September 14, 2014

No video today, but there's so much else going on, you won't even miss it!

Johannah Silva demonstrating some of Winsor & Newton's fine watercolors, brushes and media. Who knew learning could be so colorful and fun?

To start, our friend Johannah Silva (above) from Winsor & Newton dropped by for a lecture/demonstration of watercolor, its history and supplies—with a special emphasis on watercolor brushes and papers. We learned about paper weights, sizes and finishes and about different kinds of brush hairs. We saw natural hair, synthetic and blended brushes and how they handled paint and water.

We even had the chance to test-drive some brushes, including the world's finest brush—the Winsor & Newton No. 7 series. We were a little nervous to even touch it (considering that the brush sells for around $200, wouldn't you be too?), but what an experience! And when we heard what goes into making this brush, the cost seems quite reasonable.

As if that weren't enough, Johannah left us with samples of artist grade watercolor and texture medium. If you think we had fun with gum arabic over the past year, tune in and see what we do with the texture medium!

But we also got some painting in. Today's inadvertent theme—things that weren't what they seemed to be. From Sara's "flower" that was really an heirloom tomato, to Marva's "sleeping dog" that was actually a Fiji waterfall, you really have to look carefully to see what's happening. That's right, Alan's "modern Southern woman" is a dressmaker's form draped in fabrics. And David's leaping corn prompted so many stories, we'll just let you find your own. Enjoy....

,,,and keep reading for more news about what's happening in our lives, including an art opening invitation for Pat, our teacher.

Pat's Art Opening. Join us for the opening reception of ARC Gallery's 40th Anniversary Members Exhibition, featuring work by our own Pat Otto. The show runs from Sept. 25 thru Oct.19 (click here for more information), but we'd love to see you at the gala opening reception:

Friday September 27
6pm–9 pm.
ARC Gallery
2156 N. Damen Avenue
Chicago, IL 60647
www.arcgallery.org

Out of the Darkness Community Walk. It's not too late to help Steve as he walks to support the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. If you can't walk, consider a donation to this important cause. Just click here: Support Steve!

Art challenges. I knew we promised to discuss these fully, but we simply ran out of time. One of the challenges was to "notice" something every day. Ideally, we'd then document it, either with a painting, photo, written note or even a mental note. And while some of us (Susan) took up brushes and paint to sketch what we noticed, most of us just walked around "noticing" things.

See you next week. Meanwhile, if you see someone intensely noticing the world around him/her this week, it's probably one of us.