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By Peggy Stermer-Cox, 350 contributed posts
View all Peggy Stermer-Cox's posts. About the author: I begin my watercolor paintings with an idea and a drawing. I build the painting layer by layer, drawing lines and shapes, looking for rhythm and feeling. My color sense is a reflection of my childhood in New Mexico fused with colors of my home in the Northwest. My goal is to go beyond the surface to find joy, wonder and a bit of mystery. I have shown my works in galleries, juried, group and solo shows in Washington, Oregon, Montana and New Mexico. My paintings are in private collections in the west, New York and Norway.
To view examples of Peggy's work or to make contact with the artist, please visit her listing at the Southern Oregon Artists Resource.
Talent: a special aptitude, skill or gift someone seems to have; the t-word.
Just Thinking.
Greetings! The word and concept of “talent” has been rolling around in my head for a week or two. Its odd, I think, but recently I’ve read good blog posts by other artists on the subject of talent, skills, passion; you know, the special gift. So, naturally, I decided it was a topic I wanted to explore.
My intention is just to share my mind’s meanderings. To clarify, I don’t have a great, deep answer about what talent is or is not. Rather, I’m just riffing on the concept.
Compliment.
You see, the “t-word” seems to be something that people (and artists in particular) are driven to talk about from time to time. Granted, it’s not really so surprising. Consider this, if you have achieved a certain level of competence in drawing or painting (or pretty much anything), chances are that someone has complimented you and said that you’re gifted or special, (t-word again).
Are We All Talented?
I wonder, do you suppose we call people “talented” if they’re good at mathematics or the sciences?
Come to think of it, some schools do have a “gifted” program.
Can We Grow It?
What do you think, wouldn’t it be fun to grow and harvest that gifted, special aptitude stuff? Or, rather, I gather that we do grow our skills and abilities when we work at our favorite thing; that special aptitude we have.
Hard Won Skill?
Back to the blog posts I’ve been reading, artist David Hettinger, for example, talks about his hard won skills as “talent”. To elaborate, he has studied and worked hard to achieve the special skills so noted by other people.
But what about the child who displays a gift or special ability?
I would say we love to look at a child’s drawings and paintings. Its interesting and fascinating to see how the young mind works. Perhaps some of us do have a pre-disposition to drawing, painting, mathematics, science and etc. I wonder.
Nurture, Nature, Both?
I do remember loving drawing as a child and wanting to figure out how to do things better.
Odd, don’t you think? Or, are we hardwired of born with that urge to get better even at a young age?
So, mix nature and nurture; teaching and praise; and then perhaps the we give the gift of talent to children. Just a thought from my meandering mind.
Inspired.
And for me, I am inspired by what my fellow artist said. To re-iterate, talent is a hard won skill; I can relate.
Most of all, I know in my bones that a special aptitude serves me best when I work and develop it! Put another way, who cares if I have talent especially if it lays dormant? Its the work that matters.
Talent: Its Where I Live!
Then, there is the fact that I currently live in Talent, OR. See? No wonder the word rattles around my head!
By Peggy Stermer-Cox, 350 contributed posts
View all Peggy Stermer-Cox's posts. About the author: I begin my watercolor paintings with an idea and a drawing. I build the painting layer by layer, drawing lines and shapes, looking for rhythm and feeling. My color sense is a reflection of my childhood in New Mexico fused with colors of my home in the Northwest. My goal is to go beyond the surface to find joy, wonder and a bit of mystery. I have shown my works in galleries, juried, group and solo shows in Washington, Oregon, Montana and New Mexico. My paintings are in private collections in the west, New York and Norway.
To view examples of Peggy's work or to make contact with the artist, please visit her listing at the Southern Oregon Artists Resource.
Award, that is to say a special recognition of achievement.
Good News!
Greetings! I am pleased to say that my painting Three Minute Egg V11earned the Fourth Place “High Desert” award in the Watercolor Society of Oregon (WSO) Spring Experimental Exhibition, Florence OR. (Yay!). The exhibition opened on Saturday, April 7th at the Florence Events Center, (715 Quince St) and you may view the show during business hours through the 23rd of April.
Award Donors.
I would like to send my deepest thanks to the sponsors of the Fourth Place “High Desert” Award: Jack Richeson & Co and the WSO 100 Club, Inc.
