DECEMBER NEWSLETTER
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- November/December 2011 Newsletter -
FEDERATION OF CANADIAN ARTISTS
South
Okanagan-Similkameen Chapter
113 - 437 Martin Street, Box 154
Penticton, BC V2A 5L1
***********************************************
News
from the THE EXECUTIVE
Season's Greeting and a very painterly, Happy New Year !!!!
NEWS
The following letter is a bit disturbing since a number of artists that I know, including myself, have had a similar experience.
Debbie Merkel - I remember seeing a workshop offered in Calgary with California artist, Robert Burridge in 2010. When I looked at his website, I was so taken with his trees I knew I had to attend.
After the workshop, I joined the FCA and within a short time became an Active Member. I became a member with a view of becoming part of a community of like-minded individuals supporting each other in their passion.Imagine my shock and disappointment when I received an email in August, 2011 from Robert Burridge saying that he received an unsigned letter directed both to him and the FCA in Vancouver. Mr. Burridge complimented me on my painting in the 2011 Triptych Show and wished me all the best in the exhibition. To paraphrase a portion of his email "It's amazing what people do when they have too much time on their hands - their time would have been better spent painting rather than spreading negativity.
The emotions of disbelief and further disappointment returned when I learned on December 1st 2011 that a second anonymous letter had been sent to a local café/gallery where my work is displayed. This letter was signed by "a group of concerned artists from the South Okanagan" taking exception to my work because they feel that I have copied and continue to copy the work of Robert Burridge.
Firstly, why have these concerned artists not contacted me directly? Secondly, why have these individuals not had the courage to sign their letters. This is my first exposure to such malicious intent and would like to ask the membership at large if they have ever had such an experience and if so, how they have dealt with it. I would like to believe that most artists agree that we are influenced by each other's work, styles and techniques - where a lot of our ideas originate. As with all artists, the more I paint, the more my work continues to evolve and change and grow.
I always endeavour to conduct myself with integrity and honour in every area of my life - personally, professionally and passionately. To say that I am saddened by these events would be an understatement.
Any suggestions or comments would be gratefully accepted. Please feel free to email me at: 08deb@telus.net or phone me.
EDITORIAL
Anonymous letters are particularly cruel and upsetting since the recipient has no recourse and cannot answer the accusation. When I first received mine some years ago, after being initially upset, ignored it as a product of jealousy or a sick mind. Unfortunately more of them came over a period of 3 years. I tried every means to find out the sender including involving the police and the post office, I never did find out. It's virtually impossible unless one can get finger prints and they belong to someone who is on file.
In this case, besides being anonymous, the sender or senders have not done their research in what is a "copy" and what isn't. Every artist in the world has copied, borrowed or been influenced by someone else's style. There have even been cases that have gone to court, where supposedly copied work was only coincidental, a favourite view painted from the same place, by different artist are not copies. If you look at the following images you can see a similarity in style but they are not copies.
These are done by three different artists including the above.
Another example are the following done by two artists that most of us know.
Again, very similar styles but not copies.
I
talked to the new Standards Chair with the FCA , Sherry Mitchell SFCA,
and discussed the above with her and is in complete agreement with me.
If anyone ever wants to talk about or accuse an artist of copying and
is unwilling to talk to or contact the artist personally, either call
or email her direct. serendipitystudio@shaw.ca
If another artist or artists are too cowardly to sign letters of accusation, then they have no business doing so in the first place. I would hope that we are all doing our work and helping other artists develop themselves, sending anonymous letters is not the way to do that.
Not much other news was sent in but we do have some pictures to look at.
Alex Fong's Workshop
---
All participants loved it!!!!
The 2011 Christmas Social
I certainly enjoyed that one…..so much delicious food I am still working off the pounds!!! And the painting exchange was fantastic !!!!
Opportunity
Home learner students, ages 10 to 17 years, are eager to learn how to draw and experience the basics of using colour in the acrylic medium. I have for the past 3 years been teaching the basics of the 'drawing on the right side of the brain' technique followed by the fundamentals of working in acrylic. I am now establishing a wait list for students. I would like to be able to refer some of my students to another teacher so if anyone has an interest please call Judith Rackham (250)493-6783 or e-mail judith-r@telus .net for further information.
… Thank you to our Sponsors …
Athena
Custom Framing Ltd.
Diane and John Miller
3396 Sexsmith Rd.
Kelowna, BC
V1X 7S5
We did not distribute a DECEMBER 2010 Monthly Newsletter
NOVEMBER & DECEMBER 2009 Monthly Newsletter
FEDERATION OF CANADIAN ARTISTS
South Okanagan-Similkameen Chapter
113 - 437 Martin Street, Box 154
Penticton, BC V2A 5L1
http://www.fca-sos.ca
REPORT FROM THE CHAIR: Kate Kimberley
I'm looking forward to our 2nd annual pot luck and painting exchange on December 4th. at 5 p.m. at Leir House. Please bring an appetizer, main dish, salad or dessert. I'm sure we will have a large turnout, it was great fun last year. The painting exchange is optional, but if you plan to be part of it, please wrap your painting.
