Impressions NewsletterMay 2008
Greetings, and welcome to our May newsletter.
If you have visited us in the preceding month, you will have had to negotiate the road works outside the shop. There is now parking outside the Redwood Stables, but if there is none available there, do remember to check out the Petrie Car Park which you access from McGlashen Avenue or McIndoe Place. There are a number of short term parks there, so you can usually find one close to the back of the building, and walk through to the front along the path at the end of the building beside the new building work being done on the NZ Post Sorting Room.
As I write this, the footpath is being ripped up outside in preparation for installation of the pavers. The site foreman believes that the footpaths should be completed shortly. But rest assured it is business as usual at Impressions! The removal of the old landscape has concerned many people, but already, the street looks much more spacious and the security concerns of businesses who were previously obscured from the road has gone. Once the new landscaping, furniture and water feature are all installed, I am confident that it will receive the approval of most people.
Watercolour Materials Workshops
We introduced a new workshop series during April, giving people an opportunity to get some hands-on experience with watercolour materials. We currently have waiting lists for three topics as they proved so popular. The first workshop on brushes, although not fully subscribed got a big thumbs-up from participants as they learned about the wide range of watercolour brushes available to them – from sable and squirrel, to goat hair and a range of synthetic options; from rounds and flats to brights, fans, mops and riggers. Your choice of painting brush is probably the most vital tool in your painting box, so participants learned about the relative water-holding capacities, how different brush shapes can be used to create different marks and how to care for your brushes. The group, in common with most artists discovered that there was much to learn about the humble brush.
Catherine Leads a Workshop Dealing With Watercolour Canvas and Watercolour Paper Blocks.
Other workshops during April covered watercolour canvas, watercolour paper blocks, water-soluble pencils and watercolour mediums.
Lewis and I also visited the Endless Horizon Exhibition in Takaka during April. This show revived vivid imagery and sounds from a visit to the Farewell Spit a year or so ago. The artists, who represented the spheres of painting, sculpture, fabric art, photography, music and poetry all captured some something different, and yet similar in their presentations. We have returned with a copy of book “Shifting Sands” by Grant Knowles and Clair Fones. It contains an account of their experiences on the Spit, and is illustrated with a collection of wonderful photographs. You are welcome to take time out in our sitting area to read it and listen to the CD of the Aeolian harp music recorded on location, at the lighthouse. Just ask us to pop the CD in for you to listen to.
Impressions Regional Art Awards 2008
Entry forms are now available in-store and can be downloaded from www.impressionsnelson.co.nz/art-awards.htm
Note that the Awards are being held earlier this year due to high-level of commitments later in the year so if you are thinking of entering, do get onto it now. To clarify the size issue in the Small Works Section – the artwork itself must not exceed 12”. Framing is not included in the measurement criteria for this section.
Art Group Nelson on Show
Art Group Nelson will be showcasing their group throughout May at Impressions. A display of artworks by Group Artists will be on display throughout the month, and a variety of members will paint in-store from 10am – 12 noon each Tuesday and Wednesday throughout the month. You are cordially invited to call in and take time out to watch the various artists at work, and chat with them about their art and what the Art Group has to offer its members.
Note that there are a couple of changes from those demonstrations advertised in the Leader last month. This list shown above is correct at the time of writing this newsletter. We are grateful
Impressions Art Club April Special
Throughout May,
Art Spectrum Oil Mediums are
Reduced by 25% (Full Club Members)
and 15% (for Art Club Applicants)
Hints and Tips
Painting with oil paint should be no more involved than working with water-based paint. If you are sensitive to odours from the aromatics in solvent thinners, there are alternatives available from low odour solvents, through to alkyd mediums which contain no solvents. Art Spectrum produces a range of mediums to simplify the painting process for artists. Produced by chemists to meet the chemical requirements of artists, Art Spectrum mediums are used to thin paint just as you would use water or binding mediums with acrylic paints. And wax or fillers are added to oil paints just as impasto mediums are added to acrylics. Pure soap and water are used for cleaning brushes with both kinds of paint.Oil painters must really understand the “Fat over Lean” rule if they are to paint successfully. When one layer of oil paint contains as much oil as the next layer, the top layer will dry while the bottom layer will be deprived of oxygen and remain wet. This will cause wrinkling and eventual cracking. You can prevent this problem by adding Artists’ Oil Painting Medium No 1 to the first layer and then Artists’ Painting Medium No 2 for subsequent layers. This will give an even tension throughout the painting. This method is referred to as painting fat over lean.Painting Medium No. 3 is viscous and contains more oil (hence it is “fatter”) for those who like a heavier medium. It should be used over the leaner mediums.(NB: ‘Lean’ and ‘fat’ should not be confused with ‘thick’ and ‘thin’. A lean paint can be very stiff and go on thickly while a fat paint may have so much oil in it that it goes on thinly.)
