Meetings
March 2009 Meeting held at St. Peters Community Art Center
Attendance: 15, Chaired by Ola Patty
Board Member Reports:
Ola reported 38 entries in current art show at the Renaud Spirit Center, O’Fallon. The next OLAG show is a “Spring Show” from 5/1-6/1/09.
Announcements:
Future Oak Leaf Art Show Dates:
Fall Show: 9/18 to10/19/09
“People & Places” Christmas Show 12/6-1/4/09
Program: “Abstract Painting and Demonstration” by Angelika Jones
Presenter: Mary Jo Clark, Teacher with 3 Art Degress.
Angelika demonstrated some of techniques with acrylic paints and gave painting hints as well as some of her painting philosophies. She used to do oil but has switched to mostly acrylics. She said that people tend to be found in most of her abstracts.
HINTS:
- Try tissue paper with gesso over it to develop texture.
- It helps a knife painting beginner to sketch first.
- Have a resource binder divided by topics and keep photos/pictures to use for inspiration.
- Try a still life but make an abstraction from it.
- Acrylics are not washable so they need to be glazed.
- Watercolors and Acrylics: Use 2 or 3 buckets of water to keep brushes & paints clean.
- On one’s palette put cool colors and warm colors separated from each other.
- Sky: Uses a touch of orange in the blue paint.
- Clouds: Placed by twisting brush & short strokes.
- Sometimes starts with watercolor & layers acrylics.
- Double-check one’s painting with a mirror or by turning on its side.
- Fun project: Take lawn garden animals and paint with acrylics and glaze with a medium.
- Recommends “Palette Magazine” as the best one.
THOUGHTS:
- Try to be free. Trying to make a masterpiece doesn’t work!
- Art is fun!! Do what you like!!
Submitted by Anita Hockett, Recording Secy.
October 2008 Meeting held at St. Peters Community Art Center
Attendance: 14, Chaired by Ola Patty
Board Member Reports:
Treasurer’s Report by Jerri Svoboda. Ola announced that the president Alice Kopfensteiner had resigned due to unforseen cicumstances. Ola also welcomed a visitor Greg Williams to the group.
Announcements:
Ola announced need for a chair person or co-chair (she would assist) for the Holiday Art Show. We also need more workers especially for receiving.
Jerri Svoboda, Treasurer. announced that membership dues will need to be renewed in Novemeber.
Program: Dry Pastels
Presenter: Mary Jo Clark, Teacher with 3 Art Degress.
The program included a landscape demonstration and interactive conversations covering the following topics:
- Pastel Types:
- Range from soft, (generally being the least expensive) to hard
- NuPastel brand is powderless and finer than other brands.
- Pastel pencil
- Characteristics of pastels:
- Pigments are the same as those in paints
- Oil pastels have an oil base and can be liquefied like oil paint.
- Paper Types: She suggested paper with a smooth side with the reverse waffle-life finish, or sand finished like Art Spectrum
- Dealing with smudging:
- Fixatives tend to alter the color, so she does suggest them on final layers
- Suggested working from front to back when layering
- Working top to bottom and left to right (if right handed) to avoid smudging.
Submitted by Anita Hockett, Recording Secy.
September 2008 Meeting held at St. Peters Community Art Center
Attendance: 9, Chaired by Ola Patty
Board Member Reports:
Treasurer’s Report by Jerri Svoboda. Ola announced that the President, Alice Kopfensteiner, was unable to attend because she was visiting her son in the hospital.
Announcements:
Ola announced need for a chair person or co-chair (she would assist) for the Nov. 8th, Holiday Art Show. We also need more workers especially for receiving.
Jerri Svoboda, Treas. announced that membership dues will need to be renewed in Novemeber.
Program:
- Ola brought art supplies and a still life for us to sketch.
- Anita Hockett presented a DVD titled, “Watercolor in Motion-how to create powerful paintings step by step” by Brigit O’Connor.
- A brief discussion followed while we enjoyed Jerri Svoboda’s refreshments.
Submitted by Anita Hockett, Recording Secy.
August 2008 Meeting held at St. Peters Community Art Center
Attendance: 14, Chaired by Alice Kopfensteiner, President
Board Member Reports
OLAG Holiday Art Show, November 8th to December 8th. Ola Patty announced a need for a chair person or two members to co-chair the show, and she passed around a sign-up sheet.
Alice talked briefly about the website and about the benefits it has for members including the feature of having one’s own gallery.
Membership cards with the new logo were distributed.
Announcements
Member, Margo Gleason, is opening a solo show of her recent work at Framin’Place & Gallery, Chesterfield, MO beginning Friday, August 15th, with a reception on Friday, August 29th from 4:30-7pm.
Margo Gleason talked about an unsuccessful internet scam related to selling of art. She said that the website <artscam.com> was a useful resource. Alice added by stating that you can tell a secure website if in the address an “s” appears after “http”, for example, “https//”.
Program
Steve Wilson*, professional artist, presented our program. He openly discussed a wide range of topics.
- When pricing to sell price your work by the square inch.
- Show at galleries with pricing commensurate to your work.
- The larger the painting the more important it is that it have good composition.
- He spends more time planning his paintings than he does actually painting.
