Mission Statement

Our Mission is to promote art and art education in the community and among its members. To encourage and promote a public interest and understanding of art; to create and develop a closer relationship between art and the community and further the education and artistic development of its members.


Saturday, January 30, 2010

Making Time To Paint On Weekends When You Have A Full-Time Job


Obstacles to Painting



The life of a professional artist is fraught with potholes and obstacles. It is even trickier if that artist is a woman, wife, mother and grandmother. The state of your studio is key to finding time to paint. Keep it orderly if you can because the first thing you will want to do is clean it up and then you will never paint a lick!


P C F



First, go to your computer and bring up a word document. Set the font on Ariel Bold and point size of 48. Then type these three letters: "P C F" and under them smaller, Painting Comes First".

Take that piece of paper to your studio and tape it on the wall over your art table. Then, if you haven't painted for a while, check you pallet and see if it is clean.(It should be). Take off your coat, set down you purse and close the door for just 15 minutes. Squeeze out a little paint in three basic colors....red, blue, yellow. Wet a small piece of 140 lb. Arches cold press paper and just let each of those colors drip off your brush onto the paper. Stand back and watch the magic. Rinse out your brush and cover your pallet and get on with the thousand things you are faced with.

You are invited by that piece of paper to peek in after dinner.

At that moment, plan for the first 15 minutes when you come home tomorrow, to take that little piece of paper in a direction with a silhouette shape. You are developing a color study that by the weekend will be ready to be interepreted on a full sheet of paper!

Renaissance called on account of Snow


Winter wonderland, but hard on The Renaissance Art Gallery



Winter’s Mastery

Winter has shown itself a master of sculpture again. The Huntington-tri-state area is under a blanket of white and it has just about stopped things in their tracks, or hopefully, in their homes.

For the second time this year, The Renaissance Art Gallery has had to cancel its painting and figure drawing classes on a Saturday. Again, it is simply prudent to cancel all classes, and reschedule them for later in the spring. Hopefully, a full eight weeks of figure drawing can be held.

Although frustrating, it is more an inconvenience than a tragedy. While there is a lot of low temperatures and a great deal of snow, we have not had the ice that went with the last big storm, yet. This is doable. And it is a Saturday, so traffic is light. Sadly for the kids, it does mean that no school was cancels. I know, that is a perfect waste of a snowstorm, but they do come on weekends once in a while!

We will have classes again, and things will get back to normal here. Snow is simply a part of winter in this region. Granted, a bit more than we are used to, and a bit colder, but nothing we can’t handle with good cheer. Stay in and stay warm and enjoy.



Winter's Beauty



And it is beautiful out, really beautiful. A winter wonderland, as long as you don’t have to go anywhere in it! Snow really enhances our lovely mountains. Makes them true winter jewels. When the sun comes out and shines on them, it is breathtaking! The ski resorts are loving it, the fresh power is wonderful to them. So we will enjoy this winter weather while it lasts and get back to normal Monday.

Hopefully, next week we can hold our classes and create some fabulous art. In the meantime, it is a good time to get the camera out and take some reference photos for drawing and painting. Think how great this stuff will look on canvas!




Tuesday, January 26, 2010

THE "NAKED TRUTH" ABOUT FIGURE DRAWING




by Bruce Bowersock, Instructor



There's a mystery surrounding what artists do in a figure drawing class. It is really quite simple...they look at the very first form every created and try to capture it in pencil, chalk, pastels, watercolors, pens. They look up for 5-8 seconds and then draw. It is quiet, there is much intensity. Everyone there knows that if they can but only capture this shape, they are on the way to a lifetime of drawing enjoyment. Then why do they continue to come back year after year? Even after they have perfected the basics of figure drawing, they crave the freedom of pure line drawing.

People often ask me how I organize a class. It is easy. I give my wife a handful of waded up papers with names on them and she locates and schedules models. Then people sign up and she does something with telephone numbers and calendars and calculators. That's where I come in!

Arts Day at the Capitol


For the Renaissance Art Gallery, Susan Tschantz (me) attended the “Arts Day at the Capitol” in Charleston, WV Jan 25. The Capitol rotunda and upper mezzanine was set-aside for both individual artists and arts groups to show who and what they are. There were people from all over the state, with literature and a willingness to talk and make contact, something our diverse state can make difficult! The natural barriers of the mountain state means that much of the time, artist and artisans work in isolation. Mega Media also means that many people look to the coasts for arts, forgetting that those of us living and working in the “flyover states” are also active producing really interesting work.

Many visual artist had examples of their works on display, Daniele Piasecki has a really eye-catching display of her photography, as did Laura Moul. Booth after booth of arts and arts groups showcasing everything from painting, to art education to performance art was there, as was the West Virginia Division of Culture and History.

Arts Resources for the Tri-State, The Renaissance Art Gallery’s landlords, kindly took along information about the gallery to display in their booth. They were just as active in promoting the gallery as their own extensive performing arts programs.

