The Elements Series

I've done a series of the four elements. Each one is represented by a female figure from Greek mythology. The idea of essential elements is found in many cultures and intrigued me. They are considered natural observations of the phases of matter. The paintings are oil on canvas over panel and 16x16 inches.

The first is "Gaea", the primal Greek goddess personifying earth, the Greek version of Mother Nature. She's a deity of the ancient Greek pantheon and considered a Mother Titan. I wanted her tied to the earth and was inspired for this one by driving through farming communities of the south.

Next is "Hestia", Greek goddess of hearth and home, keeper of the sacred flame. The hearth fire of a Greek or a Roman household was not allowed to go out, unless it was ritually extinguished and ritually renewed, accompanied by impressive rights of completion, purification and renewal. I liked the idea of an eternal flame, so she became my representative of fire. 

When thinking of the element of air I thought of the powerful forces of nature. "Cardea" is a goddess of health, doorways and hinges also associated with wind. Ovid said of Cardea, "Her power is to open what is shut; to shut what is open." We are not in Kansas anymore...

"Tethys", daughter of Uranus and Gaea was an archaic Titaness and aquatic sea goddess. She was mother of the chief rivers of the world known to the Greeks.

Other paintings in my Fairy Tales, Myths, Legends and Literature inspired series can be found here.

Principle Gallery's Drawing Show

The drawing show is up until October 12, 2010. The gallery is on King Street in Old Town, Alexandria, VA.

I have two drawings in the show and thought I'd share a few of my favorites from some of the other artists. To see details about the drawings of mine in the show and the previous post about the drawing show in general click here.  

 Dana Levin, Still Woman - 24 x 18, Charcoal & Chalk on Paper

Douglas Fryer, Standing Model - 9 x 7, Graphite on Paper

 

 Anthony Velasquez, Profile Portrait - 5.5 x 5.5, Charcoal on Paper

Jeremy Mann, Cityscape in Black & White - 45 x 45, Charcoal on Paper 

 

Warren Chang, Migileta - 22.5 x 18, Charcoal on Paper

Terry Strickland Drawings

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"Women Painting Women" at Robert Lange Gallery, SC

In addition to "Voice of the Tiger", "Fast Lane" will be shown at the Women Painting Women Group Invitational at Robert Lange Studios.

"Fast Lane", 47x32

From the gallery:

“This is our most ambitious show to date,” says gallery owner Megan Lange of the galleries upcoming “Women Painting Women” group invitational. Robert Lange Studios will be bringing together fifty female painters from around the globe, with an opening reception on Friday, November 5 from 5:30-8:30PM at the 2 Queen Street location during the Charleston Fine Art Dealers’ Association’s (CFADA) Fine Art Weekend.

The female form is one of the most painted subject matters of all time. Works like Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer, Whistler’s Mother, Mona Lisa, Girl with a Pearl Earring, and Madame X, are all considered among the most recognized paintings in history, and were all created by men.

The November exhibit at RLS, featuring a variety of paintings depicting the female form, displays a shift in notoriety towards contemporary women painters.  Starting in 1707, this historic shift began in the United Sates when Henrietta Johnston began to work as a portrait artist in Charles Town (now Charleston), South Carolina, making her the first known professional woman artist in America.

“Few people outside of the art world can name female painters, with the exception of perhaps Frida Kahlo and Georgia O'Keeffe, and even fewer can name a painting of a women created by a woman,” says Lange. “However, there is a sensitivity to the female form that perhaps women can only truly understand.”

 

The "WPW" show, as we affectionately call it, is in conjunction with the Charleston Fine Art Dealers' Association Twelfth Fine Art Annual Weekend, which includes exhibits on Friday, plein air demonstrations in Washington Park during the day on Saturday with the Charleston Art Auction to follow Saturday night. Everyone is welcome to come and enjoy music, food, and at least twelve of the ladies will be on hand to answer questions. This event is open to the public.

Here are previous posts about , "Voice of the Tiger",  "Fast Lane" and the Women Painting Women show.

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"Women Painting Women" from a Blog to an Exhibition!

Last year Sadie Valeri, a San Francisco artist and teacher, created the Women Painting Women blog to highlight the work of living, realist women painters who use the female subject in their paintings. The blog proved to be so successful that Sadie enlisted the help of fellow artist friends Diane Feissel and Alia El-Bermani to help maintain it. They've listed over 300 artists and can now be found on facebook as well.

I met Sadie through cyberspace when she posted one of my paintings of my daughter as "Sharazade Illuminated" on the WPW Blog. It came to her attention through the Art Renewal Center's Annual Competition in which we both had work. Since then I'm a regular visitor to Sadie's website and her personal blog which is filled with great information on all aspects of art.

 "Sharazade Illuminated", 42x28

This year, inspired by the blog, Robert Lange Studios of Charleston, SC is hosting "Women Painting Women-A group Invitational". The show has been judged and my painting, "Voice of the Tiger" will be included along with the work of almost 50 artists this November.

 "Voice of the Tiger", 33x32

The opening is November 5th, 5:30-8:30 and I'm making the trek to Charleston! I wouldn't miss the chance to meet these women and see their work in person.