You will have received the email about the upcoming deadline for the Summerland juried show - Spring Renewal. All Active and AFCA members are eligible to enter. The title gives us lots of opportunity for ideas so hopefully we will have a large number of entries. Deadline for entries to George is January 15th.
At our January meeting, we are going to change the format slightly. I was recently in Victoria and attended a Victoria chapter meeting. Linda Anderson has been telling me for ages that their meetings are very short and the Program is the focus. The one I attended had a few notes from the chair, then right into a 2 hour demo by watercolour artist, Marnie Ward. It was an amazing evening. So, we are going to give it a try for just the one meeting.
The Program is going to be "Critiques by Sandy Albo" so we hope to get underway about 10:30. The Executive will have a meeting to deal with any business, so the business portion should be brief. I would also be interested in hearing people's comments about having our meeting on a day other than Saturday.
The following new information from Heidi Lambert re. applying for Active status.
a) FCA Supporting members who wish to apply for Active Status may now do this by simply filling out their Active application form (download from the FCA website, under Members Resources) and include their web site address instead of sending in 10 photos or digital images. To recap, If a member has a web site or even twitter and they put their 10 images on that, they can then just send in that link for the jurors on their application form when applying for Active Status. Please call me if you have any questions.
b)
Membership Renewal Notices are in the latest Art Avenue Magazine and I
would like to draw your attention to special incentive section of the
second paragraph and it states; You will be entered to win an original
pastel painting by Andrew McDermid if you get your membership renewal
in before December 15th, 2009.
Renewals can also be done on-line at
www.artists.ca
Check
out Bill Hibberd's painting, Just Another Artist on the FCA website, Small
Painting Salon.
Pick up date for Small Smaller Smallest at Tumbleweed Gallery is December
23rd between 12 noon and 5 p.m.
Happy
painting.
Kate Kimberley
You Must Be An Artist If -You know more than 28 colours.
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER - December 6th Pot Luck Dinner!
Please bring any photos, news clippings etc. to the next meeting or to the Christmas potluck so that Barb can add them to the scrapbook . Historian
Mark your calendars!
All programs start after meetings around 11:00 am -see you there!
There's No December Meeting BUT THE JANUARY MEETING IS GOING TO BE SO GREAT!! January 9th will feature Sandra Albo doing a critique of your paintings. Bring one with an extra on reserve if we have time. This may be agood time to critique the paintings that will be entered into the Summerland juried show.
DON'T FORGET OUR WONDERFUL WEBSITE - www.fca-sos.ca
WHICH INCLUDES OUR GREAT LIBRARY OF ART BOOKS JUST WAITING FOR YOU TO BROWSE THROUGH!
A WARM WELCOME TO OUR NEW MEMBERS :
*Please pick up a “New members information booklet” at the next meeting*
The following people have volunteered to be “Mentors” and will help new members navigate the world of the Federation of Canadian Artists
If you think you might like to have a mentor, please contact one of the following volunteers. They look forward to hearing from you.
George Traicheff ~ Sandra Albo
SOS Chapter website at www.fca-sos.ca .
Artists are encouraged to contact Brad to be included
on our website.
Upcoming shows in Vancouver FCA gallery
Federation of Canadian Artists - 2009
Landscapes
March 2 - 14, 2010
* Entry deadline: January 28, 2010
* Paintings due: Februaru 25, 2010
· Landscapes, cityscapes, seascapes, any medium. Open to Active & Signature members.
Success!
March 16 - April 4, 2010
* Application package due: February 19, 2010
* Paintings due: (for painting delivery deadline see application information)
· Annual exhibition of successful Signature status applicants.
Membership renewal notices will be in the next Art Avenue. There is a special incentive - You will be entered, to win an original pastel painting by Andrew McDermid, if you get your membership renewal in before December 15th 2009. Renewals can also be done on line at www.artists.ca
FCA
Supporting members that wish to apply for Active Status may now do this
by simply filling out their Active application form and including their
web site address instead of sending in 10 photos or digital images.
· Please watch your digital entries when you enter the FCA shows.
Our gallery director Mila has been spending a lot of extra time fixing
digital entries. Some of the entries have come with quotation brackets,
not cropped and files not properly named. In the past these entries were
thrown out and not counted.
Here is a recap of Digital Image Submission Guidelines:
o Save the image to JPEG (jpg) file format omly.
o Name file as follows; last name, first name or initial, separator dash
and small title. Example - Smith, R - Fresh Flowers
EXHIBITION COMMITTEE
FCA Juried Exhibition and Sale - Nov. 5th through Dec. 24th, 2009
Tumbleweed
Gallery
101-207 Main Street
Penticton, BC
* Bill Hibberd has organized a juried show in Summerland that will run from March 18th to 31st 2010. Opening reception will be Thursday march 18th 2010 at 7:00pm.
