“The Coffee Drinkers.” Collage on paper. 9″x12″ Order a print
I met with the editor and publisher of the Alexandria Times the other day to talk about the artwork they publish for the newspaper. He gave me a list of themes and ideas for a few papers that will be published in the future. I’ve begun working on a series of collages around the city for their newcomers guide to Alexandria. I’ve decided to make a bunch of mini collages for this project so that the editor can choose his favorites from the group, and then those can be collaged together using Photoshop. Here’s the first one I completed today.
I went to the opening reception at the Art League Gallery today. I found out that 627 pieces were entered and only 120 were accepted. And out of the accepted number, fourteen received awards. I was surprised to hear that my collage was one of the fourteen.
“Figure Seated by the Counter.” Collage on paper. 24″x18″ Order a print
July 9 – August 3, 2008 Art League Gallery; Alexandria, Virginia Map and Gallery Info
Megan Coyle’s “Figure Seated by the Counter” collage was on dislpay in one of the Art League’s monthly juried exhibitions. Megan’s portrait collage was awarded an Honorable Mention by the exhibition’s juror, Nan Haid.
627 works of art were entered into the July All-Media Membership Show and only 120 were accepted.
The Art League created the following juror’s statement with Nan Haid:
When jurying a show, Nan Haid first responds to composition and technique. Though Haid was drawn to and selected a variety of pieces for the July 2008 All-Media show at The Art League Gallery, many seem to have an introspective, contemplative feel.
“I have juried for The Art League on many occasions, and there is always a consistent strength to the work, particularly among the drawings and watercolors.” Haid comments that perhaps this proficiency is a nod to The Art League School classes. “This month, the prints also stood out as being strong and interesting.”
As an educator, she feels that artists have to understand the grammar, the structure, the language of drawing, painting, and creating before they can move on to working abstractly or subjectively. “You have to see, understand, and create works objectively before you can work subjectively.” For Haid, having a strong foundation in representational drawing is very important.
Haid selected “Nova Scotia Wetlands” by Frances Metcalf for The Larry Kirstein Award. “I like the fresh quality and the color in this piece. It has a sense of innocence and spontaneity. It is framed well – the mat and frame are in good proportion to the print.” The pieces awarded Honorable Mentions all have a charming, expressive, and subjective quality. Deron DeCeseare’s execution of “Coastal Pines IV,” “demonstrates his proficiency and know-how as an artist. To be able to successfully pull off a piece that has so few elements takes a lot of skill,” she remarks.
Haid avoided the selection of work with issues compositionally, technically, or with presentation. “Many pieces had overly prominent signatures. It’s a problem when a signature becomes so distracting for the piece, or when it become an element of the work,” she remarked.
“The quality of work at The Art League is always strong. Continue to believe in yourself as an artist and in your work. Continue to persevere. Confidence shows in your work.”
Haid last juried for The Art League in June 2006. Professor Emeritus of Art at NOVA’s Woodbridge campus, Haid has juried for many shows throughout the region. Her own work has been exhibited several times at the National Museum of Women in the Arts. She exhibits extensively throughout the region.
“Figure Seated by the Counter.” Collage on paper. 24″x18″ Order a print
The portrait is complete! Of course there are a few areas that I’d like to fix, but I think I’m pretty much done with this one. I’ll probably return to it in a few weeks when I can approach it with a more critical eye.
More to come next week, since, well, I’ll be busy this weekend and won’t have much time to make art.
July 3 – July 26, 2008 Nicholas Colasanto Center; Alexandria, Virginia Map and Gallery Info
Megan Coyle’s “Dancing in the Nude” gestural drawing was on display in the Del Ray Artisans’ exhibition that was dedicated to the nude figure. Megan’s drawing created during one of the live model drawing sessions that the Del Ray Artisans holds on a weekly basis. It was a result of a series of quick five minute poses by the model – where Megan had just enough time to capture the basic shape and line of the figure’s body.
This exhibition was an opportunity for local artists to showcase their work. The show displayed artwork that ranged from photographs to paintings to collages.
The curators described the theme for this exhibition as follows:
“Since the beginning of time, artists have attempted to capture the human figure in all its diversity. Ancient drawings and sculptures may have been symbols of fertility or of great bravery. The human figure was depicted as deities and in religious rites. As time went on, artists drew, painted and sculpted the figure in ways that represented both the ideal and everyday life. For centuries artists and art students have studied the human figure, using the live model, as a way of developing their skills. Today, artists continue this tradition, as we use our art to explore the infinite variety and beauty of the body or to comment on the human condition.”
Today I heard back from the Del Ray Artisans’ juried exhibition that I entered. My gestural drawing, “Dancing in the Nude,” was chosen by the juror and will be on display at the Nicholas Colasanto Center. It will be open from July 3rd to July 26th.
“Orange Plains.” Collage on paper. 9″x12″ Order a print
I finished this a couple of days ago but didn’t have a chance to take pictures of it until today. This is my first attempt at doing a landscape collage. I think I’ll work on a few more landscape collages–I like the idea of broadening my range of subject matter.
“Dachshund.” Collage on paper. 12″x16″ Order a print
Here’s the dachshund collage that I finished the other day. I also did a landscape piece today that I’ll post later this week or weekend–whenever I get a chance to take pictures of it.
