Category Archives: Events

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G.C. Myers at Principle Gallery Tomorrow (9/8/12)

Over the Blues, a new piece by G.C. Myers

Excitement is in the air at Principle Gallery as we prepare for the G.C. Myers talk we are hosting tomorrow.  Our doors will be open during Old Town Alexandria’s Festival of the Arts Saturday September 8th through Sunday the 9th. At 1pm on Saturday, G.C. Myers will be here in person to discuss his artwork and inspiration, and he will be free answer any questions you may have.

Myers’ Artist Talk is following on the heels of his exhibit at the Fenimore Art Museum in Cooperstown, NY.  His solo show titled Internal Landscapes will remain up until December 31st, so if you have a chance to visit, there is still time!

You can read G.C. Myers’ thoughts on the exhibit at Fenimore here.  And, please, come visit G.C. Myers tomorrow at 1pm and see beautiful Old Town Alexandria at the street fair while you’re here.

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Face Off: Q&A Session

Friday nights Face Off was a smashing success! We are so thankful to our wonderful artists, Mia, Rachel, Cindy, & Terry, our beautiful model Jen, and all the wonderful people who came out to support them!

Painting Session

The artists worked in 20-minute sessions of painting, followed by 5-minutes of questions. We realize trying to fit all your questions in six 5-minute sessions is difficult, so for those who didn’t have a chance to get all their questions answered, we have compiled a list of the most asked questions from the night.

Question Session

Mia

Q: Why do you use a mirror when painting?

A: By looking at my paintings in the mirror, I am able to see the image in reverse. This helps me see the shapes more clearly and give me a fresh eye, since after about 30 minutes, my eyes start to think everything is correct on my painting. It also helps me see the model in a new way, in reverse.

Q: Where did you study?

A: I studied at the Rhode Island School of Design, then the Charles H. Cecil Studio in Florence, Italy. Since my return from Italy in 2005, I have attended multiple workshops, including one given by Joseph Todorovich.

Q: What type of paints are you using?

A: I use all types of brands for oil paints, including Windsor & Newton, Rembrandt, and Gamblin.

Q: What are you painting on?

A: I am painting on a handmade wooden panel available locally in Chattanooga, TN. It is a birch panel, with a poplar cradle, that has been primed with high quality gesso and a layer of oil.

Q: How old are you?

A: A lady never tells her age!

Mia

Rachel

Q: How did you choose your composition?

A: This is a great question. I believe that the most important element of a painting is design, and that the most beautifully painted image falls flat without it. (One could even argue that with strong design technique becomes secondary, but that’s a separate conversation.)  Luckily for all of us, the moment Jen sat down in that blue kimono and turned her head, she became a painting. Every once in a great while a painting seems to paint itself, the composition is obvious and you just have to color it in. Jen emoted such elegance and that she really made it easy for me. In terms of composition, what struck me immediately was the lovely curve created by the slight tilt of her head, leading down to the kimono, then traveling down the swoop of her arm, through the curve of her wrist and down to her fingertips. Abstractly, that hand then draws you back into the picture, back to her profile.  My goal was to create an image that evoked a similar response to the one I felt by looking at her. I wanted to capture her GRACE.

Rachel

Cindy

Q: Is it hard painting in front of an audience?

A: A bit. I was totally fine during the first 20-minute session because I was concentrating so hard I was completely unaware of how many people had snuck in. When the first break was called, I stood and turned around, and was like WHOA! Where’d you guys come from?  I noticed my hands shaking a bit during the second session, but once I really started concentrating again, I was able to relax and get back into the zone. It helped immensely that everyone was talking and having a good time. Whispered conversations would have been very unsettling.

Q: Why do you have all your colors pre-mixed on your palette?

A: I mix strings of value and color ahead of time in order to simplify the painting process. I mix my palette the same way every time I paint a portrait, so just like a pianist develops muscle memory to know where the piano keys are, I know exactly where each color is on my palette without having to hunt for it, or having to mix a color on the fly. This allows me to concentrate on what I see in front of me and what’s happening on my canvas.

