October 10, 2015

Did you miss us? We've been busy preparing for our show at Truman College as part of Chicago Artist Month celebrations. But we're back again! We had our opening reception on Thursday night and it was a huge success. If you were there, thank you! If you missed it, you can still see the art. Here are show details:

What:   Expressions in Watercolor.

When:  October 8–November 15, 2015,
             9am–5pm, Monday–Friday
             9am–3pm, Saturday

Where: Truman College McKeon Student Services Building (behind the main building)
             1145 W. Wilson Avenue

But enough resting on our laurels. We've been busily painting away, as you can see. And keep reading to the end, as there are more invitations to extend to you. Besides our exhibit at Truman, there is an opening reception at Ten Cat and an Open Sketch at St. Gregory Church—and you're invited to all of them.

If you watched our video, you may have noticed that the first half is missing. Sorry! We'll be back at full capacity next week. Don't know what happened there.

Meanwhile, it's fall! Did you know that October is Squirrel Awareness and Appreciation Month? It's true! So what better way to lead off than with Vivian's squirrel, surrounded by blowing autumn leaves.

So much for squirrel awareness. We're also extending our appreciation for this wonderfully exuberant portrait. We love the bold color choices and the beautifully modeled upholstery. 

Bill is also more into people than squirrels—particularly his grandchildren. Here's a dreamy portrait of one grandson playing guitar...

...and another snuggled up with the family dog. In both portraits, Bill stopped with the perfect amount of detail, avoiding overworking.

We're all about portraits today. But Mohammed's is special for another reason. He's experimenting with a bit of Crescent board left over from our matting session. We think he's found his surface! Look at the exquisite texture he's been able to achieve with the wood and grass.

Steve, too, was experimenting with texture on the three elements of his next painting (below). We love the texture of the rock and the way the water blends into sand. And you may not be able to see it on line, but there is a subtle bit of irridescent medium on the scales of the tail, making it shimmer.

Abla's finished with her water and sky and has moved on to the buildings on the shore. This painting is even more remarkable as it is being painted with a 0000 paintbrush. (If you're wondering, that's extremely tiny—only about 2-3 hairs)

Lake Michigan has also inspired Tony. He's painted Montrose Harbor, but it's calm and tranquil in the daytime sun. We love the soft, muted palette.

Here, Tony uses a similar palette to paint a sheep ranch in Colorado, viewed from Snells Monument. It gives a vintage, timeless feel to the scene, doesn't it?

Hector's take on nature focuses on a single tree against an urban background. We can't wait to see how his sketch progresses.

And Sara composes a still life with fruits of her trees. Cleverly using complementary colors, she contrasts a lush pear and papery Chinese lantern plants against a blue plate.

Susan revisits an old painting of the hanging coffins of Sagada. She's made the whole painting bigger and added a treeline to better convey the vastness of the mountainside.

Elaine begins a painting of the inside of St. Gregory Church. It's much more beautiful in person, so keep reading for an invitation to see and sketch in two weeks.

And as we say goodbye to summer, we feature Madeleine's paintings—all a result of a trip to the Botanic Garden. These close up flower portraits have the expressiveness of a painting, rather than a photo. Yet, they are so spot on that our resident horticulturist could easily identify them all.

And speaking about painting in series, we can't forget Ken! Here he finishes up his series on the Ten Cat. Just in time for an exhibition there. How cool is that? Keep reading for your invitation to the opening reception.

Upcoming events and important announcements:

Open Sketch date. You're invited to join us on Saturday, October 24 from 12:30–3:30pm at St. Gregory the Great Church. It's an open sketching/photography session and we are invited! This is a great opportunity to see, sketch or photograph a truly magnificent architectural treasure, so bring your cameras, sketch pads, pens and pencils. A docent will also be on hand to answer questions. It's art and architecture month in Chicago, so this is the perfect time.  Check back next week to confirm, but meanwhile, here are the details as of now:

     Where:
     St. Gregory the Great Church
     5545 N. Paulina
     Church entrance is on the corner of Gregory and Paulina;
     one block west of Ashland and one block south of Bryn Mawr

     When:
     Saturday, October 24
     12:30–3:30pm
     Ken's Art Opening. Ken will be having a show at Ten Cat Tavern. It features an assortment of paintings from his most recent series about the Ten Cat. There will be an opening reception at (where else?) Ten Cat on Saturday, November 7, beginning at 3pm. Join us for the party.

      Where:
      Ten Cat Tavern

      3931 N Ashland Ave, Chicago, IL

     When:
     Exhibition: October 26–December 7, 2015
     Reception: November 7, 2015, 3pm

And, of course, drop by Truman to see our art in the McKeon building. Roam around and check out all of the glass display cases. See you next week!