The gallery says "The artists chosen for this show are the ones that refuse to play it safe. Those who don't adhere to traditional painting standards and are creating truly unique works, including:

Adrienne Stein, Diane Feissel, Kerry Brooks, Amy Lind, Ali Cavanaugh, Jessica Dunegan, Karen Silvestro, Sanna Tomac, Terry Strickland, Candice Bohannon, Sadie J Valeri, Rachel Constantine, Jennifer Balkan, Abby Heller-Burnham, Lisa Gloria, Stanka Kordic, Cindy Procious, Lique Schoot, Suellen McCrary, Katherine Fraser, Francesca Marzorati, June Glasson, Francien Krieg, Jennifer Present, Kirsten Moran, Mia Bergeron, Joyce Polance, Elisa Rossi, Jennifer Nehrbass, Sharon Sprung, Jazz-minh Moore, Haley Hasler, Stephanie Rew, Lee Price, Karen Kaapcke, Sharon Allicotti, Sandra Flood, Lacey Lewis, Tiffany Sage, Gail Potocki, Anna Killian, Karen Ann Myers, Sharon Knettell, Alia El-Bermani, Sara Scribner, Catherine Prescott, and Shannon Runquist."

(I'm including links for the artists websites that I could find... my apologies in advance for the time you're going to spend browsing, cause there's some amazing work out there.) 

And all because Sadie Valeri had an idea for a blog and made it happen.

There's more info about the show on the RLS blog. If you're in the Charleston area, stop by! It's sure to be an amazing show.

"Myth and Magic in the Modern World"

My work will be on exhibit the months of November and December  2010 at the Gadsden Museum of Art in Gadsden, Alabama as part of their annual Alabama's Finest Artists Series.

I'll also have a two day oil painting workshop on Nov 13 & 14 at the museum. Contact the Museum at www.gadsdenmuseum.com to sign up for the workshops.

I'll be Teaching Two Fall Workshops at Forstall Art Center and Gadsden Museum of Art

The first is a workshop consisting of two stand-alone workshops that complement each other at Forstall Art Center in Birmingham, AL, Sept 24 & 25, 2010, 10am-5pm, Class size is limited. Each day is a complete workshop and may be taken singly or with the other.

“It’s All Relative!” Friday, Sept 24, 2010
Learn to see and paint correct value AND temperature, the often overlooked 4th property of color.  You’ll create a limited palette painting incorporating the principles as you go. Once you learn to see this way your painting will be changed forever-it really is all relative!

“So Many Colors!” Saturday, Sept 25, 2010
A methodical and rational way to organize a palette and mix true colors that cuts though the confusion! Why reinvent the wheel when you can explore traditional painting methods from beginning to end? Terry will share her painting method condensed from 30 years experience for you.
 
Other points covered in both workshops:
~Using edge control
~transparency vs opacity
~learning to see reflected light 

Here are details of a little study of a still life I set up for my students, trying to further understand and teach color temperature using warm and cool grays. Really interesting things happen when reflected light changes colors and temperature. This was done with a limited palette, the same one we'll be using in the "It's All Relative!" workshop. This is more finished than what we'll be able to get done in a one day workshop but the idea is there.

To sign-up contact Forstall Art Center.

I'll be offering  “It’s All Relative!” Sat, Nov 13, 2010, 10AM-5PM, and
“So Many Colors!” Sunday, Nov 14, 2010, 1-6PM  at the Gadsden Museum of Art in Gadsden, AL. The classes are designed to be stand-alone and yet compliment each other so that students may take either one or both.

It will be offered in conjunction with my show which is part of the Alabama's Finest Artists Series. To sign up for that workshop contact Gadsden Museum.

Principle Gallery Drawings Exhibition

   

This is the invitation for Principle Gallery's Drawings Exhibition opening later this month with it's breathtakingly beautiful drawing by Adam Vinson on the front. 

I have two charcoal and pastel drawings in the show, both are explorations of the magical world. The gallery asked for a statement about my drawings which turned out to be an interesting exercise in analyzing my approach to drawing.

I think of my drawings as dry-media paintings with the same conceptual themes and attitude as my oil paintings. I see the world in terms of mass, volume, light and shadow rather than in lines and my drawings and paintings both reflect that.

I routinely attend a life drawing group to sharpen my drawing skills and to fully understand anatomy. When working from multiple photographs as I frequently do,  it’s important to understand that the camera can flatten an image. As an artist I want to reinterpret that flattened image into a life-like painting.

My finished drawings often include mixed-media, conte crayon, pastels, charcoal or graphite in pencil, stick or powder form, whatever it takes to realize my vision!

"Mage", 22x16  

 

 

 

 "Oracle", 30x22 

These drawings will be shown with the drawings of 24 other artists, regulars from the gallery's stable. This is the first drawing show for Principle Gallery and I'm thrilled to participate!

Magic in my very first blog post, and more magic in this post about a painting "In Defiance of Gravity".

"Oracle", the painting.

A few other Strickland drawings, or visit the Principle Gallery Blog.