Jack Richeson & Co is one of the few family run art supply manufacturing companies remaining. Located in Wisconsin, their company “is based on a belief in the Importance of Art, its relevence, its necessity in life”, (quote from their Facebook page). I think its wonderful that they have nine full time working family members and the occasional seasonal member. Thank you Jack Richeson & Co!
The WSO 100 Club is a non-profit corporation established by WSO in 1984 as an endowment fund. The purpose of the fund is to subsidize member education and the WSO Awards Program. Thank you WSO 100 Club!
Award-Winning Paintings.
My watercolor is one of twenty award-winning paintings. The paintings will continue on in a traveling show through the end of September, including galleries in Florence, Newport and Carlton, (please see the schedule below).
WSO Spring Juried Exhibition.
The Watercolor Society of Oregon (WSO) hosts two juried exhibitions per year: one in the fall and one in the spring. To explain the process for the show, artists submit paintings for consideration into a juried show. The submitted painting must past an initial jury to be accepted into the show. Then a juror (or jurors) selects award winners.
In the case of this particular juried show, the juror accepted 80 paintings from 279 entered by 163 artists. And, from the shows 80 paintings, she selected 20 award winners.
This spring’s Juror was artist Ms. Fran Larsen of Santa Fe NM. She is a nationally recognized artist and instructor.
What’s special about the Spring show is that artists can be experimental. That is to say, while the paintings are primarily water media, they may incorporate elements of other media, like colored pencil, ink, pastel, etc.
About the Watercolor Society of Oregon.
The Watercolor Society of Oregon was started in 1966. The society currently has over 800 members from around the state. Its purpose is to promote the interest of watercolor paintings. The Spring Experimental Exhibition is one of two shows held annually in the state of Oregon.
About the Painting, Three Minute Egg V11.
This is the eleventh painting in a series of works exploring a still life setup. For background information, the set up includes eggs, egg cup, timer, spoon and napkin. With each new painting, I allow myself the freedom to explore composition, color, meaning and whatever else strikes my fancy. Incidentally, you may notice that in this painting I was playing with angles.
So, what’s the meaning, you might ask. Well, three minute eggs were one of my favorite childhood breakfasts. Strangely enough, I didn’t particularly enjoy the taste of eggs. Instead, what I liked was being able to dunk my toast into the egg. Plus, we had egg cups from Spain which made the eggs ever more exotic.
With that in mind, you might say this painting is about the memory of exotic breakfasts. Or, the breakfast where Peggy was allowed to play with eggs and toast!
Exhibition Details.
April 7 – 23. Florence Events Center, 715 Quince St., Florence OR. Hours: Mon – Fri: 9am to 4:30pm.
April 24 – May 31. Backstreet Gallery, 1421 Bay Street, Florence OR. Opening reception Saturday, May 12 from 3-5 pm. Hours: 10am to 6pm daily.
May 31st – July 31st. Newport Visual Arts Center, 777 NW Beach Dr., Newport OR. Hours: Tue – Sun: 12 noon to 4pm.
August 1st – September 31st. Wallow Gallery, 125 W Main St., Carlton OR. Hours: Fri – Sun: 12 noon to 5pm.
By Peggy Stermer-Cox, 350 contributed posts
View all Peggy Stermer-Cox's posts. About the author: I begin my watercolor paintings with an idea and a drawing. I build the painting layer by layer, drawing lines and shapes, looking for rhythm and feeling. My color sense is a reflection of my childhood in New Mexico fused with colors of my home in the Northwest. My goal is to go beyond the surface to find joy, wonder and a bit of mystery. I have shown my works in galleries, juried, group and solo shows in Washington, Oregon, Montana and New Mexico. My paintings are in private collections in the west, New York and Norway.
To view examples of Peggy's work or to make contact with the artist, please visit her listing at the Southern Oregon Artists Resource.
The daffodil: an early flower and symbol of hope; a nice way to end the month of March and start the month of April.
Intentions.
Greetings! I would like to share with you an announcement about my latest art show. Plus, I have a couple of daffodil drawings to show you. You see, I thought they would be a nice way to close out the month of March and greet the month of April.
New Show: Linda Vista (Ashland OR).
First up, I am pleased to announce that I have 18 paintings now hanging at Linda Vista Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Ashland, OR. The wonderful people at Linda Vista will show my work through the month of June.
