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 –

Sue Dion Art Instructor – Acrylic and Watercolor

Instagram is a social network which is absolutely perfect for artists and authors to spread the word about their projects.

Lisa Shea will walk us through the details!

Wednesday May 10th, 2023

7pm – 8pm

This talk will be held on ZOOM. Check your BVAA weekly newsletter for the link!

Ask with any questions!

The video will be recorded and posted on YouTube when it is complete.

It’s our fifth annual Carbon Copies show! The Blackstone Valley Art Association is sponsoring a delightfully fun art show all about fakes, forgeries, and parodies!

Carbon Copies – Imitation is the Sincerest Form of Flattery

This Carbon Copies show is for all BVAA members to participate in. The idea is to find a famous work of art and then duplicate it! You can duplicate it exactly or you can add your own fun twist to it. You can paint a version of a Roger Fenton photo. You can stage a photo which resembles a Vermeer painting. Maybe you paint Mona Lisa as a cat.

The sky’s the limit!

The submitted artwork doesn’t have to be a painting. You can use digital art to poke fun at a famous photo. You can stage a model to resemble a historical sculpture. You can arrange a photo scene of Legos to mimic a Japanese woodblock. It’s up to you.

Note that the source art needs to be in the public domain. In general that means it needs to have been created before 1927. Art which is under copyright, after 1927, has its rights controlled by that artist. You would need to ask that artist for permission to use their work in any exhibit.

When:
July 8th to August 5th, 2023

Where:
BVAA Alternatives 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

Each BVAA member may exhibit up to three artworks.

Entering the Show
The entry fee for the Carbon Copies show, open to all styles of artwork, is $8/piece or $20 for three. You can submit up to three pieces.

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 art must be family friendly and properly wired for hanging. Our hanging system does not work with saw-tooth or triangle hangers. If you are new to preparing art for shows, read our page on How to Mat and Frame a Photo. Please also check out our Show Terms and Conditions. This includes all details including the 25% commission for any sales of exhibit artwork in the gallery. You may also choose to have your artwork listed as not for sale.

All art items 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.

Some reading material:
Creating Art Based on Another Artist’s Work
Fakes Forgeries and Parodies – The Terms
How Easy is it to Copy a Famous Painting?
Inside the Underground World of Legal Art Forgery

Submissions
To submit your entries use our BVAA Online Submission Form. The deadline to submit is midnight on Saturday, July 8th, 2023. To submit your entries use our BVAA Online Submission Form. Work must be dropped off on Saturday, July 8th, 2023 between 10am and 3pm. All work which is brought in will be hung (as long as it is properly wired and is family-friendly). If you have one, please bring along a printout of each of your source artwork items, so we can hang those alongside your artwork. That way visitors can see what you were working with. If you don’t have printouts, let us know the artist & work title and we’ll track down and print those out for you.

Judging
Judge to be announced

Opening Reception
The opening reception is at the Uxbridge gallery on Friday, July 14th, 2023 from 5-7pm. Please bring a snack or drink to share! All are warmly encouraged to attend!

To see what the Carbon Copies vibe is about, check out these videos from our previous shows!

Address any questions via our BVAA Contact Information

Ask with any questions! We look forward to seeing your entries!

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!

It’s that time of year! BVAA Spring Party Time! We will be holding it on our regular monthly meeting date and time:

Tuesday May 16th, 2023
6:30-8:30pm

Bob Evans found a delightful restaurant for us!

Grill 122
91 Providence Road
Whitinsville MA
https://grille122.com/menu/

We have a private room reserved for our group. This year we will have round tables, which should help with mingling and conversation. Also, we will be assigned 2-3 experienced servers so the process moves smoothly.

Each person can order whatever they want and will get their own bill, so it is wholly up to you what you want to eat or drink from that menu. If you want to save money, it’s fine to come, have some soda, and just hang out with us. There’s no up-front payments.

Please let us know if you are thinking about coming, so we have a rough headcount for the restaurant. You’re welcome to bring someone with you.

We would love to see you on May 16th.

There will not be any event in the Uxbridge gallery on Tue May 16th. We will only be at the Grill 122.

Ask if you have any questions, and have a great weekend!

Sincerely,

Lisa Shea & the BVAA Team

Curious what is coming up in the Blackstone Valley Art Association calendar?

Here is a view of our BVAA Google Calendar of Events!

Monochrome beauty is being celebrated for our May-June 2023 Show! Monochrome doesn’t have to be black and white. It can be an image done in shades of pink. In lush green. The featured color you choose is up to you!

This date is also the take-down for the existing “Spring Joy” show. If you’re not able to make it for this pickup date, please wait until after the reception to stop by and retrieve your art. That way the show is up for its full publicized period. I.e. don’t swing in before April 27th.

Note that we want ALL FORMS OF ART!! Sketches can be monochrome. Paintings can be monochrome! And of course photography can be monochrome. Just focus on one hue! This is a monochrome painting by Whistler.

