Author: Blackstone Valley Art Association

In 2015 the BVAA held a one-day pop-up “Twisted Dolls” show at the Worcester PopUp location next to City Hall. We had a great time and the show’s online version became very popular.

Twisted Doll Photos

In 2016 we wanted to expand our scope beyond dolls while maintaining the spooky aspect of the show. Hence the name Macabre. The general theme of the show is creepy, spooky, and thought-provoking.

We also wanted to expand beyond a single day of show, so that more people could enjoy it in person. The Canal on Water Street in Worcester agreed to be the venue!

Our plan is for the last week in October – October 24th through 31st. We’re still mapping out the opening reception. The number of images per person will depend on the final layout of that gallery system and the number of BVAA members interested in participating.

Please let us know if you’d like to join us in the Macabre show!

We have an opportunity to exhibit artwork for sale at the Grafton Inn similar arrangement to what we have at Whitinsville Antique Center. In the case of the Grafton Inn, it is even more advantageous for the artists because there will be no commission taken by the venue.

As of September 2016 we need approximately 20-30  works of art. These will hang in a variety of public places including the dining area.

The Grafton Inn is a historic building originally built in 1805 and located on the main Grafton Common. They are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The owner is looking for an eclectic mix of images to showcase for his audience.

Send the JPGs of your potential images along with actual framed size and price to our standard info AT bvaa.org email address. We will then review the options and submit them to Grafton Inn.

This can start immediately.

Grafton Inn Official Website

We had a fascinating demo in our first meeting of the new session by Dustin Neece. His demo was really an ‘eye opener’ for many of us, particularly with his use of sandpaper! Here are a few takeaways from his talk, as summarized by Bob Evans.

• Be aware of your inner feelings regarding the painting, recognize that it will go through stages and don’t get caught in ‘the dark night of the soul’
• Dustin recommended reading ‘The War of Art’ by Steven Pressfield
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007A4SDCG/
• Recognise that the ideal image is in your head
• Don’t get so engrossed in a single feature, always look at the big picture and be prepared to change right up until the final version
• Every picture will evolve
• Use layers
• Take your time, go back and paint at the same spot for days, weeks or years until you have it ‘right’
• Look for inspiration, Dustin trained under Odd Nerdrum, check out some of his paintings
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odd_Nerdrum
• https://forumgallery.com/artist/odd-nerdrum/
• Start from the focal point and move outwards
• Block out the major features
• When dry, scrape with spatula and also sand using 80 grit paper to remove some (but not all) of the impasto texture
• Be aware of toxic nature of cadmium based paints when doing this
• Use quinacridone-red instead of cadmium red and hansa yellow (Williamsburg Paints)
• After that, look for the major contrasting colour and then use scumbling technique to cover the major areas of the canvas
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glaze_(painting_technique)
• Gardening gloves are great for keeping the hands clean!

A lovely write-up of the art & poetry project we’re planning. The show opens in March 2017 at the Worcester Public Library!

https://www.telegram.com/news/20160916/bvaa-project-pairs-up-art-with-poetry

Here’s the full details on this show:

BVAA Art & Poetry Show