October 16, 2008
Michelle Kovach of Spitfire Photography will be our speaker
Professional Tips and Tricks from a Photographer. Michelle Kovach of SpiritFire Photography will teach you how to improve your images and use your camera better! Bring your camera and your manuals. Learn how to compose and frame your photographs. Michelle will show you how you can do less work and achieve more when taking photographs for reference and the art of doing more with those photographs you take.
She will demonstrate using her camera and yours to get the most out of your time you spend taking photos for reference in art .This will be an informative meeting and one you will not want to miss. Michelle is an award winning photographer who lives is Matthews and does outstanding photography
Check out her website: www.spiritfirephotography.com
November 20
Out presenter is: Bob Brooks who will do a watercolor demo
Bob Brooks was born October 23, 1941 in Akron, Ohio. He attended Akron University and graduated with a Bachelors and a Masters Degree. At the University of Akron he studied art as a requirement for his Bachelors degree. While living in Akron he painted and studied with Lowell Ellsworth Smith for several years. In 1988 Bob moved to Charlotte, NC where he lives with his wife Nancy.
Bob is the recipient of many awards. His paintings are in several private and corporate collections including Nations Bank, Rausch Industries, The Gaston County Museum and The Scheile Museum of Natural History.
Bob presently teaches an adult watercolor painting class through the Cabarrus County Parks and Recreation.
ARTIST STATEMENT: Robert Brooks
As an artist who chooses to work in watercolor I welcome the demands and the unpredictability of the medium. When the pigments start to merge with each other on the paper the true beauty of watercolor becomes most evident, it is then that I know why this is my medium of choice.
In my painting I strive for an impressionist portrayal of my subject matter even though I consider myself a realistic painter. Subject matter is seldom a restricting element I try to approach a landscape, a seascape, a figure or a portrait with the same bold attitude. I concentrate on large shapes and overall design of the painting. I try to leave enough of the painting to the interpretation of the viewer. This makes them an active participant in the painting. My method of painting demands a quick approach, the paint must be applied boldly and confidently to avoid an over worked or muddy look. This method requires a great deal of planning before the brush touches the paper. I do not claim any great imagination so nearly all of my work comes from personal observations. I work on location, en plein air, or rely on my own photo graphs and memory to stimulate my creative energy. I complete several sketches of an idea before I finally settle on a design. I do a relatively loose drawing on my paper and when I think I have my large shapes and values accurately identified I begin to paint.
