We'll be adding all kinds of news and notes to this page. If you're looking for something specific, such as class or workshop information, try the Index or Blog Archive in the left margin.

Friday, December 19, 2014

Product Review - POSH Tabletop Palette by New Wave Art


The POSH table top palette is a stand out among wooden artist palettes.

- POSH palette at New Wave Art's website
- New Wave Art on Facebook

As an oil painter I believe everything we do to create artwork is important. Good/high quality oil colors, brushes and canvas all go into making painting an enjoyable endeavor. Along with these painting essentials is the artist’s palette. Whether wood or glass/plexiglass, hand held or tabletop, the choice of which palette to use is one that I suggest requires serious consideration.

I mostly use a glass palette that rests on my taboret, but very often, in studio and out, I use a hand held wooden palette of my own making. I say this because I want to make clear I have no set dogma as to which palette is best, since I use both.

Most wooden palettes you buy are not ready to use. They require treating with either a coat or two of polyurethane or a more involved process with oil. Often students find this tedious, and opt for glass mounted on hardboard or such.

One “ready to use” wooden palette designed for table or taboret is POSH by New Wave. It is new, and I was asked to try it out. I particularly like the large gray POSH palette, and it is the focus of this review.

I tried the palette the first time thinking I would use it a couple of times, give a review and then remove it from my taboret, but that was hardly the case. The finish on the gray POSH palette has a unique feel; not as slick as glass but smoother than wood, it really felt good under my brush.

I use a range of approaches when I paint and the POSH performed well with no troubles. I have since painted over seven paintings using the POSH and cleaned the palette completely after each day’s work and the finish of the palette is still as pleasing as the first day of use. And the palette still sits on my taboret, ready for the next painting.

The gray finish is wonderfully middle value gray, and neutral temperature, not warm or cool. A student of mine recently bought one and opened it for in use in the classroom with no prep needed and that is refreshing. Buy it, use it immediately, no worries; good for student and teacher alike.

Glass palettes are certainly easier to clean than any wooden palette, and that is a huge plus for glass palettes. That said, the gray POSH cleaned up as fast as I could expect, and I do suggest you clean the palette before you call it a day. A few times I had to use a painting knife to remove some dried paint after particularly long days of painting, and the finish held up against that as well. Now, I was careful and aware I was working on a wood palette, but it did hold up.

And a point about the quality of the construction of the POSH palette: Before painting with the palette I put it out in the car for a couple of weeks in the summer heat to see how it would hold up and if it would warp. In fact I put another New Wave palette (hand held) in the car along with the POSH and both survived this ill treatment without any warping and that’s good news for students who keep art supplies in the car all day before class.

I think the gray POSH from New Wave would make a wonderful addition to the studios of artists, both new and seasoned and endorse it whole heartedly.

-- Charles Young Walls, Atlanta GA

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Important - Date Change for Upcoming Class Session



For the next session of Charles' ongoing painting classes in Atlanta, we're going to shuffle the schedule a bit from what was originally planned.

The new dates for the next 6 week session are:

- Oct. 28 - Dec. 16, 2014
        (no class on Nov. 11 or Nov. 18)



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Painting - Design and Technique
Tuesday afternoons (1-4 pm) or evenings (6-8:30 pm)
$140 for six weeks


Binders' Art School
Piedmont Peachtree Crossing
3330 Piedmont Road, Suite 18, Atlanta GA 30305
register online - www.BindersArt.com
contact person - Jacob Gunter - 404-237-6331 ext 203

Thursday, August 28, 2014

"Tomatillos and Terracotta" Accepted into OPA Eastern Regional Exhibition

"Tomatillos and Terracotta"  16x20  oil on panel
Well, we've got more good news from OPA...

Charles' still life painting "Tomatillos and Terracotta" will be hanging in the upcoming Oil Painters of America Eastern Regional Exhibition!

Only 110 artists were selected from a field of over 700 submissions. We're thrilled to be included as a finalist. This year the exhibition is hosted by the Eisele Gallery of Fine Art in Cincinnati. The opening reception is September 12 and the show will remain up until October 9.

The virtual exhibition is already online; you can see it now on the OPA website.

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Oil Painters of America
2014 Eastern Regional Exhibition
Sept. 12 - Oct. 9, 2014
opening reception: Fri. Sept. 12
Eisele Gallery of Fine Art
5729 Dragon Way, Cincinnati OH 45227
513-791-7717   |   info@EiseleFineArt.com



Friday, August 22, 2014

Award in Oil Painters of America Online Showcase




"La Vespertina" has won Third Place in the Summer 2014 Oil Painters of America Online Showcase!

The Online Showcase is held 3 times a year. This season's award winners, judged by OPA Signature Member Bryce Liston, can be seen on their website.

All of the past Online Showcases are also available on their main website.

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Honorable Mention Award at Metro Montage XIV


The Legend of the Red Orchid
Metro Montage has always been an eclectic exhibition, and this year was no different. Photographs, sculptures and even an installation shared space with drawings and paintings; abstract and representational mixed and mingled.

So Charles and I were rather surprised this past Saturday evening when we walked into the Marietta Cobb Museum of Art's opening reception and saw that "The Legend of the Red Orchid" was sporting a ribbon.