* Serendipity" show in Osoyoos had 5 sales, congratulations to Nancy Gray, Lynn Marand (2), Susan Neville-Terada and Vicki Rodgers.
* Small, Smaller, Smallest" show at Tumbleweed Gallery had a great turnout for the opening. There were also three sales at the opening. Best in Show was Bill Hibberd for his oil painting "Imagine"; Honourable Mention were Irene Gray for her acrylic painting "Grapes and Dale Matthews for his watercolour "Peggy's Cove".
* Lang's Winery show had 14 sales. Dona sent a thank-you to Lang's for all their support.
WORKSHOP
COMMITTEE
~ Possible workshop for 2010 is one with Ron M. Stacy from Summerland. Ron does Beginner and Intermediate workshops. More info to come.
~ Another possible workshop in 2010 would be one with Calum Cameron. This would be 3 to 5 days. More info to come.
BITS & PIECES
~ Karel Doruyter will be having a solo show of the "Origin Tales of Raven" at the Station House Gallery in Williams Lake the month of May 2010. Also he will be doing a show at the Osoyoos Gallery in March 2010. He is mainly painting the next few months for Mountain Galleries in Whistler, being the featured artist for the Olympics. Ane also taking part in the IIS Winter Show Nov/Dec 2009 at the MacPherson Playhouse in Victoria.
~ Bill Hibberd has two paintings in the "Chapter's Show" and one in the "Small Painting Salon" that are at the Federation Gallery in Vancouver.
~ "Serendipity" jurried show in Osoyoos. Best of show was "Kettle Valley Steam" by Michael Jorden. Honourable mention to Bill Hibberd for "Dale Meadows" and George Traicheff for "The Embroiderer".
~ Dragon's Den will carry 'Daniel Smith watercolour' if anyone is interested.
And while you're doing nothing…try this:
How to create abstract art by 'going with the flow' when you're painting.
I've always loved taking unfamiliar side
roads to discover wonderful things that are impossible to see on the main
highways. When I was a little kid, my big sister would take me out driving
in the country with no real destination in mind. I would say, "Are
you sure we aren't lost?" She would laugh and reply, "So what
if we are? Isn't this fun?" It was always a big adventure for me.
I thought my big sister was so brave.
Likewise, in my art making process, I enjoy not knowing
exactly where I'm headed. I find that in order to get to a place where
I can create freely, I have to just begin without a destination in mind,
unencumbered by wondering what the results might be. I don't want to have
to worry about making a mess -- getting paint in my hair, or on the floor,
or on my clothes (all of those are a given already!)
I make sure there are plenty of drop cloths around (visqueen from the hardware store is good, and also old discarded shower curtains are a favorite of mine.) I have to crank up the music du jour, which can be anything from Tom Waits to Chopin.
I'm not even worried at that point about spoiling a pristine white canvas. In fact, I like to completely cover that white as fast as possible, in order to get that fear out of the way. Sometimes I apply a single even tone over the entire canvas; other times I apply multiple pours.
Suitable
Tools for Painting Abstract Art
Then I look for as many ways as possible to apply
paint to canvas, and have the tools at hand. Those could be rollers, various
sizes of brushes, squeegees, (I have an old car window washing squeegee,
which has the nifty sponge on the opposite side, both sides of which are
great for this) a wallpaper brush, rags, and an assortment of faux-finishing
tools.
I love using almost anything except the usual suspects to get something interesting started. I pick one, apply some paint, then pick another, apply some paint, then pick a third, and apply some more paint -- all the while moving to the rhythm of the music du jour.
At this point I might typically be combining colors that I think are ugly together. After all, if I didn't, then I might miss an exciting, fresh new color combination.
As the wet paint sits there, I may scratch through it with various mark making tools, or create marks over it with a long stick dipped in another color. I may or may not choose to add texture. I often do. I may then scrape, sand, and scour through some areas.
Go
With the Flow
Sometimes, if the rhythm is right and the flow is
good, I will be gifted with a painting right out of the seeming chaos.
On other days, I may have to work at it a little more to bring things
together with a single unifying color, or some organizing structure. Or
on still other days, I may put the whole thing aside and look at it again
later, deciding what to do next. This part of the process is something
of a mystery, but as I say, I like adventure.
About the Artist: Martha Marshall
(view
website) is an artist based in Tampa,
Florida, in the USA, who works primarily in an abstract style. Her blog,
An
Artist's Journal chronicles
her "life as a working artist in the real world" and the day-to-day
influences. Note: This article was reprinted from An Artist's Journal
with permission.