Displayed in the nursing facility’s lobby hallway, you may view the paintings during normal business visiting hours. Linda Vista’s address is 135 Maple St., Ashland OR.
Some of you may recall, I displayed my artwork here before in late 2015 to early 2016.
Art2Business.
I would like to acknowledge that this is an Art2Business show. Let me elaborate. Art2Business acts somewhat like an agent or go-between. They facilitate the meeting of artists, art and venues. In other words, Linda Vista has an arrangement with Art2Business. And they selected me, as one of the Art2Business artists, to show in their venue for approximately three months!
So, thank you Art2Business and Linda Vista!
Artist Statement.
I thought I’d share my artist statement with you. First, though, it might be helpful to know that I curated my paintings to ensure a bright and cheerful collection. In other words, I wanted to create a joyful display to greet patients, family members, visitors and staff.
I like to paint the joy of life and do so by including people, cats, ponies and coffee cups. Drawn from imagination, these are the characters through which I like to show the wonderful, humorous side of life.
Naturally, bright colors and fun shapes help support the message of joy.
Daffodils In Bloom.
To begin with, the daffodils are in bloom these days in our Rogue Valley of Southern Oregon. They have been blooming for a couple of weeks. And, coincidentally, I have a few in my garden. Such festive bright flowers in early spring.
On Drawing A Daffodil.
So, naturally, I thought I’d draw and paint them while they are still in bloom. To my surprise, they are challenging to draw from life. Their are a couple of issues, you see. For one thing, there is the perspective of the corona or cup. I chose to draw the flower with the cup in a nearly frontal position. Its like looking down at a tube head on.
Take the point of view and add on the fact that the flower is yellow and, then, you have an interesting challenge. To explain, what color are the shadows of yellow flowers? As I look at the flower, the colors look greenish or gray. Hmmm, my mind does not want to paint a yellow flower greenish gray. I will have to persuade it, that is my mind, to do so.
Also, parts of the yellow tend toward orange, and others, again, toward green. In any case, its sometimes amazing to note that a seemingly simple subject like a daffodil has its challenges!
I did draw a different point of view on my iPadPro using the app Procreate.
Daffodil As Floral Symbol.
Sometimes when I’m drawing or painting a subject, I like to look up symbology, history and other small cultural “gee whiz” type facts. For example, daffodils are a national flower for Wales.
The symbology and meaning of daffodils is complicated. For example, one daffodil, like in my artworks, implies misfortune; OOPS! I ought to add more! Because, you see, multiple daffodils mean joy and happiness! I guess one daffodil just looks lonely.
And, as you might gather, meaning and symbology varies with country, culture and history. If you are intrigued by such floral messages, you might want to check The Daffodil Society of Great Britain. Their blog has an interesting article about the language of flowers and the daffodil in particular.
So, with that, I leave you with two drawings of a single daffodil. I hope that since there are two drawings then that counts as multiple daffodil. Its about being joyful and happy!
By Brooke Nuckles, 117 contributed posts
View all Brooke Nuckles's posts. About the author:
Awaken from the slumber of winter’s gestation … bring life to those dreams of following creativity and authenticity …
Spring’s Bluster
As winter tugs to hold on and spring throws it’s own punches, we tumble about from 70 degree, sunny days to frosty, snowy fog. But my daffodils are winning out and I’m feeling optimistic for plein air painting, garden digging and hikes with friends. I’m inviting you to trundle along into one of these adventures with me!
Namaste’
E
Women’s Retreat Women’s Alpine Celebration
After last year’s ALL inclusive retreat, we plan to replicate what one participant declared, we learned “so many things that related but are all different!” – – but with new invented processes. Consider August 8-13th to be yourweek for a personal opportunity to expand and rediscover hidden creative yearnings, a dedicated time for yourself. For a video sampling … feast your eyes onthis. Early registration and Scholarships available andmore! Be one of the select six limited participants … come treat yourself! ALSO … prints of the above image
available …
Shows Meyer Memorial Gallery (SOU)
April 21-29, the Ashland Gallery Association presents local artists in conjunction with the Taste of Ashland. Come see some stellar artwork! Ashland Open Studios Tour 2018
Again this year I will be participating in Open Studios, October 13 and 14. I look forward to meeting more of you and sharing my work and studio! Traveling Conversations
Our January Sebastopolshow was largely attended and we sold two of our fabulous big collaborative pieces. This continuing exchange betweenJean Warren, Floy Zittin and myself will carry on … next showing, hopefully in the Bay Area. Incidentally, this blustery watercolor at very top is fromthis collaborative series!
