Our 2022 Uxbridge SketchFest – our 5th annual event – was held between October 1 and October 31, 2022. This was a virtual event where people sketched on their own schedule and then sent in their sketches.
Here are the sketches we received for 2022!
Frank Robertson – 1914 Uxbridge RR Station (from historic image)
Carole Plante – Bridge at River Bend Farm
Ann Bukoski – Bridge near River Bend Farm
Joyce Indelicato
Janice Hunter
Lisa Shea / Scafuto’s Barbershop
If I missed anyone, please let me know!
For more information about our 2022 Uxbridge SketchFest –
The BVAA is excited to bring you a hands-on workshop with Jennifer Behymer on sketching with charcoal. You can just watch if you’d like, or you can give it a try!
Come enjoy a charcoal sketch demo of a seasonal landscape scene. Charcoal is a versatile medium that can capture a wide variety of value ranges quickly and efficiently. The demo will help you explore ways to capture the essence of light and shadow in your landscapes with a variety of textures and methods.
If you’d like to bring your own materials, recommended supplies: Nitram Charcoal soft (B), medium (HB), & hard (H) (Or charcoal of your choice) Kneaded eraser Toned paper – 1/2 or 1/4 sheet Mi-Teintes or pad of pastel paper Blending stump Paint brushes for blending
If you don’t have materials, the BVAA has some basic supplies that you could borrow. Alternatively, Jennifer is happy to make up $5 baggies with the supplies, for those who would love personal kits they could take home to keep playing with it.
If people prefer to work in graphite, bring your pencils and sketching supplies and that works too!
Jennifer will bring copies of a reference photo to work from.
Our November 2022 monthly meeting will be held on Tuesday, November 15th 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!
This session was recorded. The video is available to all BVAA members to watch at any time.
A quick timelapse version of this workshop is found here to get an overview –
Jen teaches classes in Westboro MA – please take a look at her great offerings!
The Blackstone Valley Art Association is showcasing a delightful selection of photography, watercolors, acrylic paintings, oil paintings, jewelry, and more for the month of December 2022. Be sure to stop by and see what we have available! Perfect for gift giving! We’ll also have fun events on every Saturday in December to entertain and intrigue you!
When: November 25th 2022 to January 7 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.
Entering the Show This show is open to BVAA members only. 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.
This show is NOT judged (no ribbons, no prizes) – it is primarily about providing visibility and sales for artists during the holiday season. For that reason, you can enter pieces that have been in previous shows. We suggest you enter pieces you think will catch a buyer’s eye and serve well as a gift.
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 five items under 11×17 or up to three items if they’re 11×17 or larger.
Drop Off of Works Drop off your works on Saturday, November 19th from 10am – 3pm.
All work which is brought in will be hung (as long as it is properly wired and is family-friendly).
Opening Reception The opening reception will be on Friday, November 25th from 5-7pm. This is Black Friday so hopefully we’ll get some visitors in to rest and relax! And buy!
Pick Up The pick-up for the Great Gifts show will be on Saturday, January 7th from 10am – 3pm.
Painting from life, (painting from photos is okay, but from life is preferred) all levels of development welcomed. Bring what you want to paint. If you have no idea, you can paint my still life that I demo from, and we can discuss how to make a decision on what YOU want to paint.
I will demonstrate the first hour and then students paint for the remaining two hours. I will help everyone and answer questions as I walk around to each student for one-on-one advice and helpful information.
This will be a fun and positive environment where everyone is free to express their creativity and bond with other artists.
This monthly class usually meets on the first Thursday of every month from 6-9 pm. PLEASE ALWAYS DIRECTLY EMAIL RSVP WITH ME PERSONALLY. That way I know who will be there, in case of weather or other situations that might involve cancelling.
Cost: The maximum class size will be 10 students, to ensure plenty of hands-on time for each one. Cost is $20/hour.
Invite your friends! Share the news!
When: First Thursday of Each Month 6pm – 9pm
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.
Our Blackstone Valley Art Association calendar is chock-full of fun, creative events! This calendar is subject to change. Here is what we have planned for our September 2022 to August 2023 calendar year!
This is our fifth annual art-poetry show! We took a break during the pandemic, so our last one was in 2020. This page here explains how the show works, for the artists and poets who are interested in participating.