… Thank you to our Sponsors …
~
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2008 Monthly Newsletter
FEDERATION OF CANADIAN ARTISTS
South Okanagan-Similkameen Chapter
113
- 437 Martin Street, Box 154
Penticton, BC V2A 5L1
http://www.fca-sos.ca
A REMINDER TO ALL MEMBERS OF UPCOMING EVENTS:
IMPORTANT
DATES TO REMEMBER
- PLUS MERRY
CHRISTMAS
Mark your calendars!
DECEMBER 2008 - NO MEETING
JANUARY 10 2009 - General Meeting at 10 am. Program - critique by Sandra Albo - bring 2 paintings, and depending on the crowd, we should get through them all!
FEBRUARY 7th 2009 - GENERAL MEETING @10AM, LEIR HOUSE - Program - Ramona Swift will give a talk on "How to Sell your Art"-She has written a book also which she will bring and her paintings.
March
7th 2009 - General Meeting at 10 am
April 4th - General Meeting at 10 am
May 2nd - General Meeting at 10 am
June 6th - General Meeting at 10 am
July 11th - General Meeting at 10 am
September 12th - General Meeting at 10 am
October 3rd - General Meeting at 10 am
November 7th -
General Meeting at 10 am
Executive meeting times will be announced
MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
Don't
Forget - our 1st Annual FCA/SOS
Christmas Potluck and Painting Exchange
Thursday
December 4th
5:00 - 9:00 pm at the Leir House
... an event not to be missed ...
this is not a business meeting, come and socialize with your fellow artists
Event details:
Pot Luck Dinner:
.
Thurs. Dec. 4th (5 - 9 pm) Leir House upper lounge and kitchen
. Bring food and your own plates, cutlery, cups
. coffee, punch and bread will be supplied
Painting Exchange:
For those wanting to participate, bring an original (no prints) small painting ready to hang: no larger than perhaps 12 x 12 and wrapped as a present. Each painting will be numbered, the President will start the draw and gets the painting corresponding to that number. The artist who's number was drawn picks next and so on.
Come with a painting, go home with a painting!
... what a fabulous opportunity to own an original painting by one of your peers ...
You do not have to participate in the painting exchange to come and enjoy socializing at the Christmas Pot Luck.
*** Hope to see you there ***
A WARM WELCOME TO OUR NEW MEMBERS :
*Please pick up a “New members information booklet” at the next meeting*
The following people have volunteered to be “Mentors” and will help new members navigate the world of the Federation of Canadian Artists
If you think you might like to have a mentor, please contact one of the following volunteers. They look forward to hearing from you.
George Traicheff
Our Library news:
George
also donated a book "Artists Of The West" to our library and
also gave one away. Thanks George. The book is a collection by notable
artists throughout the western United States. Both George and Megan Traicheff
are featured in the book.
Send your reviews to dianeestabrook@shaw.ca and we'll publish it here, this gives us an opportunity to decide if it has sparked an interest to borrow it. We have a wealth of information available to us, just give Kate a call.
LIST OF BOOKS IN THE FCA resource Library is available just email dianeestabrook@shaw.ca
Upcoming shows in Vancouver FCA gallery
Federation
of Canadian Artists - 2008
A REMINDER TO ALL MEMBERS OF UPCOMING EVENTS.
Mixed
Media
February 3 - February 15, 2009
* Entry deadline: December 11, 2008
* Paintings due: January 29, 2009
· Works must be executed in more than one medium. Open to Active & Signature members.
Landscapes
February 17 - March 1, 2009
* Entry deadline: December 11, 2008
* Paintings due: February 12, 2009
· Landscapes, cityscapes, seascapes, any medium. Open to Active & Signature members.
Register online at www.artists.ca, by phone at 604-681-8534 or in person at Federation Gallery (Tuesday to Sunday between lOam - 4pm)
Dianne Korsch and others enroute to the ArtVisions 2008 show
SOS-FCA Members on their way to see ArtVisions 2008
Bonny Roberts, Kate Kimberley, Carol Munro and COC-FCA President Jim Laing, with Kate's "Warm Weathered Welcome"
Kate Kimberley - The Athena Framing Honourable Mention ($100 Gift cert.) "A Warm Weathered Welcome"
Bonny Roberts, Carol Munro and Kate Kimberley with Carol's "The Road from Here to There"
Carol
Munro - The Founding Patron's Gold Award ($2008 cash)
"The Road From Here To There"
Bonny Roberts beside her "Genesis"
Gary Langrish The Framing & Art Center Award of Excellence ($200 cash) "Munson Mountain, Penticton"
Faigee Neibow's "Family Album"
2008 - Exhibitions in the valley. - EXHIBITION COMMITTEE
Get your Bio's ready for any show you enter please, SEND THEM TO Sharon Snow! Entry fees for juried shows to $11.00, ($6.00 for the FCA and $5.00 for SOS). Non-juried shows $5.00 to SOS.
The only exhibition we have lined up for 2009 for sure is a juried show in the Osoyoos Gallery called:
"Serendipity".
