On Friday I packed my bag and drove 200 miles to San Antonio to attend the Awards Dinner at the Greenhouse Gallery. I am thrilled to have one of my paintings, “The Offering” in the show. I had reservations at a lovely little Bed and Breakfast which I found with no problems. I got there in time to have a couple of hours to relax before the 6:00 p.m. dinner at the gallery.
I arrived at the gallery on time and didn’t know a soul! The only thing to do was start introducing myself to people. I met a lot of other artists and had a chance to look at the 415 paintings in the show. I have met another Texas artist, Laurel Daniel, through blogging and we had arranged to meet at the dinner. At this point I was wishing I had taken a closer look at her photo on her blog! But we eventually found each other and it was great to meet her.
At 7:00 p.m. we sat down at tables that had been set up in the gallery, what a wonderful setting to be surrounded by so much beautiful art. I sat at a table with people from New York and other Texans. I sat next to Pam, who is an employee of the Greenhouse Gallery and really enjoyed visiting with her, she is lovely. That’s also why I know little facts like there were 117 people at the dinner and 57 of them were artists with paintings in the show. And, the 1200 entries for the show came from 47 states and a number of foreign countries. I made a point to meet the two owners of the gallery, Jim Janes and David Smith. Mr. Smith gave an amazing inspirational talk about art and artists during the dinner. Hearing that speech was worth the drive to San Antonio for me. Then the juror, Daniel Greene presented the awards. After that I minlged a bit more then headed back to my B&B. San Antonio streets are tricky, especially at night! But I found my “home” with minimal trouble.
The next morning, after a huge breakfast made by the B&B proprietors, I drove back to the gallery. I had signed up for a critique of my painting by Mr. Greene for a $35 fee. There were 19 of us that followed Mr. Greene around from one painting to another, listening to his critiques. That took an hour and a half and was educational, though he pretty much said the same 5 or 6 things over and over. His main points were:1. hard edges come forward, soft edges recede
2. make sure you have defined where your light is coming from and be consistent throughtout your painting
3. form should have shadow, halftones, and light
4. perspective is important, this was especially apparent with buildings
5. he really was looking for lots of detail so sometimes he would like to see more work on a particular area of a painting
As artists, we’ve heard all these things before but it was good to get a reminder and see examples of what he was talking about on paintings.
By now it was lunch time so nine of us went to a nearby restaurant and had lunch together. That was a lot of fun! We talked about galleries, varnishing, paint outs, quick draws, frames, workshops and just about anything else you can think of that was art related. We all exchanged cards and I hope to run into some of these ladies again.
By now it was lunch time so nine of us went to a nearby restaurant and had lunch together. That was a lot of fun! We talked about galleries, varnishing, paint outs, quick draws, frames, workshops and just about anything else you can think of that was art related. We all exchanged cards and I hope to run into some of these ladies again.
Then it was time for me to begin my journey home. It took me a little longer to get home because I made a couple of detours along country roads for photos of barns and cows, two things I can’t resist. Here I snapped a quick shot as I was exiting I-10 for a stop at Buccees for a snack.The opening for the show was Saturday night with a champagne reception. I had initially intended to stay for that too, but I’m leaving Monday to visit my daughter in Switzerland so I thought I should come home and give myself more than 12 hours to get ready for that trip. So I’m off again and I’ll bring my paints and we’ll see if I come back with anything I want to put on my blog.
!!!!! How awesome is that??!! Your painting looks beautiful and you look fantastic Joan. Laurel Daniel, Daniel Greene, so cool that you got to meet them AND get feedback and see everyone’s work. Congratulations, Joan!!
What a great event! Congratulations!
Oh what a fun time you must have had. You and your painting look wonderful Joan. How nice to have your work critiqued by Daniel Greene. And…. to meet the other artists, I’m sure it was a wonderful evening.
Joan you came knowing nobody, and look how many new friends!! Great event, and I like the fact that you told the story, we were there with you.! Wish you a good trip to Switzerland , enjoy.
P.S And you look great!
Great review and still so excited for you to have a painting in the show! You look so cute too at the opening! Have fun in Switzerland and safe travels!
Dear Diane, Pam, Nancy, Jane and Denise,
thank you all for your sweet comments and for “being there with me”! Such great support is wonderful.
All of your comments mean so much to me. My plane leaves in 2 1/2 hours so I’m off to the airport but look forward to catching up with all your blogs when I return.
Joan
Thanks for sharing so much of this wonderful event, Joan! It really looks like you had a fantastic time – and your painting is one of my favorites!!
very interesting post…loved the bit about Mr.Greene telling everyone the same things….well…that’s because those are the things everyone neglects. haha..You and your painting look fantastic. thanks for the fun post.
What a great weekend that was! I loved meeting you and seeing your beautiful piece in person. What a fabulous memory! Hope you are having a blast in Switzerland! XOXO
I’m so glad you took full advantage of the honor you received. How nice to meet so many fellow artists too.
Have a great trip!!!!