The show used to be a “traveling” show between the Worcester Public Library, the Blackstone Library, and the Millbury Barnes & Noble. For 2023 we’re going to focus on the Blackstone Library for April, because the other two locations are not available yet. If you have any thoughts as to where we could be after April, please let us know.
The artists are drawn from our Blackstone Valley Art Association. The poets are drawn from the Sutton Writing Group and the Worcester Writers Collaborative.
Anyone interested in participating please let Lisa know by FRIDAY NOVEMBER 18th 2022 of that interest. Let her know if you prefer a partner you can meet in person or if you prefer to work remotely, staying in touch via email. Also, let her know if you prefer an ‘intense’ relationship where you talk a lot about your works, or if you prefer a more ‘casual’ relationship where each person simply receives the other’s offering and then goes from there. All of these options are fine. We want each team to be happy.
Soon after the names are gathered, each artist is paired with a poet. They form a team for the duration of this project.
Sometime before January 31, 2023, the poet provides the artist with a poem. The poem can be custom-written for this project or it can be a favorite the artist already has written. The poem will be hung in the show on a maximum size of 8.5″ x 11″ piece of paper so it should be short enough to fit on that paper at a reasonably sized font. With that being said, the poem can otherwise be as short or as long as the poet desires. It can be a short haiku or a long sonnet.
The artist now has until March 15, 2023 to create a work of art that represents that poem. The art can be a literal interpretation. It can convey the emotion of the poem. It can focus on one aspect of the poem. It is up to the artist to choose how to present their interpretation. That pairing of poem-plus-artwork will be hung side by side at the show.
In parallel:
Sometime before January 31, 2023, the artist provides the poet with a piece of art (a JPG photo of it is fine). Again, the artwork can be custom-created for this project or it can be an existing favorite.
The poet now has until March 15, 2023 to write a poem based on that piece of art. The poem does not need to literally describe the artwork. It can convey an emotion. It can create a story based on the scene. It can be whatever the poet wishes. Again, the poem will be hung in the show on a maximum size of 8.5″ x 11″ piece of paper so it should be short enough to fit on that paper at a reasonably sized font. With that being said, the poem can otherwise be as short or as long as the poet desires. It can be a short haiku or a long sonnet.
When each poem and artwork is complete (both in the first and second round), please also send a copy to Lisa so she can update the website with the details. For art, let her know the dimensions of the piece when you send the JPG.
Our artwork size restriction is primarily the Blackstone Library cases. Half of the artwork needs to go in the cases (around 11×14 size fits on the shelves) while the other half can hang on the wall. Lisa will coordinate who will go where once we determine the pairings. We’ll try to ensure that people who “went small” in previous years to fit the space constraints have the opportunity to “go large” this year if they wish.
If anybody has any questions or comments, please let Lisa know. Let her know if you’re interested in participating! You can participate just as one half (i.e. just an artist or just a poet) or as both halves.
My current roster is:
Evan Plante POET <-> Dennis Smith ARTIST Linda DeFeudis POET <-> Carole Plante ARTIST Richard Dresden POET <-> Bob Evans ARTIST Christine Beauchaine POET <-> Richard Dresden ARTIST Sue Lovejoy POET <-> Frank Robertson ARTIST Robert Silveri POET <-> Louise Pigott ARTIST Ibi Obomanu POET <-> Ellen Gould ARTIST
Good luck to everyone!
The reception for this show is on Thursday April 6th, 2023 from 6-8pm at the Blackstone Public Library.
Here is the full playlist of all seven art-poetry pairings from this show! Each pairing is its own separate video.
It’s creepy and it’s kooky! Mysterious and spooky! For 2022, our 8th annual Macabre art show is both in person and 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 Wednesday, October 26th, 2022. 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 for the virtual show. 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).
The In Person Show
We have our Diversity show reception on Friday October 28th 5-7, and then the gallery is open its normal 10-3 hours on Saturday October 29th. So we’ll have stand-up panels in the gallery for those TWO DAYS ONLY for the Macabre special event. Bring in 1-2 items for the panels. There will just be a few panels up, so we want to have room for everyone. You can bring them with you Friday if you want and then pick them up any time after Saturday afternoon. No rush. The in-person show is just a highlight to …
The Video Sometimes when we make a video show, we have each artist talking about their motivations behind making the images. Many of our viewers love learning the inspiration and techniques. With Macabre being such an atmospheric topic, we’re going to try two things.