It'll run from Oct 10 - 31/09.
But…Stay informed, the best is yet to come!!
Workshop Committee
Suzanne Northcott's Acrylics Large and Loose Workshop - Nov. 7, 8 & 9th/08 was attended by 15 FCA members. Suzanne instructed and demonstrated the use of acrylics and mixed media.
Her
talks were extremely motivating and informative. Her intuitive style of
painting raised art to a new level. Suzanne uses graphic powder and molding
paste to create a unique and interesting composition. Suzanne's emphasis
on using colour, building up surfaces, brushwork, creating an interesting
composition, and
portraying a mood or feeling were both challenging and freeing. Feedback
was very positive. Members left this course motivated and eager to incorporate
these new ideas into their work.
Suzanne's
work can be viewed at the Linda Lando Fine Art Gallery 2001 West 41st
Ave. Vancouver 604- 266 6018. Her Show titled "Lucid Ground"
opened Nov. 14 - 22nd. Her work can also be seen at the Fort Gallery,
9048 Glover Rd. Fort Langley at certain times. Her studio is also located
there. 604.888.7411
Kiff Holland's oil and watercolour workshops are full. Grace will see if the Dragon's Den will have the needed supplies for these workshops. For those sending checks for workshops please sent them to the FCA-SOS mailing address and note which workshop they are for.
BITS & PIECES
MEMBER NEWS
~ There is a show at Red Rooster to December 28th 2008 that features artists Barb Hofer, Sharon Leonard and Sandra Albo.
~ The Okanagan Institute has asked George Traicheff to be the BC rep for the Canadian Arts Council. Congrats George!
~ Thea Haubrich has been in Vancouver giving a two-day demo of Encaustic Art. She may also teach in Whitehorse next year.
~ Thea has 2009 calendars for sale. All the artwork was by her students.
~ Faigee Niebow, Carol Munro, Kate Kimberly & Gary Langrish had painting in theVisions 2008 Open Show in Kelowna.(See photos).
~ FCA Chapter Liaison Heidi Lambert wrote a letter to all Chapters, some of the highlights were:
~ As you all received the new FCA show rulings decisions made by the Standards Committee, Heidi sincerely hopes that we are happy with the changes. The changes were a direct result of the Chapter Survey from 2007. Any concerns please let Heidi know.
~ The FCA has had inquiries from members in Ottawa, Ontario and Chetwynd, B.C. about how to start a chapter. Maybe in the future we will see a chapter in Northern B.C. and one in Eastern Canada.
~ Heidi sent along her congratulations to those who were accepted into the Visions 2008 Open Show in Kelowna.
~ The FCA had only 67 entries to the Northern Lights Chapter Show this year, which is way down from last year. With such few entries we stand a very real chance of losing the Chapter Show as part of the FCA line up.
~ The Chapter Manual has been taken off the FCA web site so that it can be updated. The updating should be completed in the not to distant future.
~ The FCA web site is also receiving some major changes.
~ Please inform Elaine Clarke of any changes in your address, email and phone # so you don't miss a thing! econner@persona.ca
~ Janice Cornett Ching- 492-4380, is offering two classes of art - whatever they want to do ongoing on Thursday and Saturday mornings. I don't always have everyone here at the same time and could take a couple more for each day. They go from 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon with a coffee and cookie break mid morning. Cost is $25.00 per session. Drawing, watercolour, acrylic.
~ A wonderful Art Extravaganza "Off the Wall" fund raising show at the Summerland Gallery took place last week. There were 4 of our members involved (Dona Smithson, Carol Munro, Diane Estabtook. and Dale Mathews). People just may want to put it on their calendar for next year as I understand they do plan on having it again.
Getting Into Shows
"How do I get a show?" I am often asked. And I usually respond to the question with a question of my own: "Why do you want to show?" Quite a few people are completely caught off-guard by my question-they usually haven't thought about why they want to be in a gallery. To them, it is just what one does. Others site the desire "to become better known" or "to earn money." And some say, "Because I want to be reviewed."
In many of these conversations I often come to realize that the artist with whom I am speaking does not understand the roles of three key exhibition gatekeepers: the curator, the jury and the (private or "commercial") gallery owner. Although for some readers the roles of these people are very clear, here is a basic overview for those for whom clarification is valuable.
Bear
in mind that I have limited space here, so I will generalize. And one
generalization is this: to get reviewed, approach not-for-profit galleries
and curators for a show and to get important reviews, follow the same
procedure in a major urban centre. To makes sales, approach commercial
galleries and their owners. To have fun and to network with peers, enter
a juried competition.
Curators are stewards of collections. They are the primary caretakers of the objects in the collections of archives, libraries, galleries, museums, individual and corporate collections, and many botanical gardens. The curator's role may include some or all of these tasks: collecting objects; making provision for the effective preservation, conservation, interpretation, documentation, research and display of the collection; and to make them accessible to the public.
