Encaustic Art: Explore, Experience, Embrace!

Join Whidbey Art Gallery member Ron Ward for an introduction to encaustic painting Friday December 9, 2011 at 11 am at the Freeland Library. Ron, an encaustic painter and a sculptor, is excited to be able to share some of the things he has learned as he explores encaustics. This is a hands on demonstration where you will be able to experiment with enacustic painting. Roll up your sleeves, join the fun, and bring your questions.

Ron has been a member of the Artists Cooperative for several years. You can view Ron's encaustic paintings and his bronze sculpture at the Whidbey Art Gallery. During December 2011, you can view a selection of his encaustic paintings at the Freeland Library. The library is located at 5495 Harbor Avenue, Freeland Washington.

POLICIES & PROCEDURES...

I am currently working on the revision as of our last meeting. I am hoping to have it out to all of you before we leave out of town on Thursday evening, that way it can be reviewed once again before our meeting next Tuesday.

Visit Us this Fall

We've been busy bringing in new art and getting ready for the fall at the Whidbey Art Gallery. Visit us at our new location and check out all the changes! We are the perfect place to come on a sunny morning or a blustery afternoon. Don't forget Art Walk the first Saturday of every month.

We are Moving!

Our new location as of July 1st is at
220 2nd Street Ste 102, Langley WA (the clock building)

Come and join us for our new re-opening (again) and check out our new spot!

Spring Finally Comes to Whidbey!

Yes! Spring is actually here! Just in time for the June Art Walk, Saturday June 4, 2011 from 5PM to 8 PM.

Members of the Whidbey Art Gallery will be on hand to visit and share our art with visitors. Join us for a tour of the gallery and light refreshments. You will find a wide range of art on display in our showrooms. You will find paintings in acrylic, watercolor, encaustic, oil and multimedia. We have photographs, pottery, raku, jewelry, fiber, metal art, wood carving, and sculpture for your enjoyment.

Our membership is comprised of talented local artists. Stop by and visit with us during the art walk or during our normal open hours. We are open daily during the summer from 10AM to 5 PM. We are currently located at 114 2nd Avenue in downtown Langley. You can reach us there during business hours at 360-221-7675 or visit us any time on the web at www.whidbeyartists.com . See you soon!

Weekend TO DO List

On my weekend TO DO list:

Visit the Whidbey Art Gallery 114 2nd Street, Langley from 10AM-5PM

Our big Grand Opening event is this weekend, May 28, 29 and 30, come rain or come shine. What an exciting time! Put us on YOUR list of places to go and things to do this weekend and join us as we celebrate.

We are so glad to be back where we can share our art, talk to people and give you an opportunity to ask us questions. Members have been busy creating new art to share, so come and visit our new space and view our collection of fine art.

See you this weekend.

Opening Day

Well...we made it through our first day! Thanks to Christi and Pat for taking the first day on! Stay tuned for our first Saturday Art Walk....

GRAND OPENING SOON!

We are back! Whidbey Art Gallery to be re-opening May 5th, 2011 at our new location in Langley: 114 2nd Street, Langley WA

GRAND OPENING will be Memorial Day Weekend starting May 28th - May 30th.
Come and see us there! There will be new art, and new artists and more....

Check Out Our Art at the Freeland Public Library

April is here! This month you can stop by the Freeland Public Library and see a sampling of the art available from our gallery. Pat Brooks, Moe Jerome, Sue Owen and Craig Sullivan all have pieces hanging in the library. Ed Bennett has a display of his carvings in the showcase in the lobby of the library. Stop by and check it out. The library is located at 5495 Harbor Avenue, Freeland. The library hours are Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 11 am to 8 pm, Wednesday from 10 am to 5 pm, Friday and Saturday from 11am to 5 pm and Sunday from 1pm to 5 pm.

You will also have the opportunity to hear Ed explain how he creates his beautiful bird carvings on Saturday April 23rd from 1pm to 4 pm at the library. The program, An Introduction to Bird Carving, will include a demonstration and discussion of bird carving techniques. Participants will be able to ask our expert questions and use the skills they learn about painting on a simple bird cut out.

We are currently seeking new members. We are interested in your work. We have space for fine wall art, mixed media, three-dimensional interior and exterior sculputre, garden art, photography, fiber arts, pottery, jewelry, glass and much more.

Since we are a cooperative gallery started in 1992, we are owned and operated by the artist members. Our jury committee reviews all submissions for membership. This process insures the quality of the work.

We will be jurying new artists' work beginning April 7th. Please call Pat Brookes at 360-221-8351 or Moe Jerome at 360-730-5917 for more information.

There are hopes to reopen a physical location for the gallery this spring. Stay tuned for more details.

Spring is here! As we are busy trying to find a new storefront in Langley, we each continue to produce new art. We are anxious to have our art seen again. I got up at 3 AM today because there were so many ideas running through my head about things I want to create. I made drawings, notes and tried to go back to sleep at 4 AM. At 4:30 I just gave in, got up and quietly tried to paint.

I have added encaustic painting as a way to express myself more freely. Encaustic painting allows me to create a piece in a few days, instead of the months it takes to do a bronze. I tell myself that it's a little like sculpting and casting because it still uses heat, just not a furnace roaring away. The bonus is that I don't have to go up to my cold studio/shop in the middle of the night to work on my art. But they are different kinds of art; I know when I cast a bronze, I am making something that will last a very long time. Encaustic painting is less durable than a bronze, although some have been recovered from Egyptian tombs.

Encaustic painting uses colored wax as the medium. As with sculpture, there are steps involved in the process. First you melt the bees wax and add the pigment and resin. When I prepare my wax, I make little blocks so that when I am ready to use a color I only have to melt a small amount at a time. This is a perfect opportunity to use recycling in your art. Old cans are perfect for this part of the process.

When you are ready to paint, melt the various colors of wax and paint. You can change the results with a torch or some other heat source. You can also gouge, scrape, layer, and add objects to change your painting.

I look forward to sharing some of these creations with you.