We had a business meeting to start the day by going over the plans for this weekend for our Art Show at Tecalai. Then some time looking at some works and works-in-progress from a few of our members. 

Ray Mahoney then gave us a presentation on how Industrialization affected Art and created the Impressionistic Movement, specifically highlighting Pissarro and Degas, which was filled with the how and why Industrialization including simple art-specific things like paints becoming available in tubes, brushes with ferrules and different shapes and sizes available to the artist as well as the portable easel allowing easier work out of doors without several servants hauling all their items. She also highlighted how the advent of trains in England so that people were able to enjoy their leisure time outside of the city becoming a movement on its own, as well as making it easier to transport items, but also eventually pushed France and Paris to begin to embrace trains and relaxing the views of the traditional art forms that the Catholic Church and the Wealthy adhered to. Great presentation Ray!

Olivia brought a few of her more recent projects. The lemons and tomatoes are on black canvas that she stretched herself. The two acrylics on canvasses are partly acrylics and also have some house paint incorporated in the backgrounds. Finally the metal work that she does is awesome! Looking forward to seeing these in the show this weekend!

Jan brought in a watercolor she did some time ago (having reclaimed it from her sister that hadn’t gotten around to framing it yet) using thick watercolor paint which allows you to leave the whites. Very different technique but she did it very well! 

Jan also brought in her collage in progress to get our opinion about putting scales on the Marilyn Mermaid, using a plastic overlay to help make a decision. The consensus was scales are good! Look forward to seeing the finished project Jan! 

Brenda finished her dolphin for the Seguro y Sana project. Turned out great, photos do not give the colour variations justice! A number of members expressed interest in doing a dolphin this year so they need to get moulding and firing more!

Terri did a small watercolor from a photo that she got. Turned our really great, some of the resist in the bottom was frisket applied with a toothbrush to spatter it on! 

Mary brought a couple of the coconut dog faces that she has done. These are so cute, love these! So glad we’re going to get to try our own next week when she does a class with us!

Ray the Queen of Collage brought this fabulous piece in for us to see today. This was her summer homework and it is her representation of Madame X by John Singer Sargent in around 1883-84 (original on the right), but done in Collage and with a Mexican flair to it! This was done all using paper with the exception of a few lines inserted with a marker, unbelievable!