Most artists and the general public become aware of curators in their capacity of organizer of exhibitions in "public" galleries; a curator (or director who acts as chief curator) runs most public galleries. (Public galleries are those run by government or operated as not-for-profit societies. The exhibitions of these galleries tend to focus on revelation or education.)
Two
relatively new phenomena in the visual art world are: first, the emergence
of academic programs and degrees in contemporary art and curatorial practice;
and second, the emergence of (at least in urban centres) the "independent"
curator-that is, a curator unaffiliated with a specific institution.
All this information on the curatorial role is a "dictionary definition." When I am doing public speaking about the visual arts, I like to say that curators are tellers of stories, telling their stories in both images (the artifacts themselves) and interpretive or expository words. The curators' exhibitions or "stories" are revelatory; by seeing a large number of pieces by one artist, or by viewing several artists and images in one exhibition, viewers find deeper meanings through the relationships between the images and/or the artists and discover the curator's story. Exhibition catalogues, gallery docents and the statements by the artists help us to understand or appreciate what exhibition visitors see-they help us know the story.
As stewards of our heritage, curators operating in public galleries have a responsibility to tell the "most important" stories of, or for, their constituencies: local taxpayers (the general public), the artists of their community and their members/sponsors/donors. They must show us the best of our local, provincial and national artists-those artists who excel at saying who we are and those who make a significant contribution to contemporary art practice-and, when possible, they should show us the work of very significant artists from outside our communities. The role of the curator in a public institution, or the institution's curatorial objective, is often defined in the institution's mandate.
Curators also function significantly in the lives of Canadian visual artists because of the role they often play in the peer jurying process of the Canada Council and other funding agencies. Their regional knowledge of artists helps coordinate public investment in specific artists and/or art practices. Artists who feature often in the exhibitions of public institutions are the artists who become our national artists.
Visual
art critics (to some extent) and curators play a vital regional role.
If you want to see your work reviewed by the press, if you want to seriously
advance your career as a professional artist, you must aim for a "career"
in public institutions, and the gatekeepers for these institutions are
our curators. Artists with talent, integrity and ambition should aim to
have their work seen by every curator possible. But if you paint to satisfy
a need or passion, and/or if you are interested in deriving income from
the sale of your art, you should focus on exhibition spaces that are not
curated. Instead, you should be looking to juried exhibitions, local art
fairs, artist collective initiatives, community galleries and/or private
galleries for exhibitions.
In a juried exhibition, the jury replaces the curator and selects work for an exhibition that is usually drawn from submissions to a "call for entry (CFE)." (Curators invite artists to fit their theses; there are not calls for entry to curated shows.) The story of a juried exhibition-the exhibition's objective or purpose-is usually defined in the CFE (sometimes called a "call for submissions" or other such phrase). A "blind" juried show attempts to minimize jury prejudice by not allowing the jurists to know the name of the artists whose work they are evaluating or to read any artists' statements. In theory, they judge each piece by its merits alone. Artists with strong personal styles, however, are often recognizable to blind jurists; the process is not infallible.
Owners of commercial galleries are, for me, best understood as customer focused. Without customers, they go out of business: their objective is sales. Yes, they serve their artists, and many do so very well, but they serve artists who are "right" for their customers. Their customers are their most valuable assets. They serve their artists by hosting shows once a year or once every couple of years; they want to serve their customers many, many times a year. Gallery owners are not looking for talent per se; rather, they seek talent compatible to the taste of their inventory of buyers.
Understanding
the objectives or purpose of commercial and not-for-profit galleries,
and understanding what curators do and how juries work, helps those of
you who want to further your career focus your energy on appropriate venues
and people.
By
Chris Tyrell, Opus Frames Newsletter Editor
… Thank you to our Sponsors …
`
~
November & December 2007 Monthly Newsletter
FEDERATION OF CANADIAN ARTISTS
South Okanagan-Similkameen Chapter
113
- 437 Martin Street, Box 154
Penticton, BC V2A 5L1
Important Dates to Remember
Check your calendar today.
The next FCA meeting is to be held at Leir House on Jan 5 2008 General meeting @ 10:00 executive meets @ 9am Sandra Albo will be doing critiques after the meeting so bring along any paintings you would like looked at.
A WARM WELCOME TO OUR NEW MEMBERS :
*Please pick up a “New members information booklet” at the next meeting*
The following people have volunteered to be “Mentors” and will help new members navigate the world of the Federation of Canadian Artists
If you think you might like to have a mentor, please contact one of the following volunteers. They look forward to hearing from you.
Marlene Aikins ~ Laila Campbell
Kate Kimberley ~ George Traicheff
Upcoming shows in Vancouver FCA gallery
Landscapes
February 12 – February 24, 2008
*
Entry deadline: January 10, 2008
Paintings due: February 7, 2008
* Landscapes, cityscapes, seascapes Open to Active & Signature members,
any medium .
