Art events in Vancouver WA

Vancouver has a monthly Art Walk on the first Friday of each month. The June Art Walk is Friday the 4th from 5 PM to 9 PM.

Several events are happening this month that don't occur every month. For example the people who do Art Beat on our local PBS station will be in Vancouver to interview and film at several of the galleries.

Windows into Art runs from June 4th to July 5th. Once on their site be sure to click on some of the artist's links. Very interesting "untraditional" art will be available for viewing. I can't define the art, you'll just have to do it for yourselves!

The very complete article from the Columbian newspaper will explain more about Windows into Art as well as the new galleries. The newspaper says Vancouver has 14 galleries now participating in the First Friday events.

Another nearby event is the Vancouver Farmer's Market which is now open Fridays from 5 to 9 PM as well as Saturday and Sunday. It's two blocks south of Art on the Boulevard.

Parking is easy and once parked you can walk to all the galleries. I enjoy walking around downtown Vancouver and seeing the art on a warm evening. Surely we'll have some pleasant warm evening very soon!

From time to time various businesses or groups hold a special First Friday reception for the Art Walk. This month the business is the Arc of Clark County which helps children and families with intellectual and developmental difficulties. The reception will be held right next to Art on the Boulevard gallery where my paintings can be seen. The same building houses a coffee shop, a deli, a florist and several other businesses and the reception area is a large space with lots of tables and chairs.

I'll be there and I'm looking forward to seeing all the new galleries.

Liquitex demo

Recently I attended a Liquitex demo at Art Media. I do use their products and paints but had no idea how many products or interesting mediums they had available.

Here is a good place to start learning and exploring what they have. I think this introductory set of six mediums would be a good start on my explorations. I spent way too much time exploring their Youtube site.

They gave us a nice hand out of materials to read including a catalog, The Acrylic Book as well as many project cards. There was also a bottle of soft body paint, gloss medium and varnish and slow-dri blending medium. Liquitex has a new line of acrylic inks that look very promising too.

So here are the products I want to try: Inks, pouring medium, flow aid, clear gesso, lava gel, ceramic stucco, glazing medium, blending medium, blended fibers, glass beads, Liquithick thickening gel and the list goes on.

Here are a few tips from my notes. Use airbrush medium rather than water. If using water don't use more than 30% on a gessoed canvas. They have just come out with a transparent raw sienna which is hard to imagine but might be interesting. Use Winsor and Newton brush cleaner and restorer to remove paint from clothing.

A paintings progress

Below is a recently finished painting. At least, I think it's finished now! It spent weeks and months facing a wall before I came back to it. It's a 36X36 acrylic on canvas. Some where along the way I decided there was nothing I could do that might make it worse. So with a sense of freedom and confidence I attacked. I was going to give it one last chance. I removed paint, I added paint, I plastered white all over it and slashed away at it with brushes and hands. I had a good time too. So scroll on down and see the stages with the beginning at the bottom.

I'm liking it better now.

Orchids and a quote

Here is a photo of orchids from the Atlanta Botanical Gardens April 13th.

A quote from Robert Genn's newsletter by Dennis Alter : We each have many people inside us, don't we? I take comfort in knowing that Wallace Stevens was an insurance executive during daylight hours and a sublime poet after work. Some of us can live both of our lives simultaneously and others must choose. It's more heroic to choose.

A reality show worth watching

Finally, a reality show that sounds worth watching! Sarah Jessica Parker is the star of Work of Art starting June 9th. Should be interesting.

New paintings & Paris

Here are four new paintings. I took the photographs rather than taking them to the photographer who is 45 minutes to an hour away and requires two round trips. I can always take them later if I change my mind.

My critique group is having several shows this year and I'll post more about this closer to the first one which takes place in May. So I'm busy thinking about what I want to paint or have available for each show.

"Breaking Through" 30x30 Acrylic on canvas
"Out of the Mist" 24x24 Acrylic on canvas
"Clearing" 24x24 Acrylic/gilding on canvas
"Signature" 24x24 Acrylic on canvas

All images copyright of Jan Heigh.

The top painting "Break Through" has my usual bright colors and I think of it as sort of a spring like painting. The other three were experiments in starting paintings using more neutral or earth colors. I thought I should just make some changes and challenge myself to do something totally new and difficult for myself. What was I thinking? As you can see they all morphed into my usual bright colors with a tiny bit of neutral left. Lesson learned. Use the colors I love.

Now on to Paris. I've been looking at blogs written in or about Paris and have found some new ones. Once I find a blog I like I check out the blogs they recommend and nearly always find some new treasures. So try out some of these wonderful blogs.

Arm Chair Parisian.

A taste of garlic.

Paris Apartment for eye candy.

Little Brown Pen.

Gender issues

I receive updates from Alyson Stanfield at her Art Biz blog and today's topic is about all women art shows. She asks the question and many people offered thoughtful responses in her comments section.

Also go here where she asks about the role of gender in art success. Again many thoughtful responses about a rather hot topic for many people.

What are your views?

Georgia O'Keeffe: Abstraction show

Georgia O'Keeffe: Abstraction is at the Phillips Collection in Washington DC until May 9th and then travels to Santa Fe to the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum from May 28th to September 12th. It looks like a great show and I wish I could see it. If you scroll down to the end of the museum piece about the show be sure to click on all three of the reviews. ArtInfo lists the show as a power exhibition. The New Yorker lists the show as one of the best museum shows of 2009.

Making lists

This is a photo of an installation at the Tate Britain in October 2009.Now on to making lists. I have a to do list on my desk top which I update about three times a week. I love making lists and always think about the friend who made a list starting with get up, shower and eat breakfast, just so she would have something to cross off her list each day. I'm not quite that bad.

Go to Robert Genn's newsletter and read his letter about making lists. But even better go to the remarks and read what his readers said. Scroll down to nearly the bottom and read more remarks. Always something thought provoking and interesting in this newsletter.