Cindy

Terry

Q: Why are you looking in a mirror?

A: Because Mia does it! Not really but I did leave that trick from Mia. At home I always use a mirror. I actually haul my paintings into the bathroom so I can see the entire thing in reverse to see them with a fresh eye.

Q: Is that a wood panel?

A: Ampersand Gessobord stained with Rembrandt Burnt Umber.

Q: Is that really Lois Lane in your Fast Lane painting?

A: Yes. See her in the photo in the Superman (Call of Duty) painting?!

Q: What is your palette hooked to?

A: A contraption my husband Dan made that hooks to my easel. I like to see the paint in the same light as the painting. (When one of the ladies saw this she said “I want a Dan!”)

Terry and her palette contraption!

Thank you again to our wonderful artists, who gave their all Friday night, and a big thank you to everyone who came out to support them! Two of the paintings have already found wonderful homes and we hope the other two find homes soon!

All four finished pieces, left to right: Terry, Mia, Cindy, Rachel.

If you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact us and we would be happy to pose your questions to the artists! Thank you again!

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Face Off Prep

We are starting to get excited for tonight’s Women Painting Women: Face Off Demo featuring Mia Bergeron, Rachel Constantine, Cindy Procious, and Terry Strickland from 6:30-9pm! The ladies arrived yesterday and already had ideas running through their head about the set-up!

Here’s a look at what we’ve been up to around the gallery since the ladies arrived!

We started by moving the front desk! A whole new look for the gallery.

This morning the ladies started setting up. First the lighting.

Then their easels.

Next it was an afternoon prep-session with the model, friend and collector Jen.

The big decision: which color kimono to wear!

We hope you’ll join us tonight to check out the great work these artists will be creating! We can’t wait to see the finished products! We will also be giving away a palette signed by all four artists!

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Out and About: Fenimore Art Museum – G.C. Myers

G.C. Myers will be featured in a solo exhibition at the Fenimore Art Museum in Cooperstown, NY from August 18 – December 31, 2012! We are so excited for Gary to have this opportunity and encourage everyone to visit the museum during the exhibition! The show will even feature a few pieces from Principle Gallery clients including “Archaeology: The Story Told.”

Here is what the Fenimore has to say about the exhibit:

Internal Landscapes: The Paintings of G.C. Myers brings together fifteen recent works in acrylic on paper, wood, and canvas by Ithaca-area artist G.C. Myers. His crisp, clean compositions, bold coloration and stylized renderings transform the natural landscape into one that resonates with human emotions and qualities.

Myers describes the emotional tone of his work generally as “A sense of being calmly in the moment, taking in the stillness of the paused now.” His peaceful landscapes encourage reflection and a renewed sense of purpose.

‘Archaeology: The Story Told’, 20 x 30, Mixed Media on Canvas

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Bubbles & Bluegrass

Ali and Meghan had a great time at the Bubbles and Bluegrass event hosted by Give Back Alexandria, an initiative of ACT for Alexandria. The music and food were excellent and everyone was dressed in their black tie, blue jean best! There were Scout Guides everywhere and bidding for the silent auction raised over $25,000! We mingled with a number of collectors in addition to meeting some delightful new friends! We would like to thank Give Back Alexandria and the host committee for a wonderful time!

Meghan & Ali

Photograph by Revamp.

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Principle Gallery About Town

The gallery as a whole has decided that we want to get out and become more involved in the community!

Michele started us off in May by attending Art Uniting People – A Celebration of Creativity and Mental Health, an event put on by the Partnership for a Healthier Alexandria’s Mental Health Anti-Stigma HOPE Campaign. She had a great time and made some connections that might lead to an event or two at the gallery later this the year!

