Mark your calendar for this amazing photography talk which you can enjoy from the comfort of your own home! No matter what the weather outside, we’ll be safe and snug in our living rooms while we enjoy this stunning discussion with talented photographers Al Weems, Mike Zeis, and Bob Evans. Each artist will discuss his photography technique. Then, at the end, we’ll have about a half hour for community critique of group-submitted photos.
This Zoom discussion is FREE, open to the public, and will be held on Sunday, February 5th, 2023 from 3-5:30pm.
Location: ZOOM
Note that this session WILL BE RECORDED so that people who cannot attend on Sunday can watch the recording. You can choose to turn off audio and video if you don’t want to be seen / heard in the recording.
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!
If you are a BVAA member, you can send us 2-3 images for the group to gently critique as part of this workshop. Full details on this have been sent to you in the weekly BVAA newsletter. If you’re not getting that newsletter, please contact us.
The Blackstone Valley Art Association is sponsoring the 2023 Teen Self Expression Art Show – this art show is open to the public! All styles of teen-created family-friendly artwork are warmly welcome! FREE FOR TEENS TO ENTER!
When: Saturday March 4th to Saturday April 8th 2023
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.
Participation is FREE and is open to the public. The show is open to any person who is a teenager (aged 13-18). Each participant may exhibit up to three pieces of artwork. These will be judged for cash prizes.
Entering the Show The show is completely free to enter. The artwork can be on any theme and in any medium. We have glass cases in which we can display sculptures and pottery.
Please check out our Show Terms and Conditions. Note that some of the conditions about framing and wiring do not apply to this show. If you simply wish to bring in 5×7 printed photos or artwork, that is fine, We can handle matting those for you. If you wish to bring in other forms of art that is framed and/or ready for display, that is fine too. Ask with any questions.
We should also make sure everyone sees this section of the terms: “Works submitted to the BVAA must be original work created by the submitting artist. All entries must contain copyright-free material or material released with consent from the original source. Unauthorized use of any copyrighted images, text, or other material will not be accepted.” We know teens love to copy online art and to represent favorite movie characters. For legal reasons, this show needs to feature original art only.
Submissions To submit your entries use our BVAA Online Submission Form. The deadline to submit the online information is 3pm on Saturday, March 11th, 2023. Work should be dropped off on Saturday, March 4th, 2023 between 10am and 3pm. DUE TO SNOW WE HAVE EXTENDED TO ADD AN ADDITIONAL DROP-OFF DATE OF SATURDAY, MARCH 11th 2023. All work which is brought in will be hung (as long as it is family-friendly). If you can’t make it on either Saturday date, contact us and we’ll arrange a separate drop-off for you. We hang the show on Wednesday, March 15th.
Teens and Privacy
We understand that there is an additional layer of privacy concerns for teenagers which don’t tend to apply to our other BVAA art shows. Here are a few special adjustments for parents to be aware of.
Teens DO NOT NEED TO USE THEIR REAL NAMES on submissions and labels. They can use fake names, initials, or whatever else they wish. They can remain wholly anonymous if they wish. We do post artwork on social media to promote the show. It is up to the teen how they wish that artwork to be labelled.
We do NOT put any other artist identifying information in the show. We do not list ages, towns, genders, schools, affiliations, or anything else. The only details displayed with a piece of art is its title, the artist’s chosen display name, the medium (type of art) and its price (if for sale). That is it.
We normally take photos during receptions to promote the show. We would always ask for permission when taking the traditional artist-with-their-artwork photo of a teen.
Ask with any questions!
Judging The teen self expression show awards ribbons based on the number of entries received.
Opening Reception The opening reception for the show is Friday, March 17th 2023 from 5-7pm. NOTE THE NEW DATE DUE TO THE SNOW! Invite family and friends – all are welcome!
Pick Up Saturday, April 8th, 2023, from 10am to 3pm. If you aren’t able to make that, please contact us for other arrangements.
Bob Evans is a talented photographer who has won many awards with his photography. In this talk, Bob will explore a number of his photos and discuss the techniques and compositions used.
