Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Watercolour Workshop Schedule - October 2008

Dear Friends
Unbelievable as it may seem and just in case you haven't noticed:  It is OCTOBER and time for our long awaited PORTRAIT WORKSHOP presented by SUE ORPEN (FWSSA, HAWSSA)
on 18 October at 08:45 for 09:00

Cost:  R100 for members (R140 for non-members)
Please bring you own lunch as well as a mug/cup for tea and a small plate

REQUIREMENTS: (Sue's list)
  • One full-sheet or half-sheet good quality watercolour paper 300gsm stretched onto board
  • 3 or 4 sheets A3 drawing paper
  • Pencils, charcoal, rubber, ruler
  • All your normal watercolour equipment including masking fluid and one 2inch soft flat brush.
  • 10 Photographs you consider suitable for a portrait. Photos from newspapers are ideal.  Look for a clear image with good clear shadow shapes.  At least 5 of your photos should be black and white.  

AGM
During lunch we will use 15 or 20 minutes to have our AGM. (13:15 - 13:30)  Please note that only Members of the WSSA (Head Office) may take part in the voting.  

AGENDA
1.  CHAIRMAN'S REPORT
2.   FINANCIAL REPORT
3. COMMITTEE FOR 2009
4. GENERAL

80th NATIONAL EXHIBITION
If you have not yet seen this fabulous exhibition at the Manor Gallery, Norscot (Fourways, close to the Monte Casino:  please phone me if you need directions!) be sure not to miss it!  It is on until 29th and the Gallery hours are:  Tue - Fri 10:00 - 16:00 and Sat:  10:00 - 14:00.
There is a wonderful selection of supurb water-colours to be seen.  
CONGRATULATIONS to the following members:
Linda Fourie (AWSSA!)
Ingrid Kolzing (2 HAWSSA points & 1 accepted)
Liz Davies - 41 points for her lovely landscape!
Glyn Davies - 1 AWSSA point
Helen Lampbrecht -3 AWSSA points  (HIGHLY COMMENDED)
Jeannie Wallace - 3 AWSSA points  (HIGHLY COMMENDED)         
Cathy MacKinnon - 1 AWSSA point
Janet Louw - 1 AWSSA point
Ria Scheepbouwer:  3 AWSSA points
Jeannette Schoonraad:  1 Accepted
Looking forward to seeing you on the 18th!

Happy painting!

LOCAL EXHIBITION IN THE CENTURION GALLERY

4 - 14 November 2008
Submission:   Friday 30 October:  10:00 - 11:30  followed by an Informal selection and the Hanging
Cost:  R10 per painting (up to 5 watercolour paintings per artist - ready to hang!)
Opening:  Tuesday 4 November:  18:00 for 18:30

Thursday, September 4, 2008

Watercolour Workshop Schedule - September 2008

Dear Watercolour Friends

Although the weather did not always do its share, we had a lovely break and are glad to be back home - safe and sound and ready for all the new challenges.


I was so sorry that I had to miss out on Mimi's demo.   From what I have heard so far, it was very interesting and a most enjoyable afternoon.

Thanks again, Mimi!

It has (unfortunately only after 2 months in the National Chair) come to my attention that many new members were never put on the member-ship list.  Most probably it is people who made an electronic or direct bank payment of the  R360 subscription.  If Joné did not send you your membership card and if you have not received the 'Aquarelle' (our full colour magazine that was posted out in the first week in August). PLEASE contact me urgently! We need to rectify this error immediately!

For those who do not know:  Our new secretary at Head Office is LOUISE BURTON. A hearty welcome to you, Louise, from all of us here in Centurion!

I hope that you are all very busy completing your paintings and having them framed for the 80th National Selection, because the intake is in just a little more than three week's time!

GESSO!

DEMO: 20 September at 14:00

General information on GESSO:

  • What on earth is GESSO?

  • other alternatives

  • reviving old GESSO

  • Is GESSO acceptable for WSSA?


GESSO AND TISSUE PAPER:
As well as

  • New product: watercolour-GESSO

  • Painting with watercolours on a GESSO-covered board

  • Using GESSO to save a flopped watercolour painting, etc., etc.



COST: Members: R30; Non-members: R40

BOOK: Please make a booking by replying to this e-mail, or phoning me or Jeannette, on or before Thursday, 18 September. SMS"s are fine!
Remember to BRING your own mug and small plate for tea/coffee and eats!
As it is in the form of demonstrations, you do not have to bring any art materials. A notebook might come in handy, though!
Looking forward to seeing you there!