All BVAA members are encouraged to participate!

Drop-Off (and previous show pick-up)
Thursday, April 27th, 2023
6-8pm
The public is warmly welcome and encouraged to attend the drop-off, to chat with the artists. Many artists hang out to chat during this period. Artists – please bring food or drink to share!

Location
Milford TV Station
138 South Main Street
Milford, MA
https://www.milfordtv.net/

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! The items can be any size or shape – Milford has a great hanging system which can accommodate pretty much anything.

Ask with any questions! Share the news!

For our 2023 BVAA Art & Poetry Show pairing, one pairing was with poet Sue Lovejoy and artist Frank Robertson.

Here are the works they created!

Frank Robertson provided this artwork to Sue Lovejoy.

In response, Sue Lovejoy wrote the following poem:

Rocky Landing (response)

By Susan B. Lovejoy

Sitting across from you, my dearest friend on earth,
we talk about the years we’ve shared and what we’ve seen.
Your laughter makes me smile as sunshine lights your face.
It always feels like we’ve gone back to being teens.

Our pond has dried up; exposed rocks now line the shore.
Time slipped by unnoticed, and we still yearn for more.

Our lives felt mighty when the water touched the grass.
Landing boats was simple when we had strength and mass.

The sun is setting low, and dark’ning skies give birth
to newborn shadows that protect our weary eyes.
But oars can’t hold back time, and we’re at steady pace
to reach the rocky landing of our last goodbye.

…

The second half of this pairing involved Sue Lovejoy giving Frank Robertson a poem as a starting point. Sue Lovejoy provided this poem:

The Baby (source)

By Susan B. Lovejoy

A tiny child all full of smiles escaped one early morn.
His sagging diaper was the only nightwear he had worn.
Such early dawn, the birds were just awakening from rest.
The human child at play disturbed the silence in their nests.

His large blue eyes looked everywhere, as early fog grew dim.
A brand new world to such young eyes: the daybreak, life, and him.
A high-pitched giggle rose above the sleepy, yawning birds.
A nearby mother sparrow sang to him in lilting words.

An earthworm tunneled, exiting the earth by his small feet.
His chubby fingers reached and missed the object he would eat.
Excitedly he ran about, the wind racing his toes.
He whirled and danced beneath the sun, which gently warmed his nose.

So full of joy, he had no bounds. His diaper fell to earth.
His tribal dance was primitive, a legacy from birth.
Alas, the celebration was cut short to say the least.
Chastised, he was returned inside without his primal feast.

…

In response, Frank created this artwork:

To hear a reading of the poetry, and a discussion of the art:

To learn more about Sue’s writings visit:
https://www.amazon.com/stores/Susan-B-Lovejoy/author/B0918W1P7K

For all of the 2023 Art-Poetry presentations:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLa0l1N_yIP6UUSl3rvycDcEEeShqD9QTj

For more information on our art-poetry show:
https://bvaa.org/2022/10/10/5th-annual-art-poetry-pairing-2023-how-it-works/

The Blackstone Valley Art Association is sponsoring its fifth annual Series Show! This is a fun, creative art show which celebrates the magic of creating artwork in a series.

This show is for all BVAA members to participate in. You can submit two or three artwork items as your series. They can be related to each other in any way that you wish. It’s wholly up to you to define the theme of your series.

Maybe they are all shades of blue. Maybe they’re all landscapes. Do they all involve triangles? Cows? You can mix your artwork styles. Do one photo, one sculpture, and one watercolor painting. Explore your creativity!

When:
June 3 to July 8, 2023

Where:
BVAA / Open Sky Uxbridge Community Art 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

Each BVAA member may exhibit up to three art items. These will be judged *as a series* (i.e. one prize for a whole group) for cash prizes. Note that you CAN submit items which you’ve submitted separately for judging before. This time they’ll be judged as an entire series. Also, when you submit items to this show as part of a series you CAN then submit them separately for a future show as individual items. This here is a fairly unique show in that we’re judging the art items as one coherent “group”.

Entering the Show
The entry fee for this show is $20 for up to three pieces. Note that you can’t submit just one item :). It needs to be 2 or 3 items which relate to each other. They can be presented together if you wish, as in a triptych frame.

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 art must be family friendly and properly wired for hanging. Our hanging system does not work with saw-tooth or triangle hangers. If you are new to preparing art for shows, read our page on How to Mat and Frame a Photo. Please also check out our Show Terms and Conditions. This includes all details including the 25% commission for any sales of exhibit artwork in the gallery. You may also choose to have your artwork listed as not for sale.

All art items 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.

Some reading material:
Stephen DiRado Photography Alzheimer’s Series
January 2019 Monthly Meeting – Photography in Series

Submissions
To submit your entries use our BVAA Online Submission Form. The deadline to submit your online details is midnight on Saturday, June 3, 2023. Work must be dropped off on Saturday, June 3, 2023 between 10am and 3pm. Please do not bring in art to the gallery at other times. All work which is brought in will be hung (as long as it is properly wired and is family-friendly).