There were 72 pieces chosen for the Metro Montage XIV exhibition and the museum did a wonderful job of displaying such a diverse range of art. If you're interested, we've posted some exhibition photos from the reception on Charles' Facebook page.

Marietta Cobb Museum of Art

Saturday, July 5, 2014

Painting Accepted into Metro Montage XIV Exhibition

The Legend of the Red Orchid

We are very pleased to announce that "The Legend of the Red Orchid" has been invited to hang in Metro Montage XIV, an annual all-media exhibition showcasing art and artists from the Metro Atlanta area.

Come join us at the opening reception on Saturday evening, July 19, at the Marietta Cobb Museum of Art on the square in downtown Marietta GA.

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Metro Montage XIV
July 19 - Sept 15, 2014
Opening reception: Sat. July 19, 6-8 pm
Marietta Cobb Museum of Art
30 Atlanta St., Marietta GA 30060
770-528-1444 | www.MariettaCobbArtMuseum.org

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

The Website Redesigned !


Hooray! I finally pushed the launch button on the new website. I really like the simple new design and it's a breeze to update. Come have a look and tell us what you think.

www.CharlesYoungWalls.com 

(If you have visited Charles' old website recently, you might have to empty your browser's cache before the new content will load.)

Friday, May 30, 2014

Still Life Painting Named an ARC Salon Exhibition Finalist


"The Legend of the Red Orchid"
"The Legend of the Red Orchid" has been named a finalist in the Art Renewal Center's 2013/2014 Salon Exhibition.

We were honored to have made the cut from an apparently record-breaking 2200+ entries.

The ARC Salon is an annual online exhibition created by the Art Renewal Center and is in its 10th year. Their website is a vast repository of classical realist art and receives over 5 million annual visitors.


ARC Salon Exhibition main page
ARC Salon - Still Life Category Finalists

Thursday, May 22, 2014

"La Vespertina" Accepted into OPA National Exhibition


"La Vespertina"  20 x 16   oil on linen

She's got a fresh coat of varnish, a lovely new frame, and soon she'll be packed up and headed to Vermont --  "La Vespertina" was accepted as a finalist in the upcoming Oil Painters of America National Exhibition!

Approximately 200 paintings were accepted into this year's show hosted by The Bennington Center for the Arts in Bennington VT. The opening reception is June 7 and the show runs through July 27, but it is already available to view online on the OPA website.

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Oil Painters of America
23rd Annual National Juried Exhibition of Traditional Oils
June 7 - July 27, 2014
opening reception: Sat. June 7
Bennington Center for the Arts
44 Gypsy Lane, Bennington VT 05201
802-442-7158 | Shirley@TheBennington.org




Friday, May 16, 2014

"Majesty Rising" a RayMar Art Competition Finalist for April



"Strong dramatic piece. Charles Young Walls certainly knows his anatomy. The gesture of the pose and the subtle color shifts, particularly on the model’s abdomen, are a joy to behold." 
-- William Schneider, April 2014 judge, RayMar Art Competition.

Well, my goodness. It's not often that you get told that your tummy is "a joy to behold." Her Majesty is pleased.

And we're also pleased, because "Majesty Rising" was chosen as a finalist in the April 2014 RayMar Fine Art Competition! Every month 12 paintings are chosen to advance.We are now in the running for the final judging which will take place in March of next year.

RayMar Competition Finalists - April 2014
RayMar Competition main page


Thursday, April 17, 2014

New Work: "Wild Azaleas"

Last week Charles and a friend spent several days on a plein air painting / backpacking trek in the North Georgia mountains and he brought home several lovely little paintings as a result.

While I'm waiting for him to go through and finalize his photos of that trip, I'll show off this little gem from a previous excursion, whose location didn't involve near as much effort to get to.

There was a storm coming that day, but sunlight broke through long enough to spotlight the spring blooms on the edge of the woods.

Wild Azaleas    14 x 11    oil on linen

Friday, April 4, 2014

Charles Named an ARC Salon Exhibition Finalist

We got a wonderful email yesterday notifying us that Charles has been named a finalist in the 2013/2014 ARC Salon exhibition!

We don't know yet which painting made it in since their list only included artists' names. To increase suspense they're withholding title and category information until the exhibition goes live and the awards are announced in early May.

The ARC Salon is an annual online exhibition created by the Art Renewal Center and is in its 10th year. Their website is a vast repository of classical realist art and receives over 5 million annual visitors.


Friday, March 21, 2014

New Work: "La Vespertina"

I came out to the studio one morning a while back and found this beauty on the easel. Wow! A stunner! It's so beautifully painted and so evocative...

"La Vespertina"  20 x 16, oil on linen

Thursday, February 13, 2014

Painting Accepted into Salon International Exhibition

"The Legend of the Red Orchid"
We're very pleased to announce that Charles has had a painting accepted into this year's Salon International Exhibition. "The Legend of the Red Orchid" will hang at the Greenhouse Gallery of Fine Art in San Antonio TX from April 5 - 25.

As a preview to the exhibition, the list of accepted entries, with images of each painting, is now available on the gallery's website.

Salon International 2014
April 5 - 25, 2014
opening reception: Friday April 4, 2014
Greenhouse Gallery of Fine Art
6496 N. New Braunfels Ave., San Antonio TX 78209
800-453-8991 | Salon@GreenhouseGallery.com