Art Trading Card Meet & Swap

Saturday was our 3rd ATC meet and swap.

 

If you missed it, you missed a great time!

Tables quickly filled and everyone really got into it.

 

We had a couple of decks of cards, paper, scissors, glue and a wide array of pencils, everything from 100% graphite through tinted graphite, charcoal, and many, many colored pencils.

 

The watercolor pencils proved very popular! They were precise but still allowed you to flow the pigments.

 

A lot of people got creative with scissors, and applied a wide range of papers to the cards for tinting and manipulation. The collage method of altering the cards was really fun.

 

The ladies from Charleston brought in a lot of sample which the rest of us found inspiring. Everyone was able to do several cards, so had some to keep and some to trade.

 

Pati Payne used watercolors to do a smashing little landscape, which was trading for before she was done! (sorry, went so fast, no picture!)



Cards made at swap

 

more cards from swap

Next Meet & Swap will be Saturday October 6, 2012.


 

 

 

Art in the Park

Last weekend the weather was perfect for Art in the Park, 2012. Hot, but the trees offered good shade, and a constant, but light breeze made it perfect for walking around. The nice weather meant lots of people browsing and then buying art.

Ron Haeberle and Friend

Artists of the Renaissance Art Gallery had both a relaxing and successful weekend. Pati Payne got lots of complements on both her hand painted bookmarks and the cards she paints at the Renaissance Art Gallery. Laura Moul also had a great time interacting with fellow artist and the public.

Pati Payne works on a Watercolor
at Art in the Park

Gary Lapelle and his pet Portraits

Artists were out with such a wide range of artwork, just about anything you could have wanted was available. Watercolors, oils, photographs, carvings and more. Along with the different mediums were different uses of those mediums. Yes, there were painting, but also cards and other items.

Art in the Park and Charcoal

Still Life on Gray
Tinted Charcoal
S. Tschantz

Busy week ahead for the artists of the Renaissance Art Gallery. Many of us will be at Art In the Park, and annual art festival held in Ritter Park, Huntington, WV. It promises to be an ideal weekend, warm and sunny.

The event will start at 10:00 am on Saturday May 19, 2012 and run until 5:00 pm.

The Renaissance Art Gallery will be open that afternoon. Susan Tschantz will be there, working in charcoal.

Everyone is invited to stop by after visiting Art-In-The-Park and cool off!

Figure Drawing Returning to The Renaissance Art Gallery

Abstract Nude
Bruce Bowersock

Bruce Bowersock will teach a 6-weekSpring figure drawing class at Renaissance Art Gallery in Historic Huntington High from April 21 through May 26, 2012. It will be held on Saturday afternoons from 4-6 p.m. in the Kumkum Majumdar Exhibition Hall.






Bruce doesn’t have any rules about how you interpret the subject...you may paint, use charcoal, pencil, watercolor, oil, acrylic any medium. Bruce is there to demo, instruct or just work with individuals who need help. It is a great class. If you have any questions, feel free to call at 304-633-6035.




Shooting Star
Laura Moul



 



In other news, Laura Moul had a framed metallic photograph accepted into the 2nd Annual Gallery 842 show in Huntington, which runs until the middle of April. She has also been invited to participate in the Tamarack Spring Wildflower show, with 5-framed metallic photographs. That show opens April 1st and runs until June.

 

 

 

 

Pati Payne just finished a painting entitled "The Swinging Bridge" based on a scene from a family reunion picnic in Morgantown, WV.

The Swinging Bridge
Pati Payne

Artists at the Renaissance Art Gallery

March 23, 24, & 25 2012

Friday Gary Lapelle will host the Renaissance Art Gallery. Gary is known for his portraits of animals and his animal cartoons, if it has fur, he will paint it! Gallery will be open from 12-4 pm

Saturday Ron Haeberle will be in. He is known for his architectural watercolors of Huntington, WV. Ron will be in from 1-4 pm.

Sunday Linda Helgason will be in from 1-4 pm. Linda never saw a figure she did not like.

Passion in Art

Often we talk about technique, about different mediums and new tools. About how we make art, but what is at the core is why we make art.

