Congratulations to the winners of our 2025 “Green” Art Show! This show had the theme of “Green” – an artist could interpret this in any way they wished! The judge for this show was George Hancin.
First Place / Verne Thayer “Mystery Walk” oil painting
Second Place / Merilyn Rocks “Misty Irish Morn” oil painting
Third Place / Michele St. Pierre “Tropical Vibes” Acrylic
Honorable Mention / Mike Zeis “You Can Fight City Hall” photography
Honorable Mention / Michael Backunas “”Medieval Hideaway Sintra Portugal” photography
Honorable Mention / Carol Frieswick “Crystal Brook Farm” pastel
Honorable Mention / Ellen Gould “Tuscany” oil
Thank you to everyone who participated in our “Green” art show!
We are celebrating our Eighth Annual Uxbridge SketchFest in historic downtown Uxbridge! Talented sketcher Yetti Frenkel will be our guide. We will walk short distances along Uxbridge’s main street and use the beautiful architecture to develop our sketching skills.
Perfect for all levels of artists. Beginner will get themselves started, and more advanced artists will hone their skills!
This workshop is FREE! Please RSVP either with the online form on this site or by emailing info@bvaa.org so we know how many supplies to prepare. We will provide clipboards to draw on, paper, and pens / pencils. You can of course bring your own if you have supplies you prefer to use.
By getting started with Yetti, you’ll then have the skills you need to participate in our Eighth Annual Uxbridge SketchFest, which runs from September 1st through November 30, 2025!
Our Sketching workshop will be held on Sunday, September 21st from 1-3pm. If it rains, we’ll hold the workshop in the BVAA Uxbridge Community gallery space. We will definitely post here and on social media, and email all RSVPed people, if we have rain concerns.
Initial Meeting Location: BVAA Uxbridge Community Art Gallery 5 South Main Street Uxbridge MA
The space is fully handicapped / disability accessible with no stairs. It has a large free parking lot.
This workshop is free and open to the public. No experience is necessary. The fun of our workshops is that we all try new things we’ve never done before.
All are welcome – this workshop is open to BVAA members and non-members. Feel free to bring along a friend! We’d love to see you there to try some new things and explore your creativity!
We have a great workshop for our September 2025 BVAA monthly meeting! This is open to the public – all levels of interest are warmly encouraged to attend!
We are holding this workshop in the BVAA Uxbridge Art Gallery. It is a ‘getting started’ tutorial so that you can then participate in our Uxbridge SketchFest community project over the coming weeks.
In this demo, Diane will offer a show-and-tell of her urban sketching set up and will share techniques for overcoming the anxiety of sketching in public, staying loose on the page, and simplifying reality into an interesting composition. She will guide participants through several exercises that she regularly uses as part of her urban sketching and plein air painting practices. Bring your sketchbooks and try the techniques for yourself!
If you don’t have materials, we will have sketchbooks, pens, pencils, and watercolors for you to practice with.
Location: BVAA Open Sky Uxbridge Community Gallery 5 South Main Street Uxbridge, MA 01569
This meeting and session is free and open to the public. No experience is necessary. The fun of our workshops is that we all learn new things we’ve never done before.
Our meetings cover BVAA organization business from 6:30-7:00pm and then go into the workshop part of the evening. Feel free to come for whichever half interests you the most. In general, our monthly meetings are held on the third Tuesday of each month unless otherwise announced.
All are welcome – this workshop is open to members and non-members. Feel free to bring along a friend! We’d love to see you there to learn some new things and explore your creativity!
You can learn about our 2025 Uxbridge SketchFest community project here –
Want to learn more about taking lovely photos? Join us on Friday September 26th 2025 from 2-4pm for our photography workshop at the New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill! All levels of photographers warmly encouraged to participate. This event is open to the public.
The cost of the photography workshop is $5 each.
Note that because we are holding this month’s workshop at the New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill, YOU MUST SEPARATELY PAY AN ENTRANCE FEE TO TOWER HILL. That entrance fee is $20. You can find discount or free tickets at many local libraries. Check with your libraries to find an inexpensive way to get into the gardens. If you are a individual served by Open Sky, talk with Open Sky about being sponsored for this event. You pay that entry fee directly to Tower Hill when you arrive.
We will meet at the New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill, past the entry gates, by the turtle fountain at 2pm. Photographer Lisa Shea will provide a brief introductory discussion of ideas for taking photos in an outdoor setting. Then we will explore the gardens from 2-4pm. You can roam on your own, stay with the group, and ask questions whenever you wish. Feel free to come early or stay late!
Location: New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill 11 French Drive Boylston, MA https://nebg.org/
Date and Time: Friday September 26th, 2025 2-4pm
Please be sure to RSVP to join the group. Let Lisa know what type of cellphone or camera you plan on bringing. Lisa can then send you a PDF of ideas to get you started. If you don’t have access to any cellphone or camera, we have a few we would be able to lend for the afternoon.
Let us know if you have any questions! And please make sure you research your New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill tickets beforehand. That way you can get discount tickets from your local library or from Open Sky (if applicable) to save on your entrance fee.
Whether you participate in the field trip or not, please consider then sending in a few of your Beautiful Skies photos to participate in the free ValleyCAST virtual art show. This show has a deadline of Sunday, September 28th, 2025!
Congratulations to the winners of the 2025 Fall Art Show, held at the ValleyCAST Spaulding R. Aldrich Heritage Gallery at the Whitin Mill in Whitinsville, Massachusetts! Cristi Collari was the judge for this show.
Congratulations to Lynne Randolph for winning first place in our BVAA Fall Art Show at ValleyCAST! This beautiful pastel painting is “Family Stroll” $325.
Congratulations to Karin Cloutier for winning second place with “Silence to Bloom” acrylic painting $215.
Congratulations to Joanne Zeis for winning third place with her photo “Long Way Down” $175.
Congratulations to Carole Plante for winning an honorable mention in our BVAA Fall Art Show! This is stained glass “Kiss Me” – not for sale (sigh Carole you are so cruel!!).
Congratulations to Michael Backunas for winning an honorable mention in the BVAA Fall Art Show! This is “Abandoned Whaling Ship West Iceland” photography $300.
Congratulations to Bonnie Frederico who got an honorable mention for “Sunflowers and Peaches” oil painting $475.
Here’s the information on this 2025 Fall Art Show!
