Here are the winning artists from our 2025 Blackstone Valley Art Association Series Show! The judge for this show was Ella Delyanis. Each series was judged ‘as a unit’ and the prize is given to the entire series. A ribbon just happens to be on one piece of those three. Click on any image to see it full sized.
First Place / Tory Kohn / sketch and oil paintings Judge: beautiful attentive drawing of the figures, wonderful sense of movement, great light, unified color palette.
Second Place / Ellen Gould / oil paintings Judge: beautifully drawn and painted, great light, lovely harmony of color.
Third Place / Leslie Breault / acrylic paintings Judge: very interesting, original, highly skilled technique. Works well as a triptych.
Honorable Mention / Mike Blake / photography Judge: great design and color choices.
Lisa’s notes: Mike didn’t color these, he took a dozen photos over the hour of the sunset and then selected his favorites. He used vertical slices to create a triptych.
Honorable Mention / Michele St. Pierre / gouache, colored pencil, and collage. Judge: interesting use of media, original, great sense of movement.
Honorable Mention / James Hunt / photography Judge: beautiful value range, fascinating observation.
Honorable Mention / Bev Tinklenberg / oil painting Judge: beautifully loose painting style with a unified design.
Congratulations to everyone who participated in our series show!
Want to learn more about taking interesting photos with your camera or cellphone? Join us on June 27th 2025 from 2-4pm for our photography workshop at Worcester Common next to Worcester City Hall! All levels of photographers warmly encouraged to participate. This event is open to the public.
The cost of the photography workshop is $5 each.
We will meet at the Worcester Common, by the turtle fountain at 2pm. Photographer Lisa Shea will provide a brief introductory discussion of ideas for taking photos of textures and patterns. Then we will explore the Worcester downtown from 2-4pm. You can roam on your own, stay with the group, and ask questions whenever you wish. Feel free to come early or stay late!
Event is RAIN OR SHINE. If it’s rainy we’ll go into the Worcester City Hall which is right up against the common.
Location: Worcester Common / Worcester City Hall 455 Main Street Worcester, MA (lots of parking at the Worcester Public Library, kitty-corner to the common)
Date and Time: Friday June 27, 2025 2-4pm
Please be sure to RSVP to join the group. Let Lisa know what type of cellphone or camera you plan on bringing. Lisa can then send you a PDF of ideas to get you started. If you don’t have access to any cellphone or camera, we have a few we would be able to lend for the afternoon.
Please consider then sending in a few of your texture or pattern photos to participate in the ValleyCAST virtual art show. This show has a deadline of Sunday, June 29th, 2025!
Come join us in Whitinsville, Massachusetts on Saturday, June 21st, 2025 from 11am to 3pm! RAIN OR SHINE! All are welcome as we set up on site and paint a painting of a mill building – what’s known as a plein air painting. The Whitin Mill complex was built back in 1826 and at one point was the world’s largest maker of machinery for textile mills! Now it is home to Alternatives and the Singh Theater.
There is a large free parking lot both adjacent to the mill and also immediately across the street. You can bring your own cameras, sketchbooks, and painting supplies if you wish. For those who don’t have supplies, we’ll have loaner sketching supplies, painting supplies, and cameras on hand for those who want to participate hands on.
You’re also welcome to simply pop in and watch for a while!
This event is fully open to ALL people of all levels, ages, and abilities. We encourage community members to stop in and learn more about creating art!
Our featured artist is the talented Dianne Panarelli Miller:
The morning workshop from 11-noon is FREE and is open to the community! Then, if you’d like to stay for the afternoon and get hands-on mentoring from Dianne, that is available for a $25 donation. You’re of course welcome to stay as long as you’d like to paint, sketch, photograph, and enjoy the environment.
Location: Alternatives Mill Complex 50 Douglas Road Whitinsville MA
If it rains on June 21st, WE WILL STILL CREATE ART. We will set up a base inside the Singh theater in the room with a glass wall of windows overlooking the river and opposite-bank mill building. We will paint, sketch, and photograph from inside! Dianne will lead us through the project.
If you specifically would like to try your hand at painting on location – known as plein air – here’s a workshop Dianne did for us in April, giving ideas how to prepare for plein air painting. Take a look!
Here’s a written list of items to bring with you when you do your own plein air painting. Note that at the Whitin Mill we’ll have supplies on hand for this community event, if you’d like to borrow ours to give this a try. So you don’t need to bring supplies to the Whitin Mill. Still, if you’d like to build up your own travel bag of items, this page will get you started.
