Showing posts with label 2024. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2024. Show all posts

April 18, 2024

Amerind Museum Art Gallery
(Juried Exhibition & Art Sale 2024)

Daisies Unite was juried into the museum art gallery exhibition!

Pastel (dry medium) over ink. On toned paper. 18x24.

Museum Juried Exhibition & Sale

Thirty paintings will be exhibited in the Amerind Museum art gallery and priced for sale. Each fine art piece captures the artist's inspiration to create an original using the traditional medium of pastels in our modern world. The collection of works will demonstrate the unique beauty of pastel painting, truly revealing "The Power of Pastels." Thirty juried pieces include a wide range of subject matter, such as landscape, figure, abstract, or still life.

Juror

Nancie King Mertz is an internationally recognized fine artist and master pastelist.

Dates

June 1, 2024 - November 30, 2024

Admission

This event is open to the general public. Admission to the museum is required for any dates and times.

Artist's Reception

Saturday, October 5, 2024 (1:00 PM - 2:00 PM)
Admission to the reception is at no charge.

About the Host

Explore Amerind, a museum of Native American art, history, culture, archaeology, and Western art. Amerind is an academic research center, museum, art gallery, historic property, scenic destination, and community gathering place where you may learn about Native American history and their contemporary lives. Indigenous communities share their traditional knowledge with all who visit. 


Since 1937, they have been dedicated to preserving and illuminating the cultural objects and traditions of the Native Peoples of the Americas. What began as founder William Shirley Fulton’s passion for archaeology grew into decades of research advancements and cross-cultural understanding.

Address

2100 N. Amerind Road PO Box 400,
Dragoon, Arizona 85609

Directions

Amerind is located in Cochise County, Arizona, one mile south of I-10, an hour east of Tucson, between Benson and Willcox.
Take Exit #318, Dragoon Road (I-10 to Exit 318)

The Amerind entrance is on the left (just past mile marker 1)
2100 N. Amerind Road, Dragoon, Arizona 85609

Gallery Hours

Tuesday through Sunday, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Closed: 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM for lunch each day
Closed: Mondays and any Major Holidays

Web

Amerind.org

About the Artist's Guild

Tucson Pastel Society (TPS)

The Tucson Pastel Society (TPS) is a non-profit 501 (c)(3) organization established to advocate and promote the pastel medium, unite pastel artists, and organize professional development and artistic growth opportunities that increase the community's awareness of the versatility and value of pastel fine art.

Web

TucsonPastelSociety.org

January 18, 2024

Meet Christy Olsen, Canvas Rebel
(Interview Jan. 2024)

Published by Canvas Rebel on January 1, 2024.

Transcript

We were lucky to catch up with Christy Olsen recently and have shared our conversation below.

Christy, appreciate you joining us today. What’s been one of the most interesting investments you’ve made – and did you win or lose? (Note, these responses are only intended as entertainment and shouldn’t be construed as investment advice)

On a hot summer’s day in 2015, a local artist’s guild in Tucson, Arizona, received an unexpected donation that changed everything. A non-profit organization called “Singles & Friends” decided to disband their organization after 43 years and donate their building and assets.

The Tucson Pastel Society (TPS), an existing 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, accepted the 1,832 sq. ft. open space building conveniently located at 1st and Grant. It was perfect for studio art classes and workshops. Soon after, TPS would call upon the community to help fund building maintenance and renovations to bring it up to city code.

A small group of artists with the determination and vision to cultivate the visual arts community of Southern Arizona stepped up to assist. They rented the building to teach adult art classes. Their program was well received, and more classes were requested.

In the spring of 2016, a mobile school was born called the Art Verve Academy with the mission to enable adults at any skill level to learn, create, or practice the 2D visual arts within a studio environment, community, or in-person setting.

It was the best investment I ever made regarding time, funding, and personal commitment! Starting into our 8th year, it’s been an enormous return on inspiration, creativity, and personal gratification.

Original artwork by Christy Olsen
Desert Mesquite, pastel over ink on paper, by Christy Olsen

Christy, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a fine artist. My work has been shown in multiple juried exhibitions, galleries, and selected solo shows across the United States. I teach adult studio art classes at the Art Verve Academy. I am an active member of the local Tucson Arts Community and have also instructed multiple international art workshops abroad in Italy.

