This week at The Renaissance Art Gallery

Monday morning is Painting Class 10 – 12, with Fern Christian. This is an all media class, but emphasis is on water media. New students are welcome.

Wednesday studio hours are on. Hopefully all students enjoyed a short break and are ready to draw their hearts out.

Fine artworks for the 2nd Fine Art Photography show should be hung. Judging will be Friday July 2.

Ron Haeberle will be sitting the gallery on Friday, while Linda Helgason will hold how the fort on Saturday.

The Renaissance Art Gallery will be closed on Sunday, July 4th for the holiday.

New Week, New activities

This has been a busy week for us at the Renaissance Gallery. Starting Friday, we have been accepting photography work from area artists for the 2nd Annual Fine Art Exhibition. If that was not enough one of our members, Gary Taylor was asked to serve on the jury for the Juneteenth celebration this weekend in Huntington, WV.

Juneteenth is the oldest known national celebration commemorating the end of slavery in the United States. It is a chance for many to maintain their connection to their history, to understand more than the simple facts of it. It helps people understand the personal side to what they read in history books

http://www.herald-dispatch.com/life/x1666008339/Singer-Quan-Howell-to-highlight-Juneteenth-Celebration

Gary was excited to participate in this, and to connect with any young area artists. Gary was scheduled to sit the gallery on Saturday, but Linda Helgason offered to handle this, and log-in artwork. She was also on hand to interact with people visiting the current show “Barely There”. People always enjoy talking to the actual artist when they come to view any show.

While everyone is working hard to get ready for the Photography show, artist Susan Tschantz is off on a “painting” vacation in Boone, NC. As some of you will recognize, Boone is the home of Cheap Joe’s art supply. Susan is spending a week working with oils and its related mediums. She writes about it on her blog, Starrpoint:

http://starrpoint.blogspot.com/

Because of Susan’s desertion, there will be no studio hours on Wednesday. Fern Christian, is however, still in town and still holding her painting classes on Monday and Saturday. Mike Adkins will be in on Tuesday to work with his Photography students, and is planning to hold a workshop June 26 on Hot shoe lighting for digital photography. Interested people should contact Mike as soon as possible.

Lillianne Bowersock is retired, now she will find out how really busy she and hubby, Bruce can be! While Bruce’s figure drawing class is not on hiatus, those who enjoy this experience should make sure they are on the contact list for the resumption of classes in September.

All should be back to order Next week.

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.

Artist Co-op Gallery

The Renaissance Gallery offers a venue for working regional artists to show develop as working artists by interacting with their peers and the community at large.
The gallery differs from the Huntington museum of art in its focus on regional living artists. While the museum is supportive of regional artists and offers educational opportunities to the community, its focus is largely archival. Maintaining a growing collection of important art, and brings national shows to the area. The Renaissance Gallery can focus its efforts on developing the local artistic community, offering a physical place to display work not just of its members, but also of other local artists. Giving them the opportunities needed to grow their talent.
We want to offer an active studio experience. The museum does offer studio space, it is as a landlord, an authority figure, at one step removed. Individual artists are like the orphan Oliver "please sir, can I have more!"
The Renaissance gallery is more artist-directed. Offering an on-going experience, that tri-state does not offer. Here, the artists must be interactive with each other and the community at large. We can offer smaller, more mentor driven classes.
With solid funding we can offer more opportunities for regional artists to stretch themselves and expand their working knowledge of art and media. It is the perfect setting for the self-taught and folk artists to get hand-on experience.
As the name implies, the Renaissance Gallery can be a cultural revival, home to a period of vigorous artistic and intellectual activity, a regional Renaissance.

Nude Sketches at "Barely There"

Barely There

A Sketchbook show

Rapid, fluid wash drawings cover the walls of The Renaissance Art Gallery. This month’s show, “Barely There” features large energetic works by artist Linda Helgason. Linda is known for her expressive nudes and this show is no exception. Her unique use of charcoal and watercolor washes makes for engaging works of fine line and texture.

Rather than a few static framed portraits, this show has all the life and vitality of a life drawing class. You can almost see the rapid strokes, and shifting model and hear the turning pages as you look at excerpts from Linda’s figure drawing sketchbooks.

The Renaissance Art Gallery will host “Barely There” until June 30th.