Each year the Blackstone Valley Art Association holds a sunflower-themed art show at the Booklovers’ Gourmet in Webster, Massachusetts. It’s a delightful summery show full of joy and beauty.
Here are the artwork items we featured in our 2023 show, held in August 2023!
Here’s a virtual walkthrough of the 2023 Sunflower Art Show –
Here are the details of the 2023 Sunflower Show –
The Small Stones art festival 2023 is coming up soon! This is an art show for photography and paintings. The submissions of JPG images of the art is all done online. Judges then look through those JPG images in order to decide what will be allowed into the physical show at the Grafton Library.
Usually this submission process is fairly easy for photographers. Photographers are generally fairly good at turning their images into JPG files for submission.
Often, though, this process is much more challenging for painters. A painter might be really talented at creating an oil painting on canvas of a woman’s face. It might be much harder for that painter to figure out how to take a great photograph of their painting, with the right lighting and focus, so that the resulting JPG file showcases well for the judges.
We are here to help!
Award-winning photographer James Hunt has kindly volunteered to take photos of BVAA members’ paintings for FREE for the Small Stones festival. The 2023 Small Stones festival allows each artist to submit up to 4 pieces of art. Each accepted physical piece can be a maximum of 26 inches (including frame) on its longest side. Full Small Stones art show requirements:
Here are the details of what James Hunt is offering for our BVAA photo shoot.
When: Saturday, July 22nd 2023 from 1-3pm
Where: BVAA Uxbridge Art Gallery, 5 South Main St., Uxbridge MA
James provides this information:
Thank you so much to James for volunteering to help out our painters! To learn more about James and his photography, be sure to visit:
https://jameshuntphotography.com/
Ask with any questions!
The Blackstone Valley Art Association is sponsoring our fifth annual “Show of Hands” open art show! We had this show in 2017, 2018, and 2019, and then the pandemic interfered. We got things going again in 2022. We are back in the post-pandemic groove!
The public is warmly invited to participate in this art show! The theme is completely open. Your art can represent anything. This show is open to all forms of artistic expression EXCEPT photography. It is the counterpoint to our photography-only show in January. We would love to see watercolors, acrylic paintings, oil paintings, sculptures, pottery, mixed media, drawings, pastels, colored pencils, sketches, and other non-photographic forms of artwork.
All levels of artists are enthusiastically encouraged to participate. This is a community show.
We award cash prizes!
When:
August 5 to September 9, 2023
Where:
BVAA Open Sky Uxbridge Community Gallery
5 South Main Street
Uxbridge, MA 01569
There is a LOT 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. You can represent ANYTHING with your art. Any topic can be addressed as long as it is family-friendly and is not photography. 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 $15 for members and $20 for non-members. You can submit up to 2 pieces for that fee. The deadline to submit the online form for labels is Saturday August 12th at midnight.
Drop Off of Works
Work must be dropped off on Saturday, August 5th or Saturday, August 12th between 10am and 3pm. Please only drop off at those two specific days and times – it is when BVAA volunteers are at the gallery. All work which is brought in will be displayed in the show (as long as it is properly wired and is family-friendly).
Opening Reception
The show reception will be Friday, August 18th, 2023 from 5-7. Invite family and friends – all are welcome! We tend to announce the prize winners at 6pm, right in the middle. We award cash prizes based on the amount of entry-fee money the show brings in. All the money that comes in for the show goes right back out to the people who win awards in that show.
Pick Up
Saturday, September 9th, 2023, 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!
Full 2023 BVAA Uxbridge Gallery Art Show Schedule –
https://bvaa.org/2023/02/02/bvaa-uxbridge-show-schedule-for-2023/
Here’s a JPG flyer for this show – please print and share!
Video from 2022’s Show of Hands art show:
Here’s the first ever Show of Hands art show in 2017 –
Thank you for the support from:
Image by Alexandra Spano
Our Seventh Annual BVAA Sunflower Show is the lucky way to enjoy golden beauty! Our Sunflower art show is held at the amazing local bookstore / gift shop / cafe Booklovers’ Gourmet.