Classes Visual Art Journaling “Clinic”
Monthly I nest in with up to five diverse artists (emerging or established) to hone the techniques of watercolor specifically related to journaling. My devotion to journaling started in 2001 … and if not familiar … here’s mystory. This year I’m focusing on the color wheel, studying a particular color, 3-5pm, each third Friday of the month … April will be “Greens”. Confirm with me before coming because of limited space!
These projects can be done during our regularly scheduled workshops on Wednesday and Saturday mornings from
10 – 12n. Please call or email ahead to reserve your space.
Crackle Technique
April 14th
1-4pm
plus one morning workshop
Learn how to make dazzling crackle technique backgrounds to accentuate your fused glass pieces.
This class will incorporate a crackle technique background and painting with glass enamels on both surfaces of the top layer.
Glass, fiber paper, powders, paint, glass nuggets and two firings are included with this 2 class project. You will be required to wear an N95 respirator. They are available for sale if you do not already own one. ($3.95)
This will be a small class and will fill up quickly so register today.
$ 95
One place left
Painting with Frit 2
April 28th & May 5
1-4pm
Take your frit painting to the next level!
Learn the secrets to multi-layering glass, paint and frit giving your artwork depth and dimension.
Project is shown with bear but there is a deer pattern available as well.
This will be a small class and will fill up quickly so register today.$125
Painting with Glass Enamels
Dogwood Spoon Rest or
Small Platter
May 19th
1-4pm
Paint dogwood flowers, leaves and branches on the top layer and learn to paint complementary watercolor backgrounds on a second layer to create depth and interest.
This 10″ x 6″ spoon rest is not only beautiful but a handy accessory for any kitchen. Small platter also available.
This class includes all materials and 2 firings.
$55
Painting with Frit
One Saturday Morning and Afternoon
June 2nd
10a-12pm
Lunch
1-4pmLearn to use frit, hand pulled stringers, 96 glass and glass enamels to quickly add dimension and a painterly quality to your fused glass art.
We’ll explore different techniques through 3 small panels, focusing on clouds, trees, water and layering backgrounds. We’ll also address combining colors and picture composition.
Find out how easy it is to develop your sketches from photos and other inspiration. These panels can be a great reference guide for future projects.
All frit, stringers, glass, glass enamels and lunch are included.Glass fusing: Basics or equivalent is required.$135
Morning Workshops:
Come join our morning workshops on Wednesday and Saturday mornings from 10a – Noon. Use our tools and workshop space. $10 for 2 hours! Call to reserve your space. You can do a Flowers of Hope panel during any of our workshops…or a “Try Fusing” panel to get you started in fusing. You can also schedule bigger projects. Contact us for more information.
By Brooke Nuckles, 117 contributed posts
View all Brooke Nuckles's posts. About the author:
The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and Bureau of Land Management Medford District are co-sponsoring a series of free guided educational hikes at the Table Rocks weekends in April and May.
Sunday, April 15, 9:00 a.m., LOWER TABLE ROCK
Nature Sketching & Journaling: Join a scientist turned artist for a hike and exploration of art in nature.
Darlene Southworth, SOU professor emerita of biology and watercolor journalist, will share her perspective on the landscapes you see and the natural history you encounter along the trail.
Bring a sketchpad and pencils or pens; watercolors are optional but welcome.
Create your own fun little sheep while learning how to needlefelt with armatures. Beginners welcome.
$45. Includes all materials.
Gelli Printing
with Karen O’Brien
Saturday, April 14th
10:30 am – 1:30 pm
This is a fun exploratory class in printmaking using commercial and homemade gelatin printing plates. We will experiment with color, plant materials, stencils, masks and texturing materials to make complex papers that can be used as collage for mixed media projects or framed as art. I will also cover how to make your own stamps and stencils to use for printing.
$45. Includes all materials.
