Reception for the 12th Annual AIGMV Art Exhibit… 28.10.2013

The Nevins Memorial Library hosted the reception for the 12^th Annual Arts Institute Group of the Merrimack Valley’s (AIGMV) Art Exhibit on Thursday, October 24^th, 2013. Thirty-three artists were represented and there were almost 100 pieces of original art and sculpture on display.

I unexpectedly won both 1st and 2nd place in the Pastel/Drawing/Pen&Ink group, please see the pictures and the judge's comments below:

1st Place: "#25 Remaining Blameless"

"It appears almost as though we are looking through a window as we look through the framework border of this piece. Delicate mark making and savvy technique are clearly demonstrated in this work. the vertical line of the Asian symbol appears to rip its way through the center of the piece, assaulting our eye and arresting out attention. It appears that paper is being torn away on the leaf edges, and the splashes of watercolor (ink) with tiny line lie in stark contrast to the firm and decisive lines of the symbol. A nice amount of tension gives the piece strength. Wonderfully presented in its mat and frame as well." - Susan Kneeland, Judge

2nd Place: "#3 A Difficult Beginning"

 "Intense shaped on the surface plane of this mixed media piece contrast perfectly against the busied watercolor and ink background. The work is a symbolic Asian fortune image that shows us the artistic interpretation the 'difficult beginning; the title eludes to. Emerging from chaos, the main symbol has no struggle for attention with its deep clear lines of definition. Upon further inspection, we are invited to enjoy fine lines and forms delicately describing the details here and there. This work shows extreme technical process, and great creative imagery! Nice work!" - Susan Kneeland, Judge





2013 AIGMV Award Winners, Susan Kneeland, Judge

Theme “Hocuspocus”: “Spooked” - David Jones

Best in Show: Gustav Klimt’s, “The Kiss” - Janice Jones

Mayor’s Choice Award: “Fall on Westwind” - Dawn Robinson

Librarian’s Choice Awards: “Autumn Marsh - Barbara Burns
Honorable Mention - “Seascape #10 - Gail Golobski Fuller
Honorable Mention - “Illusion” - Brenda Renaud

Oils: First - “House on the Hill” - Danny Dancer
Second - “Back Here” - Rose Carney

Honorable Mention -“Apples in Box” - Vernon Kilby

Honorable Mention - “Fall at Barker’s Farm” - David Jones

Acrylics: First – “Baking in the Sun” - Claire  Gagnon

Second – “Mrs. Marple”  - Gail Golobski Fuller

Honorable Mention – “Enchanted” – April Story 

Honorable Mention – “Abstract 1- Yellow is Star” Shirley D’Agati

Honorable Mention – “A Tribute to Mom and Dad” Rosanne Bartlett

Watercolor: First - “All You Need” – Mark DiDio
Second - “Autumn Reflections” – Joanne Donovan

Honorable Mention - “Hampton Falls Church” -Ted Dzialo  

Photography: First -“Apple Dory” - Jim Primmer
Second -“Red White Black”- Robert Hahn
Honorable Mention -“Wave Runner” - Bridget Douillette
Honorable Mention  “The Magic Beach” - Jim Primmer
Honorable Mention  “Zulema” - Pilar Quintana
 

Pastel/Drawing/Pen and Ink:    
First -“#25 Remaining Blameless” - Jennifer White

Second -“#3 A Difficult Beginning - Jennifer White

All Other Media : First - Gustav Klimt’s, “The Kiss” - Janice Jones

Second - “Take Five- (Thanks Dave)” - Jeff Roberts

Honorable Mention -“Moonshine” -Janice Jones

Honorable Mention -“Noah” -Ann Rahming

Honorable Mention - “Myth? Magic? Mystery? Truth? -Shirley D’Agati

Honorable Mention -“Autumn Nights” -Kasey Walko

It has been over 20 years since my last art show opening and reception and I will admit to being totally blown away by all of the positive feedback, creative suggestions and unwavering support that I have received from family, friends, fellow AIGMV members and total strangers. Quite a few people sought me out just to tell me how much they enjoyed my work, to ask how the pictures were created and to inquire about the series - their enthusiasm was overwhelming.

This has been an amazing and positive experience and I cannot thank everyone enough for all their support and patience over the past couple of months. 

Jenn White
White Rooster Studios

Reminder: Art Exhibit… 22.10.2013

Just a quick reminder that I will be participating in the 12^th Annual Art Exhibit which opens tomorrow, October 23^rd, 2013. If you are in the area, please stop by the Nevins Memorial Library in Methuen, MA and check out new work by members of the Arts Institute Group of the Merrimack Valley.

The exhibit will run from October 23^rd to November 2^nd, 2013.

Library hours:

Monday thru Thursday: 10:00 am – 8:00 pm.

Friday and Saturday: 10:00 am – 4:00 pm.

Closed Sunday.

Admission is free.

Please see the dates and hours I will be at the exhibit:

Wednesday, October 23^rd, from 6:30 – 8:00 pm

Thursday, October 24^th, from 6:30 – 8:00 pm

Saturday, October 26^th, from 1:00 – 3:00 pm

Wednesday, October 30^th, from 6:30 – 8:00 pm

Thursday, October 31^st, from 6:30 – 8:00 pm

Also, White Rooster Studios now has a Facebook page; please check it out for project updates and photos.

Jenn White

White Rooster Studios

Artist Date: Western Avenue Open Studios… 11.10.2013

Lowell Open Studios Postcard

The Western Avenue Studios participated in the October Open Studios in Lowell, MA the weekend of October 5^th and 6^th. They were just one of nine art studios/venues that participated in the city-wide event. This October celebrated the 13^th Annual Open Studios and each year it is wonderful to see more and more artists becoming involved.