Experimental
and Mixed Media
February 26 – March 9, 2008
*
Entry deadline: January 31, 2008
* Paintings due: February 21, 2008
* Works must be executed in more then one medium, open to the Active&
Signature members.
2007/08 – Exhibitions in the valley. - EXHIBITION COMMITTEE
No
further shows are scheduled for 2007 but we will try to arrange one for
Artists of the South Okanagan in the early part of 2008.
Please start thinking about painting for 2008 shows We know we will have
shows in at least two wineries, and we have an application in to the Summerland
Gallery for a juried show titled 'Serendipity', We heard many times this
year that members ran out of paintings and so couldn't enter shows, so do
plan ahead and start painting for these shows and save your paintings. It's
difficult to arrange juried shows if there are not enough entries. We just
scraped by with enough paintings for the Osoyoos Gallery and now that two
of them have sold it is looking pretty empty with no replacements to put
in.
Get your Bio's ready for any show you enter please, SEND
THEM TO Sharon Snow!
The FCA is having a Juried Exhibition at Leir
House in Penticton for the month of February 2008.
There will be no particular theme so it's open to all active members,
any subject and any medium. It will be called "Art Unlimited".
There will be a 25% commission charged upon sales.
George
Traicheff will be taking photos for us on Monday, January 7 from 10
am to 6 pm to go to Vancouver for jurying. No theme in this show, so get
busy. Please bring 3 paintings if you have them!
"Art Unlimited" is at Leir House and will have an Opening Reception,
February 1st from 6pm - 8pm and run right through the month of February.
This is a qualifying juried show without a particular theme. Mark that
date in your calendars please.
WORKSHOPS
Not
sure if the last newsletter mentioned what a great acrylic workshop we had
with Bonny Roberts at the Naramata Centre, Oct 15 through to the
17th. There were 12 in the class and we all got a lot out of it, thanks
to a great teacher....
Pictures from Bonnie Roberts workshop were fabulous, when I find
someone who can help me get them into the format I need for this newsletter
I will forward. Sorry!
BITS & PIECES
Member News.
·
Two artists tied for the Peoples' Choice award at the Osoyoos show:
Dona Smithson for Okanagan Apples and Barbara Mosby for Evening
on the Slough.
· Carol Munro will be having her first solo show in the Summerland Gallery in March.
· Thea Haubrich will be a Program Leader at the Naramata Centre next summer, teaching Encaustic.
·
We received a grant from Summerland Arts Council for $200.
Get well Laila!
Laila
Campbell is unable to continue with her
Publicity duties at this time, so we wish you a speedy recovery Her work
is so phenomenal it's going to be a scary time, but we'll rise to the occasion
somehow!
The most recent Exhibitions have been tallied:
·
Osoyoos - 2 paintings sold
· Lang - 18 paintings sold
Lang Vineyards show has wrapped up for the season but will be on our schedule
for next year. We sold 18 paintings there this year and no commission so
we thank the owners of Langs Vineyards for their generosity.
· PAINT - 1 sale
There will be a Juried show in Summerland gallery in 2009
There is a very good chance that we will be having a non-juried show at the Penticton Museum in June or July. The theme will be based on their Centennial and photos are available for reference at the museum. (Details to follow.
We will be having exhibitions, (juried and non-juried), in the local wineries
next year. Vineyards and local scenes are always popular with the tourists
who frequent the wineries.
Please mark your calendars, plan to participate and support your club.
Vancouver
FCA Gallery:
Congratulations to the following artists whose paintings were accepted into
juried shows at the FCA gallery in Vancouver.
Check out the images on the Federation of Canadian Artists website. The
artists are in Alphabetical order. Click on SHOWS.
Kate Kimberley - Bright Lights was accepted into the "Artist
Choice" show.
Marlene Aikins - Okanagan Vineyards was accepted into the "Plein
Air" show
Lyne Marand - Long Road to Cypress Hills was accepted into the "Images
from Western Canada" show.
Gary Langrish has his painting Maria and Paco accepted into the Small
Smaller Smallest show at the Vancouver FCA gallery.
When Kate went into Small Smaller & Smallest show, she found
that Gary Langrish has a painting in the show, so could you include
his name in the list of artists.
Note from Thea:
I
have come across a fantastic website where you can order all kinds of DVD's
with tutorials/workshops on watercolour, acrylics, oils, collages, drawing
etc.
It's Creative Catalyst Productions and they are based in the US: http://www.ccpvideos.com/
They also have a newsletter you can sign up for. Very informative!
I have ordered from them several times now and am very pleased with their
service.
Perhaps you could mention in the Newsletter that if members are interesetd
we could send a combined order to save on shipping costs.
I will bring one of their brochures to the next meeting
HELP!!!
Will someone offer to do the posters and invitations for the upcoming "Art Unlimited" show at Leir House? We can arrange to send images to you by members who have signed the waiver allowing their artwork to be used for that purpose. The printing of posters and invitations can be done locally but we do need someone to set them up. Please call Dianne Korsch if you can help, thanks.