My most recent juried exhibition was at the Herberger Theater in Phoenix, AZ. My most notable juried exhibition was the Power of Pastels, exhibited in the Ironwood Gallery at the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum, where I received an honorable mention for my work. I have also shown in juried exhibitions at the Porter Hall Gallery in the Tucson Botanical Gardens and the Best and the Brightest juried exhibition at the Scottsdale Artist’s School Gallery.

I was born in Memphis, Tennessee, as a third-generation artist and grew up within a family of oil painters who encouraged me to be creative. My family took me to multiple museums and notable art exhibitions that I remember affectionately.

My visual art skills developed from formal education, drafting, self-directed practice, experimentation, and tutelage under several contemporary masters. When most university curriculums did not offer representational or figurative arts in the ’90s, she chose to study the Old Masters via the classroom instead. She earned a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville in Art History & Anthropology.

I am also a member of the last generation of drafters formally trained to draw with pencil on vellum paper before computer-aided design software. My earliest professional drafting experience was architectural blueprints and technical drawings I meticulously drew by hand. I also successfully worked as a systems engineer and earned a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Computer Science from Arizona State University.

Saguaro on a Sunday, pastel over ink on paper, by Christy Olsen

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

There are numerous aspects, but if I had to pick one, it would be the connections I create with others through art. Working alone in the studio can be solitary, but it doesn’t have to be. You can create with others or build an entire community around art with other artists or creatives, which enriches my life.

Original artwork by Christy Olsen
Saguaro on a Sunday, pastel over ink on paper, by Christy Olsen

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

Yes, I always want to keep learning and growing. I’ve been a perfectionist for most of my life, but those days are over! I have since learned “how to fail” early and as often as possible. I have gotten used to working outside my comfort zone so I can take my work to the next level.

Reference
Wright, James (2024, January 18). Meet Christy Olsen. Canvas Rebel Magazine. Retrieved from canvasrebel.com/meet-christy-olsen-2 on January 18, 2018.

Printmaking without a Press - Monotypes (Feb. 2024)

Delve into the captivating world of monotypes, an enchanting printmaking technique that needs no traditional press and may be taken with you on the go! Monotypes combine the spontaneity of drawing, painting, and printmaking and are renowned for their individuality and expressiveness. 


Discover the freedom of spontaneous mark-making. This class will have everything you need to try this unique and forgiving medium! Learn the various methods, tools, and materials to produce one-of-a-kind evocative prints. Learn to manipulate ink, textures, and surfaces. The possibilities to create stand-alone artwork that may be realistic, painterly, or abstract are limitless! 

Meets: Saturday Afternoons, 1:30 PM - 4:30 PM
Dates: Feb. 3, 10, & 17
Location: TPS Art Center (2447 N. Los Altos Ave., Tucson, Arizona 85705)

Instructor: Christy Olsen
Format: Lecture & demonstration, studio practice with individual feedback, and one-on-one instruction.
Level: No prior experience is necessary. Just be open to trying new drawing methods or tools!

Medium: Printmaking (Akua ink or waterbased oils)
Technique: How to create a monotype using the additive and subtractive methods.
Materials: The instructor will email the materials list before the first day of class.

Click to register or enroll!

November 17, 2023

Responsive Drawing (Jan. 2024)

Learn a new approach where we start without a blank page and respond to our drawings. Every element on the page affects how we perceive the other or surrounding elements. Shapes, forms, or patterns are all related concepts but have nuances that set them apart.

You'll be guided through exercises that explore figure-ground relationships. Learn to design shapes that integrate with the background and discover a variety of edges that may be used to distinguish shapes that share a common boundary.

Meets: (3) Saturday Afternoons, 1:30 PM - 4:30 PM
Dates: Jan. 6, 13, & 20, 2024
Location: TPS Art Center (2447 N. Los Altos, Tucson, Arizona 85705)

Instructor: Christy Olsen
Format: Lecture & demonstration, studio practice with individual feedback, and one-on-one instruction.
Level: All levels are welcome! No experience is needed. Just be open to trying new drawing methods or tools!

Medium: Charcoal, Conté crayons, Pastels, or Sanguine
Technique: Learn how to create shapes, forms, or patterns that integrate with the background.
Materials: The instructor will email the materials list before the first day of class.

Click to register or enroll!

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)