- In regards to working from photos, he says that he does take photos; however, that does not mean one needs to paint it. The important thing is to look for the authentic stroke of the artist.
- It is a myth that one can’t paint with oil on paper. A good weight watercolor paper is fine for oil. It is also a myth that material is most important-great art can be painted with anything. He says it is true however that hues’ make mud.
- He uses Artisan water soluble oil paints with a thinner as he is concerned with the regular oils and cleaner’s impact on health.
- Tempera, even children’s tempera, is a good medium.
Submitted by Anita Hockett, Recording Secy.
June 2008 Meeting held at St. Peters Community Art Center
Attendance: 10, Chaired by Ola Patty, Membership
Board Member Reports
Treasury report was given by Jerri Svoboda. Mollie Chounard, Website Coordinator, reported the website is ready to go and that members can start signing up and creating their own galleries on the site for free. Plans are in the works to showcase an artist from the upcoming art show and continue that plan in the future.
New badges were presented, along with the design for new membership cards.
Ola asked the members if they wanted to continue meetings at the St. Peters Community Art Center, and members agreed.
Ola reminded everyone about the 2008 Spring Art Show reception on June 13th.
Natalie Fleming brought up the pending “Orphan Art Bill” in Congress that would require all art work to be registered; otherwise, one’s art work could be used by anyone without recourse. Members were asked to notify your members of congress of your opposition.
Program
Shirley Nachtrieb presented a watercolor demonstration including a wet on wet floral painting and a crayon watercolor painting of daisies and poppies using a dagger striper brush. Some of her views/comments were:
- Palette: She usually uses a seven color scheme in a split triad. She uses a warm and cool color of each primary and Burnt Sienna for her neutral. She feels her color choices make up just the right combonation to make her paintings glow.
- Cool: Permanent Rose, Winsor Yellow, Antwerp or Winsor Blue
- Warm: Winsor Red, New Gamboge, French Ultra. Blue
- Values: The white of the paper is one value. She simplifies to five other values in mid tones and darks.
- Regarding wet into wet painting she said the wetter the paper the drier the paint-like cream consistency.
- Negative spaces should be interesting shapes. This helps create interest in the whole painting, not just the subject matter.
- Her philosopy is that “If the darks are not scary, its not dark enough.”
- Spattering requires a “wimpy/limp” brush. She practiced to focus her spatter in very small and specific areas only.
- Lays a finished wet into wet painting on a dry piece of watercolor paper to dry. This allows the painting the breath as it drys.
- Acrylic paints can look and act like watercolors. She prefers “Golden” fluid brand.
Submitted by Anita Hockett, Recording Secy. Photos taken by Annette McGarrahan.
Attendance: 12, Chaired by Alice Kopfensteiner, President
Board Member Reports:
Anita Hockett, secretary, reported briefly on: Preliminary information R/T Incorporation, EIN Number & non-profit processes. Possibility of OLAG becoming an active member of the St. Charles County Arts Council. Possibility of using space at the Non-Profit Center at Spencer Library for meetings (they have 3 size rooms at no charge).
Ola Patty, Membership, asked for volunteer workers for upcoming OLAG Spring Art Show to be held June 13-July 14.
Alice Kopfensteiner, Pres., reminded group of the Comment Box for members to contribute ideas.
Program:
Linda Wilmes presented an informative program, “Exhibiting Your Art Work at Outdoor Shows and Art Fairs”. Some of the tips and pointers she presented are as follows:
- A good website on upcoming shows and applications is info@zapplication.org.
- Some of the main supplies needed for shows/fairs: 10’X10’ Tent with sidewalls, Print Rack Display Units (try Graphic Display Systems company), Clip-on lights Display table, and Sign with phone & email Brochures, business cards, Drapery hooks to hang pictures. 3 part receipt book, Prints backed with foam core & placed in clear bags, she buys from www.clearbags.com.
- Customer mailing list: ask customer if it is okay and get email, if available for future postal savings.
- Send a thank you note to a customer following a purchase.
- Follow-up communications with customers is very important.
- Orders brochures from www.vistaprint.com
- Orders slides from www.iprintfromhome.com
- Recording keeping: Production costs including travel; Sale prices, where,when,etc.
- Suggested setting price by checking with comparable artists.
- Making Prints Set resolution as high as possible and use a tripod
Submitted by Anita Hockett, Secy.
March 2008 Meeting
Attendance: 14, Chaired by Alice Kopfensteiner, President
Alice welcomed two new members. She recognized the winners of the current Oak Leaf Art Show at the Reynaud Center.
I. Alice reported on the some of the topics discussed during a February board meeting including:
Maintaining current membership lists including email addresses; Development of a Web site; Membership in an area organization(s) with similar interests/goals; A Comment Box for members to contribute ideas to better fulfill their hopes for the guild; Ways that we can encourage increased assistance and support from members to further the goals of our guild.
II. Program: Crystal Goldkamp introduced her daughter, Rachel, as our model for sketching. It was an enjoyable and challenging session. Side note: Several of us, mostly “landscape” painters got a few chuckles out of their efforts while agreeing it was good to be “stretched”.
Submitted by Anita Hockett, Secy.
