From a press release:
Asheville Urban Landscape Project presents six Paint-Outs, Sept. 9-Oct. 14
This fall the Asheville Urban Landscape Project is presenting 6 plein air Paint-Outs in the neighborhoods and parks of Asheville. Each Paint-Out will begin with a presentation from an accomplished local artist. After a short presentation, participants will work on their own paintings while the featured artist works along side. Around 12:30 p.m. we have an optional “Art Sharing” and talk about our work.
The Paint-Outs take place from September 9– October 14 2014, Tuesday mornings from 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. “This fall we have some fantastic Featured Artists. Deborah Squire, Brennen McElhaney, Renee Williams, Sarah Sneeden, Sandra Moore and John Davis have generously agreed to share their technique and philosophy,” says Lisa Blackshear, Project Coordinator.
“In choosing locations for the fall session I looked for sites that best epitomized Asheville. We will be painting in four new locations, Pritchard Park, the North Carolina Arboretum, the Beaver Lake Bird Sanctuary and (hopefully) the Governor’s Western Residence.”
The Paint-Outs are free and open to the public; however, participants supply their own materials. “All mediums are welcome, oil, acrylic, watercolor, pastel, pen and ink, pencil. Lisa suggests visiting judsonart.com or artworkessentials.com for ideas on plein air set ups. “If you aren’t sure which easel or pochade box to invest in, bring a sketchbook and chair to the first paint-out and see what everyone else is using.”
Last spring the Asheville Urban Landscape Project sponsored 6 Paint-Outs featuring artists Jim Southerland, Colleen Webster, Virginia Pendergrass, Mike Alonzo, Susan Luke and Cheryl Keefer. Since then we have continued to meet every Tuesday. Each Paint-Out is coordinated and hosted by a different member of the group, sharing the responsibility and effort. “I have been amazed by the level of enthusiasm and generosity of our members!” says Lisa. You can see our Paint-Out schedule at http://ashevilleurban.com/calendar.
We have been compiling a body of work entitled Imaging Asheville, an online gallery of art created during and inspired by our Paint-Outs. You see the unique perspective of the individual artist and their development over time. If you are a museum, gallery, restaurant or store, we are interested in a location to host our physical exhibition. For more information, or to join our Paint-Outs, please contact Lisa Blackshear at art@lisablackshear.com.
Asheville Urban Landscape Project Fall schedule:
Tuesday, Sept. 9: Deborah Squier French Broad River Park
Deborah grew up in New England. “I was constantly immersed in nature. As the youngest of four children, I accompanied my father regularly on plein air painting outings. While he wrestled with the elements on canvas, I dove headfirst into them. ” Deborah exhibits her work in Ambleside Gallery and Blue Spiral 1.
Tuesday, Sept. 16: Brennen McElhaney Basilica of St. Lawrence
Brennen McElhaney graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design. “My work, in both my subject matter and color palette, is optimistic, re ecting a sense of contentment with my home in Western North Carolina and my appreciation of the breathtaking scenery of the Blue Ridge Mountains.” Brennen works as a freelance illustrator and art director, is president of the Western North Carolina Plein Air Painters, a member of Asheville Area Arts Council and a strong advocate of the local arts community.
Tuesday, Sept. 23: Renee Williams Pritchard Park
After 30 years of working as a nurse in various fields, Renee Williams retired to pursue her lifelong dream of creating art. Art education includes both art classes with various instructors in Florida and here in North Carolina. Renee has also taken workshops with Tom Lynch, Julyan Davis, William Jameson, Luana Luconi Winner, Larry Moore, Peter Campbell,and Richard Nelson, and portrait artist, Nancy Greenawalt.
Tuesday, Sept. 30: Sarah Sneeden North Carolina Arboretum
A North Carolina resident since 1967, Sarah Sneeden is a native of Pennsylvania. She graduated from Centenary College in New Jersey, the Famous Artists School, the New York Institute of Photography, and the Portrait Institute of New York. Annual workshops in the West have added experience and new ideas to her painting repertoire. A voracious reader, Sarah’s extensive art library keeps the art world at her fingertips.
Sarah’s 40 years of experience, distinctive style and versatility are evident in her original and innumerable works of art. She likes watercolors, prismacolor pencils, and pastels for sketching but prefers the permanency of oils for her finished pieces. When she can find a sunny spot, Sarah’s favorite way of working is en plein air – working out-of-doors on location where she can study firsthand the play of light on her subject. Interpreting reality with sure brush strokes, rich color and verve, Sarah experiments with the season and the subject, always seeking that play of light. Larger pieces are completed in her studio.
Sarah is an associate member of Oil Painters of America. She has won Best of Show awards in Brevard, Tryon, and Hendersonville, N.C. She was awarded the Grumbacher Gold Medallion for Excellence in the ’99 Pen Women Show.
Sarah Sneeden graduated from Centenary College in New Jersey, the Famous Artists School, the New York Institute of Photography, an the Portrait Institutue of New York. Sarah’s favorite way of working is en plein air — working out-of-doors on location where she can study firsthand the play of light, interpreting reality with sure brush strokes, rich color and verve. Sara is an associate member of Oil Painters of America. She has won Best of Show awards in Brevard, Tryon, and Hendersonville, NC She was awarded the Grumbacher Gold Medallion for Excellence in the ’99 Pen Women Show.
Tuesday, Oct. 7: Sandra Brugh Moore Beaver Lake Bird Sanctuary
After graduating from West Virginia University with a degree in art education, Sandra Moore taught in public schools. Many of her paintings depict the beauty of the forever changing moods of the mountains. mountains seasonal transitions or from watching the early morning fog lift from the valleys. The remarkable variety of light effects found in nature provides her with a lifetime of inspirational subject matter, pastoral landscape, wildflowers, color intense sunsets, sunlit buildings. She has won awards for her work and participated in juried shows. She teaches watercolor and drawing in the North Carolina Community College system and holds workshops in the Western North Carolina area. Her work can be seen at the Asheville Gallery of Art and Wickwire in Hendersonville.
Tuesday, Oct. 14: John E. Davis Governor’s Western Residence, 45 Patton Mountain Road
John’s formal art training began at the University of South Carolina’s Sloan College of Art. The influences of Joquin Sorolla, John Carlson and Richard Schmid, as well as early-20th Century Western artists Edgar Payne and William Wendt may be seen in his paintings. John continues to study intensively, taking workshops from modern plein aire masters including: Larry Moore, Ken Backhaus and William Davidson. John’s passion for wildlife and wild places led to a career in conservation magazine writing and editing where he met and worked with some of our nation’s top wildlife artists and photographers. His extensive, intimate knowledge of native wildlife, natural habitats and outdoor pursuits provides an authenticity to his paintings.
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