There will be time at the end for photographers to show their own work and have the group offer gentle supportive comments.
The current show in the gallery is the Anything Goes community photography show, so this is also an opportunity for visitors to see all of the photography and discuss it.
Our January 2023 monthly meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 17th from 6:30-9pm.
Location: BVAA Open Sky Uxbridge Community Gallery 5 South Main Street Uxbridge, MA 01569
The space is fully handicapped / disability accessible with no stairs. It is immediately next to a large free parking lot.
This meeting and 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.
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 try some new things and explore your creativity!
Talented artist Bev Tinklenberg celebrated the beauty of Auburn, and the impressive collection of the Auburn Historical Museum, with a series of sessions celebrating this delightful location.
First, on November 29, 2022, the BVAA took a trip to the Auburn Historical Museum at 41 South Street in Auburn, Massachusetts. There, Sari Bitticks and Steven Marshall guided us on a glimpse of the many treasures the museum holds. I highly recommend this trip to anyone who can make it to their location. They have many Nipmuc artifacts, a Civil War uniform, a Japanese parachute wedding dress, a nugget from the Auburn gold mine, and much, much more.
Next, Beverly guided us through how to examine architecture in terms of one point perspective or two point perspective, using the Auburn Historical Museum and its nearby buildings.
It was chilly, so Bev got into her SUV and demonstrated how to do a watercolor value study. By recording just lights, mediums, and darks in shades of grey, an artist can get a handle on how a scene will lay out.
Here’s the quick time lapse version to get an overview of the process.
Fun break time! We decided to get some photos and video of local Auburn cows, to have for future art projects.
Back to serious stuff. At her home art studio, Bev talks about flat straight on and one point perspective, when you are looking straight at a building.
We then go into Bev’s studio where she demonstrates the techniques of two point perspective. She uses wooden blocks for clear viewing, then moves on to a building scene.
Bev now talks about how to use layers to build up a watercolor image. She starts with the lights, then medium tones, then darks and details. Then she focuses in on the area she wants to draw your eye to. Bev also discusses how artful cropping and matting can highlight an image.
Finally, we get a tour of Bev Tinklenberg’s home art studio. It has beautiful light, nice working areas, many shelves, and even an art paper storage system. It’s quite a lovely space to create!
Thank you to the Auburn Cultural Council for supporting this project! And thank you so much to Beverly for sharing her time and expertise with us. To learn more about Bev, her artwork, and her art classes, contact us here at the BVAA and we’ll put you in touch!
The Blackstone Valley Art Association is sponsoring the 11th Annual Anything Goes Photography Show – this show is open to the public! Prints from all styles of digital cameras, film cameras, cellphone cameras, point-and-shoots, SLRs, cyanotypes, and other photo-related artwork are warmly welcome!
When: January 7 to March 4, 2023
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.
Participation is open to the public. Each participant may exhibit up to two photos. These will be judged for cash prizes.
Entering the Show The entry fee for the main show, open to all styles of photography, is $15/2 pieces for BVAA members and $20/2 pieces for non-members. The theme is wide open. You can submit a portrait, landscape, still life, abstract, seascape, you name it. Your imagination is the limit.
Photos 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 photography must be family friendly and properly wired for hanging. Our hanging system does not work with saw-tooth or triangle hangers. 3M stick-on hangers are notorious for falling off – please don’t use those. If you are new to preparing photography for shows, read our page on How to Mat and Frame a Photo. Please also check out our Show Terms and Conditions
All photos which are entered are hung. There is no “pre-selection” process where some are accepted and others are rejected. If you submit artwork, and it is family-friendly and wired properly, it will be part of our show. You can have your photo listed with a price for sale, or you can have it Not For Sale if you wish.
Submissions To submit your entries use our BVAA Online Submission Form. The deadline to submit the online label information is midnight on Saturday, January 7th, 2023. Work must be dropped off by Saturday, January 7th, 2023 at 3pm. All work which is brought in will be hung (as long as it is properly wired and is family-friendly).
