I love seeing the light in the eyes of a beginner watercolor student when they realize that they are REALLY an artist (not because their art rivals Michaelangelo’s but because they enjoy exploring the medium enough to give it a higher than expected priority in their life.)

 

I enjoy overhearing a guest at our annual Student Art Show saying what they enjoy in a piece of student art, especially if the student hears it too.  

 

I get a big kick out of helping students choose the best of their year’s worth of art, talking over how to mat and frame it, how to price it and how to think about words to describe it.

 

This year I am in charge of running the Student Show for the oil and the watercolor students of the Fredericksburg Art Guild.  As you may guess, I am having a fun time!  

 

The show will be called The Story Behind the Art and students are asked to write a sentence or two about each piece that they enter. Something about why they paint in general or specifically about this piece, or perhaps about problems encountered and overcome.  

 

Of course running a show is not all fun... Due to Covid cancelling a big fundraising event, our usual funding disappeared and we are running the show on a shoestring.  I went to local businesses to ask for gift cards to replace the cash that used to go with the various ribbon awards. This was a very uncomfortable task for me, but I was NOT going to let our event be cancelled.  Imagine my surprise to find that a number of local businesses were happy to help.  What a relief.  

The opening Reception will be during First Friday Art Walk noon to 6 pm, with awards at 5 pm, on 2/5/21.  If you are local, do come and support our students with your interest.  You may also see the show any weekend 12-4 pm during February.  

 

If you are not local, you can still see a good deal of the show on the Facebook page for the Fredericksburg Art Guild during February. (Have I mentioned that I curate that page?  I try to find words of sense and wisdom about art and creativity to present there daily along with our fractured art.)

 

Thank you for supporting and encouraging my art journey, so that I can support and encourage others,

 

Nan

 

PS In the event of a Covid surge shutting down the Fredericksburg Art Guild, the reception will be replaced with a Facebook Live event.