October 17, 2015

It's October—a perfect time to enjoy the crisp air, beautiful light and colorful leaves. It's also time to enjoy some Cubs baseball (can you believe we are saying that?)! And it's Artists Month in Chicago, too, so there are lots of events happening now and coming up, so read on. Our list of "save the dates" is almost as long as our list of paintings. Stay tuned for invitations to:

• our art exhibition at Truman College
• open sketch at St. Gregory Church
• Ken's art exhibition at Ten Cat
• DePaul Community Chorus' November concert

But first, it's our last class of the term—but don't worry, we start right up again next week. Meanwhile, while our numbers were small, we all painted with gusto and seemed to highlight the events and themes of the season. Looking closely, you can see Bill has perfectly captured the autumn light on Lill Street Gallery (a nod to Chicago Artists month, perhaps?)

Abla, too, paints Chicago, but hers is a detailed look at a summer storm on the lakefront.

It's one last look at summer for Madeleine as well. Here's a beautifully romantic look at nicotiana from the Chicago Botanic Garden. Sadly, this picture doesn't do it justice. Be assured that the actual painting is nowhere near this out-of-focus.

Marva's flowers are equally beautiful but totally imaginery. We love the happy Peter Max vibe we get from Marva's garden—you just have to smile, don't you?

Mohammed's girl in a garden is also progressing quickly, especially when you look at the size and level of detail. The grass and wood feel like grass and wood, don't they?

Steve is sketching the beginnings of his next painting, working out perspective and anatomy on tracing paper before he commits to watercolor paper.

Susan put the final touches on her large painting of the hanging coffins of Sagada, just in time for  Day of the Dead celebrations. Besides defining the shapes of the coffins, she added people to give a sense of size and perspective.

Elaine is also preparing, but she's getting ready for next Saturday's Fall Open Sketch session at St. Gregory the Great Church, shown here. We'll add information below since you're invited to join us.

Upcoming events and important announcements

And now, have your calendars handy. It's time to plan the final flurry of activity before the snows fly and we head indoors for cozy winter fun. Start marking your calendars. You are invited to the following ... in date order.

Expressions in Watercolor
There's still time to see our exhibition, Expressions in Watercolor, from now until mid-November. Drop by and see all the glass cases.

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

Autumn Open Sketch date.
It's an open sketching/photography session on Saturday, October 24 from 12:30–3:30pm at St. Gregory the Great Church and we are invited! This is a great opportunity to see a magnificent architectural treasure in the beautiful autumn light, so bring your cameras, sketch pads, pens and pencils. A docent will also be on hand to answer questions.

     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

The Ten Cat Ten Cat Show.Ken will be having a show at Ten Cat Tavern. Come to the opening reception at (where else?) Ten Cat on Saturday, November 7.

      Where:
      Ten Cat Tavern

      3931 N Ashland Ave, Chicago, IL

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

DePaul Community Chorus Concert.
Come hear Steve in the November concert, Darkness & Light: Nordic and Mediterranean Perspectives. 150 voices strong, eight part harmony—it's beautiful and it's free!

      Where:
      DePaul Concert Hall
      800 West Belden, Chicago

     
     When:
     Sunday, November 22, 2015 at 3pm
 

And finally, as Vivian so eloquently paints it..... Go Cubs!

 

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!

October 1, 2015

Our latest exhibition! Now open Saturdays, 9-3!

Welcome to our exhibition!

Yes, as you can tell from the poster above, October is Chicago Artists Month and we’re joining the festivities! We're having an actual in-person exhibition, Expressions in Watercolor. Come see our art and meet us in person!

We'll be exhibiting through November 15 in the McKeon Student Services Building at Truman College, 1145 W. Wilson Avenue. The McKeon Building is located behind the main building. Our opening is October 8, with a reception in the lobby from 5–8 pm. Drop by if you can. We'd love to see you!

But if you can't make the reception, please come by and see the art. Building hours are Monday–Friday, 9am–5pm. And we've just learned that the building is also open on Saturday from 9am–3pm.

Again, here are the details:

     When:
     Reception: Thursday, October 8, 5pm–8pm
     Exhibition: 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

Hope to see you there!   

August 29, 2015

We're back and we have great news about an art exhibit we are mounting in October. We hope you are as thrilled as we are... both to be back and to be exhibiting. We'll waste no more time but get right to the art. As you can see, we used our break for inspiration. And we seemed to want to paint in series, too. Whether we traveled to exotic destinations (Hawaii) like Susan....

 
...ventured even farther afield, like Hector (doesn't this look very Star Trek?)....

...or just did a staycation and visited cool local sites like Ken, we found inspiration in our surroundings.

Abla begins to sketch a lakefront vista....

 

 ... and Bill finishes his. We like this even better with the softer treeline.

We also are fascinated by the people around us. Bill sketches his grandson below, playing an adult size guitar.

John also sketches people, even though his are characters in a story.

 
Madeleine finishes her painting of her grandchildren, carefully focusing on the faces, while stylizing the background.

Inspired by a visit to the Botanic Gardens, Madeleine paints and sketches a dahlia and waterlilies.

Sara, too, paints the fruits of summer. Again, the radish is beautifully modeled against a more abstract colorful background.

In a similar vein, Isaac paints a single perfect cherry against a dramatic background...

Before moving to a whole bowl of cherries in sparkling crystal. Wow!

We haven't forgotten the fauna, either. Glenn's birds are beautifully composed.

And Mohammed's polar bear sketch can't help but make us smile.

Keep watching this space for news about our October show. It'll be at Truman College and we'll have an opening reception and fine art and all kinds of wonderful things. Have a wonderful Labor Day weekend.