Category: BVAA Shows and Events

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.

BVAA Open Sky Uxbridge Community Art Gallery Information

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.

Address any questions via our BVAA Contact Information

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

Here’s the walkthrough for this show:

2023 Photography Show “Anything Goes”

You can see what the Anything Goes photography show is like by looking through previous show details and videos:

10th Annual Anything Goes Photography Show – 2022
9th Annual Anything Goes Photography Show – 2021
8th Annual Anything Goes Photography Show – 2020
7th Annual Anything Goes Photography Show – 2019
6th Annual Anything Goes Photography Show – 2018
5th Annual Anything Goes Photography Show – 2017
4th Annual Anything Goes Photography Show – 2016
3rd Annual Anything Goes Photography Show – 2015
2nd Annual Anything Goes Photography Show – 2014
1st Annual Anything Goes Photography Show – 2013

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!

The amazingly talented Leslie Breault will be doing a live demo in our BVAA Uxbridge Art Gallery on Saturday, December 3, 2022 at 1pm!

Leslie’s beautiful style often involves geometric shapes. In the image above, she won a prize in our “Series” show for her trio of abstract designs.

Here’s another of her paintings:

How does Leslie create these intriguing works with angles and lines? Come by our demo to find out!

Free and open to the public!

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.

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! 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.

Ask with any questions! Share the news!

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!

https://www.artandframeemporium.com/class

Our meetings are supported in part by grants from the Massachusetts Cultural Council.

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.

BVAA Alternatives Uxbridge Community Art Gallery Information

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.

Address any questions via our BVAA Contact Information

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

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.

BVAA Alternatives Uxbridge Community Art Gallery Information

This class is open to the public. It is open to all ages and to all levels of painting ability.

Please make sure you register beforehand so we know how many to expect. Carol will send you a supply list to get you started.

To register, please make sure you email: carol@carolarnoldfineart.com

To learn more about Carol Arnold and to view her painting gallery:

https://carolarnoldfineart.com/

Follow Carol on Facebook!

Carol Arnold Fine Art on Facebook

Follow Carol on Instagram!

https://www.instagram.com/carol_arnold_art/

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.

Here are pairings from previous years to see how this works:
2017 Art-Poetry Show
2018 Art-Poetry Show
2019 Art-Poetry Show
2020 Art-Poetry Show

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.