I had an opportunity to attend the Western Ave Open Studios last Sunday and a chance to visit with some of the artists that I haven’t been able to view their work previously. I have been attending the Open Studios off/on for a while now, but it is up to the artist’s discretion on whether or not they wish to participate in the Open Studios… and during the summer months, quite a lot of them are unavailable. The Open Studios are held the first Saturday of every month, however, during October and December they are open both Saturday and Sunday allowing for more time to visit with the artists.

I love this event and have long been fascinated in how other artists set up their studios: What supplies do they use? What books are in their library? What music inspires them? How do they have their studios set up? Is the entire studio used as work space or do they have a display area for visitors?  I enjoy wandering through the studios and chatting with the artists about their work, who influences them and what inspires them, to discuss their techniques and learn about new business practices. All of the artists I have come in contact with at Western Ave are very open and happy to talk about their work and have been extremely helpful in offering advice on how to become established in the local art community.

Entrance to the Western Avenue Studios

Those who have never attended an Open Studio event may find the immense size of the buildings a little overwhelming, but remember: this is an on-going event and you can chose to do only a portion of the studios per visit. It is a great opportunity to see some great art, make new friends and support the local art community – best of all: the event is FREE.

There is literally something for everyone at Western Ave Studios: every style of painters working in all media, fabric artists (there is a wonderful artist that designs playful yarn creatures), photography, sculpture – don’t miss the gargoyles on the 5th floor or the Metal Men, stained glass, jewelry design and ceramics… there is even a model ship studio with amazingly intricate battleships. Many of these artists also offer classes and workshops, so if you are interested in learning or trying out a new media, you will have plenty of choices to pick from.

Please note: there are elevators in the mill buildings, I find it easier to take the elevator to the top floor and work my way down. There are also plenty of common areas on each floor with seating for those who wish to take a break during their visit.

Upcoming 2013 Western Ave Open Studios:

November 2^nd from noon to 5:00 pm

December 7^th & 8^th and 14^th & 15^th (first two weekends in December) from noon to 5:00 pm

The Western Ave Studios are located at 122 Western Avenue near downtown in Lowell, MA and consists of two converted mill buildings connected by a “bridge” that encompasses six floors and over 200 artists. Please check out their website and blog for upcoming events and exhibitions for the Loading Dock Gallery as well as artists in residence at: http://westernavenuestudios.com/

Jenn White
White Rooster Studios

Artist Date: Fort Williams Park... 5.10.2013

One of the things that I have found incredibly important – and just as easily forgotten about or put off (I will admit to being guilty of this) – is the need to recharge your artistic batteries regularly. I first read about this idea in Julia Cameron’s “The Artist’s Way” about 15 years ago, and although her 15 week creative block program didn’t work for me, her idea of a planning a regular Artist Date DID. An Artist Date does not necessarily have to cost anything and it is entirely up to you to decide on what to do during your “date” – after all, it is your time to spend with your “inner artist” (Cameron’s phrasing).  For me, an Artist Date may consist of:     

·         wandering through an art supply store checking out potential new supplies

·         browsing the new releases in a book store or attending a library sale

·         attending an art show at a gallery or museum (keep an eye out for free admission dates or check your local library for free or discounted passes) or local Open Studio or Arts on the Green events

·         watching an art biopic

·         reading an artist biography or material that the artist has written themselves

·         getting out of my comfort zone and taking my sketchbook out to a park for the afternoon

Portland Head Light #1

This weekend’s Artist Date introduced us to Fort Williams Park in Cape Elizabeth, ME. My partner had suggested an overnight stay just outside of Portland, ME with the idea of grabbing some downtime before preparations for the upcoming show start ramping up. Some of our best trips have had minimal or absolutely no agenda (including final destination) at all and last weekend nothing was planned outside of hanging out at the beach and checking to see if the area could be a source for new adventures.  Sunday morning found us just north of Two Lights State Park and we had noticed on the map that Fort Williams Park was relatively close-by, so we decided to try to locate it and check it out.

Portland Head Light #2

Fort Williams Park is a decommissioned fort; it has 90+ acres of green space and rocky coastline for visitors to enjoy. They have a small, relatively sandy beach, remnants of a mansion and military fortifications, a large pavilion area for parties and family reunions, walk-up access to Portland Head Light (with museum and gift shop) with amazing views of nearby Ram Island Ledge Light and Casco Bay. Additionally, visitors have access to a number of playing fields (we saw soccer and flag football games going on in separate sections of the park and rumor has it there are tennis courts and a baseball field), along with crushed stone coastal pathways and picnics areas overlooking the rocky coastline – some actually have grills… and, best of all: the park is FREE.

You may be wondering how this can be considered an Artist Date. As I previously mentioned, an Artist Date can be anything you wish it to be, in this case: scouting out potential areas to spend the day working on my projects, taking photos and gathering ideas. Cape Elizabeth is only an hour and half from Lawrence, MA, so this makes it an assessable area to day-trip to, plus you have access to Portland itself, which is an art-friendly city and one that I hope to be spending more time in. Also, once home, I had a chance to check out their website: http://www.capeelizabeth.com/visitors/attractions/fort_williams_park/home.html and learned that we had just missed the annual Labor Day Art Show… giving us an “excuse” to return again next year and spend more time there.

Portland Head Light #3

NOTE: For those not familiar with Julia Cameron’s  “The Artist’s Way” and would like to learn more, please check out: http://juliacameronlive.com/basic-tools/artists-dates As I mentioned, her program didn’t work for me, but I did get some constructive ideas out of it, maybe another creatively blocked artist could benefit more from it.

Jenn White
White Rooster Studios