A
reminder to members that elections of officers and committee members is
coming up in March and we will be looking
for members to step forward to fill positions or to volunteer to help committee
members.
We also need immediately someone to fill the position as chair of the publicity
committee - any volunteers?
The Executive of the South Okanagan-Similkameen Chapter
wishes all members Happy Holidays:
There have been many emails between Vancouver FCA and the Chapters about changes in the FCA magazine, Art Avenue. In the past, chapters have submitted a summary of their chapter and future events once a year with two chapters featured each issue (6 issues/year). Apparently, many chapters were unhappy with this arrangement and changes were suggested. From the suggestions, chapters are now going to submit items for each issue. A new feature will be a Chapter Events Calendar with chapters listing their upcoming events including dates, location and contact info. Events such as upcoming shows, workshops, meeting dates, and other events will be included in the calendar. It was suggested that chapters send in their info about twice a year or so.
Another
feature - we will see in print the first three award winning paintings in
qualifying shows held by chapters much the same as Federation award winners
are featured now but with the name of the chapter included.
Chapters and individual members will also be encouraged to submit topical
articles of interest to all chapters.
Individual chapter members are encouraged to submit news items of their
accomplishments, awards, etc to the "In the News" section of the
magazine. If newsy enough for an article, it should, or will be included
in the main body of the magazine.
Lately, there have been several versions of a spreadsheet that is supposed
to make it easier to submit information to the editor and to make it easier
for the editor to decipher the information we are sending. Thanks to Kate
Kimberley, the South Okanagan-Similkameen Chapter will test the waters
with a submission by Nov. 24 for the January issue. Stay tuned.
PHOTODOCUMENTING YOUR ARTWORK OUTDOORS
The sun is finally starting to shine through the clouds! Take advantage of this good weather by getting outside and documenting your artwork for all your upcoming art exhibitions. Not only is it a good idea to catalogue your work to view your progress, but when you apply for exhibitions you are usually asked to submit current work. What you submit should accurately reflect the true colour, brushstroke and texture of your work - and photodocumenting makes this possible.
You will only need a few key items to make this simple and easy. The most important is a Digital SLR Camera, a tripod, a neutral coloured cloth or canvas, and last but not least, your artwork. If documenting 2D work, it is best to photograph on a wall with a neutral or black background as it makes your work cohesive and allows your artwork to stand out. When photographing 3D work, try adding a pedestal (if your work fits on it) to make it easier to photograph as it provides a base. With both 2D and 3D work, it is best to photograph in shade, as direct sunlight will cast harsh shadows and sun spots on your images.
Here are a few important steps and reminders:
Before you begin:
o
Always use a tripod - this steadies the camera and avoids blurry images.
o Change your ASA (ISO) on your SLR to 100 or lower, depending on your camera
settings. The higher your ASA, the more noise or grain you will get. Less
noise is better, so keep to 100 ASA or lower.
o Set your camera to be able to capture the maximum pixels allowed as a
jpeg. You want the highest quality image with the least amount of compression.
Setting up:
o
Securely attach your artwork to your neutral coloured backdrop on the wall.
Set your camera and tripod in front of your artwork. Try to avoid using
your digital zoom as it tends to distort your image. If need be, move closer
to your artwork and fill your viewfinder. Make sure that your artwork is
straight on the wall and in your viewfinder. If your artwork is horizontal,
position your camera horizontally.
o Avoid using your built in flash as it causes hot spots or reflections
on your artwork.
o Adjust your white balance to match your light source, in this case this
would be a cloudy setting. Adjusting your white balance ensures that your
whites are white and the other colours in your artwork are as vibrant as
they should be.
o Set your camera on manual mode and then set your f-stop to anywhere between
F8 to F16. The bigger the aperture number, the greater depth of field is
achieved. F11 is a good base to begin with. Set your shutter speed according
to the f-stop you choose.
o Focus on the centre of your image.
o Make any adjustments with your aperture or shutter speed with your digital
SLR camera. The benefits of this camera is being able to preview and delete
any images that are over or underexposed or out of focus. Once finished,
load your images directly onto your computer. Editing software, eg. Photoshop
or Iphoto, allows you to fine tune your images and copy them to a CD to
send with your submission forms.
Getting ready to document:
When photodocumenting 3D work, the importance is on textures and shapes. Therefore, additional lighting may be needed to avoid making your 3D work appear flat. A convenient way to add depth to your 3D work is to cut out a round piece of cardboard and wrap it in tinfoil. If you can find a friend to help you out, they can tilt this cardboard reflector near your artwork to add dimension and shadows.
PS: Many of these useful tips can also be applied to photodocumenting your artwork with a manual camera and slide film. (OPUS FRAMES NEWSLETTER MAY 2007)
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