Here’s some photos taken by Carol Frieswick to show a few of the scenes you might choose to paint, sketch, or photograph around the Whitin Mill complex. Click on any to get a fuller view of it.
This gorgeous painting by Brandi Van Roo won third place in our “Local Beauty” art show, and showcases this very mill. Brandi did this scene in watercolors.
Brandi previously had won third place in our Worcester Center for Crafts art show with a different watercolor of the mill complex! This shows the building ‘across the river’.
So you can celebrate this location in photography, in sketches, in watercolors, acrylics, oils, pastels – whatever appeals to you.
Ask with any questions!
This event is supported by a grant from the Northbridge Cultural Council, which is part of the Massachusetts Cultural Council. Also, thank you to ValleyCAST and Open Sky for usage of the space!
Want to learn more about taking lovely photos of flowers? Join us on May 23rd 2025 from 2-4pm for our photography workshop at the New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill! All levels of photographers warmly encouraged to participate. This event is open to the public.
The cost of the photography workshop is $5 each.
Note that because we are holding this month’s workshop at the New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill, YOU MUST SEPARATELY PAY AN ENTRANCE FEE TO TOWER HILL. That entrance fee is $20. You can find discount or free tickets at many local libraries. Check with your libraries to find an inexpensive way to get into the gardens. If you are a individual served by Open Sky, talk with Open Sky about being sponsored for this event. You pay that entry fee directly to Tower Hill when you arrive.
We will meet at the New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill, past the entry gates, by the turtle fountain at 2pm. Photographer Lisa Shea will provide a brief introductory discussion of ideas for taking photos of flowers. Then we will explore the gardens from 2-4pm. You can roam on your own, stay with the group, and ask questions whenever you wish. Feel free to come early or stay late!
Location: New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill 11 French Drive Boylston, MA https://nebg.org/
Date and Time: Friday May 23, 2025 2-4pm
Please be sure to RSVP to join the group. Let Lisa know what type of cellphone or camera you plan on bringing. Lisa can then send you a PDF of ideas to get you started. If you don’t have access to any cellphone or camera, we have a few we would be able to lend for the afternoon.
Let us know if you have any questions! And please make sure you research your New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill tickets beforehand. That way you can get discount tickets from your local library or from Open Sky (if applicable) to save on your entrance fee.
Please consider then sending in a few of your flower photos to participate in the ValleyCAST flower virtual art show. This show has a deadline of Sunday, May 25th, 2025!
We have a private room reserved for our group. We will have several round tables, to encourage mingling and conversation.
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. There are no up-front payments.
The May meeting is when we vote on officers and board members for the upcoming 2025-2026 BVAA year. The current people on the slate are:
Lisa Shea, president Bob Evans, vice president Carol Frieswick, treasurer Brent DeWitt, secretary Michelle Benjamin, social networking Laura Cenedella, board member Cathy Willey Douty, board member
Please let us know if you are thinking about coming, so we have a rough headcount for the restaurant. You’re welcome to bring one person with you if you wish. To RSVP, contact Bob Evans at bob9750@gmail.com – if you accidentally email to info@bvaa.org that’s fine too, he gets those email messages too (along with Lisa and Carol).
We would love to see you on May 20th, 2025!
There will NOT be any event in the Uxbridge gallery on Tue May 20th. We will only be at the Grill 122.
Ask if you have any questions, and have a great weekend!
For our 2025 BVAA Art & Poetry Show pairing, one pairing was with artist Katie Williams and poet Lisa Shea!
Here are the works they created!
Katie Williams provided this artwork to Lisa Shea.
In response, Lisa Shea wrote the following poem:
The second half of this pairing involved Lisa Shea giving Katie Williams a poem as a starting point. Lisa Shea provided this poem:
In response, Katie created this artwork:
To meet the artists and poets, be sure to come to our art-poetry reception at the Blackstone Public Library in Blackstone, Massachusetts on Thursday, April 17th from 6-8pm!
For our 2025 BVAA Art & Poetry Show pairing, one pairing was with artist Sue Dion and poet Laura DiCaronimo!
Here are the works they created!
Sue Dion provided this artwork to Laura DiCaronimo.