If your submission features an unusual technique, for example you’re using a medium-format film camera or another unusual setup, please add notes in the submission form. We’d love to put those details onto the label. Our show visitors love to learn about unusual styles of photography.
We will hang the show on Wednesday January 11th, 2023.
Judging The judge for this show will be determined soon.
Opening Reception The opening reception for this show will be on Friday, January 13th, 2023 from 5-7pm. Prizes are usually awarded around 6pm.
Pick Up Pickup of the art is on Saturday, March 4th, 2023, from 10am to 3pm. Due to the snow, you can also pickup Saturday, March 11th as well. If you aren’t able to make either date, please contact us for other arrangements.
This Uxbridge gallery is supported in part by BVAA member dues, the Massachusetts Cultural Council, and by ValleyCAST. The space use is kindly donated to us by ValleyCast, the community outreach department of Open Sky Community Services. Open Sky uses this space for special-needs client activities during daytime weekdays. They allow the BVAA use of the space – and its gallery walls – on evenings and weekends. We actively support their inclusive mission. All are welcome to all of our events and activities!
On November 22, 2022, talented artist Deb Bottomley presented a wonderful workshop on watercolor painting and watercolor colored pencil use. The focus for this workshop was the Miss Mendon Diner, in Mendon, Massachusetts. The Miss Mendon Diner is a historic Worcester Lunchcar Diner created in 1950. It’s located on Route 16 in Mendon, Massachusetts.
Deb Bottomley’s workshop is perfect for all ages and abilities. To make it easier for brand new artists to get started, we’ve segmented the workshop out into pieces. That way those of you who want assistance with learning about brushes, paints, and paper types can watch those videos and get your supplies ready. Those of you who already have the supplies and want to jump right in to the painting process, that video is available.
Ask with any questions! We LOVE to help new artists get themselves going. All questions are encouraged. Thank you to the Mendon Cultural Council for supporting this project!
First, here is information on the Miss Mendon Diner and some photos Deb Bottomley and Lisa Shea took of the diner. You are welcome to use ANY of these images as a starting point to trace for your artwork. In particular, here is the photo Deb uses in her workshop:
You can print that and trace it to use as the starting point for your own painting. Here is the full set of images you can use of the Miss Mendon Diner:
These next videos from Deb Bottomley get you started with the basics of supplies for watercolor painting and watercolor pencil drawing.
Here is the main 2-hour-long demonstration video of how to paint the Miss Mendon Diner. Deb uses the photo we showed earlier as her base. She uses both watercolor paints and watercolor pencils in this project. You can feel free to use whatever suits your mood!
When painting with watercolors, there is often “waiting time” while you wait for a section to dry, before you can move on with the next step. During the “waiting time” in this workshop, Deb showcased a few other watercolor techniques. Here are the two additional sections Deb created for us.
Ask with any questions! Thank you to the Mendon Cultural Council!
The Holidays are coming at the Milford TV Station! We are starting up our show schedule again after a long break due to the pandemic. This will be our first full show in a while! Come out and participate! This show is open to all current BVAA Members and is FREE to participate in.
“Perfect Presents” showcases anything ideal for gift-giving. Usually smaller, less expensive items (relatively) work better for sales. Explore the possibilities!
Drop-Off Wednesday, November 30th, 2022 9am – 7pm
Public Reception We are still determining the date of our public reception. Milford TV will supply the food and wine for the public reception. Family, friends, and artists are all welcome! BVAA artists should feel free to bring along bin art, notecards, business cards, and other similar items as they meet-and-greet our visitors.
Show Details for the Artists The Milford TV Station employees create the labels and perform the hanging for us. There is no need to use the BVAA online submission form to indicate what you’re bringing. Simply be sure to label the back of each piece with its title, your name, contact info, and the price. This show is for BVAA members only and is free to participate in.
The Milford TV station does not take any commission on sales. Neither does the BVAA. This is an ideal sales venue, and we do see sales regularly at this venue.