Michael Newberry, artist has published his views on why he creates.

Michael Newberry's manifesto.

In the coming year, perhaps we should focus not on media or subject but on why.

Winter Plans, 2011-2012

WIP Linda Harbison

It's too cold to go outside and carve stone, so I like to spend the winter months inside painting watercolors. I am always trying to improve. In the past I have used a lot of photographic sources for my paintings. This works great for freezing proportions and details in place so you can study them. It also prevents you from having to position yourself and your materials in some awkward or dangerous place like the ditch beside Route 23 or the parking lot behind AK Steel while you work on a painting. But nothing compares to working from real life. So this winter, while it's cold and nasty out, I plan to set up some nice, cozy still life scenes indoors and paint from them.

“Surf and Turf” - Landscapes and Seascapes in Watercolor.



Clear Morning on Dry Branch
Ron Haeberle

 While this exhibition is not limited to landscapes and seascapes, they are the centerpiece. It is a collection which includes both older pieces that represent “landmarks” in the development of way I paint and new work that is still damp.


When I began painting, much of my early effort went into paintings of buildings or street scenes representing places I had visited. I was frustrated in the effort by producing stiff, uncomfortable looking images lacking the sense and feel I sought from watercolor. I began to cast about for a different approach. Surveying the works of others, I was soon able to find paintings to which I could simply say – “I like that”. I used that inspiration to begin to create landscapes that satisfied my desire to produce work that gave a comfortable sense of being there. A long series of landscapes has followed. Almost by definition my landscapes contain water. I suppose this comes from the challenge this presents in painting and the interest it adds if you can get it right.

It is no surprise then that portraying the sea with watercolor was the next challenge. My objective was to create images that would capture the sea in a realistic way without becoming overly romantic in the manner of many seascapes. It was my good fortune to strike the balance I was seeking very early on. A continuing series of surf paintings has been the result. In the process of doing research (sitting in a beach chair at varying times of the day) I begin to understand the profound way the sun, sky and wind determine the personality of the ever changing sea. There is no shortage of new images to record.

Morning Surf XII
Ron Haeberle

In the interest of full disclosure the exhibit includes a smattering of other subjects – the odd building, still life and portrait. These represent a continuing interest in attempting any subject that represents a challenge. As often happens, this has opened the door to a series of architectural paintings of Huntington buildings of both beauty and historical importance.

Most importantly these works represent my attempt to allow the viewer to experience a moment in time in a place they may not have visited. Not only by seeing but sensing the smells and sounds and feeling the warmth of the sun or the cool of the shade.

The Renaissance Gallery Opening

You are cordially invited to the opening of a new art exhibition at The Renaissance Art Gallery, Sunday June 5, 2011 from 2-4 pm. Not in the Kumkum Majumdar Exhibition Hall, but in the newly renovated Main Gallery.




After months of work the new hall is ready to display the Best Artwork in the Tri-State are, and to celebrate we are proud to welcome you to enjoy our gallery by viewing the outstanding watercolors of artist Ron Haeberle.



Ron was both designer and construction worker of this renovation, so what could be more appropriate than hanging his work to show off the new wall?



“Surf & Turf” is a serious look at landscape painting in watercolor and shows Ron’s progress through this popular and compelling format.

Come and Join us in celebrating our new gallery and enjoy Ron Haeberle's fine watercolors.

Spring Art Show



Spring Flowers
S. Tschantz




The Renaissance Art Gallery is planning an open entry art show for May 2011. Open entry means this show is open to non-gallery members, ea. all artists 18 and older. The chosen theme this year is “Parks and Recreation”.



Just what does that mean? I don’t know, you tell us. All fine art media are welcome. Awards will be given to those artists who, in our judge’s opinion, best express this theme. So think about it. How would you paint, sculpt, mold, fold or mutilate or otherwise produce a piece of find art to this theme? Would you do a painting representing Ritter Park? Kids playing ball, your dad watching TV? Or bulling on the playground? What does “Parks and Recreation” mean to you? Think like an artist and let us see just how creative you can be.