Last night, Ali attended the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria’s donor event with a collector and close friend of the gallery. They had a wonderful time visiting with all the dogs and cats that are available for adoption! Pet adoption if something we all support, especially our newest member Asher, Clint’s adopted rescue puppy! He has only been here for a week and we are already making him tired with all the attention we’ve been giving him!

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Asher

Ali and Meghan, joined by gallery friend Leigh, will be venturing out to the Carlyle House on Fairfax Street tonight for the 5th Annual Bubbles & Bluegrass event hosted by Give Back Alexandria, an initiative of ACT for Alexandria. The event is “a philanthropic, live music, giving back kind of event” to benefit ALIVE! and Higher Achievement. We already know a few collectors who will be in attendance, maybe we’ll see you there too! Check back next week for some pictures!

Look for the four of us (and Asher) out and about on the town and let us know if there is an event you think we should be attending!

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Sovereign Solitude

Reblogged from Redtree Times:

Click to visit the original post

I've been getting work ready for my upcoming show, A Place to Stand, which opens June 8th at the Principle Gallery in Alexandria, VA.  This will be the thirteenth consecutive year that I have had a solo exhibit there yet it still induces a certain fear and anxiety, feelings that my own common sense tell me should have faded long ago. 

Read more… 395 more words

In anticipation of our upcoming G.C. Myers opening of 'A Place to Stand', we would like to share this wonderful post that Gary wrote for his own blog, Redtree Times! We hope you enjoy it at much as we did and that you will join us as we welcome Gary on Friday, June 8th from 6:30-9pm!

G.C. Myers, 'Blue Sovereignty', 16 x 12, mixed media on canvas, 2012.

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Out and About: Art Uniting People

Art Uniting People – A Celebration of Creativity and Mental Health

This year, the Partnership for a Healthier Alexandria’s Mental Health Anit-Stigma HOPE Campaign will celebrate National Mental Health Month by opening its 2nd Annual Art Exhibition, “Art Uniting People – A Celebration of Creativity and Mental Health,” on Thursday, May 10th, 2012 from 6:30 – 8:80pm at the Lee Center, 1108 Jefferson Street, Alexandria. All are welcome!

This is an art exhibition dedicated to making a difference. It provides people whore lives have been affected by mental illness the opportunity to use art as a form of expression in order to engage the Alexandria community in a conversation about mental health issues.

The exhibition will feature artists of all ages, young and old! The artwork will range in medium from sculpture and ceramics to drawing, painting, photography and even writing. The artists have been invited to share the inspiration behind their art pieces, and some of their personal stories, to help viewers understand their perspective and the impact of mental illness on their lives. The artists will be in attendance at the opening event!

Margaret Dowell, author and artist, will be guest speaking at the event. Dr. Dowell will be discussing the emerging role of art as a powerful force in fostering an environment and society more supportive of recovery. Dr. Dowell has been producing artwork since before her college days, starting with minimal sculptural installations and evolving into drawing and painting. She has been featured in a variety of solo and group shows around the DC metropolitan area. She was a co-editor of Addiction and Art published by the Johns Hopkins University Press, 2010. Dr. Dowell currently lives in Maryland and teaches for the Art Department at Carroll Community College.

The event will also feature performing artists Poet Shelly Bell and Pianist Ann Lee.

This is a wonderful event and cause! We hope you will join us in supporting the Mental Health Anti-Stigma HOPE Campaign by attending the event with us on May 10th.

If you are unable to attend the event the artwork will continue to be displayed at the Lee Center until September 2012 at which point it will be moved to the Charles E. Beatley, Jr. Central Library. The artwork will be on display at the Central Library (5005 Duke Street, Alexandria) from October 2012 through January 2013.

Partnership for a Healthier Alexandria

This event is being sponsored by the Partnership for a Healthier Alexandria Mental Health Anti-Stigma HOPE Campaign in partnership with CSB Alexandria, the Alexandria City’s Therapeutic Recreation Program, the Alexandria Office of the Arts, the Alexandria Commission for the Arts, and Friends of the Alexandria Mental Health Center.

