MUSE Gallery Exhibit "Horne and Halbert" March 30 - May 1

As some of you know, I belong to a small group of women artists who meet monthly, host exhibits and have critique sessions. We are called ARTsisters. You can visit the ARTsisters website to learn more about who/what we are, how we got our name, etc., ...  My art has evolved and developed much more quickly because of my involvement in this group, to be sure.

The group goes through slight changes in membership from time to time. When I started, there might have been twelve or so? Now we are more than twenty and are considering a adding few more members.

Nancy Halbert was an ARTsister for awhile, then left due to having too many important activities to deal with. She paints and teaches, and keeps a very full schedule. I am glad, even if it was for a short time, that I got to know this fellow artist.

This morning I was delighted to read an article written by  her about her involvement in MUSE gallery, a cooperative gallery on Old City Philadelphia. In fact she is the Director of the gallery. As a busy person myself, I could totally relate to her concept of "30 seconds"!


Click the link below to read her article.

http://www.phillycreativeguide.com/guest/guest_columnist_20110301.aspx

And,

Click here to visit Nancy's Website

Marianne Mitchell Gives Artists Talk at DVAL

 "Wine Country" 10x10" Oil Pastel, (c) Marianne Mitchell

Friday was an art day for me. First, I attended the monthly Board meeting of the Delaware Valley Art League.
Then, after a lunch break with fellow artists, was the general meeting for members. I was treated to a presentation by an artist whose work I hadn't yet seen, Marianne Mitchell.

She showed photos of her oil pastel works, her acrylic paintings, and her photographs, pointing out the similarities between them. I found it quite striking how although the medium may change, the artist's hand/mind still shines through.

As you can see, her art is rich with color and full of contrasts: complementary colors, organic vs. architectural shapes, fluid vs, straight lines,...
Abstract images that emerge from her reactions to her environment and the seasons filled her paintings. She has traveled to many places, among them: China, Maine, the Pacific coast, Canada. The colors and shapes in her paintings reflected her experiences there.
I was sorry that my fellow ARTsister, Linda Dubin Garfield, wasn't able to attend. I saw many similarities between the two artists' works.

Towards the end of the presentation, Marianne answered questions, many of which were concerning the materials she uses, and we got a great tip on a painting tool. Called an auto body spreader, and found at auto parts stores, she said of the tool that it is "the cheapest, most fabulous tool you'll ever buy." (I stopped by Auto Zone today and picked up a package of three for $3 so I can give it a try.)

I also am perplexed a bit. A few years ago, when I heard about the Delaware Valley Art League, I was invited to a meeting to check it out. At this meeting, the presenter was artist Nancy Halbert, who creates and teaches art. She showed a slide presentation covering the history of art from cave paintings to abstracts.
By the meeting's end, I decided that joining this organization would be a good career move for me. Here was a chance to meet other artists, to learn from other artists, (and I firmly believe, when one stops learning, they stop living) to show my work, to network,...
Since then I have joined the Board and have made every attempt to attend to every meeting. It was through DVAL that I was introduced to many wonderful area artists like Sarah Yeoman (watercolors) , Carol Kardon (oils, pastels), and Ann Northrup (murals).

So, can someone please tell me, why are the meetings so often not well-attended? We have many members, but only a few take advantage of the wealth of benefit of the monthly meetings. I just don't get it!