Third Place at the Historic Buford Plein Air Fest

The weekend of April 24th saw Charles prowling around the back streets and gardens of Buford, Georgia, with a paintbrush and a big ol' hat. He and 44 other artists were in town for the 3rd Annual Historic Buford Plein Air Festival.

Everyone met bright and early Friday at the Tannery Row Artist Colony for check-in and orientation. Canvases were stamped, maps were distributed and then they were off!

Charles' first stop was the garden of one of the historic homes across the tracks from downtown and from there, on to the gates of the city's gem, the Bona Allen Mansion. I was able to accompany him on Saturday when he set up his easel on the sidewalks of East Main Street.

By 4:00 Saturday all the artists were delivering their wet paintings to the Tannery Row's gallery for the exhibition and judging. Being exhausted and starving (and also sunburned, in my case) we went to eat, returning at 6:30 to find the die-hards set up and painting the evening sun as it fell across the Tannery Row buildings.

The weekend produced 78 paintings for the exhibition, which was very well presented in the Tannery Row's gallery space. (I had been somewhat curious as to how they were going to deal with so many wet paintings - "framing not necessary." The unframed pieces were propped along display shelves and since most everything was small, it worked out well.)

The hallway and lobby were packed for the reception and awards presentation - artists, guests and quite a few local collectors. Charles' first painting of the weekend, "An Enchanted Place," was awarded Third Prize! (9 x 12, oil on panel)

We both had a wonderful time at the paint-out. The casual and convivial atmosphere among the artists was great to be around. Everyone was in high spirits and the weather was beautiful. (Did I mention my sunburn?) We definitely plan to be back next year.

If you're interested, the show will remain up until May 30th at the Tannery Row Artists Colony in Buford.

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3rd Annual Historic Buford Plein Air Exhibition
April 24 - May 30, 2009
Tannery Row Artist Colony Gallery
554 W. Main Street, Bldg. C, Buford GA 30518
770-904-0572 -- info@TanneryRowArtistColony.com -- http://www.tanneryrowartistcolony.com/

Academic Artists Association National Exhibition

"Remnant of Empire," Charles' new and starkly beautiful still-life painting, has been accepted into the Academic Artists Association's 59th National Exhibition of Contemporary Realism in Art.

The exhibition opens this weekend and hangs until May 29th at the Karen Sprague Cultural Arts Center in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Charles' painting "The Red Cup" was accepted into last year's exhibition and was honored with the Arts Unlimited Award of Excellence.

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Academic Artists Association
59th National Exhibition of Contemporary Realism in Art
May 1 - 29, 2009
awards reception: May 3, 1-4 pm
Karen Sprague Cultural Arts Center
1000 State Street, Springfield MA 01109
413-245-9036 -- Academic-Artists@cox.net -- http://www.academicartistsassociation.com/

Demonstration for the Georgia Art League

Last Thursday afternoon, April 16, Charles was the featured presenter at the monthly meeting of the Georgia Art League. His oil-painting demonstration was very well-received by the 40+ people who were in attendance and many of them stayed on while Charles continued to paint long after the meeting officially closed!

Thank you to the members of the Georgia Art League for the invitation and for the many insightful questions and wonderful comments Charles received. We look forward to seeing you all again soon.

Another Review of the Blairsville GA Workshop (March 2009)

Pat Aube Gray, our host at the Carriage House Art Center in Blairsville GA, has posted some photos and a very nice review from Charles' 5 day still-life workshop held there during the last week of March.

Pictured below (in one of Pat's photos) is Charles with 5 of the 7 workshop participants on Friday afternoon, all smiles after a long week!

Atlanta Fine Arts League "Contemplations" Exhibition

The evening of April 2nd was the opening reception for the Atlanta Fine Arts League's 2009 Members Exhibition at the Quinlan Visual Arts Center in Gainesville, Georgia.

It might have been wet, windy and gloomy outside, but it was quite the party inside. According to the Quinlan, there was a record crowd in attendance that evening and they credited the AFAL show hanging in the main gallery for the influx of fresh new faces.

This was the first AFAL exhibition that the Quinlan had hosted, and everyone involved was thrilled with the result. Thirty-one members participated and the show got a very nice review in the Gainesville Times.

"Contemplations" is definately a must-see. It will remain on view until June 7.

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Atlanta Fine Arts League
"Contemplations" 2009 Members Exhibition
April 2 - June 7, 2009
Quinlan Visual Arts Center
514 Green Street NE, Gainesville GA 30501
770-536-2575 -- http://www.quinlanartscenter.org/

Five Day Workshop a Great Success

During the last week of March, Charles was in Blairsville, Georgia conducting a 5 day long oil painting workshop at the Carriage House Art Center.

Focusing on painting the still-life, the week included two demonstrations which illustrated two separate approaches and plenty of painting time for the students to work on each idea. The importance of composition in the still-life was stressed, especially as it related to the perception of depth and movement within the painting.

By all accounts, the week was a tremendous success. Several of Charles' still-life paintings are currently on display and available for sale at the Carriage House Gallery. Please contact them for more info.

Upcoming Presentation and Painting Demo

Charles is scheduled to be the feature presenter at the April meeting of the Georgia Art League.

Thursday, April 16 at 12:00 noon at the Quinlan Visual Arts Center in Gainesville, GA.