Where?
The sunflower art show is held at the:
Booklovers’ Gourmet
72 E Main Street
Webster, MA 01570
About the Show
If there ever was a flower which symbolized glorious summertime, the sunflower is the one. Did you know that nearly all of the 70 species of sunflowers are native to North America? They can grow to be up to six feet tall and they even tilt as the sun moves so they always face it!
The Blackstone Valley Art Association is celebrating this sun-shaped delight with a sunflower show throughout the month of August at the Booklovers’ Gourmet in Webster. Come on out to appreciate the artistic visions and explore the shop’s offerings!
Submissions
The submission deadline for the sunflower show is Wednesday, July 26th, 2023. We have limited wall space here for 18 items sized 16×20 so what we’ll do is have each member submit two JPGs of artwork via email to info@bvaa.org they’d like to include. If we get too many for the wall space we’ll do a Facebook vote. All submissions will be in the virtual version of the show.
This show is open to all BVAA members and is FREE to participate in. This is not a judged show – it is primarily a visibility and sales opportunity. Any sales will include a 30% commission taken by the shop. The BVAA takes no commission on this show. Full BVAA terms: BVAA Show Terms and Conditions
Here’s the artwork we are featuring in this show!
Drop-Off
The drop-off for the Sunflower Show is Friday, July 28th and Saturday July 29th between 10am-5pm. If you can’t make either date, contact Lisa Shea and she’ll arrange something. The Booklovers’ Gourmet shop will take care of hanging the items.
Public Reception
Reception is Thursday August 17th from 4-6pm. Invite family and friends! Share the news!
Pick-Up
Pick-up for the show is Friday, September 1st and Saturday, September 2nd from 10am to 5pm.
Theme
This show is all about sunflowers! Anything related to sunflowers is fair game. Photography, paintings, drawings, sculptures, mosaics, you name it!
Here’s a virtual walkthrough of our 2023 Sunflower Art Show –
Here’s a look at previous shows, to give you some ideas!
Photos from 2017 Sunflower Show
Photos from 2018 Sunflower Show
Sunflower Show 2019 – Image Collection
Summertime is a busy time for many of our artists, so we keep our summer workshops light and fun.
The workshop will involve Carol Frieswick’s book and card set “The Artist’s Muse – Unlock the Door to Your Creativity”. There are bunches of cards with all sorts of challenges and prompts to get you thinking out of the box with your art. We’ll have watercolors, paper, and brushes on hand. If you have a preferred medium feel free to bring along your own paints, pencils, or camera. We will tackle the creative challenges with whatever we like to work with. Or, heck, if you normally work in one media, try changing over to another to see how it goes!
Our July 2023 monthly meeting will be held on Tuesday, July 18th 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!
Ask with any questions!
Our meetings are supported in part by grants from the Massachusetts Cultural Council.
Summertime is a busy time for many of our artists, so we keep our summer workshops light and fun.
The workshop will involve Carol Frieswick’s book and card set “The Artist’s Muse – Unlock the Door to Your Creativity”. There are bunches of cards with all sorts of challenges and prompts to get you thinking out of the box with your art. We’ll have watercolors, paper, and brushes on hand. If you have a preferred medium feel free to bring along your own paints, pencils, or camera. We will tackle the creative challenges with whatever we like to work with. Or, heck, if you normally work in one media, try changing over to another to see how it goes!
Our June 2023 monthly meeting will be held on Tuesday, June 20th 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!
Ask with any questions!
Our meetings are supported in part by grants from the Massachusetts Cultural Council.
Our very own Bob Evans is giving a fascinating photography talk today Sunday June 11th, 2023 at 2pm!
It’s entitled “A Snapshot In Time: A Photographic Display of Northbridge Past and Present”.
It’s held at the Northbridge Town Hall, 7 Main Street, Whitinsville.