PRESENTERS:

Cathy Batchellier (AWSSA) and
Alma Vorster (FWSSA) (AWSSA)

Friday, August 22, 2008

The Van Gogh Cover Up

A new Van Gogh painting has recently been discovered behind "Patch of Grass", painted in 1887 at the Kroller-Muller Museum in Otterlo, Netherlands. Van Gogh is known for recycling his old works and this might be the beginning of a whole new treasure hunt!





Although art historians have suspected for a number of years that there might be a second painting behind "Patch of Grass" it is a new x-ray technology which enabled them to recontruct the portrait of this Dutch lady.

Friday, August 15, 2008

Watercolour Workshop Schedule - August 2008

Dear Watercolour Friend

What a shock I had, typing in the date! It has been such a busy year that we have absolutely flown through the first half of it! One only needs to look at nature to realise that spring is in the air! How privileged we are to live in this beautiful country with such wonderful weather! Let's enjoy every minute of it! And here is something to help you to really enjoy the month of August:

DEMO BY THE MONO-PRINT AND ETCH QUEEN: MIMI VD MERWE

SATURDAY, 16 AUGUST AT 14:00 - 16:30

Mimi will be showing us how to make

WATERCOLOUR MONO-PRINTS

and

GELATINE MONO-PRINTS

in Watercolours and water-based inks

This is a whole new watercolour technique that can result in

the most exciting and 'different' paintings

So make sure that you book your seat by phoning

ILSE ROUX or JEANNETTE SCHOONRAAD on or before Thursday, 14th Aug.

(I am so sorry that I will be missing out on this, but Ben and I will be on the beach!)

COST: R30 (MEMBERS) R40 (NON-MEMBERS)

Please remember to bring your own mug and plate to enjoy Linda's tea/coffee.

If possible, do go and see the 'Black Like Us'-exhibition at our Gallery at Norscot Manor. There are some stunning artworks on display untill 8th September (Tue - Fri 10:00 - 16:00; Sat 10:00 - 14:00)

Start getting your paintings ready for the 80th National Selection in October! Maybe you could try out Mimi's technique - especially if you are working towards your HAWSSA-certificate!

Last Saturday I did a workshop at the Polokwane Branch. It was great putting faces to the names that we have often seen on forms and on paintings at the selections. They send you their regards!


Keep well and keep on making beautiful paintings! ALMA

Committee: 2008

Alma Vorster (012) 664 3193 / 076 174 50
Cathy Batchellier (012) 993 1667
Jeannette Schoonraad (012) 667 3743
Glyn Davies (012) 347 0722
Ilse Roux (012)667 3374
Linda Fourie (012) 643 0600
Else Friemelt (012) 8071606
Jenn Hurlin (012) 803 5579
Marlize Kenmuir (012) 664 4787

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

July 2008 Schedule

We are looking forward to a great figure drawing workshop on the 19th of July. Read more in Alma's newsletter. When you have a few minutes, have a look at this great list of watercolour tips: http://www.artistbarbarasimmons.com/art/tips/

Thursday, June 5, 2008

June 2008 Schedule

Finally winter is here! Brighten the dreary winter days with watercolour fun - join us for the Loosen Up Workshop presented by Ingrid Kolzing on the 21 June. Read al about this in our June 2008 Schedule.

The Opening of the New Signatures Exhibition is this Sunday, the 7th of June, at Norscot. Please support all our New Signatures by being there!

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

The Mystery of Indian Yellow


Many a time I have wondered where the strange and exotic names of watercolour pigments have originated - carmine, gamboge, caput mortuum violet, etc. If you have ever been curious about the paint in your kit, then travel along with journalist Victoria Finlay in her book Color: A Natural History of the Palette as she travels the world, trying to solve the mysteries contained in her paint box. The account of her search for Indian Yellow, was definitely the most intriguing.

For years the ingredients for Indian Yellow pigment were a mystery. Although many guessed at the contents, it was only in 1883 that the director of Kew Gardens, Joseph Hooker, could confirm that it was indeed made from the urine of cows force fed mainly on a diet of mangoes, almost like foie grass is made today. Thank goodness this wonderful rich colour is today produced synthetically, even though the colour's origin continues in it's name!

Are You Accidentally Damaging Your Valuable Kolinsky Brushes?

I got such a great tip from Gillian Condy, resident artist at the Pretoria Botanical Gardens, at our last mass demo painting: "Never ever wipe your expensive Kolinsky sable brushes on paper towels!" Paper towels are much too coarse and have the same effect as rubbing the delicate sable hairs against sandpaper - rather tear or cut a piece of material from an old cotton sheet, which is much kinder to sable.