Confusion In The Prospectus

It has come to my attention, by a couple of gallery members, that our prospectus for the spring show might be a tad confusing. Our Show Schedule is tight this year. Because of extensive remodeling of the gallery, we just will not be able to hold a separate fine art photography show as we usually do. So we decided to roll that back into the spring show, as it was for the first couple of years. Now, when I put that back into the prospectus, I was not as careful as I should have been. This is the confusing part:

Work: Original works in any traditional media, prints from original plates, or sculptures will be accepted, provided they have not been exhibited at any previous Renaissance Art Gallery show. Photography must be marked photography and will be judged separately. Reproductions not accepted. Artwork must be the original and cannot contain or be based on any work copyrighted by another artist. No derivative works!



Crafts and artworks produced by photographic, giclee, laser or digital techniques will not be accepted.

The sentence allowing photography should have been its own paragraph and after the text.



We strive to show the best in ORIGINAL art in the Renaissance Art Gallery. So all paintings, sculptures, pottery, etc must be the original. We will not accept a print of the original artwork, nor do we accept work based on someone else’s work.



But how does that affect fine art photography, which by its vary nature is a print?



Well, that should have read like this:

Work: Original works in any traditional media, prints from original plates, or sculptures will be accepted, provided they have not been exhibited at any previous Renaissance Art Gallery show. Reproductions not accepted. Artwork must be the original and cannot contain or be based on any work copyrighted by another artist. No derivative works!


Crafts and artworks produced by photographic, giclee, laser or digital techniques will not be accepted.

Fine Art Photography will be accepted in this show, but must be clearly marked photography and will be judged separately.

If you have any questions, please write or call us. We really want to display your work in our gallery. E-mail is gallerywv@yahoo.com, phone number is 304-525-3235. Or simply ad a comment to the end of this post, and we will answer all your questions.


We still will not accept copies of your work instead of the original. Artwork that incorporated your original photography will be accepted, but must be marked photography and must be all your own work. Digital work can be used, and yes, you can fold spindle and mutilate in the computer. You can output as creatively as you desire, but the work must be presentable and ready to hang. Do not use frames with saw tooth hangers. Ever. No. No. No!

Empty Gallery

Gallery Changes



The Renaissance Art Gallery does not look much like itself right now. In a word, it is a mess! Things pulled out, desks in a jumble, and things put anywhere. The main gallery is just about empty of artwork, or anything else right now.



While we love our gallery, and enjoy being in a historic building, there are drawbacks. When you are in a historic building you inherit historic wiring! This has been the bane of our existence for the past 10 years. Finally, we have gotten the powers that be to approve and install some much-needed upgrades to the wiring in the two rooms we occupy. It has always been the intent of the artists of the Renaissance Art Gallery to display fine artwork to its best advantage. While we have struggled with putting the art on display and lighting the gallery, even our best friends would not disagree that the lighting at times leaves something to be desired. And we did. Desire better that is. Now, with new circuits available we can upgrade the lighting in the main gallery. And this will be done.



But in addition to upgrading the lighting, we are also upgrading the general look of the Renaissance Art Gallery. The floor is being repainted in a more reflective color, which will also help to brighten the gallery. The wall display areas are being covered in a newer, light carpet that will help to display the artwork with fewer reflections.



A new center display wall will be built to allow not only more display space but will allow larger pieces to be hung and viewed more easily.



All of this hopefully will make local artwork more accessible to everyone

Creating a Painting

Subject: Johnson Memorial Methodist Church, Huntington, WV

 



I recently completed a watercolor of the Johnson Memorial Methodist Church. This is another in a series of architectural subjects from Huntington. I have been photographing subjects around town for three years and am slowly working through them in paint. Huntington has a number of beautiful churches but I have found it difficult to find just the right angle or point of view to put on paper. To be honest, I have put the photos of this church aside a number of times - seemingly because it appeared to be so dark and stark. However the truth is I never really studied them. When I did, I found the the stained glass to be extensive and delicate. By moving around the facade I found a pleasing, balanced composition that gave the feeling of the massiveness of the structure without being stiff. I decided this would be the first of a church series.