We plan on hanging the show on Wednesday, June 7th from 5-7pm. We’d love to have you join us! Please contact us in case we change the date or time.

Judging
Judge to be announced

Opening Reception
The opening reception for the show is Friday, June 9th from 5-7pm. Invite family and friends – all are welcome!

Pick Up
Saturday, July 8, 2022, 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!

For inspiration, here’s the winners of the 2022 Series Show!

Series Show Winners 2022

Congratulations to the winners of our 2023 Blackstone Valley Art Association Spring Show!

First Place / “Summer” oil painting by Young Farwell –

Judge’s notes: Great values / composition, movement throughout, aerial perspective very evident.

Young’s comments: This is only her third oil painting – she primarily works with watercolor. Young redid this painting at least ten different times, working on its composition, before she felt happy with it.

.

Second Place / “Dum Spiro, Spero – While I Breathe, I Hope” colored pencil by Alexandra Spano –

Judge’s Notes – Excellent handling of colored pencils, textures “right on”, use of mixed media nicely handled.

Artist’s Notes – Alexandra used PrismaColor colored pencils along with gold and copper leaf. She created at least 10 to 20 layers in the painting, burnishing the colored pencil between each layer.

.

Third Place / “Blueberry Breakfast” oil painting by Pam Gover –

Judge’s Notes – Great value and contrasts, can “feel” the blueberries, like the magnification of subject matter.

Artist’s Notes – Pam has been working on learning new techniques.

.

Honorable Mention / “Cherry Blossoms” watercolor painting by Bev Tinklenberg –

Judge’s Notes – Great handling of pigments and saving of the white paper, great composition, shadows are right on.

Artist’s Notes – Bev wanted to tackle a project involving ‘negative painting’ – where you paint the shadows around the light areas of the image.

.

Honorable Mention / “Resting” film photography by Bob Evans –

Judge’s Notes – Good composition, says something to the observer, contrast and textures nicely portrayed.

Artist’s Notes – This image was shot with a Hasselblad 503Cx film camera on Kodak Portra 400 film. Bob developed it himself in a Cinestill kit and then scanned it with a Nikon Z9 into his computer.

.

Honorable Mention / “A Breath In Between” photography by Lisa Shea –

Judge’s Notes – Choice of subject matter and objects nicely composed, the observer wants to read the notepaper – makes one curious.

Artist’s Notes – Lisa has wanted to do this image since the War in Ukraine began. Lisa is half Ukrainian. The photo and photo album is her mom’s; the image is of her mom. The traditional hat is Lisa’s, that she bought because it’s the style her godfather Paul likes to wear. Here is a straight-on view of the scene.

The juror for this show was Jerry Aissis.

Full details of our 2023 BVAA Spring Show:

BVAA Spectacular Spring Show 2023

For our 2023 BVAA Art & Poetry Show pairing, one pairing was with poet Ibi Obomanu and artist Ellen Gould.

Here are the works they created!

Ellen Gould provided this artwork to Ibi Obomanu.

In response, Ibi Obomanu wrote the following poem.

The Beauty of Calabash

(response)

By Ibi Obomanu

Oh, the shapes and colors that trawls one.
They care not what anyone else thinks.
Take a glimpse at the invisible gourds.
Calabash is the intrinsic nature of ‘Ahh.’
Using the natural drinking cups,
Becomes ineffable.
Can they be described?
There are more to them.
Dig for amazing perks.
As long as water flows consistently,
Grace will flow and blow out fresh air.
Dash to capture the beauty of calabash. 

…

The second half of this pairing involved Ibi Obomanu giving Ellen Gould a poem as a starting point. Ibi Obomanu provided this poem:

Comity (source)

By Ibi Obomanu

Inner dialogue creeps in on All shades’ door step.
All shades have more similarities than differences.
Their echo is chummy with a companion of ease.
Stand tall against differences frights.
Triumphant and Turmoil can capture All shades inevitably.
Tossing life capabilities to all shades
Can rescue or limit undesirable differences.
Distorted images and inadequacy can be chased away by All shades.
All shades’ efforts require intentionality and concerted effort to oneness.
Different mechanisms set the stage for an organic comity.
All shade can represent, connect and deliver at some level.
All shades can shape, share and soar together.

…

In response, Ellen created this artwork:

To hear a reading of the poetry, and a discussion of the art:

To learn more about Ellen’s art visit:
https://www.instagram.com/ellen.sistersthreefarm/

To learn more about Ibi’s poetry visit:
https://www.amazon.com/s?rh=p_27%3AIbi+Obomanu

For more information on our art-poetry show:
https://bvaa.org/2022/10/10/5th-annual-art-poetry-pairing-2023-how-it-works/