Thank you to all of the artists who participated in the Blackstone Valley Art Association 2021 Uxbridge SketchFest! Throughout the month of September we sketched and drew a variety of scenes around Uxbridge, Massachusetts.
Here are the artists who have chosen to participate in our online virtual show. Thank you so much to everyone who joined in!
If you prefer to watch a video version:
Details of our 2021 Uxbridge SketchFest:
It’s creepy and it’s kooky! Mysterious and spooky! For 2021, our 7th annual Macabre art show is going virtual!
About the Show
Spooky. Unsettling. Wisps of mists and dark shadows. Macabre brings out the fascination with the off-beat side of life.
Submissions
The online submission deadline for the Macabre show is October 26th, 2021. You don’t need to use the online submission form – you can simply email the JPGs to us. You can submit up to five works. It’s open to all BVAA members. This is not a judged show so you CAN enter things you’ve entered in previous shows (including previous Macabre shows).
Virtual Reception
We’ll have our virtual reception – a premiere of the video slideshow – on October 31st at 7pm. If you aren’t able to participate online, the video will be available for watching at any point after that.
Theme
This show is Halloween. Spooky. Shadowy.
Here is the video from Macabre 2021!
Here are photos from previous years –
We look forward to seeing your spooky work!
Here’s the video from this 2020 show!
The Blackstone Valley Art Association is proud to host the 2021 Community Tapestry Art Show! The public is warmly invited to participate! This show is open to all forms of artistic expression. We would love to see watercolors, acrylic paintings, oil paintings, sculptures, pottery, mixed media, drawings, pastels, photography, cyanotypes, and other forms of art.
When:
October 23rd to November 20th, 2021
Where:
BVAA Open Sky Uxbridge Community Gallery
5 South Main Street
Uxbridge, MA 01569
There is a TON of free parking immediately next to this building. It is fully and easily handicapped accessible.
BVAA Alternatives Uxbridge Community Art Gallery Information
Entering the Show
The theme is wide open. Any topic can be addressed as long as it is family-friendly. Artwork can be any size. That being said, please contact us first if you plan on bringing anything over 20″ x 30″ in size. We need to arrange for space for those separately.
All wall-hanging items must be properly wired for hanging. Our hanging system does not work with saw-tooth or triangle hangers. If you are new to preparing artwork for shows, read our page on How to Mat and Frame a Photo. Please also check out our Show Terms and Conditions
Submissions
To submit your entries use our BVAA Online Submission Form. This show is free to participate in. Each artist may submit up to two items. The deadline to submit is October 23, 2021 at 3pm EST.
Drop Off of Works
Work must be dropped off Saturday, October 23rd between 10am and 3pm. All work which is brought in will be hung (as long as it is properly wired and is family-friendly).
Online Video
Due to COVID restrictions, we will not be having an in-person reception. We will post announcements when the online video version of the show is ready.
Pick Up
Pick up is on Saturday, November 20th from 10am to 3pm. If you aren’t able to make that, please contact us for other arrangements.
Address any questions via our BVAA Contact Information
Ask with any questions! We look forward to seeing your entries!
Update:
Here is the show!
Here are photos and videos of the previous show!
Tapestry 2018 Art Show Photos and Videos
Congratulations to all the winners of our Blackstone Valley Art Association Fall Show in 2021! This show was held in our Uxbridge art gallery. Here’s the full walkthrough video of the show:
The judge for this show was artist George Hancin, who teaches at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts and the Worcester Art Museum. Here is his website:
Here are his notes on the winning artwork items:
First Prize – Carol Frieswick / “Low Tide In The Marsh”
This pastel creates a soft atmospheric look which takes you into the distance. There’s a fine interplay between the distant trees and textured foreground.
Second Prize – Beverly Tinklenberg / “Beach Houses”
This is painted in a loose, carefree style which still preserves structure and space. The geometric shapes of the houses work well against the organic shrubs of the middle ground.
Third Prize – Al Weems / “The Traveler”
The photograph creates a gloomy, surreal, ambiguous atmosphere.
Honorable Mention 1 – Steve Paulson / “Butterfly Farm”
A pleasant use of color also creates three-dimensional forms in the silos and barns.