Recommended by Karen:
Bring along some soft leaves, so they do not dig into the plate surface and any of your favorite stencils and texture materials ex: bubble wrap, lace…
Paint like Van Gogh
with Kristen O’Neill
Saturday, April 21st
1 – 4 pm
All materials provided
Leave with an acrylic painting
Learn about post-impressionism and Van Gogh
Study a master’s work, a time-honored tradition to improving your art skills
Have a fun afternoon!
All skill levels are welcome
Each person copies a work of their choice (Not a follow-the-leader format)
$30. All materials included.
Recommended to bring a color photocopy of your favorite Van Gogh as a reference.
Paint like Picasso
with Kristen O’Neill
Saturday, April 28th
1 – 4 pm
All materials provided
Leave with an acrylic painting
Learn about Picasso and his immense influence on many periods of art
Study a master’s work, a time-honored tradition to improving your art skills
Have a fun afternoon!
All skill levels are welcome
Each person copies a work of their choice (Not a follow-the-leader format)
$30. All the materials are included.
Recommended to bring a color photocopy of your favorite Picasso painting as a reference.
Living a More Inspired & Heartfelt Life
with Janet L. Stanley, M.A.
Saturday, May 5th
1 – 4 pm
Are you the ‘You,” you long to be?
Are you following your heart’s deepest desires?
Are you nourishing your soul?
I invite you to join me to explore what gets in our way and how we can overcome those obstacles.
Please bring a journal, a blanket and pillow. If you have a drum and/or rattle, I invite you to bring it/them along.
Janet L. Stanley is a spiritual guide, mentor, teacher, and shamanic healer.
Learn or develop your skills in drawing from life.
We will sketch fresh flowers
We can use pencils, pens, or charcoal.
Work on creating good values, realistic lighting
Improve composition
All skill levels welcome
$30. All materials provided.
Paint like Alex Katz
with Kristen O’Neill
Saturday, May 19th
1 – 4 pm
Contemporary painter Alex Katz is a master at simplifying compositions. His artwork has been exhibited over 700 times and he is one of the most famous living painters. In this class we will:
Have fun learning tricks to simplify a painting to make it stronger
Learn to plan our colors ahead of time
Beginning students can copy one of his works, and more intermediate, advanced, or adventurous students can bring in a photo and we will paint it in Katz’s style.
Leave with an acrylic painting
$30. All materials provided.
Animal Drawing
with Bobbi Baldwin
Saturday, June 2nd
10:30 – 4
Paint your beloved pet or favorite animal, open to all mediums (except oil). Dogs, cats, horses, tigers, cows, wild animals. Whatever your favorite fur or feather animals are!
We will work on learning the anatomical structure of bodies and faces as well as how to best portray them.
We will also work on composition, color theory, techniques, and painting.
Beginners through advanced artists—all are welcome.
$85. Materials list to be sent to you. (Most materials available for use at the Museum if needed).
Art Journals
with Karen O’Brien
Saturday, June 16th
10:30 – 3:30
In this class we will learn how to begin our own art journal* with simple supplies. I will share plenty of ideas and approaches to begin filling your journals. We will create a journal spread.
All you need to bring to class is:
Blank journal that can handle water media: 90-140 lb paper
OR
Old book : thin spine, no larger than 9″ x 12″, no shiny, slick or glossy pages
*What is an Art Journal? It’s a place to record your thoughts, memories, and emotions through images, art and words.
Why do it? It is an easy way to use your creativity every day. It can be done with simple tools. It is portable, requiring very little space to do it. It can be used to document life, travels, plan you art, express your feelings, test out new art products and techniques. It can be personal – only for you, or you can share it with others.
$45.
Advanced Figure Drawing
with Bobbi Baldwin
Friday, June 22nd &
Saturday, June 23rd
10:30 – 4
Bobbi returns by popular demand!
An in-depth study of how color theory applies to the human form. This class is designed for anyone who wants to learn more about how to draw the human form. It will also apply color theory to the way you draw the figure – including how shadow and light can make your work far better. You will leave with a stronger knowledge of how to apply light and shadow, keep them separated, and how to draw anyone in any position.
$150. Materials list will be sent to you.
How to Paint Waves
with Kristen O’Neill
Saturday, June 30th
1 – 4 pm
Learn how to paint convincing waves
Where it the light in the wave?
What colors make a convincing wave?
Learn about transparent vs opaque colors
Learn about the difference between Mineral Inorganic colors and Modern Organic colors – finally find out what all those crazy paint names are about!