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Columbia, America By Another Name

Before there was America, there was Columbia. For much of our nation’s history, America’s alternative name, Columbia, was a byword for the shared values that united a diverse and fractious American society.

ImagePhotograph by Francis Smith

Gallery friend and talented photographer & filmmaker Francis Smith will grace Principle Gallery with his presence on Thursday, April 26th from 6-8pm for the inaugural fundraising party for his new project, American By Another Name.

ImageColumbian Press photograph by Francis Smith

In 2011, Francis began studying the use of the name Columbia throughout American history. Gaining inspiration from his roots, traced back to before the American Revolution, he found the name Columbia to be the connection between all of his ancestors. Whether it was Columbia, Tennessee, Columbia County, New York, or Columbia University, it seemed as though everyone could be linked with the word Columbia.

Francis’ interest in Columbia is not limited to just places that share the name, but rather the people who inhabit or are influenced by those places. He is exploring the name’s history and looking at contemporary American life in Columbia places. If you have a connection to the name Columbia and would like to participate in Francis’ research feel free to contact him here.

For more images that Francis has collected, in addition to updates about his search across America, visit his blog here or the Facebook page here.

ImageColumbia Township photography by Francis Smith

If his monthly work in American Art Collector and American Fine Art is any indication of his multimedia project to come we cannot wait to see what he has to show us. Check out some of his work here and here.

To get more information about the fundraising event or if you wish to attend, please RSVP on the America By Another Name event page.

If you are unable to attend the event but would still like to make a tax-deductible donation, please click here.

America By Another Name is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization.

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Women Painting Women: The Expedition & Beyond

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Above (clockwise from top left): Mia Bergeron, ‘Silence’, 60 x 34, Oil on Linen; Cindy Procious, ‘Where’s the Tabasco’, 12 x 16, Oil on Linen on Panel; Terry Strickland, ‘The Three Fates’, 30 x 40, Oil on Panel; Sadie Jernigan Valeri, ‘Undersea’, 16 x 20, Oil on Panel.

It all started back in 2009 when Sadie Jernigan Valeri, Alia El-Bermani, and Diane Feissel decided to start a blog entitled Women Painting Women devoted to highlighting contemporary women artists who specialize in painting the female figure.

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Above: Terry Strickland, ‘The Three Fates’, 30 x 40, Oil on Panel.

All the hard work of these wonderful women paid off when in November of 2010 Robert Lange Studios hosted the first “Women Painting Women” opening. This exhibition features work from over 52 talented female artists, including our own Jennifer Balkan, Terry Strickland, and Sanna Tomac, whose subject matter for the show was strictly the female figure.

Before and during the show, 12 artists descended upon Sullivan’s Island, South Carolina, just outside Charleston, to partake in a group painting excursion. The women rented a house on the beach and spent the next week living together and exploring the surrounding area with their paintbrushes.

On Friday, April 13th, 2012 from 6:30-9:00pm we will be opening the wonderful culmination of this expedition in a show called “Women Painting Women: The Expedition & Beyond.” This show will feature artwork painted while on the expedition as well as new work that was inspired from the artists’ time together. All of the women continue to focus on the female figure and in this case they have been primarily influenced by each other.

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Above: Linda Tracey Brandon, ‘Mia in a White Turban’, 20 Tondo, Oil on Canvas on Panel.

Twelve of the thirteen artist will be in attendance for the opening: Mia Bergeron, Linda Tracey Brandon, Rachel Constantine, Alia El-Bermani, Diane Feissel, Catherine Prescott, Cindy Procious, Shannon Runquist, Terry Strickland, Stefani Tewes, Alexandra Tyng, and Sadie Jernigan Valeri. Unfortunately, due to her distance, Kate Stone will be unable to attend the opening, but we are pleased that we will still be able to display her work.

After the show, the women will be traveling to Catherine Prescott’s house to begin another expedition that we know will result in another amazing body of work.

Click here to purchase an exhibition catalog.