4th Annual Colored Pencil Student Show - At Crossroads Art Center Gallery

January 2017 "4th Annual Colored Pencil Student Show"

Animals, Wildlife and Figure Portraits

 Botanicals & Landscapes

For the last 4, of my 7 years teaching I have had the great joy of showcasing my students art in an Annual Show with in my exhibit space at 

Crossroads Art Center.

2016 Staples Mill Road

Richmond, Virginia 23230

Telephone 804.278.8950

Mon–Sat: 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Sun: Noon – 4:00 p.m. 

I remove most all of my work (except a few pieces) and hang an example of the work they have done in my classes during the previous year (2016).  It's such a great pleasure to see their work hanging together opening night!  Some are artists of other media and so many of them have not had the opportunity to see their work hang in a gallery setting.  The smiles and excitement is contagious.

Some work on paper surfaces, pastel hardboard, suede mat board, Mylar and much more.  An example of one of my colored pencil pieces on travertine tile sets on a tabletop easel.  Showcasing the many surfaces colored pencil is appropriate for helps to educate the public on it's use as a fine art media.  

Helping students find skills and hopefully their voice and style within this media often brings me back to why I choose colored pencil as my favorite media.  They never cease to tickle me when the light goes off of understanding or they amaze themselves and what they have created.  

Enjoy the gallery below of a few of my students and their exhibiting work.

Some could not attend the opening but 17 student's work is  represented in my show.

The show will continue to hang thru Feb. 17th.

 

Some of the paintings  are in their own private collection and some is offered for sale.  

I wish you could have seen some of the Christmas presents they gave as gifts this year, most could not hang in the show.  

Let's just say there were some very lucky gifts received by new collectors of their work.

Check back here to see what's on the easel & happy creating! 

Gloria

2nd Annual Student Show and What's been happening in Jan.

I'm a little late in posting photos of my 2nd Annual Student show at Crossroads Art Center & Gallery on Jan. 16th - Feb. 17th, in my exhibit space.  We had a great turn out and lots of beautiful art.  Unfortunately I don't have a group picture of all those who are showing their work but I am so very proud of all of my Students.  they work very hard and I believe enjoy the process of Colored Pencil Painting.  This is by no means all of them but a short view of the show.  If your in Richmond go by Crossroads Art Center & Gallery before Feb. 17th to see the work for yourself!

The infamous "Bob" with his portrait by his lovely wife, Toni Brown. Dressed as he was in his portrait. This was her first portrait accomplished in my class. And it won an award in her local Fredricksburg Show. Great Job!

Jean Dickson with her first Rose accomplished in our Beginner's class this spring.  And she has moved on to more lovely work since.  A decorative Painter Jean has many talents.

Barbara Chadwick with her "Study in Red" her first piece accomplished in class and "Pumpkin" drawn in class and from life.  Barbara is a botanical artist who usually works in watercolor and enjoys working from life in that tradition.

Pauline and "Clyde"  in front of her first portrait of her handsome hubby.   Pauline's work in the show also included her piece from our shiny objects class,  Still Life With Strawberries.


Additional students in my show with work are Jan Ozolek and her "South African Lilac Breasted  Roller"-Bird Portrait seen to the left of Pauline in this picture.  And Brian Austin's lovely landscape view "Sister Bay Beauties" with Echinacea also in this view.

Rebecca Spangler's two landscapes: "Savannah Street Scene" and "Mabry Mill" are also part of the exhibit.  (pictures coming)  And Barbara George's "Ireland Green" butterfly-botanical piece.





Kathy Scott's "Provincial Cafe" is a lovely street scene from one of her many European vacations.


So as you can see my students have worked hard and deserve to have their paintings shown both here and on my exhibit walls at Crossroads Art Center and Gallery, Richmond, VA

They are already hard at work on new pieces in 2015 and I'm sure the show will grow and gain more interest for colored pencil painting!  I know my pride in showing their work keeps me teaching and encouraging new people to pick up this media.

Gloria

Looking Back On 2013

 My space at Crossroads Gallery

I can't help but to look back these last days of the year.  Christmas has passed and I'm tidying up the last to dos before the year ends.  Happily making big check marks on my mental and actual lists.  

Each year I make a list of Goals - Personal and Artist ones (it's a well known fact that I'm a huge list maker, a trait I have passed down to some of my boys and to my granddaughter), my husband jokes that I probably have a master list of lists and I actually do.  But I  digress......

My Personal List always has the proverbial : Loose 10 pounds+, Get more active,  ( somehow these are tied together and involve another item, find more time to do this), and tell more people I appreciate them in my life, live a more present day.........and so on....... You get the drift.

Crossroads Galley Space

But my Artist List usually has more concrete and productive Goals.  And I think even if you are not a regular member of the Make A List Club, your art can benefit by doing so.  Like making my grocery list, it's the very simple act of writing it down that files it into my brain, and makes me think about where I want the new year to take my art.  If your like me with busy days and stuff to do unless I sit down to ponder these things I don't feel in tune with where I'm going in my art.   Yes, there are professional artist goals like:  get my website redesign finished, apply to more shows, and redo my exhibit space at Crossroads Gallery.........

Then there are the deeper listed items that even the hobbyist artist can think on:  Developing better depth perception in my landscapes, continuing to refine my skills in lost and found edges,  growing my small band of plein air sketchers and journaling friends. 
 
There are many people reflecting on the year as it was and I hope just as many looking forward to the new.  As I think about what I want to do to spread the colored pencil paintings word and how I can help my students accomplish their goals I'm thankful for the small band of my blog readers.  I hope my blog entries have helped some of you or spurred on a curiosity for the media.  Let me know if it has, make a comment and tell me how I can help more or just share this with someone you think may enjoy it.  

And if your reading me for the first time, let me know how you found me.   I promise my entries are usually more full of pictures and how I did my latest painting than lists.      


Now to finish the last 2013 painting in my drawing desk.


Oh and instead of a New Years resolution (which I would un-doutably would break by the 5th of January I'm making a 2014 Mantra and it is: Accomplish Your Best   

What would yours be?
Gloria Callahan