University Art - Newsletter

The Community Artist

University Art Newsletter Vol. 6 Issue 8, August 2007

ART ORGANIZATIONS SPOTLIGHT

We head over the hill this month to visit “For the Seventh Generation” This Santa Cruz based group practices what it terms positive environmental art activism. Painting on 2ft x 4ft wooden panels, these artists paint scenes of the California Coastline in an effort to bring awareness and accessibility of our coastal treasures to everyone. One third of the proceeds from the sale of these panels is donated to the favorite environmental organization of the artist. For more information call (408) 496-0448 or write to “For the Seventh Generation” at 320 Cedar Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95060.

COMING SOON

Call for Entries:
All Fired- Up Sculpture Exhibition
Call 408.615.2219
ask for Pam Morrison

Golden Acrylics Demonstration
with Judy Gittelsohn
University Art, Palo Alto
9/5/2007
For more details call
(650) 328-3500 ask for Gloria

Blues Bash
at the Triton Museum of Art
9/30/2007
BBQ Music and Fine Art.
For more details call (408) 247-3754
or try online at www.tritonmuseum.org

TRIVIA AND STUFF JUST FOR FUN

August is the month when the Perseids Meteor Shower reaches its peak. The showers occur when the earth passes through the tail of the Swift- Tuttle Comet. The closer the comet is relative to the earths orbit, the greater the number of meteors that fall. The number can vary from as little as 4 per hour to 200- 500 per hour! To see the meteor shower to best advantage get away from city lights and look to the northeast.

ASK BRAMSCHANDOZ

Q: Can’t I just paint, do I really need to know how to sketch or draw first?

A: While it is certainly true that you can paint impulsively letting your mood direct you, it is difficult to achieve consistent success this way. If you really want to attain confidence and consistency in your work, you need to know at least the fundamentals of drawing and sketching. As my friend and fellow artist Robert Semans puts it “Most painting problems are really drawing problems.” This is particularly true for the representational painter. However sketching has its place for the abstract/non-representational artist as well. Albert Smith, whose work ranges from the realistic to the abstract often does hundreds of sketches of a given subject before he settles on the one to paint. Learning to sketch and draw quickly and well, helps to train the eye, helps you to evaluate potential compositional problems and can save you a lot of time, money and frustration!

JEFF'S TIPS

This month’s tip is both practical and affordable and I cannot believe that I haven’t mentioned it before. Have a couple of spare mats in neutral colors in the size you normally would work, stored in your studio space at home. Simply by putting a mat around your art like this, you can get idea of how the piece will look framed. More importantly it can help you to spot errors or rough areas you may not have seen otherwise.

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