As you can imagine I spent a long time with this work - about three weeks, off and on. The pencil layout was painstaking and required several days. Due to the shadows in the original photos I had to visit again at a similar time (7 AM) to re-photograph certain specific sections. It is during this part of the process that I begin to gain an appreciation for the structure in front of me. It is essentially a reconstruction - stone for stone and pane for pane. I begin to appreciate the design as a whole. Who laid it all out? How were horizontal and vertical sections chosen to advance or retreat in the facade? How was the stone chosen and where was it quarried? What stories do the windows tell?



There is also a larger context. Who was constructing these churches along 5th Ave? Were they local stonemasons? Were they all being built at the same time? Well, as you can see you have a lot of time to ponder while you paint.


Johnson Memorial Methodist Church
Ron Haeberle



After completing the drawing the next step was to work out the palette of colors. For this work the palette was limited and for that reason important. I had recently completed a pre-sunrise scene of tide pools at the beach and the reddish violet of the early morning light in that work was almost spot on. To be sure the work was consistent, I had to mix most of the paint for the entire painting in the beginning. The rest of the painting was relatively straightforward but tedious: constructing the windows, texturing the stonework and placing the shadows. A few final details and the job was done. This was a relatively large painting (for me), matting to 22"X28". This was necessary to develop the detail of the windows and stonework.

Having completed the painting I am now looking forward to tracking down some of the history of the building to answer some of the questions that arose during the painting / pondering process.

The painting itself has been matted and framed and submitted as an entry to the next West Viriginia Division of Culture And History  juried show which focus on historical structures in the state.



I am now off on another "project". It won't have quite so many little windows!

By Ron Haeberle

Renaissance Artist

Things I like about The Renaissance Art Gallery

It is a friendly place.

It is a place for everyday, blue-collar working artists to get together.

It is small enough to feel comfortable. But large enough to make an impact.

Kids like it.
Artist run it and they are always happy to see you!

Then there is the

Art

There is a big
Variety of art
Different styles and viewpoints

No two are alike. Original

there is



Something for everyone

It changes with the seasons











Learning



Learning is constant

Classes for all levels and mentoring of new artists.









Something for everyone.

At the Renaissance Art Gallery



~

Who are artists?

Art is not something only for the elite
Everyone likes art
Everyone
No exceptions

Everyone’s ideas as to what is art differs, this is ok.

All art is decorative and always has been.

Art is what makes us human.

Welcome, Raine

Raine Klover is the newest artist to join The Renaissance Art Gallery co-operative. She is an accomplished photographer and encaustic painter, combining two mediums in a really interesting way.

An itinerant photographer and artist, Raine is inspired by both the natural and man-made worlds. In the past decade she has lived in Seattle, Dallas, New Orleans, Dayton, OH, Albuquerque and currently resides in Huntington, WV. These diverse locales have all added layers upon layers of unique cultural flavors to her worldview. Her work is not about capturing a moment – but about capturing emotions and creating visual allegories. She is drawn to the darker side of life and loves things that simultaneously break her heart with their emotional context and lift her up with their unmistakable beauty.

In addition to hanging pictures at The Renaissance Art Gallery, Raine will also be teaching. Leading workshops in encaustic painting for adults and a combined workshop in jewelry making, open to children and adults.
Her work can be viewed at the gallery during normal gallery hours and on her website: http://www.raineworks.com/

The Renaissance Art Gallery
900 8th Street, Suite #20
Huntington, WV 25701

Gallery (304) 525-3235
Appointments: (304) 453-3187
gallerywv@yahoo.com
www.orgsites.com/wv/renaissance

http://twitter.com/wvgallery
http://renaissancegalleryart.blogspot.com/

Gallery hours are:

Friday & Saturday 12-4 pm, Sunday 1-4 pm
Studio hours Monday 10-Noon, Wednesday 1:00-7:30 pm and Saturday 10-Noon

Black Expo 2010 Artist's Reception

Sunday saw the opening of "Black Expo 2010". These are the winning artists from the Juneteenth celebration. Juneteenth is a celebration of the signing of the emancipation proclamation by Abraham Lincoln. It is the oldest such celebration is the United states, and was this year sponsored by the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Huntington Alumnae chapter. After one of our member artists, Gary Taylor served as a juror for their art show, he invited them to a month long display of their art in The Renaissance Art Gallery’s exhibition hall

Although it was hot out, the gallery was rather comfortable. The new chairs in the Kumkum Majumdar Exhibition hall are a wonderful addition to The Renaissance Art Gallery. I don’t know how we got along so long without them. It is so nice to have adequate chairs!

