Saturday, October 1, 2022

Post 228: After the Master's Style Art Show at OSA in Jan. 2023

After the Master's Style Art Show at OSA in Jan. 2023

The Open Space Arts Committee is so excited for this upcoming art show in January 2023! The ideas and creative juices are on full force, but we are anticipating some questions that we would love to address beforehand.

Open Space Arts Shows

Open Space Arts is located at 15000 #140 Potomac Town Center, Woodbridge, VA at Stonebridge - where Wegmans is. It is across from DSW and between Ulta and the Loft on the same block at Barnes and Noble. The gallery changes out the artwork approximately monthly - give or take.

The current art show began on Wednesday, September 21, with a reception open to the public on Friday, Sept. 23 and this show will run until Sunday, October 16. This show is called, "Hispanic Heritage Art Celebration" which will be followed by an Indian culture show Oct. 19 - 30, 2022. The Hispanic show is a PWC artist and PWC art group juried show and the India show is a PWCAC (Prince William County Arts Council) sponsored show (which means PWAS and PWC artists might not be necessarily invited for a Call for Art).

In November and December, there will be Calls for Art for these PWC artist and PWC art group shows in the months prior to their start dates - as well as the Call for Art in early Dec for the January "After the Master's Style" show.

Let's lay this out this way:

Saturday, October 1 - Fri. Oct. 14 Call for Art for the NOV show

Wednesday, October 19 - Sunday, October 30 "India" PWCAC sponsored show

Sunday, October 23 - Sat. Nov. 5 Call for Art for the DEC show

Wednesday, November 2 - Sunday, November 20 "A Harvest of Artists" PWC artist show (juried)

Wednesday, November 23 - Sunday, January 1, 2023 "Deck Your Halls" PWC artist show (juried)

Sunday, November 27 - Fri. Dec. 9 Call for Art for the JAN show

Wednesday, January 4 - Sunday, January 29 "After the Master's Style" PWC artist show (juried)

All artwork is juried in, which means out of the artwork submitted, pieces are selected to show.

After the Master's Style - So you need time to get your artwork ready for these upcoming shows! Let's see multiple versions of the classic master paintings! I am so excited for this show!

Calls for Art

When a gallery or art group has a Call for Art, that means that artists are invited to submit art to display in their space. The requirements are stated, including size requirements, if there is a theme to follow, if there is a cost, etc.

For Open Space Arts, it is free to submit art but the main requirements are that the artist MUST be 18 or older, and:

The artist should be a resident of Prince William County OR

The artist can be a member of a Prince William County art group - such as the Prince William Art Society.

Interested artists should get on our mailing list ASAP and you can do that at:

https://www.princewilliamartsociety.com/osafaqs

Take note of the Frequently Asked Questions on that page as well.

I do suggest this recent blog post too:

https://artistryspin.blogspot.com/2022/09/post-225-artwork-rejection.html

1. How should I sign or title my artwork for this show?

Let's all use this basic layout on your title card for the After the Masters show:

Name of Painting Inspired by Name of Master (anything additional, like "Mini")

You would still sign the front of your artwork with your name but the back should include the above, and your labels should as well so that you are still accrediting the old Master Painter.

You probably cannot use newer more recent well known artists for this - especially if they are still alive.

Also of note from PWAS member Shadow:

The book mentioned at our most recent meeting is 'Legal Guide for the Visual Artist' by Tad Crawford ISBN - 10 is 1621538117. The 6th Edition was just put out this year and covers NFT's and new tech stuff.

Be sure and use our Amazon Smile link:

https://smile.amazon.com/Legal-Guide-Visual-Artist-Crawford/dp/1621538117/ref=sr_1_1?crid=266OBYC5MI6Y7&keywords=Legal+Guide+for+the+Visual+Artist&qid=1664570593&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIxLjUwIiwicXNhIjoiMS4yNSIsInFzcCI6IjEuMjEifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=legal+guide+for+the+visual+artist%2Caps%2C880&sr=8-1

2. Can I submit abstract art for this art show?

Absolutely! Let's see your version of a Jackson Pollock!