First, the main video we release for the reception with be a “moody” version. It will have a soundtrack and the images showing one by one. It will be something you could have going in the background at a spooky dinner to add ambiance.
Then, separately, for each artist who wants to, we will create individual videos of the artists talking about how they staged a scene, or set up the lighting, or why they were inspired, or so on. These are very popular with our fans and help us all build our skills. So the ‘talking workshop’ versions will still be available for those who are interested.
I suppose, thirdly, if any artist likes doing videos and wants to make their own moody take on their art, and send that video to us, we would be happy to include that as well! The more macabre the better!
Virtual Reception We’ll have our virtual reception – a premiere of the video slideshow – on Thursday October 27th at 8pm to kick off the Halloween weekend. If you aren’t able to participate online, the video will be available for watching at any point after that.
The Blackstone Valley Art Association is proud to host the FREE 2022 Diversity Community 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. THERE IS NO THEME. Your art can be about any topic at all! We celebrate the diversity of our artistic community. All levels of artist warmly encouraged to participate!
Up until 2022 we called this show “Tapestry” to indicate it represented all types of threads from the community coming together. Every time we referred to it as “Tapestry” artists thought it was a fabric arts show and wouldn’t enter. So we have updated its name! It is now “Diversity”! Same show, same theme, just a new name!
When: October 22nd to November 19th, 2022
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.
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 Saturday, October 22nd at 3pm EST.
Drop Off of Works Work must be dropped off Saturday, October 22nd between 10am and 3pm. All work which is brought in will be hung (as long as it is properly wired and is family-friendly).
Reception We will be having an in-person reception at the Uxbridge gallery on Friday, October 28th from 5-7pm! We would love to see you there.
Pick Up Pick up is on Saturday, November 19th from 10am to 3pm. If you aren’t able to make that, please contact us for other arrangements.
The BVAA is excited to bring you a full ‘soup to nuts’ demonstration of how to shoot, develop and scan black and white film. Bob Evans will be leading this workshop. We will be using a roll of Ilford HP5 400 film which will already have shots taken of local scenes. We will then shoot some photos in the gallery, unload the film, place it in a developing tank, develop using Ilford Simplicity Starter Pack, wash, dry and then scan using a digital camera.
During the demonstration we will also discuss how film exposure and development actually works. Also, we will touch upon developing color film, which is not as difficult as it sounds!
This is something that anyone can do at home and enable them to enter the exciting world of film photography and home development.
Our October 2022 monthly meeting will be held on Tuesday, October 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!
Recording of Part 1:
Recording of Part 2:
Our meetings are supported in part by grants from the Massachusetts Cultural Council.
Every year, the Blackstone Valley Art Association holds an Uxbridge SketchFest celebration. This month-long experience encourages artists to explore the town of Uxbridge and sketch its beauty.
For various reasons, some artists are unable to go on site to visit locations. For that reason, members of the Blackstone Valley Art Association have created an Uxbridge Photo Library. These photos are donated by BVAA members to serve as source inspiration for sketches. The photographers still hold the copyright to their images. They are granting sketchers the ability to use the photos as a starting point to create their Uxbridge SketchFest artwork.
These images were part of the 2022 SketchFest project.
Let us know if you have any questions, and best of luck with your sketching!
Lisa Shea / Scafuto’s Old Time Barber Shop (2 South Main)
Mike Zeis / Old Unitarian Church on Uxbridge Common in Scaffolding
Mike Zeis / Old Unitarian Church on Uxbridge Common in Scaffolding
Mike Zeis / Uxbridge Fire Station
Bob Evans / 10 South Main
Bob Evans / Bernat Mill
Bob Evans / Bernat Mill
Bob Evans / Riverbend Farm
Bob Evans / Old Unitarian Church on 122 by Uxbridge Common
Bob Evans / Old Unitarian Church on 122 by Uxbridge Common
James Hunt photo:
James Hunt photo:
James Hunt photo:
James Hunt photo:
Here’s a collection of photos from 2022 supplied by Nancy Wright –