Honorable Mention 2 – Laura O. Cenedella / “Autumn Creek”
This painting is of a shady spot in the woods alternating between dappled light and darker colors; it becomes almost pointillism.
For all the details about our Fall Show 2021 visit:
October is Inktober! During the month of October, the fantastically fun Inktober celebration begins.
During Inktober, you get a theme word every day. Each day, you do a sketch / drawing / etc. representing what that word means to you. You can interpret it ANY way you want. Most people do this monochrome with black on white, but you can explore your creativity.
You then post your art on Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / whatever other systems you like to use. If you don’t use any of them, send it in to the BVAA and we’ll post it on our feeds.
It’s a great way to get into a daily art habit! Ask with any questions!
Here’s the list for October 2021 from the Inktober team. Remember, one a day! Tackle the day’s theme word!
Here’s the official Inktober website, for all the details:
The Blackstone Valley Art Association is sponsoring our annual members-only Fall Show! This show is open to all active members of the BVAA. Entries can include all forms of artwork on any theme. This show will be judged for cash prizes.
When:
Saturday, October 2 to Saturday, October 25, 2021
Where:
BVAA Open Sky Uxbridge Community Gallery
5 South Main Street
Uxbridge, MA 01569
There is a TON of free parking immediately next to this building. It is fully and easily handicapped accessible.
BVAA Alternatives Uxbridge Community Art Gallery Information
Entering the Show
The theme is wide open. Any topic can be addressed as long as it is family-friendly. Artwork can be any size. That being said, please contact us first if you plan on bringing anything over 20″ x 30″ in size. We need to arrange for space for those separately.
All wall-hanging items must be properly wired for hanging. Our hanging system does not work with saw-tooth or triangle hangers. If you are new to preparing artwork for shows, read our page on How to Mat and Frame a Photo. Please also check out our Show Terms and Conditions
Submissions
To submit your entries use our BVAA Online Submission Form. The fee to participate is $8/piece or 3 for $20 for members. You can submit up to 3 pieces. As this is a judged show, you cannot enter anything which has been entered into a previous BVAA judged show. The deadline to submit is Saturday, September 25th, 2021 at 3pm EST.
Drop Off of Works
Work must be dropped off on Saturday, September 25th between 10am and 3pm. All work which is brought in will be hung (as long as it is properly wired and is family-friendly).
Opening Reception
For COVID reasons we will not be having an in-person reception for this show. We will let you know about a virtual one!
Pick Up
Saturday, October 23, 2021, from 10am to 3pm. If you aren’t able to make that, contact us for other arrangements.
Address any questions via our BVAA Contact Information
Ask with any questions! We look forward to seeing your entries!
Just a reminder to everyone that tomorrow Saturday September 18th 2021 WE ARE NOT IN THE UXBRIDGE GALLERY. The Uxbridge Gallery is CLOSED.
We will all be in Hopedale at the big Hopedale Day in the Park event!!
We have a booth there with panels and bins. Here are the people from our group we know are attending and maybe bringing art for those panels / bins:
Lisa Shea
Bev Tinklenberg
Carol Frieswick
Pam Siderewicz
Bob Evans
Young Farwell
If anyone else is planning on coming and/or bringing art please let us know! That way we can figure out how much art to bring each. We would love to see you there!
Here are two paintings Carol F is bringing for our panels.
Fall Fiesta 16×20 oil $250.
Indigenous Pot and Harvest 9×12 oil $225.
Bev T entered the “white tent” art show with three of her paintings. We wish her luck with winning!
Harvest Door $325
Beach Houses $300
Quiet Harbor $300
If anyone else has images of their art for Hopedale to share, please send them along! I’m posting them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Maybe we can drum up some sales!
We hope to see you at Hopedale this Saturday. The weather is looking good!
Have a great weekend :).
Sincerely,
Lisa Shea & the BVAA Team
The BVAA Uxbridge SketchFest is back for its fourth year! Grab your pads of paper, pencils, and pens, for it’s SketchFest time!
Here’s the plan.
