Explore This! 5 (Quick Note)

This is a *quick* note about my entries into the Colored Pencil Society of America's Explore This! 5 show.

I've entered into another juried competition to get into an Art Show! :D For more information you can go to their website for it at: http://www.cpsa.org/EXHIBITION/EXPLORE.THIS/Explore5/Explore5.html

You can read the Prospectus there and other information about it, they also have a link to their blog on that page.

So you're probably thinking to yourself, "Well, Katie... Which pieces have you entered and are they any good?" I'll leave it up to you on whether you think they are any good (and I hope you do, I know I do obviously) but here they are:







MultiBlue (30 inch x 20 inches)

MultiBlue
2007 (Sold)
30 inches x 20 inches
Colored Pencil with Old Torn up Photos & Paper

&

Breadth of Vision (27 inches x 20 inches)

Breadth of Vision
2008
27 inches x 20 inches
Colored Pencil with Pressed Flowers & Leaves

The CPSA International Exhibition

This is going to be just a quick note, unlike most of my novels I write so often.

I wanted to mention to everyone that is interested in what I do that I entered into a juried competition to get a piece of my art into the 16th Annual Color Pencil Society of America's International Exhibition. My piece was one of just 125 pieces to get in to the show! The show this year is in Seattle at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center for those that can go see it. The pieces for the exhibition are color pencil only. And if you are one of those people that think that just because it's not an oil painting that it's not 'real art' I want to see you sit down and try to reproduce some of the stuff that we color pencil artists can do. ;)

The show starts pretty much now (July). The juror will select award winners on July 7th and the show will continue through the end of September.

This is, in my opinion, so much cooler than getting my first solo show up in Moscow during my senior year. Also, this is the first major competitive exhibition I've entered into and the fact that I got in is ridiculously awesome! The piece that got in is Division of Semblance.

Division of Semblance

Now here's a few more details about the exhibition:

GALLERY:
The Washington State Convention and Trade Center, 800 Convention
Place, Seattle, WA 98101

HOTEL:
Renaissance Seattle, 515 Madison St., Seattle, WA 98104, (206) 583-0300

EXHIBITION DATES
June 23-27, 2008 Artwork delivery to cartage company
July 7, 2008 Awards Judging / Notification by phone
July 2-September 29 Exhibition Dates
July 28-August 2 Convention Week
August 1, 2008 Awards Banquet – Renaissance Hotel
August 2, 2008 Artists' Reception - WSCTC

The Workshop (3-18-08)

I received a phone call the other day from a the lady that heads the local Art Guild here. She found my work online and thought it was fantastic and then invited me to teach a workshop on the technique to the members of the Guild. I was hesitant, hesitant because I've never taught anything before and the last speech class I took was about 12 years ago. Naturally I accepted the invitation.

I prepared a nice front & back handout for the class. I printed 20 of them because the Guild leader said that you'll typically get from 5 to 20 people attending the Paint-Alongs (as they call them). I ended up with about 17 or 18 students. I bought extra supplies as everyone needs a white & colorless blender pencil for this technique. I brought along strait-edges and round objects (old hard-drives actually). I actually took quite a few of my large pieces for examples and also my small book portfolio that has small prints of my work. Something that is a super handy device for carrying artwork in are large black trash-bags. Yes, trash-bags. While some people might find this a little disrespectful to the art as trash normally goes in trash bags, I say use what works the best. Trash-bags are easy to use, protect the work from rain and other external moisture and are incredibly light-weight (shockingly enough). I'm not saying to mail your art in a trash bag but for basic transportation it works pretty well.

So the entire class arrived before I did. I wasn't late or anything but I guess everyone is used to showing up early. It was a very loose and laid-back setting. There was very little technology for me to use to present my class as all I got was a huge overhead mirror and a wireless microphone. Some kind of projector would have been extremely useful in a setting like that. I set up my example-work on the available tables and on the piano that was in the corner of the room and laid out all of my other materials on one of the tables and the teacher's desk.

And then it began.

And by miracles of miracles I didn't die. There was no pounding of my heart against my chest as it tried to escape. There was no shaking, there was no stuttering, and there was no muddled thoughts. There was no nervousness. It was impressive. I don't think I've ever given a presentation without being nervous and having my heart trying to break its way out of my ribcage.

It turned out to be a rather fun teaching experience. The students asked questions and we all interacted well. They were a fun group of ladies and we all seemed to get along with each other. There were a few ladies with experience with colored pencils and many without. Some had trouble with the concept of fracturing the image but most figured it out.

The workshop lasted from 10am to about 3pm with an hour lunch break at noon. It was long enough to get a good start on a small piece and since I had them working on pieces about 10 inches by 12 inches it worked out alright.

At the end of the workshop I had them each write a comment in my comment book. This is the comment book that I've had at my solo show up in Moscow and at my BFA show. It's my official comment/feedback book. I think my favorite comment in that book is, 'Where are the hotdogs?'