March--Last Burst of Art Shows!

AND A HAPPY APRIL FOOL'S DAY TO YOU ALL!


UNDER THE OAKS
Fine Art & Craft Show
Sponsored by the Vero Beach Art club
March 12-13-14, 2015

What a show!  Supposedly, over 80,000 people attend in a wonderful oak tree-filled setting in Vero Beach.  About 230 exhibitors, some of the best in the country.  It's exhausting but fun.  I was satisfied with sales and made many contacts, chatted with old and new friends, networked, and talked up my art.  Unfortunately, I became allergic to the oak trees--I made the mistake of raking all the oak leaves, exposing mold and dirt and just creating a lot of dust in the process, so I could place my pretty rug  there.  So for 3 days itchy skin plagued me.  It is so inspiring to see such great work. 

We had some "spitting" rain a few times, but all-in-all the weather held up. 


PLEIN AIR AT THE VERO BEACH YACHT CLUB
Paint-out, Show & Sale
March 25, 8:00 am - 8:00 pm

"At Rest" Acrylic by Judy Burgarella

 Had a great day painting outdoors with friends at the Yacht Club.  The show and sale later in the day was a good one, with half the paintings being sold, and this little gem of mine (12x16) sold for $350.  Paintings had to be framed and wired, ready for hanging, so I had brought several frames with me to fit the best one to the painting.  It is such a pleasure not having to worry about a wet painting, thanks to the quick drying properties of Acrylic paints.

In order to get a view that inspired me, I had to go way out to the end of a dock and set up.  Very awkward, and not much room else I may end up in the drink.

Happily, an hour or so into my painting Carol Bennet set up next to me and we chatted for some time about what artists usually talk about--art and artists!  She did a very large abstract/impressionist type of painting, very effortlessly while I struggled with my little one.  But we both had such fun.

The day was cool, and very breezy, and so I fought the wind while my hair blew in my watery eyes all day.  Such is the plein air expience.  At least I had no bugs dried into the pigment like I usually do when painting in a meadow or at the beach.


INTERNET FIND!
A couple of days later I was on the internet looking at portraiture and was steered to an Ebay seller with this gem of a painting for sale for a starting bid of $50.  I bid $55 and got it!  When it arrived, it definitely was an original oil painting, of great quality but quite old and with hairline crackles.

My guess is German, 18th Century.  Glued onto board.  Several small repairs that look like they'd been done a long time ago.  Signature is pretty obliterated but an expert would be able to tell.  I was thrilled. To be able to closely examine the colors and brushstrokes, it is an excellently rendered oil painting which I will treasure and learn from.  I have not taken it apart yet, I want to set aside a block of time to devote to that careful process.  Perhaps there will be a surprise under that beautiful gilded, slightly damaged, ornate wooden frame.  Sometimes you just get lucky.  But I got lucky again . . .

ANOTHER EXTRAORDINARY FIND!
A few days later I found this little gem in a thrift shop:

"Sarah Louise Bowes" by Kenneth R. Ransley

While rummaging through a collection of pictures leaning against a chair in a thrift shop this one caught my eye.  I tried to resist but found myself going back to it 3 times.  The last thing I needed was another picture.  But I finally picked it up and examined it closely.  Image size was about 9" by 12", and it was beautifully and very professionally rendered.  Obviously appreciated by some recent owner as it was professionally framed with museum glass and double matted with no foxing.  The frame was plain, but appropriate for a fine piece.  The original typewritten information was taped to the back of a neatly paper-backed application, which read, "Sarah Louise Bowes Circa 1927-28 Artist: Kenneth B. Ransley."  Framer was "Frame Center and Gallery, Custom Framed, Sarasota Florida."  The artist, according to the internet, is from Chicago, and Kenneth is actually a woman's name (b March 21, 1893 - d June 12, 1989)  Her career spanned many years, as did her husband Frank T. Ransley whom she met while studying at the School of Art Institute of Chicago.  I found postings of several people who had purchased her work at garage sales or thrift shops, she must have been very prolific.  A shame the subjects themselves were of such little value to their families that they ended up in the throes of a second-hand sale.  Working with my daughter Robin at her and Cass's Crimson Key Estate Sales company, we see a lot of this, and it is always sad to see.

The strokes creating the face are so simple, with not much shading, and it is spectacular how this artist captured the essence of Sarah with such little effort.  The hair strokes are presented so matter-of-factly, with only a few random strands drawn in just the right place.  Perfect!  There is nothing like a perfectly rendered painting or drawing, and this is one ... and I own it!  The price?  Well, there was a big fat price tag of $10 on it, but for that day only all framed pictures were half price.  So for $5, less than the cost of a lunch, I bought a treasure.  What luck!  Unfortunately, this will keep me on the lookout for more paintings to hoard.  Actually my art "finds" look quite nice collectively sitting on easels on top of the decorative shelf space that lines our kitchen and family room. Just have to get rid of some pottery and baskets up there.  So there is room for more, much to husband Bob's chagrin.

 PORTRAITS IN ACRYLIC
My first class at the
Vero Beach Museum of Art

"Crow Indian" Acrylic by Judy Burgarella

Although I have assisted Christine Thomas for many months now with her "Cork & Canvas" painting parties at the Vero Beach Museum of Art, this Monday was my own first class there.  I have been teaching painting and drawing for 15 years, and looked forward to this one at the Museum.  The class was packed with 15 students of various levels of expertise, from beginner to intermediate.  So I lectured a bit on brushes, paints, techniques, and the joy of painting portraits, had them prime the canvas in between talks, then jump right in to paint the values of the face.  Class was 1:30-4:30, and by 4:30 all paintings--including mine--were still at the "ugly" stage.  Next week we will make them beautiful and dramatic.  Some may want to segue right into painting their own subjects, which is fine with me.  Such fun to share my excitement over portraiture!  I get in the zone as soon as I put the brush to canvas.  My drug of choice.


OPEN CLASS AT
THE SEBASTIAN RIVER ART CLUB
1st & 3rd Thursdays, 9:00-12:00
Well, tomorrow, April 2nd, will be my class at the Sebastian Club.  Continuing my oil Indian, similar to the acrylic one above, as a half-hour demo.  People paint what they want, from pets to landscaping to portraits.  It's very loose and free-wheeling, almost any medium but mostly oil and acrylic.

After that I pick up my little granddaughter Salem and we'll go out to lunch, then we'll paint eggs with neon paint and hang them on the Jacaranda tree.  Have to squeeze as much time in with her while she still thinks I'm super gramma.

I'll post some of the egg creations for all to see next time.  Hope you enjoyed this posting.  And God bless you at Eastertime.

Regards,
Judy Burgarella
Blogger
www.burgarellaart.com
(if you visit my website, forgive the outdatedness, as another is in the works.