Student Art Show- January 2013

Student Artist Penny Styers shown here with Rebecca . Her dramatic "Stream of Life" painting (Right) was the result of Rebecca's Abstracted Design lesson (taught in the Wednesday Re!ease Your Inner Artist Class). This was Penny's first art show , and her painting received deservedly high praise at the show.

Student Art Show January 2013

There's so much to be gained by showing your work

Roseann Bellinger's Poppies and gorgeous abstract painting .
from Rebecca's Release Your Inner Artist Class.

Lee Quillen and his fabulous Zen Circles. This technique was taught in Rebecca's Wednesday night Exp!ore Watercolor and Acrylic Class. Done on 12-12-12, Lee brought his own interpretation to the lesson and his painting turned out beautifully!

The Student Art Show at Art and Soul- An Artisan Gallery and Art Center was a great success. Not only did participants get to share their work and see it hanging on the wall of a gallery, but they were allowed the opportunity to "come out" as artists and claim that self-description.

So many of us "do art", but we do it quietly. I can relate. I was very shy about my work for many years. I think I was afraid that I might be the only one who would see its merits or enjoy looking at it. I didn't want people to think I was getting big headed or proud, so I kept to myself and only my closest friends and family even knew what I was doing. I would never have wanted to call myself an "artist" I was merely someone trying my hand at something artistic. However I've come to believe that I was very misguided,. I now believe that an artist is merely someone who makes art. If you are creatng art then you are an artist. If you are just thinking about making art, then you are either a dormant artist or a potential artist. The only difference is whether or not you are producing something.

Sharon Gartner and her "Symphony in Purple"
another of the Designed Abstacts from Rebecca's Re!ease Your Inner Artist Class.

Once you create something, I want to suggest to you that it's important for you to share it. Find a group, find a class, find a few friends, find a gallery or a business that might need art on the walls. I have links to art organizations in the area in my previous blog if you are interested in options for getting involved. I predict that in sharing your work, you will gain a new perspective on it, and that the exchange will stimulate you to do more!

This was definitely the case for our students at the show on 1-12-13. Everyone got the chance to hear from others who enjoyed their paintings and drawings. They had the opportunity to give that same kind of feedback to others who were participants in the show. The whole experience was one of friendship and mutual encouragement. Any artist or student artist knows the challenges involved in bringing a piece to completion. Sometimes we struggle more than others, but every finished work represents a journey by the artist.

There is no better audience for your work than fellow artists. They know how meaningful praise can be.

I'm so proud of the work coming out of my classes and all the classes here at the Art Center. Take a look at their lovely paintings and you'll see why...Leave a comment if you enjoy their work, and I'll pass it along to them.

Roseann Bellinger's beautiful sunsets captured in watercolor on paper and on Yupo, both pieces worked on during different lessons in Rebecca's Re!ease Your Inner Artist Class on Wednesdays.

Judith Ellis pictured here with her stunning abstract (above) This painting was developed in Rebecca's Re!ease Your Inner Artist Class on Designed Abstract.