Great color theory class that will apply to other subjects too!
By Brooke Nuckles, 117 contributed posts
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Free! FOURTH FRIDAY FILMS
March 23, 2018 7:00 p.m.
Local artists turned film-makers Bruce Bayard, Larry Lewis and Greeley Wells present the third installment of their Fourth Friday Films series. This Friday’s airing will highlight filrms by Bruce Bayard. In addition there will be short films by Freeley Wells, and works by Larry Lewis. Films will be shown in the Rogue Studio. Attendance is free.
CELTIC CELEBRATION CONTEST WINNERS
Another Sell-Out Crowd has a fabulous time!
It was a wonderful night, abley MC’ed by volunteer Tom Hearon and graced by the songs of the Blarney Tones and a spirited Irish band, the Roaring Rogues.
From an incredibly talented group of singers, Jena Harris won the “Danny Boy” singing contest as judged by the enthusiastic audience.
The art contest was judged by Georgeanna Happel who chose Best in Show and the Honorable Mention pieces. The Celtic Celebration attendees voted by ballot for Peoples Choice. The entire exhibit is on display until this Friday, March 23rd. The winning pieces will be on view until April 6th.
Best in Show: Joan Kennedy for “The Singing Goddess” watercolor/gauche
People’s Choice: Kristen Beck for “Eilean Donan Castle, Scottish Highlands” photography
Honorable Mention:
Silvia Kelly for “Ireland on my Mind” acrylic for most whimsical
Charlotte L. Wirfs for “Celtic Charm” textile
Kristen Beck for “Eilean Donan Castle, Scottish Highlands” photo
Rachel Barrett for “Luck of the Irish” watercolor
IN THE ROGUE STUDIO
For Teens
Teen Painting Workshop for ages 13–17 with Linda Dixon
April Series: Thursdays, April 5, 12, 19, 26, 4:00-6:00 pm
Local artist Linda Dixon will guide students through the process of painting, explaining the importance of color and the principles of design. All materials are provided register now!
For Adults Mixed Media 3 with Linda Dixon
Saturday and Sunday, March 24 & 25,1:00–4:00pm
Construct an assemblage by adding unique found objects on your mixed media piece. Completion of Mixed Media I and/or II is not required to attend this class. Register now!
20 Most Important Lessons with Judy Morris
Saturday, Sunday, & Monday, April 7, 8 & 9,10:00 am–4:00 pm
Join professional art instructor Judy Morris in this inspiring painting workshop about the most important lessons in watercolor. Judy will share her techniques, knowledge, and experiences with painting from her 50 years in the art world that will inspire you to create fantastic pieces of your own. Register now!
Life Drawing Tuesdays, 6-8:30 pm, Next Session, March 27th. $10 per session. Register or pay at time of drop in.
By Peggy Stermer-Cox, 350 contributed posts
View all Peggy Stermer-Cox's posts. About the author: I begin my watercolor paintings with an idea and a drawing. I build the painting layer by layer, drawing lines and shapes, looking for rhythm and feeling. My color sense is a reflection of my childhood in New Mexico fused with colors of my home in the Northwest. My goal is to go beyond the surface to find joy, wonder and a bit of mystery. I have shown my works in galleries, juried, group and solo shows in Washington, Oregon, Montana and New Mexico. My paintings are in private collections in the west, New York and Norway.
To view examples of Peggy's work or to make contact with the artist, please visit her listing at the Southern Oregon Artists Resource.
Symbols, in my case, images or colors representing ideas, thoughts or emotions.
St. Patrick’s Day.
Hi! Its “St. Patrick’s Day” weekend! I have always understood this day to be one in which people of certain cultural descent honor St. Patrick, the Patron Saint of Ireland.
Of Celtic Descent.
Even though I am a descendent of Irish, Welsh and Scottish ancestors, I am not versed in the ins and outs of St. Patty’s Day. Its been a couple hundred years since my ancestors left the isles, you see.
Memories Of St. Patty’s Day.
So, instead, I grew up with St. Patty’s Day being the day I dressed up in one of my many favorite colors: green.
Do you remember being pinched on St. Patrick’s Day if you didn’t wear green? And, drawing endless shamrocks as part of grade school class projects? I liked the drawing shamrock part. However, I was sure to display lots of green to avoid getting pinched.
