork needs to be in a moderate and consistent climate.

Another option for artwork storage is to pay for a climate-controlled self-storage unit; depending on where you live and budget of course.

Photo by Hayffield L on Unsplash

How to Store Various Types of Artwork

Framed artwork tends to be a bit easier to protect, as the frame itself is a bit of space or "padding" between the surface of the art and its cover. It does take up more space though. Ensure ALL artwork has fully cured before wrapping/storing.

Use any of the following for framed artwork: Cardboard corners, storage blanket, taped, pad the front and back, shrink wrap as long as it doesn't touch the art surface at all. Group artwork by size.

Framed Canvases Acrylics - never framed under glass

Framed Canvases Oils - never framed under glass

Framed Watercolor (under glass), Pastels Oil or Chalk (under glass), Charcoals, Colored Pencils (under glass. Ink Drawings (under UV protected glass)

Unframed Canvases Acrylics - acid-free paper, pad the front and back

Unframed Canvases Oils

Unframed Watercolor, Pastels, Charcoals, Pencils, etc. - an archival box or portfolio

Videos on Storing Your Artwork

I'm always looking for how other people conquer the art challenges of a small, cramped space, for storing art - maybe you do too. Check out these videos.

What You Might Need:

Clean Cloth/Material, Storage Blankets, and/or felt
Cardboard Corners
Use All Acid Free Materials: Glassine Paper, Acid-free Paper
Crystal Clear Bags, Archival Safe, Acid-free (lots of sizes)
Bubble Wrap (acid-free paper FIRST) with bubbles facing OUT
Frame Boxes that the frame came in, store artwork upright with acid-free paper on the front.
Portfolios
Archival Storage Boxes, Clamshell Boxes
Crescent Board, Conservation Mat Board, but be careful if using regular Cardboard or Foam Sheets for padding
Paint rack(s), art storage system by Art Boards Archival Art Storage Supply, a Canvas Storage Cabinet

Some Do's and Some Don'ts

Do wash off the Cheeto dust. Wear gloves even better.

Do NOT use plastic wrap for storing art, you could end up with moldy paintings.

DO archive your inventory before you store it, just-in-case.

Avoid those concrete floors and walls! Much too damp! Keep artwork OFF the floor.

Do NOT stack your artwork on top of each other. Store paintings upright, not on top of each other.

Be aware of anything leaning into a painting that could potentially further stretch, your stretched canvas. That is why similar sized canvases should be grouped together.

And finally, even when you have stored your artwork correctly, periodically (every few months) do check on it to ensure all is well.

For more information:

https://www.wikihow.com/Store-Art

https://www.artworkarchive.com/blog/how-to-store-your-art-collection-like-an-expert

https://www.storespace.com/blog/how-to-store-canvas-painting-artwork/

https://www.art-mine.com/collectorscorner/caring-art-storing-art/

I would LOVE to hear your recommendations and ideas for art storage too? What can I learn from you?

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

Tuesday, February 1, 2022

Post 107: A Juried Art Show

A Juried Art Show

If you are a new artist, you may not know what certain terminology used in art circles are - which I found out quickly when I first started showing my artwork. Maybe you are in that position too; so I hope this helps you get going when you enter a juried and/or a judged show.

Stonebridge "Open Space Arts" Nov-Dec 2021 in Woodbridge, VA was a juried art event where about 14 artists were entered

1. What does a Juried Art Show mean?

When an art show is "juried", that means that only selected pieces will be accepted to be hung at the event, show, or gallery for the predetermined period of time. The sponsors of the art event want to have a great art show for the visitors to see, for enjoyment and for potential sales. Some art events are "blind juried" which means the judges do not know the name of the artist submitting the work (although the signature may be a give-away). The event will ask for "Call for Entries" to an event, but please follow the directions carefully! The directions may include the following:

A fee
A certain number of entries allowed with good quality photographs of the work only (usually no background and without the frame) and formatting requirements
A theme may be asked for or for you to enter specific categories
Size requirements
Hanging requirements
A due date

A panel of artist peers from the local art community may be the committee to review the entries. Sometimes the judges are gallery owners or curators and are paid a fee for their time. Strong composition, balance, value, color and technique are all reviewed as well as properly framed artwork (as needed).

2. What is a judged art event?

In a judged art exhibit, the works are evaluated for special recognition and are ranked. Awards, cash prizes and other acknowledgements may be a part of some art shows.

3. Why are there only X amount of entries allowed?

An easy answer is that it depends on the space allocated for the display and the size of the artwork necessary to fill that space, along with the number of entries. Be sure to include your best works when entering and the maximum number allowed - without exceeding that number.

4. Why wasn't my artwork selected?

A tougher question to answer and there could be a wide variety of reasons for an artist's work to not be selected. One of the most often reasons for acceptance could be that the photograph of the artwork did not show your work in its best light or format, so the judges were not able to consider the work. Alternatively, the artist may not have followed all the criteria necessary for entry.

Nonetheless, it is an honor to be selected to a juried event, even if only one of your pieces is accepted. Many artists don't make it in their first attempts, so don't be discouraged.

After the selections are announced, be sure to then follow the directions on how to get your artwork TO the event - including the where, when and exact times.

Pages

Saturday, February 12, 2022

PWAS Art Shows & Member Art Events

PWAS Events

PWAS Member Events Upcoming

Kelly Haneklan

Wednesday, February 9, 2022

Join us at the PWAS Meeting Feb 28, 2022

Sunday, February 6, 2022

Save Your Art Work!

Technology Will Fail at some point, Fact

External Hard Drives and USB Memory Sticks

Saturday, February 5, 2022

Clearbrook Center of the Arts February 2022

The Art is BACK!

Sneak Peek at the Art

Friday, February 4, 2022

The Artwork of Staci Blanchard, a PWAS Member

The Art Gallery - Clearbrook Center of the Arts...

Thursday, February 3, 2022

Storing Your Artwork

Where to Store Your Artwork

How to Store Various Types of Artwork

Videos on Storing Your Artwork

What You Might Need:

Some Do's and Some Don'ts

Tuesday, February 1, 2022

A Juried Art Show

1. What does a Juried Art Show mean?

2. What is a judged art event?

3. Why are there only X amount of entries allowed?

4. Why wasn't my artwork selected?

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