 

 

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

The 6 Principles of No-Excuse Self-Promotion

1. You are in charge. You have control over words, prices, artwork, and your image. People will take as much power from you as you give them. Guard your power carefully. Accept 100% responsibility for your actions and make no excuses.


2. Connections are critical to your success. Ignore meeting new people and maintaining relationships at your peril.v

3. Life isn’t fair. The artworld isn’t fair. No one owes you anything. Building a successful career and reputation is hard work. There are no shortcuts, no easy ways out.


4. If you ignore the latest technology, you’ll quickly fall behind.


5. Your artwork doesn’t speak for itself. The right language can help you sell your art. Sure, some art sells by itself, but have you ever heard of marketing anything without words?


6. No one can promote your work better than you. No one believes in it more than you do. No one wants you to succeed more than you do. The motivation and ambition must start within you. Unless you are working with a coach or business mentor, no one is going to ask you to set goals. No one is going to tell you that you have to make a certain amount of money or achieve a certain level of success in order to be satisfied. You absolutely have to do this for yourself.



This is just an extract of Alyson Stanfield' new book on self promotion for artists: I’d Rather Be in the Studio! - also read the excellent advice Alison gives for all emerging artists on Deanna Woods blog, Emerging Artist.



I'd Rather Be in the Studio!
I’d Rather Be in the Studio! The Artist’s No-Excuse Guide to Self-Promotion
is for artists of all kinds. Painters, sculptors, ceramist, jewelers, photographers, and others will benefit from the easy-to-follow self-promotion practices in this book.


Author and art-marketing consultant Alyson B. Stanfield, of ArtBizCoach.com, focuses on sharing the artwork directly with potential buyers through electronic and traditional communication outlets—in a manner that is comfortable, not artificial. Artists match Internet marketing strategies with sincere personal skills to take charge of their art careers.


The book includes online worksheets and downloads.

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Creative Collage Techniques


I have just started perusing Nita Leland’s “Creative Collage Techniques”. A definitive guide to collage, if there ever was one! Nita Leland is one of those very rare creative people, who are able to convey art methods in clear, precise steps, enabling even the novice to jump in and start creating his very own collage. I just love this quote from the inside flap: "The fun is in doing it today. Tomorrow you can learn to do it right" Why not make it our motto this month?


This is one art handbook that really lives up to expectation. The myriad of techniques are not only suitable for collage artists, but will infuse the watercolourist and acrylic artist's painting with rich textures and spontaneity. I have long been a champion against the expensiveness of art materials, which makes Creative Collage Techniques another boon - it shows how any found, inexpensive object can be used to create art. The limit on the materials that you are able to use, is simply set by your own imagination.

The companion charts listing the range of art supplies, adhesives, and papers/boards available for collage, is extremely helpful and well organized. If I knew before hand that gel medium is such a great adhesive and all rounder, I would not have forked out a considerable amount of money for buying a range of other glues, mediums, pots and tubes!

Great Prizes to be Won in the Prestigious Pastel 100 Competition

For all our pastelists out there - the Pastel 100 competition is celebrating there 10th anniversary and entries for this year are now open. Sponsored by the American Magazine "The Pastel Journal", this is an international competition and you can enter online! Some of the great prizes include a 402-piece set of Unison Pastels— worth $2,067. All entries must be postmarked by September 1, 2008, so don't wait too long before whipping out those pastels!

 

To learn more about the competition, or to enter online please visit the competition site:

http://www.artistsnetwork.com/pasteljournalcompetition/

 

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

May 2008 Schedule

May is usually a very busy month with our demonstration/exhibition at the Pretoria Botanical Gardens and we also have our local New Signatures selection. Read al about this in our May 2008 Schedule. Good luck to everyone entering paintings for the New Signatures!

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Centurion Branch Diary 2008

Diary 2008 (Word Document)

Welcome Everyone!

We have just created our very own blog for the Centurion branch of the WSSA!

Many of you will no doubt ask: "So what is a blog?" Well, a blog is exactly like a website, but the content is more personal - like an online diary. The most important difference between a blog and a website is that you, the reader, has the ability to leave comments and let us know what you think about the articles, or rather "posts" as you call them on a blog. If you want to know more about the technical side of a blog, you can get more information at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blog

What a fun idea to keep in contact and share our watercolour knowledge! We can also use this space to show potential new members what we are doing at our branch.
So please, don't be shy - let us know about all the wonderful, exciting ideas that you have for us!

Just click on the word "comments" below and your browser will take you to a new screen where you can send us your thoughts.