Sometime between September 1st and September 30th, 2021, head out to your favorite locations in Uxbridge. Make sketches of whatever catches your eye. Send them into us at info@bvaa.org. Each person can send us up to three sketches. Please have the last JPGs in to us by midnight on September 30th. Participation is completely FREE!
We will make a virtual gallery of the sketches and also a YouTube virtual presentation! We’ll share all the beautiful artworks for the entire community to enjoy!
All ages and abilities are warmly encouraged to participate. This is open to the public!
Here is Dennis Smith’s great map of wonderful locations in Uxbridge. Click on it to get a larger version along with details about each location. This is a starting point. You can make your sketches anywhere in Uxbridge.
https://www.densmith.com/Sketch-Walk/
Just what is a sketch? We’re glad you asked!
For the sake of our SketchFest, a sketch is a quick representation of a scene done with pen or pencil on paper. It can then be colored in with colored pencil or watercolors. Here’s a beautiful example done by Pamela Siderewicz of a lawyers’ office building on Uxbridge Common.
At our 2019 in-person Uxbridge SketchFest we had the amazing Laura Sfiat from the Urban Sketchers Boston group come guide us through sketching. Here is one of Laura’s examples (not of Uxbridge) which provides a few details about how she works.
Here’s Laura’s website which has all sorts of great information and advice:
https://belleartwork.wordpress.com/
Here’s a video of the afternoon session with Laura, which focused more specifically on portrait sketching.
Talented artist Scott Nelson led an urban sketching session on Grafton Common – you get a TON of tips from Scott in this on how to compose and approach sketching in a town setting –
Ask with any questions, and we look forward to seeing your beautiful sketches!
Thank you to the Uxbridge Cultural Council and to the Massachusetts Cultural Council for supporting the Uxbridge SketchFest!
The Blackstone Valley Art Association is still planning out our full schedule for the 2021-2022 season. Here are our current ideas.
Please let us know if you have any suggestions or comments on this schedule!
This is laid out to print as a double-sided three-fold brochure.
Here is a link to a PDF version –
Here’s the schedule of BVAA shows at the Milford TV Studio for the 2021-2022 season!
We have a FREEEEE 2-month show schedule at the Milford TV Studio location. This location gets a fair amount of traffic as locals come and go to the various events there. Our art hangs on the walls in their hallways and rooms. Every two months we swap out with a new theme.
On the swap-out date, we all descend on the studio and hang out from 6-8pm. We take down the old art, put our new art against the walls, and have fun. We bring in our own snacks and drinks for this. It’s casual and relaxing. You can bring as many pieces as you wish on the theme. Milford TV hangs and labels our pieces for us.
On the reception date, Milford TV provides the food and drinks. By now they’ve hung and labelled all the artwork for us. We show up and enjoy the show and conversation from 6-8pm.
It’s free to participate and there’s no stress. Just bring in as many or few art items as you want, on the theme. Just label the back of each with the title, artist name, and price. You don’t have to fill out any online forms. We do have a sign-in sheet there just to keep track of what is in the gallery.
Ask with any questions! And let me know if you spot any typos on any of these pages. In general the date is always the last Wednesday of the month. We only slide it to avoid major holidays. Sometimes we have to move dates due to winter storms and such – we’ll email in advance if that happens.
July 28th, 2021 – Summertime Reception
August 25th, 2021 – Autumn Splendour Drop-off
September 29th, 2021 – Autumn Splendour Reception
October 27th, 2021 – Small Works Drop-off
November 24st, 2021 – Small Works Reception
January 5, 2022 – Winter Magic Drop-Off
January 26th, 2022 – Winter Magic Reception
February 23th, 2022 – Spring Joy Drop-Off
March 30th, 2022 – Spring Joy Reception
April 27th, 2022 – Monochrome Drop-Off
May 25th, 2022 – Monochrome Reception
June 29th, 2022 – Good Ole Summertime Drop-Off
July 27th, 2022 – Good Ole Summertime Reception
August 31st, 2022 Autumn Splendour Drop-Off
September 28th, 2022 Autum Splendour Reception
Thank you so much to Milford TV for allowing us use of their wall space! Be sure to follow them at:
https://www.facebook.com/milfordtv