Long discussions were held with other artists and art advocates, and join ventures were discussed. Like having West Virginia Writers, Inc. do a presentation to the junior drawing class to help them develop their story-telling and illustration skills. Personally, I would love to see some of the kids write and illustrate their own stories, not just the stories they see in the movies or on video games.

Lets me more creativity in our youth!

Monday, January 18, 2010

Color complements


Color completion and exploration. What can any artist do with so limited a pallet? Now, is the time to find out! After Sunday’s meeting of the artists of The Renaissance Art Gallery, we are all set to launch the idea for the Annual Spring Fine Arts Exhibition. This is the third one already. This one is to be a real artistic challenge.

Each artist can choose any color and its complement. And with that create a work of art worth looking at. Something to make the eyes linger, to engage the senses, in other words, a real work of art. Subject is for the artist’s discretion, but make it good!

The prospectus for this show will be done by the end of the month.

March will be a time for reflection, and we will host the final showing of Kumkum Majumdar’s excellent work. Much of her batik will be on view as well as some of her last painting. Kumkum passed away in September, and we miss her greatly. We consider it an honor to host this show.

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Meeting and Presentation


General Meeting tomorrow for the members of The Renaissance Art Gallery. Much planning for the upcoming year. So much art, so little time! Sometimes it is very hard to find time to create the art, what with trying to make time to show it!


There is to be an Arts day at the Capitol complex in Charleston, WV. It is hosted by the West Virginia Commission on the Arts. Our Landlords, The Arts Resources for the Tri-state, is having a booth, and they kindly offered to take some information about our Co-op Gallery with them. So we are all franticly trying to get things put together to have a presentation book and some flyers to hand out.


We have a powerpoint presentation also, to go along with a presentation book. Looks pretty good, for something done so quickly.


It is all about just what a co-op gallery is.

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Weather and Art Classes


It looks like we finally have a break in the weather. The last few weeks have been killers! But it seems we are getting a break, back to our normal winter weather. Gallery will be open and classes back to normal this week.


The Ron Haeberle show is still up along with new works by other gallery members. Susan Tschantz has several new paintings up and will be hanging one drawing she did for her adult drawing class, "Bridge over the Avon." The drawing is a graphite pencil drawing, 8 x 10 done with a photo reference supplied by Helen South of about.com drawing & sketching site.

Monday, January 11, 2010

Sitting the Gallery


Cold, snowy weather is keeping many people home. But Sunday was my day to “sit the Gallery” as we call it. Each of the artist-members of the Renaissance Gallery takes several turns during the month to open and run the gallery. We open the doors, turn on the lights, and wait for people to come in and see the original art that we and our fellow artists in the tri-state area have created and placed on view.

This is largely a labor of love. Love of art and our neighbors. I can’t think of anything I like better than showing the gallery to a first time visitor. After 9 years there are still many people in the area that don’t realize there is an artist-run gallery and that they are allowed to enter! Often they come in, rather shyly, almost asking if it is ok for them to look.

Yes! Come on in!

We enjoy people looking at the artwork! And what is on our walls is different from anything else out there. Each piece is unique. The gallery members run the gambit of art and art styles. Some paint, others take photos, or throw pots. There are drawings, and prints, and abstracts. Just about every media is represented in some from, acrylic, watercolor, oils, pastels, pencils, and clay. The list goes on.
This month, one of our newer members, Ron Haeberle is the featured artist. Ron is a watercolorist, and a good one. He is a local man, who records much of what is beautiful in West Virginia, Southern Ohio and Eastern Kentucky. He also loves the beach, which you can see in his many ocean paintings.

Saturday, January 9, 2010

Figure Drawing


The weather does not appear to be cooperating with the Renaissance Gallery this week. More snow, so many will not be able to make the Figure drawing class this week, but there is always next week!
With the bad weather, don't rush!
Sue Tschantz will be maning the gallery tomorrow, however, and will have the hot pot on for tea and coffee.


Linda Helgesson has her display of firgure drawings up for view, as well as new works by the rest of the gallery members, including Ron Haeberle.

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Art classes


Opps! Snow day!

All classes today are canceled due to really, really bad weather! Don't go out if you don't have to! The roads are really, really icy!

I will be in the Renaissance Art Gallery Sunday, however, if you need to touch base with me!

See you next week!

Monday, January 4, 2010

Art Classes resume this week


Our painting and drawing classes at the Renaissance Art Gallery resume this week. Monday & Saturday morning’s fine art painting classes with Fern Christian start at 10 am. And run until 12:00 pm. Wednesday’s fine art classes start at 1:00 pm with adult drawing and painting followed by the 3:30 junior art classes. Adults have a dedicated drawing class which starts at 5:30 pm through 7:30 pm. Susan Tschantz oversees these classes. This Saturday sees the beginning of the winter figure drawing session. From 1-4 pm in the exhibition hall. Session runs 8 weeks and features active drawing exercises, a live model and an exhilarating drawing experience. Organizing this session is Bruce Bowersock. This is for the experienced as well as new adult artist.

The main gallery is open for visitors during these studio hours.