Most artists bring in three to four items but if you have more which match the current theme that’s great! Please bring a maximum of 8 or so, to allow room for everyone to participate. The items can be any size or shape – Milford has a great hanging system which can accommodate pretty much anything.
On October 28, 2022, talented artist Scott Nelson took us on a walk through the beautiful Grafton Common in Grafton, Massachusetts. We stopped at various locations around the common exploring the composition of the scene, from landscapes with trees to classic architecture to railway lines. At each stop, Scott explained to us what made a scene intriguing and how to sketch it.
These skills are useful no matter what type of artwork you’re interested in creating. Some people focus on the sketch itself as a finished form. Others use the sketch as a starting point to then later create a watercolor painting, an acrylic painting, an oil painting, or another form of art.
After our exploration of the Grafton Common, Scott took us back to his home art studio where he displays some of his artwork and runs his virtual art classes for the Worcester Art Museum.
In early November 2022, Scott then painted a watercolor painting of one of the scenes he sketched. He recorded a section-by-section description of how he approached that watercolor project.
Here are the recordings from these three sessions. If you have any questions, let us know! We love helping new artists learn and grow.
Thank you to the Grafton Cultural Council for supporting this art project! And thank you so much to Scott Nelson for providing his time and expertise in both sketching and painting! You can learn more about Scott Nelson here:
When I stopped by the Open Sky Community Art Gallery last Saturday to pick up my ”Doll Heads” contribution to the 2022 Macabre Art Show Pop-up, Lisa said that quite a few people at the reception wondered how I made the photo. I gave her a brief explanation and showed her some of the steps I had taken. She asked me to share my process, so here are some photos and commentary about the basic steps.
The photo was printed on tea-bag paper, salvaged after I made sun tea last summer. Somewhere I had heard about using tea-bag paper for printing and art projects, and in the summer of 2021, I checked out a few how-to videos on YouTube. Of course there were a variety of techniques and applications, and, while all of the artists/crafters produced fine-looking results, I did not see an immediate application.
Nonetheless, I started salvaging tea bags. Tea bags are really a folded paper tube with a crimped seal along the length of the tube, and a single staple at the top holding the whole thing together.
I removed the staple, but one can cut just below the staple and save some steps. At first, I worried that flecks of tea would attach themselves to the paper, so while the tea bags were still damp, I removed the tea and rinsed the remaining leaves off of the paper. The result was a very thin but sturdy fine-grained sheet, with an evenly-distributed hint of tea stain.
With the next batch, I left the tea bags intact until they dried completely. When I unfolded the dried tea bags and removed the tea, I saw areas of deep stain, broad areas of light stain, and a few unstained areas. I felt these would be more appropriate for what I had in mind.
When the call went out for pieces for the BVAA Macabre 2022 pop-up display, I figured I would give tea bags a try. I knew my printer would not feed this lightweight paper, so I had to attach the unfolded and flattened-out tea bag to a carrier sheet with masking tape, as I did a few years ago when I was printing on rice paper. The assembly fed through the printer without a problem. When I removed the tape to free the paper, I saw that the paper is so thin that ink had sprayed through the fibers onto the carrier sheet. “Sharing” the ink with the carrier sheet diminished the density of the image on the tea bag sheet itself.
So for my photo, I needed to attach the tea-bag paper to the carrier sheet permanently with spray adhesive (I used 3M 77). Also, it’s more manageable to print the entire image in a single pass instead of on separate sheets that then would need to be matched up. Teabag paper measures 3 ¼” by 6″, so I needed glue four sheets down to reproduce the photo. If you know they’re there, you can spot the seams in the finished print.
The photo was taken at a vendor’s booth at the Oddities Flea Market in Brooklyn NY in December 2019. The vendor said that they are molds for doll heads that she found on a visit to Germany. If I remember right, she wanted $60 each. I left her collection intact. An event space isn’t ideal for taking pictures, mainly because of poor lighting. So most of the Photoshop work on this photo was to straighten the lines and adjust brightness and contrast. My non-tea bag image is in color (link below), but I converted the photo to black and white for the tea-bag print so the color would not distract from the grunginess of the tea stains.