3. What are some ideas so that I can start painting for this art show?

I would love to see Mona Lisa in shades. I recently saw someone's version of Van Gogh's Starry Night where in the sky were lots of swirling cat faces. Pun intended, the sky is the limit...Let's see your version of the Van Gogh's Experience!

Do your version of The Scream in a gallery setting.

How about your Mom on a recliner instead of Whistler's mother?

Nonetheless, I recently posted on my OTHER blog, Donna's Cave Paintings - After the Master's Style in January 2023 - a few minis I have gotten ready for this show...

https://donnascavepainting.blogspot.com/2022/09/post-271-after-masters-style-in-january.html

Donna Liguria's Mini Master Paintings Inspired by Claude Monet, Johannes Vermeer, Leonardo di Vinci, and Vincent van Gogh

OK Prince William County and PWAS artists, let's see what you got!

*I should note that all artwork has to be family-friendly, so your "The Birth of Venus" by Sandro Botticelli may need a bikini on.

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/.

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 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 a 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!

Thursday, September 29, 2022

Post 227: Seats Available for Oil Painting Workshop with Scotty Paints

Seats Available for Oil Painting Workshop with Scotty Paints

Simple Seascape Workshop

Five Seats Available!Reserve your seat now by sending an email to:scottypaints54@gmail.comSeats available on a first received basis.

1 October 2022 - 1:00 to 5:00pmOpen Space Arts Gallery and Workshop - Stonebridge Center

Don't miss out on this fun afternoon of a Scotty Paints Oil Painting Workshop to be held at the Open Space Arts Gallery and Workshop in the Stonebridge Shopping Center, Woodbridge, VA.In this workshop you will paint the "Sunrise Seascape" that was featured in the Bob Ross "Joy of Painting" ® series tv show. If you want to get a head start, you can see this painting come to life in the Season 5 Episode 6 video on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0Bz6TNUK1Q

In this workshop you will be completing a 16" x 20" canvas painting in oil taught by Scott McDonald, a Certified Ross Instructor. We will be working in the wet-on-wet oil technique to create this painting in one sitting. All course materials are provided. Since the painting will be wet when you leave with it, you will need to have a flat level space in your vehicle to get your masterpiece safely home. Please wear "painting clothes", aprons will be available as well for you to use.Payment for the workshop ($75.00) will be taken at the workshop in the form of either cash, credit card, or an online payment by scanning a QR Code with a smart phone.We allow four hours for the workshop to ensure all students get the care and attention they need to complete the painting in one sitting. If for some reason you will not be able to attend, please send an e-mail to scottypaints54@gmail.com to let us know so we can move on to the next name on our waiting list.

Looking forward to you joining us for a fun and relaxing afternoon of painting.The Open Space Gallery is locate in the Stonebridge Shopping Center in between "Ulta" and "The Loft" at 15000 #140 Potomac Town Pl, Woodbridge, VA 22191. We suggest parking in the parking lot behind the building to facilitate moving your painting from the backdoor of the workshop to your vehicle.This workshop is made possible by the PWC Arts Council and the Prince William Arts Society.*Bob Ross and "The Joy of Painting" are registered trademarks of BobRossInc and are used with permission granted to Certified Bob Ross Instructors.

Author: Scott McDonald
An artist member of PWAS in Woodbridge, VA

Photography/Video Credits:

Scott McDonald

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

Post 226: Otis Stanley's PWAS Comics #6

Otis Stanley's PWAS Comics #6

Otis Stanley's weekly PWAS Comic on board, including a question!

What unusual methods do you use to create your art?

Leave your comments under the blog post!