Swing on by and learn more about our region’s history along with photography!
In this amazing workshop with Sue Dion, artists of all styles can learn more about color hue and chroma. This knowledge elevates watercolors, acrylics, oil paintings, colored pencils, pastels, and more. Understanding how your personal set of colors work and how to mix / blend them can be critical to creating a cohesive final painting. In addition, learning how to ‘dull’ your colors with their complements can be the key to creating rich depth in your images.
To begin with, you’ll want to trace / draw two templates onto whatever type of paper or canvas you use for your medium.
First, trace or draw this color wheel. It doesn’t need to be “exact”. It just needs to have these general wedge areas.
Next, draw out these trios of squares on your chosen type of paper / canvas. Again, the squares don’t need to be any specific size or shape. It’s just about making places to put your colors together.
You’ll be guided through how to use these templates in the video workshop.
Here’s the color wheel Sue shows in the video:
Here is the hour-long workshop, supported in part by the Uxbridge Cultural Council.
For Primary Yellow, Sue suggests using something close to:
cadmium yellow light / hansa yellow / lemon yellow
Here are some of the items that Sue recommends during her workshop:
“Navigating Color Space” video by Gamblin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10O6Ls2QqM0
Gray Scale and Value Finder:
https://www.amazon.com/Color-Wheel-245557-Scale-Finder/dp/B007SQ2MIM/
Red & Green Viewing Filter Set:
https://www.amazon.com/Color-Evaluator-II-contrast-evaluator/dp/B01C4NCV02/
“The Wilcox Guide to the Best Watercolor Paints” by Michael Wilcox
https://www.amazon.com/Wilcox-Watercolor-Paints-Information-Artist/dp/0891344098/
“Color Mixing Swatch Book” by Michael Wilcox
https://www.amazon.com/Color-Mixing-Swatch-Michael-Wilcox/dp/0967962854/
“Blue and Yellow Don’t Make Green” by Michael Wilcox
https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Yellow-Dont-Make-Green/dp/0891346228
“The New Munsell Student Color Set” by Ron Reed
https://www.amazon.com/New-Munsell-Student-Color-Set/dp/1501365967/
Fabriano Studio Watercolor Paper
https://www.amazon.com/Savoir-Faire-Fabriano-Studio-White/dp/B005NQ27UM/
Sue Dion on Mastrius for personal mentorship:
https://www.mastrius.com/sue-dion-mentorship/
Sue Dion website:
https://www.suedionart.com/
Sue Dion’s art courses at the Worcester Art Museum:
https://www.worcesterart.org/classes/adult-classes/summer-session/
Sue Dion on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@suedionart
More about taking art classes with Sue –
Talented artist Bonnie Frederico offers small-class art classes in the comfort of her Grafton studio! Bonnie is offering classes in oil painting, pastels, and colored pencil. She provides hands-on advice and mentoring!
Here are just a few of her paintings to show her style. Click on any image for the full-proportion version.
One of Bonnie’s popular paintings is of a gorgeous bluebird –
Bonnie has done a number of step-by-step video workshops on painting for the BVAA over the years. This one is of the Grafton Gazebo in winter –
Bonnie also did a video workshop on painting a rural Grafton barway (fence gate)-
Here’s Bonnie’s website to view more of her artwork and to sign up for courses:
https://www.sellarshop.com/
Scott Nelson is an incredibly talented artist based in Millbury, Massachusetts. He has published a number of children’s books and teaches classes in illustrating and publishing children’s books. He also is well known for his beautiful watercolor and acrylic paintings.
Scott’s latest classes at the Worcester Art Museum have openings.
He is teaching classes in:
Scott highly recommends the drawing class to everyone, to create a foundation for their projects.
https://www.worcesterart.org/classes/adult-classes/
Here’s a few samples of Scott’s images (click on one for full proportions):
Here are a trio of videos where Scott walks us through creating beautiful outdoor sketches, as well as a tour of his studio:
For more about Scott Nelson and his art: