Greenacres is the Place to be.

I am pretty sure Eva Gabor would have decorated the Green Acres farm house with one of my paintings if she had the chance. But this post is not about the sitcom, it is about the new Greenacres Art Guild located in the Indian Hill section of Cincinnati.

I am excited to be a member of this wonderful new group and to announce that the Greenacres Artists Guild Inaugural Show will take place the fall of 2013.  This show will highlight the best pieces of art from twenty seven of the most highly accomplished living artists in Cincinnati.  Opening Night of the Inaugural Show will take place on October 18th. 
Opening Night of the Inaugural Art Show of The Greenacres Artists Guild
     October 18, 2013 6:00 pm- 9:00pm
     $50.00 per person 
     8400 Blome Road, Cincinnati, OH, 45243, United States

The event will run thru  November 17th with the following gallery hours and be free to the public:

• Fridays 5pm-9pm
• Saturdays noon – 5pm
• Sundays noon – 4pm

For more information about the guild Click Here
For more information about the opening 
                   and to purchase a ticket  Click Here

 
 

Madison, Indiana

Last month I talked about my upcoming trip to Madison Indiana.
The judging was tough. A room of 200 pieces of art that have to be whittled down to a few winners is always a bit intimidating.  There were a few that I wished I could have given a prize, but if there are winners that means a few were not awarded prizes.
So, if you did not win, are reading this and are starting to get angry- please enjoy this image of a puppy sleeping.

It was helpful to have my wife Laura there for a second opinion and to basically listen to me talk my way through the process. To start, we both walked through the show without talking to each other, attempting to pick the winners of each category- Oil, Acrylic, Watercolor, etc. Interestingly, we agreed across the board. Now, of course Laura and I have very similar sensibilities, have been married for 15 years and she has taken my classes for at least 7 of those years.

Still, as there were many other prizes to chose, we did have a few we did not see eye to eye on but in the end the decision needed to be mine.
Even though I have mentioned a similar judging process before on this blog, I wrote a brief statement for the show I thought I would post here:
It took every bit of the 3 hours I was given to choose the award winners from a strong show of work. I selected those works that met my list of criteria and I had the tough job of narrowing those down to a few now displaying ribbons. I will now try to explain my thought process for judging this show. 1)Composition is where I begin. Does the picture have a pleasing and lovely arranged abstraction of shapes? Is there a good, strong center of interest? 2)Color: I think most good paintings have some Red, Yellow and Blue­ meaning, there is color variety. Now, I do not mean specifically those colors, but at least a painting contains an assortment of colors in those primary families. A good picture will contain something "reddish", something "blueish" and something in the "yellowish" family. Color arrangements should also be harmonious and pleasing. Usually one color is prominent, while the rest are there to feature the "star" color and help set it off. 3)Breath and atmosphere. Easily the toughest to do and probably the unique quality that separates the masters from the rest of us. It is also a quality that in my view, elevates drawing and painting from mere photographic representation. Drawing by definition is the interpretation of form. Photographs by their nature are flat. By carefully managing the relative hardness and softness of edges, the painter can direct the eye and begin to create the illusion of form. This quality is best represented by working from life, or at least a studied knowledge of nature.
4) Subject matter was my final consideration. I did look at mood, story and the clearness of the message. If I was at all confused about the subject or forms represented, that work was crossed of the list. While subject matter is important and personal, it must be clearly stated through good composition, pleasing color, and breath of treatment.

Of course taste does come into play too. As I walk around the show I think about which paintings would I want to take home. While it was not a major factor, framing was a consideration. There were a few that I think maybe would have had better consideration had they been presented in a better frame, or one that did not overpower the image. 
I am probably most known for my still life oil paintings, so I was surprised that many of the top winners were not still life or oil. Best of show was a lovely watercolor by Rod Lance and Reserve Best of Show was a pastel by Ray Hassard.

Best of Show:
Rod Lance of Carmel, Indiana 'Madison House' watercolor

Anyway, that is about it. Hopefully everyone was satisfied with the judging and no one in Madison is  currently burning effigies of me on their lawns.
In all seriousness, I had a great time, was very inspired by the work I saw in this show and hope to participate in future events at the Madison Indiana Art Club. I was able to talk with some of artists in the show who were asking for comments on their art and how to improve in future work.

I will now add a bit of an advertizement for the Madison Art Club, since one of the members- Bob Saueressig, was such a hard sell for the Club's upcoming show. I would like to enter but probably have too much to do already- but you all should enter.  

Click here for an entry form. 
With the $25 entry fee you two canvases, a 12 x 12 and a smaller on that will be hung on a tree.
Deadline is Oct. 20th. This looks like it would be a fun event.  

Powdering my Wig

I am heading to Madison Indiana to judge their 15th Annual Regional Fall Show. I will be following that up by teaching a two day Still Life workshop for the Madison Art Club.

I have posted a few times about judging shows, it is something I really enjoy and I believe it tends to sharpen my views on what makes for a good picture.
If you live in the area there is still time to sign up for the workshop. It promises to be a fun and informative couple of days.

Painting Workshop
Madison, Indiana,  September 13 - 14

Learn the greater art of “seeing” as practiced by the Boston School Tradition and how it is applied to Painting Still Life. 

Participants will gather items they wish to paint and begin arranging them.
The focus of this class is to provide an initial introduction to the steps taken and the principles applied in the art of still life painting.
This includes:
    -the conception of a "visual" idea for a painting. 
    -the arrangement  and organization of values, hues, and chromas on the canvas    -the execution of a coherent and helpful charcoal drawing with which to compose the stuff within the picture plane. |
    -the execution of  a lay-in or 'start' in oil.    -what to consider while pushing towards a finish.

Fee: $175 per person, supplies not included. Class limited to 15 students.

I will post next week as a follow-up on both the show and the class. 

Zanesville Museum 69th Ohio Exhibition

My painting 'Tea Time' has been accepted in the Zanesville Museum 69th Annual Ohio Exhibition.

 

Tea Time, 20 x 16, oil on line, 2008, ©copyright Richard Luschek 2013

September 14 – November 16, 2013
Opening Reception Saturday, Sept. 14, 2 – 4 p.m.; Awards announced at 3 p.m.
 Phone:  740.452.0741
Address:  620 Military Road, Zanesville, OH, 43701, United States
Google Map

  This annual juried exhibition at the Zanesville Museum of Art is open to all Ohio artists and artisans. Seventy-five works by 68 artists (from 45 towns and cities around Ohio) were chosen for this exhibition.

Already 5 years old, this painting was a turning point for me. I was very happy with the results and the over all design of the painting. The general light effect of the painting was set in a higher key. It was not the typical, light objects set in a dark background. This was grouping of white object in front of a window on a sunny day. The white objects are silhouetted in front of the bright window light. It was a definite challenge and I came out of the experience a better painter. At least that is my view of the situation.
Most painters have that "pain = gain" experience. These difficult problems can show that painting is not a formula as much as it is a reaction or experience. It is not a race to a finish in a step by step process. It is a series of studies during which the painter learns about his subject in visual terms.

Below is a shot of the painting next to the set up.There was actually only a period of a few hours during with the light was just right. I think this photo is shot just after the light changed. While I do have north light, a mostly unchanging light source, the window behind the scene was facing east, so it obviously was very much changing. The first few days I painted the entire day to see when the light was best. As it moved along I had to focus in on a particular light effect.

ViewPoint 2013

I was honored again this year by being selected to show in the Cincinnati Art Club's ViewPoint Competition. This year, more than 400 entries submitted, there were 72 chosen to hang in the show.

The judge, John Ruthven, will select the awards in person after the show is hung. He selected the below diptych. I discussed the painting a few blog posts ago.