Celtic Celebration.
That being said, lets get back to more recent events. To explain, about three years ago the local Rogue Gallery and Art Center started having a “Celtic Celebration Art Show”. The show sparked my imagination and I started thinking about creating a painting. But what subject and how?
Tea cups and Celtic mythical goddesses came to mind. However, as you might imagine, its quite a road from idea to reality!
Internet Research.
Thank goodness for research and the tons of information available on the internet. My favorite Celtic things include the wonderful knots and symbols. So, I looked them up and went to work.
Sidebar: Irish and Celts.
I think a quick sidebar is necessary here. To explain, the Irish are considered to be one of the Celtic cultures. So, while the symbols I use may have an Irish meaning, they may be used by other peoples as well. Furthermore, since the Celts have been around for a couple of millennia or so, the symbols may be found in many different countries.
Symbol Meanings Are Complicated.
In the two paintings shown here, I have included some Celtic symbols. I’d like to share their meaning with you, however, please note, the descriptions are simplified. Apparently, meaning for many Celtic symbols is complex.
Symbols Used in “Irish Breakfast Tea
For more, I invite you to look at the references listed at the bottom of this page.
What’s the Point? Meaning!
So, what’s the point to all this discussion about symbols? I wanted to incorporate symbols to give an extra layer of meaning to my painting. True, the titles, plus the green color indicate that the paintings are about something or someone Irish. The symbols just add another layer of meaning to discover. Think of it this way, we get to share something like private messages together through the painting.
Green Is Complicated Too!
Speaking of green color. As I stated before, meaning in Celtic symbols seems to be complicated. And, apparently, so is the color green and its association with Ireland.
For example, when I was growing up, we all wore green on St. Patricks Day. My point of reference is dominated by how Americans celebrate. We wear green shamrocks or green hats, etc. So, I made the logic leap that green is some sort of national color.
Is Green Ireland’s National Color?
The national flag of Ireland has green, white and orange. Plus, I think of Ireland as the “Emerald Isles”.
And, yet, there is not an official national color apparently!
Blue?
Also, as I learned in my research on line, the constitution of Ireland is encased in blue. Even more, the Presidential standard is blue with a gold harp. So, I wonder, would blue be a more appropriate color?
Again, Meaning?
So, what does this all have to do with art? Well, if I’m using a particular color to convey meaning, I figure it helps to ensure a common understanding. Otherwise, meaning is lost or in error. So green it is because, as an American, that’s the color I link with Ireland.
I’m glad I started out someone simple with all this symbolism. I had an idea about doing a mythical Celtic goddess. Maybe next year or so. And, perhaps she’ll be blue!
By Brooke Nuckles, 117 contributed posts
View all Brooke Nuckles's posts. About the author:
This Third Friday, Art du Jour Gallery Presents People’s Choice Award
March brings new featured artists at Art du Jour Gallery, 213 E. Main in Medford. During the month of March Peter Coons work will again be the featured in the Salon and Carol and Bob Sharp will be the featured artists on the feature wall. This Third Friday we have booked classical guitarist Rod Petrone March 16th.
The artists of Art du Jour are pleased to announce that the winner of our People’s Choice Pen, Pencil & Pastel contest, which also included scratchboard, is Cara Morgan’s stunning entry titled “The King”. Second place in the voting went to Norm Rossignol (left in pic), and third to Margaret Braburn. We would like to thank all who participated.
Cara Morgan’s stunning scratchboard entry took to prize in Art du Jour’s “People’s Choice” Pen. Pencil, and pastel contest. ~ photo by Roy Musitelli
Due to a light response, the Oil and Acrylic contest schedule for March has been cancelled, We will accept entries for mixed media for April during the last week of the month. Please call for more information at (541) 770-3190, or stop by the gallery at 213 East Main Street. The contest artists will be honored at our Medford Third Friday Art Walk and Reception on April 20, 2018 5 to 8 pm.
May will be the popular photography “People’s Choice” and potential contestants should take note that the contest will be part of our Art in Bloom exhibit. Space will be limited. We will be posting more information, so like Art du Jour’s Facebook page.
It was a wonderful night, abley MC’ed by volunteer Tom Hearon and graced by the songs of the Blarney Tones and a spirited Irish band, the Roaring Rogues.