We moved one of the tables used for classes into the main hall, and set up the refreshments there, allowing more room for circulation around the art exhibits. It was a good thing we did. Sunday was sufficiently warm to need both the air conditioning and a large fan to keep the air circulating.

We did get really good press coverage of the show, with all three major stations sending reporters and cameras to the reception. Marsha Dawson, president of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority was interviewed by one station while two of our guest artists were interviewed for another.

http://www.herald-dispatch.com/news/briefs/x1358798754/2010-Black-Art-Expo-spotlights-local-artists?i=0

Many of our visitors had never been to the gallery before and it was a great chance for us to make many connections in the community. We had guests not only from Huntington, but also from Ashland Kentucky, Southern Ohio and the Charleston, WV area.

The artists displaying their work in this show are relatively unknown as artists. For a few, this show represent their premiere as visual artists.

We also have a nice display by some younger artists who are showing their health related posters.

This show will run for the month of August, so there is still time to come and see it.

Artistic Growth

Artists need to keep growing acquiring new skills and mastering new media. To simply stretch the artistic muscles. Otherwise the work can grow stale. How to do this? One way is to get up and working, taking classes and attending workshops.

The Renaissance Art Gallery has a growing list of classes and workshops to help expand your artistic horizons. These classes are for both the novice and advanced artist.

The open studio classes gives you a time and place to work and to challenge yourself, and the more structured classes gives you a chance work live and to learn new technical skills.

Open studio hours are:

Sunday 4-6 pm for carving
Monday and Saturday from 10-Noon for painting, all media
Wednesday 1-3 & 6-8 for drawing all media

Our structured Classes are

Tuesday 6:30-8 Introduction to Digital Photography
Saturday 1-4 pm Figure Drawing.

In addition, we will have Digital workshops to be held June 5th, 26th and July 10th. These will hightlight HD photography, Hot Shoe lighting and Still life.

Classes are limited, and pre-registration is necessary.

You can contact the Gallery for more information

The Renaissance Art Gallery
900 8th Street, Suite #20
Huntington, WV 25701

Gallery (304) 525-3235
Appointments: (304) 453-3187
gallerywv@yahoo.com
www.orgsites.com/wv/renaissance

http://twitter.com/wvgallery
http://renaissancegalleryart.blogspot.com/

Gallery hours are:

Friday & Saturday 12-4 pm, Sunday 1-4 pm
Studio hours Monday 10-Noon, Wednesday 1:00-7:30 pm and Saturday 10-Noon

Retrospective in Red

For Kumkum

Sunday, March 7, 2010 The Renaissance Art Gallery opened its Retrospective of the life and work of Kumkum Majumdar in the newly re-named exhibition hall. The room will now be known as the Kumkum Majumdar Exhibition Hall. And all our future shows and exhibitions will be held there, as well as our fine art classes. In a fitting tribute to our late colleague, Kumkum’s husband unveiled the plaque naming the room for her.

Friends and family of the late artist gathered to view a collection of her work and remember her. The art community at large turned out in numbers to see a last showing of one of West Virginia’s most unique artists.

Most people know Kumkum for her wearable batik art, as well as her batik paintings, but many did not realize the flexibility of this artist. Featured in the gallery this month are some of her seldom seen oil paintings in a strong, abstract cubist style as well as her floral watercolors. Among the textiles shown is a beautiful sari. Even the media, who sees everything, was impressed with her work as well as versatility it shows.

While we were all happy to do it, there is certain sadness in all of the artists of The Renaissance Art Gallery; it is hard to say good-by to one of our founding members. And knowing this is her last show; there will be no more from a lovely and lively lady, breaks our collective heart.

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.

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.

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.

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.