In response, Laura DiCaronimo wrote the following poem:
The second half of this pairing involved Laura DiCaronimo giving Sue Dion a poem as a starting point. Laura DiCaronimo provided this poem:
In response, Sue created this artwork:
To meet the artists and poets, be sure to come to our art-poetry reception at the Blackstone Public Library in Blackstone, Massachusetts on Thursday, April 17th from 6-8pm!
To learn more about Laura DiCaronimo’s writings visit:
For our 2025 BVAA Art & Poetry Show pairing, one pairing was with artist Carole Plante and poet Sue Lovejoy!
Here are the works they created!
Carole Plante provided this artwork to Sue Lovejoy.
In response, Sue Lovejoy wrote the following poem:
…
The second half of this pairing involved Sue Lovejoy giving Carole Plante a poem as a starting point. Sue Lovejoy provided this poem:
In response, Carole created this artwork:
To meet the artists and poets, be sure to come to our art-poetry reception at the Blackstone Public Library in Blackstone, Massachusetts on Thursday, April 17th from 6-8pm!
Worcester Center for Crafts, in collaboration with ValleyCAST, has invited BVAA artists to exhibit in their Community Gallery for their annual event Hot Night in the City!
This amazing artistic event draws in crowds of 3,000 people. Our artwork would be featured down the main hallway of the center. It is a prime opportunity for visibility and sales!
When: June 29 to July 27, 2025
Where: Worcester Center for Crafts 25 Sagamore Road Worcester, MA 01605
Each BVAA member may exhibit up to three art items. All forms of media are warmly encouraged – paintings, mixed media, photography, textiles, sculpture, and more.
Entering the Show Thanks to a kind donation from ValleyCAST, this show will be FREE for BVAA members to enter. ValleyCAST will cover the cost of the prizes and ribbons for us. Thank you, ValleyCAST!!
Note that as this is a non-BVAA-gallery show YOU CAN ENTER PIECES THAT HAVE BEEN IN PREVIOUS BVAA SHOWS. You shouldn’t enter any piece which was in the 2024 Hot Night in the City show. Select the works which you feel best represent you!
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. You may choose to have your artwork listed as not for sale.
All art items which are entered are displayed. 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.
Submissions To submit your entries use our BVAA Online Submission Form. The deadline to submit your online details is midnight on Sunday, June 23, 2025 (update, we will take online label info submissions to Sat June 28 but please get yours in by then – I need to bring printed physical labels in with me on Sunday morning). Work must be dropped off at the Worcester Center for Crafts on Sunday, June 29, 2025 from 10am to 1pm. Please do not bring in art to the gallery at other times. All work which is brought in will be displayed (as long as it is properly wired and is family-friendly).
We plan on arranging / labelling the show on Sunday, June 29 as work is being dropped off starting at 10:00 am. Please don’t be late! If you are unable to bring your work on that date, please contact us to make other arrangements.
As this show will not have a reception, and is not in our gallery, there will be NO commission on sales. The artist gets the full amount.
Judging Judged for monetary prizes to be determined. Thank you ValleyCAST!!
Opening Reception In lieu of an opening reception, everyone is invited to attend Hot Night in the City on Friday, July 18, from 4:00-9:00 pm. This is a free event.
Pick Up Sunday, July 27, 2025, from 10am to 1pm at the Worcester Center for Crafts. If you aren’t able to make that, please contact us for other arrangements.
The Blackstone Valley Art Association is sponsoring its seventh 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 7 (dropoff) to July 12, 2025
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.
Each BVAA member may exhibit a single series of two or 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 two to three pieces. Note that you can’t submit just one item. This submission needs to be 2 or 3 items which relate to each other. The art items can be presented in one overall frame 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.
Submissions To submit your entries use our BVAA Online Submission Form. The deadline to submit your online details is midnight on Saturday, June 7, 2025. Work must be dropped off on Saturday, June 7, 2025 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 arranging / labelling the show on Wednesday, June 11th starting at 6:30pm. We’d love to have you join us! Please contact us in case we change the date or time.
Judging Judge was done by Ella Delyanis.
Reception The reception for the show is Friday, June 13th from 5-7pm. Invite family and friends – all are welcome!
Pick Up Saturday, July 12, 2025, from 10am to 3pm. If you aren’t able to make that, please contact us for other arrangements. Please do not pick up art on other days from Open Sky personnel. We’ll help you figure out a time that a BVAA person is present to handle the pickup.