Products New into Stock
Masterson Sta-Wet Super Pro Palette.
Save paint, time and money. No more dried up, wasted paint! Most suited to acrylics because paints slowly absorb moisture from the sponge to keep colours hydrated for hours while the palette is open. The Super Pro features 28 separate wells for holding pigment and three divided mixing areas to keep your colour ranges separate. The inverted lid can be used as an additional, large mixing area. 30 sheet refill packs are available.
Pre-Stretched Linen Canvas
We now stock a small number of pre-stretched linen canvases. Linen is the crème de la crème of canvas and is wonderful to paint on. More sizes are available on request. Remember, we also stock linen canvas on the roll if you wish to stretch you own, or have us hand-stretch one for you. (Ever thought you would like to know more about canvas? We have put together a folder of information about the different types of canvas, how to care for and store or transport paintings on canvas etc. You are welcome to come in and sit down to read the information which has been put together from a variety of sources. The more you understand about the materials you use, the more you can exploit their properties.
Atelier Interactive Acrylic Paints
From time-to-time, we get queries about the way that the Atelier Interactive acrylic paints dry, and complaints about the paint not adhering. The basic issue boils down to a need to understand that Atelier Interactive paints have changed chemistry which affects the way they dry and this in turn has implications for how the paint adheres. Atelier Interactive paints do not form a skin as they dry – which means that it is possible to rehydrate paints as you are working to allow for a much longer “open-time”. In fact, so long as you keep rehydrating the paints, you can keep working them!
You will know it is time to rehydrate the paint by using a water sprayer or damp brush when the paint becomes tacky. If you add too much water, of course the paint will lose its ability to stick to the support, because the binder has become over-thinned. So if you want to make your paint into a wash be sure to add binder medium to your water. An uncured painting, say the day after painting, is very hungry for water, and should be moistened to proceed in comfort. Spray the whole surface generously, leave for a minute and then wipe off the excess water with a cloth. The dampened surface is very sympathetic to work on, like watercolour paper.If you are interested in learning more about Atelier Interactive paints, you can collect a brochure in-store or go to www.chromaonline.com and watch video clips on how to use these revolutionary acrylics.
Exhibitions
Sarah Mokhtar is holding her first exhibition at Equilibrium Gallery, 10-12 Church St (off Hardy St) from 3rd May. This talented young artist deserves your support and I heartily recommend you find time to have a look.
New Mapua/Ruby Bay Painting Group
Local Ruby Bay artist Lisa Chandler is setting up a new painting group in the Mapua Supper Room. Lisa says it started out as a group of us meeting in one person’s garage to paint, critique each other’s work, exchange ideas and have a bit of fun. “I really enjoyed our weekly get-togethers, and I thought it would be great to have a place where local artists can come together to paint in a supportive and fun environment”, says Lisa. This is not a teaching class, but a group of like-minded people getting together to help and support each other and everyone will be encouraged to contribute.
Beginners through to the professional are all encouraged to join, and while it will be a fun and social time the emphasis is on painting and developing skill. The format for the morning will be: 9am - 10am opportunity to have a painting critiqued by the group if you like or you can just get straight into painting. Morning Tea (tea/coffee/biscuits) will be provided at 10.30am. The venue is the Mapua Hall Supper Room.
Lisa will provide weekly handouts with painting tips and there will also be different art books and magazines available for perusing each week. Tables and chairs will be provided but artists will need to bring all their own materials and an easel if they wish to use one. The group will run for a term to gauge interest and see how it goes.
Future developments could include inviting guest speakers/tutors, having group ‘art outings’ and group exhibitions. The cost for the term is $45 for 9 classes. Places are limited. The first term starts on Thursday 8th May and runs for 9 weeks.
If you are interested, please phone Lisa on 540 3933 to book your place.
Looking Ahead
May promises to be another busy month, with the artists from Art Group Nelson painting in-store every Tuesday and Wednesday from 10 till noon each morning, and I will be visiting the Motueka Art Group on Wednesday 7th. Another couple of months and we’ll not only be enjoying our new extensions, but also benefitting from the improved new footpaths and landscape outside. I hope you have a productive and satisfying month too.
Best wishes
Glenys and the Team