Author/Artist: Otis Stanley
An artist member of PWAS in Woodbridge, VA

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

Wednesday, September 28, 2022

Post 225: Open Space Arts Gallery Hispanic Heritage Art Celebration Reception 2

Open Space Arts Gallery Hispanic Heritage Art Celebration Reception Part 2

On Friday, September 23, 2022 at Stonebridge, the art gallery Open Space Arts had a public art reception for the opening art show, Hispanic Heritage Art Celebration from 6 to 8 pm in Woodbridge, Virginia! This is Part 2 of the photos - Part 1 is at https://artistryspin.blogspot.com/2022/09/post-223-open-space-arts-gallery.html

A photograph Tom Payne took of our other photographer, Otis Stanley

Smile and say, "Gallery!"

Austun Cherry at work

Working the door gets gallery visitors IN THE DOOR by Austun Cherry, Otis Stanley, Mark Murphy

Donna and her new friend, Sandra

Herb Williams and Ana Quispe addressing the crowd

Staci Blanchard

Otis and Fernando from Nando Peri-Peri

Lots of GREAT nibbles!

Staci Blanchard, Helen Burroughs, Ana Quispe, Sandra Lewin

Photos from the Reception by Member Artists

Open Space Arts (OSA) is a gallery supported by the Prince William County Arts Council in partnership with the Prince William Art Society (PWAS) located at 15000 #140 Potomac Town Center. The gallery was open a few weeks just prior to Christmas in 2021, and then PWAS was invited to come back and run the gallery in March of 2022. In April, the first Open Space Arts show started and every month since has shown a different variety of art in all its colors, styles, methods and mediums. The Visual Arts in PWC is alive and well and in your backyard!

Many shows are open to all of the Prince William County artists - they must be 18 or older. So that means, if you live in PWC OR you are a member of a PWC art group or photography group, those artists are welcome to submit fine art to the gallery when a Call for Art is sent out, and then a selection of the best of the artwork is juried into the show.

The art is changed out, approximately monthly and the current show is called Hispanic Heritage Art Celebration - all of the art is by flavored with Hispanic and Latino themes. This show will be open to the public until October 16, 2022. About 30 artists are currently on display. The gallery is FREE to see, and the artwork is for sale.

Photography/Video Credits:

Otis Stanley and Tom Payne and Donna Liguria

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

Tuesday, September 27, 2022

Post 224: Artwork Rejection

Artwork Rejection

You've done the work. You created your artwork and submitted it to a juried art show or gallery in the hope of showing off your artwork to the masses. The wait begins to see if you get the thumbs up or the thumb down.

Out of Your Control vs In Your Control

(Warning: Please note that I'm not going to sugarcoat this article.)

There are some things within the artist's control when submitting artwork to a gallery for selection, but probably much more frustrating is that there are more things that ARE NOT within the artist's control. And even more confusing and/or frustrating, the reasons for rejection that are out of your control you may never know about.

At Open Space Arts (OSA) at Stonebridge, we use a "Jury Committee" which is a group of artists with a variety of art backgrounds that review all art submissions. While we cannot speak for every juried art show in the world, there are common features that are taken into consideration when populating a gallery for specific art shows.

Here are some things that the gallery has total control over:

1. To be blunt - your artwork may look great in person, but the image of it that the jury sees - well, sucks. Actually this happens a lot and the artist does have control over taking the photo of it. Do NOT include background in your art photos. Take a GREAT picture and CROP out the background. And quite frankly, because of techie things, the image may not translate well from image to projected when the jury is doing their thing.

2. How large the gallery space is vs. the number of pieces submitted, also vs the size of the pieces submitted. Say a gallery has room for 100 large pieces and they receive 350 pieces of large art to jury. Do the math, that's a lot of rejected art.

3. IF the gallery is looking for a theme and the artwork submitted doesn't fit that theme, it has to be cut. Although OSA doesn't want to necessarily stick to a theme for each art show, occasionally the title of the show does dictate a "theme". Say the show was "Summer Spotlight on Art" and artists submit art that has snow, ice, fall colors and the like. Although the art might be scrumptious, the time of year along with 'what might sell best at this show' would mean that these pieces may do better if submitted for a fall or winter seasonal show. Again, look at Number 2, something has to go.