After the Game, Father and Son, diptych, each panel 8 x 6, oil, ©copyright Richard Luschek 2013

 

The Opening Reception

 

August 2, 2013 - 5:00 to 8:00 PM

Awards Presentation - 7:00PM

Cincinnati Art Galleries

225 EAST SIXTH STREET / CINCINNATI, OHIO 45202

The Exhibit will be open to the public

Monday through Friday 9:00AM - 4:00PM

and Saturday 10:00AM - 3:00PM

Continuing through August 30, 2013

Here is a photo of last years show, with a big arrow pointing at me. Please note, the photo was altered to hide my bald spot. Who takes a photo from above like that anyway? Come on Mr. Photographer person. Two basic things you have to do, not take photos that will highlight my bald spot. Also, don't  make me look fat. Anyway, maybe I will wear a hat this year.

More Frames

Cincinnati Art Galleries recently had a frame sale. Once again, I was tempted, and drove down to have a look. C.A.G. is this cities foremost gallery of antique paintings, so I was excited about the possibilities. The sale did not disappoint.














It was my wedding anniversary, so I showed serious restraint and only purchased 3 frames. I had been warned by my lovely wife about bringing too many more frames homes.
All of of these frames will be slipped around my paintings in the near future. Two were particularly exciting as they at one time framed paintings by two of painters from Cincinnati's Golden age of painting- John Weis and Joseph Sharp.
One of the frames even had a gold leafed tag for Joseph Sharp. It is a nice rustically carved wooden frame from Mexico with a pleasant finish.  Not sure what to do with the tag, I may save it and make my own, or repaint the tag with my own name.

I am not sure what painting was originally in this frame, but I imagine it was probably an Indian picture. As it turns out I am 1/16th American Indian. I believe my Great Great Grandmother was Sioux Indian. Not sure I can pull it off but maybe a self portrait capturing that heritage?  I mean if Johnny Depp can do it in his latest film.... We both make very handsome Indians.

The painting I so rudely forced myself upon is one by Joseph Henry Sharp (1859-1953), called Bear Nose- Sioux, 9" X 6".

Father and Son

Happy Father's Day.
I recently finished a pair of still lifes that are yet another father and son grouping. I am very attracted to the idea of diptychs, or groups of paintings, that have a connection. I like them to play off each other, not just thematically but compositionally. I think it creates an interesting dialog with the viewer added another layer to the story.

After the Game, Father and Son, diptych, each panel 8 x 6, oil, ©copyright Richard Luschek 2013

I also like using objects that date from my childhood or before. I bought both of these vintage bottles at antique stores. They were empty, though that is not always the case when buying these old bottles. They seem to be be more expensive when they contain the original beverage. I just bought an Orange Crush bottle from the 70's that has some pretty nasty looking liquid still in the bottle. When I use that for a still life I will have to open it up and dump the nasty, orang-ish liquid out and replace it with orange drink that does not have brown floaters.
As the burger bottle is a light shape in the middle of a dark bottle I wanted the dark soda to be the mirror of that shape on the Son image. I ended up filling the Pepsi bottle up with Coke, which was all I had and probably is against the law. Hopefully you can't tell.
Painting the clear glass section between the Pepsi logo and the soda was crazy fun. It was an area that would change quite a bit depending on how I was leaning. If I leaned just slightly I could get all manner of abstractions. I would move around to see if there were any improvements, and painted them as they came. 

The lettering on the Burger bottle gave me fits. I repainted it at least 4 times. I also scraped out the C on the Reds hat a few times till I got that just right. 
The Pepsi bottle went a lot faster. This time the glove was a struggle. Below I am posting each painting after the first day. For some reason on the father image, I did not start painting until very late in the day and had to knock out the start in about 90 minutes. The son painting had the benefit of a full day lay-in.  Throughout the process the painting did not change too much- other than to come into focus. I did add the green of the checkered pattern of the table cloth above the glove. I also moved the straw in the Pepsi bottle on an angle sympathetic to other angles in the image. The straw move was actually a great suggestion from one of my students. The new straw location also positioned the straw closer to the front of the bottle and added a nice orange glow from inside the soda, breaking up that dark shape in a pleasing way.

After the Game, Father and Son, First day lay-in, ©copyright Richard Luschek 2013