4. Best of the best vs diversity. I can speak for OSA on this topic as we jury art for our shows, we strive for the BEST of the art submitted. We want the highest quality of art from Prince William County artists for every show we have juried. That takes precedence. We realize that some artists only do abstracts, some only do large works, some artists do photography, and others do realism. We compare an artist's submissions against other pieces that same artist submitted (often taking the best out of that artist's entries) as well as the entire shows submissions.

There are galleries that are all about featuring every style of visual art known to man, perhaps to appeal to the diversity of potential gallery visitors. And in essence, there is nothing wrong with that. Again, space over the number of pieces means cutting out some great art.

5. Although I am on the Jury Committee for OSA, I do like to think we are being fair in our selections. We vote on pieces and we do tend to try to be inclusive. We each have our own opinions about what we like and do not like in art and this is true for any jurist or jury committee at any gallery. I believe that a committee vote works better than a single person selecting work for a show. Our committee members are objective in their decisions, seeking the quality of the artwork submitted as our priority. A single jurist may or may not be as objective - I've seen it at some galleries as you probably have.

A Rejected Art Piece

I'm going to show you an example of one of the oddities in art jurying. This is a photograph of a piece I painted and recently submitted to the OSA Hispanic Heritage Art Celebration show that is now open from September 21 to October 16, 2022. This piece was rejected from the Call for Art.

Pinata by Donna Liguria, 2022 Acrylic on Canvas

Now, why I am showing you this, is that on Saturday, September 24, at the Occoquan Arts and Crafts Show, the Prince William Art Society (PWAS) had a tent up with 9 artist members displaying a diverse tent of art. This painting was the first piece that sold at the show. Funny but true and others have similar stories.

Art Crafts vs Fine Art

I do think that an understanding should be made here about the difference between fine art and craft art. See this article Difference Between Craft and Fine Art

At OSA, we have turned away craft art. It is also worth remembering that the OSA Committee, made up of Prince William Art Society members, needs to also work under the guidelines of our gallery sponsors - meaning that the artwork on display must be FINE ART of the best quality.

What is in the Artist's Control?

1. Follow the rules, the directions, the process. Proofread you submission BEFORE you submit it. You know the saying, "Dot your 'i's and cross your 't's"? When a gallery has A LOT of artists submitting hundreds of pieces of art, what is really unfortunate is when an artist DID NOT FOLLOW DIRECTIONS. Print out the directions so that it is easier for you to follow the checklist of things to do!

...I could stop this list at this point because that is simply where most mistakes happen...

With everything on the internet, on YouTube, on this blog or elsewhere, a simple search and doing your homework will help you understand the art business world and its expectations. It is a business and an artist wants to sell art as much as the gallery does. If a gallery has requirements, it is UP TO YOU TO MEET THOSE REQUIREMENTS. Otherwise, maybe a juried art show might not be what you should do if you can't take rejection.

If I come across as harsh on this, I'm not going to apologize. I've had artwork rejected too. It happens and it probably has to you too. Nonetheless, here are some areas where mistakes can and do happen when submitting art to galleries to be juried:

2. Bad photos.

3. Missing information.

4. Unfinished artwork. (This covers a lot of territory from under-drawing showing to unfinished edges.)

5. Badly framed or matted and framed artwork, or unprofessionally packaged art prints.

6. Improperly wired artwork. (We have received artwork with no way to hang it.)

7. Not original artwork. (Unless you are Walt Disney, don't submit Mickey Mouse art.)

8. Incomplete, unprofessional artist bio.

9. Submitting only one entry. (Could be a sort of an alert that you may be a beginner and you may be overlooked for a more aggressive entrant or perceived as larger body of work artist.)

10. Failure in not submitting your images in the requested format. Also note, if asked to ATTACH the image is different than EMBEDDING the artwork in the email. Often, although perhaps unknown to you, there are good reasons for specific requests. When dealing with hundreds (or more) pieces of art, each gallery has their own methods of doing things.

11. Failure to submit art on time, to deliver art on time or failure to respond to an email for more information on time.

12. Failure to not submit your best artwork.

13. Poorly constructed compositions, proportions, technical flaws. This is also known as not executed well. (We have seen artwork where the subject matter is quite good, but the piece's background is not. Or the human's hands are out of proportion to the rest of the portrait.)

14. The uniqueness of your art. How does your artwork stand out, what makes it so far superior to another landscape or similar subject matter?

15. Submitting the same pieces over and over again. (The expectation is that you are growing as an artist and have much more artwork to show.)

16. Your attitude in taking rejection is under your control. You can take it as a learning experience or you can always say, 'They hate my art. My art is no good. I hate this gallery." OR you could simply ask where you could improve.

Monday, September 26, 2022

Post 223: Open Space Arts Gallery Hispanic Heritage Art Celebration Reception 1

Open Space Arts Gallery Hispanic Heritage Art Celebration Reception Part 1

On Friday, September 23, 2022 at Stonebridge, the art gallery Open Space Arts invited the public to attend their Hispanic Heritage Art Celebration Reception from 6 to 8 pm. And the public showed up! A couple hundred people enjoyed this wonderful art event in Woodbridge, Virginia!

Photos from the Reception by Member Artists

The photographs below were taken by Otis Stanley and Tom Payne of the reception held on Friday.

Hispanic Heritage Art Celebration Sept 21 - Oct 16, 2022

Herb Williams, Eleanor and Ken Meardon

Ana Quispe, Sandra Lewin, Helen Burroughs, Staci Blanchard and Sheri Herrick

Linda Nedilsky speaking to the visitors

The Storyteller

Austun Cherry spoke to the passersby - telling them about the gallery!

Also note that the Pet Festival will take place on Saturday, October 15 and the Prince William Art Society members will have a tent up in front of the Open Space Arts gallery with artwork of our best furry friends AND other animals we love.

Come by the gallery, Wednesday - Saturday 12 to 7 and Sunday 12 to 5 to see the outstanding artwork on display by local artists. Please like, share, comment, Follow the Blog, and let us know what you think!

See Part 2 at https://artistryspin.blogspot.com/2022/09/post-223-open-space-arts-gallery.html

Photography/Video Credits:

Tom Payne and Otis Stanley

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

PWAS Artistry Spin

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Saturday, October 1, 2022

Post 228: After the Master's Style Art Show at OSA in Jan. 2023

After the Master's Style Art Show at OSA in Jan. 2023

Open Space Arts Shows

Calls for Art

1. How should I sign or title my artwork for this show?

2. Can I submit abstract art for this art show?

3. What are some ideas so that I can start painting for this art show?

Thursday, September 29, 2022

Post 227: Seats Available for Oil Painting Workshop with Scotty Paints

Seats Available for Oil Painting Workshop with Scotty Paints

Simple Seascape Workshop

Five Seats Available!Reserve your seat now by sending an email to:scottypaints54@gmail.comSeats available on a first received basis.

Post 226: Otis Stanley's PWAS Comics #6

Otis Stanley's PWAS Comics #6

Wednesday, September 28, 2022

Post 225: Open Space Arts Gallery Hispanic Heritage Art Celebration Reception 2

Open Space Arts Gallery Hispanic Heritage Art Celebration Reception Part 2

Photos from the Reception by Member Artists

Tuesday, September 27, 2022

Post 224: Artwork Rejection

Artwork Rejection

Out of Your Control vs In Your Control

A Rejected Art Piece

Art Crafts vs Fine Art

What is in the Artist's Control?

More Reading on the Art Jury Process

Monday, September 26, 2022

Post 223: Open Space Arts Gallery Hispanic Heritage Art Celebration Reception 1

Open Space Arts Gallery Hispanic Heritage Art Celebration Reception Part 1

Photos from the Reception by Member Artists

PWAS is Social

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