“Open Sky Art” Exhibit at Caribou Coffee
June 11, 2009 at 9:18 pm | In North Carolina arts, art, en plein air | Leave a CommentTags: art, Chapel Hill artists, en plein air, North Carolina artists
Artist Scott Myers at work on an "en plein air" painting for Open Sky Art.
June 11, 2009 (CHAPEL HILL, NC) – Joseph Rowand, director and curator at Somerhill Gallery in Durham, was stunned to learn that the artists who participated in Kimberly Alvis’ “Open Sky Art” event on Sunday, June 7, began and completed their paintings in just a few hours that day. Rowand arrived at Caribou Coffee on 110 West Franklin Street in Chapel Hill late that afternoon to select the top three ribbon-winners among the 8 completed works.
“I thought they started three days ago,” he said as he studied the paintings now displayed on the walls of the downtown coffee shop.
Artists in the gardens
Open Sky Art was an “en plein air” (French for “in the open air”) painting session hosted by Chapel Hill artist Kimberly Alvis in her lush gardens just outside the downtown district. Participating artists chose whatever element or view they wanted to paint on Alvis property, which includes a pond and small wooden bridge, pool, gazebo, extensive gardens in bloom and ornamental trees.
The artists brought their own supplies and painted outdoors from 8 a.m. to around 2 p.m. before delivering the completed works – most of which were also framed – to Caribou Coffee’s West Franklin Street location, where they became part of the Open Sky Art Exhibit to celebrate “en plein air” painting.
Painting "en plein air"
An advocate and veteran of open-air painting, Kimberly Alvis contributed three of her own oil paintings for the show, although as host and a member of the Somerhill Gallery stable of artists, her works were not included in the judging for the three winners.
For First Place, Rowand selected an 8×10 piece of the pond and bridge, rendered in pastels, by Linda Wood of Wood Design & Art Studio in Raleigh. The painting is titled “June Garden” and Wood will receive the only cash prize.
Second Place went to Scott Meyers of Chapel Hill, a member of the Orange County Artists Guild, for his 14×17 oil painting of an old Adirondack chair sitting by the bank of the pond.
Third Place went to Tesh Parekh, co-owner of IWP Photography and a member of the Visual Art Exchange in Raleigh, for a 12×16 watercolor of the pond and surrounding gardens — one of two pieces Parekh completed that day.
Open Sky Art event, sponsored by Kimberly Alvis
Kimberly Alvis sponsored the Open Sky Art event and exhibit to celebrate “en plein air” painting and go expose artists who enjoy it to a wider audience.
“I’m very grateful to the management of Caribou on Franklin Street for allowing us to display our exhibit there,” she said.
The Open Sky Art Exhibit will remain in Caribou Coffee at 110 W. Franklin Street, Chapel Hill, through mid-July and will be part of the town’s Second Friday Art Walk.
About Kimberly Alvis: An accomplished artist, Kimberly Alvis is recognized for her representational work in oil on canvas, linen and panel. She is represented in the Triangle area for Somerhill Gallery in Durham (www.somerhill.com) and the Little Art Gallery & Craft Collection in Raleigh (www.littleartgalleryandcraft.com.) According to Somerhill Gallery’s Joseph Rowand, Alvis’ work offers “a style reminiscent of the 17th century Dutch and Spanish masters. We encounter with Kim’s work an artist who celebrates the past, deploying paint and light to exquisitely delineate her own compositions.” To see more of her work, visit www.alvisart.com.
posted by blueplate pr
Caribou Coffee On West Franklin To Host “Open Sky Art” Exhibit
June 2, 2009 at 11:29 pm | In North Carolina arts, art, en plein air, news | Leave a CommentTags: art events, Chapel Hill art exhibits, Chapel Hill arts, en plein air, North Carolina artists, outdoor painting, Triangle art exhibits
"Girls Fishing," an 'en plein air' painting by Kimberly Alvis
June 2, 2009 (CHAPEL HILL, NC) – The Caribou Coffee Company location at 110 West Franklin Street in downtown Chapel Hill will host Open Sky Art: An Exhibit, beginning Sunday, June 7 and running throughout the month.
Open Sky Art is a celebration of “en plein air” painting (French for “in the open air”), sponsored by Chapel Hill artist Kimberly Alvis, who wants to expose the art and the artists who enjoy this method of painting to a wider local audience.
“Caribou Coffee seeks out different avenues to connect with community, and here on West Franklin Street we’re always looking for opportunities to support the local artists and musicians,” said store manager Carla Strickland.
“We’re delighted and honored that Carla and Caribou Coffee have agreed to host our exhibit,” Alvis said. “The popularity of that coffee shop and its location right in the middle of everything on Franklin Street will provide excellent exposure for the artists who are lugging their easels, paints, brushes and talent outdoors to create original works of art under the open sky.”
A frequent participant in open-air painting, Kimberly Alvis is hosting an all-day painting session in her own gardens on Sunday, June 7. Over a dozen artists are participating. Paintings completed that day and prepared for hanging will be included in the Open Sky Art Exhibit. Somerhill Gallery’s celebrated director and curator Joe Rowand will then determine First, Second and Third place winners. A cash prize will be awarded to the First Place winner.
“En plein air” painting challenges artists to create works outside of their studios, using what they see and feel around them as inspirations for their work. During the Open Sky Art painting session, artists will use Kimberly Alvis’ lush gardens, backyard pond and parade of ducks as potential subjects.
“I love ‘en plein air’ painting because you never know what you’re going to have to deal with,” Alvis said, remembering a particular session when she had to keep goats from munching on her canvas while she was painting on a goat farm near Graham, NC. “The wind, the quality of the lighting – everything factors in when you’re painting outdoors.”
As the host and sponsor of Open Sky Art, Alvis will not paint during the event or include her work in the judging process, but she will hang a completed painting in the exhibit.
The Open Sky Art Exhibit can be seen in Caribou on Franklin Street during the town’s Second Friday Art Walk (June 12) and throughout the month during regular business hours.
Caribou Coffee Company, Inc., founded in 1990, makes it a practice to give back to the communities where its shops are located. For more information, visit www.cariboucoffee.com.
For more information on Open Sky Art and Kimberly Alvis, visit www.alviswart.com.
posted by blueplate pr
Raleigh Artist Jason Craighead Launches New Website
April 30, 2009 at 10:42 pm | In North Carolina arts, Raleigh arts scene, art, downtown Raleigh, news | Leave a CommentTags: abstract artists, artist website, Jason Craighead website, North Carolina artists, Raleigh artists
Jason Craighead in his studio.
April 30, 2009 (RALEIGH, NC) — After years of having his work available for viewing online solely through gallery websites, artist Jason Craighead of Raleigh, N.C., has just launched his own website: www.jasoncraighead.com.
Designed by 8 Dot Graphics, the new site features a continuous slide show of the artist’s recent works on the landing page, along with notices of current and upcoming exhibitions. The muted background suggests the “passionate and emotionally charged evolving exploration of line and space” that Craighead says defines his current work.
From the landing page, visitors can click on “works on paper” and “works on canvas and panel” to see more available paintings. “Press and reviews” takes visitors to a selection of media critiques of Craighead’s past exhibits and to a chronologically list of news items generated by the artist’s publicist, Kim Weiss of blueplate pr, including his work for charities and community arts organizations.
The new website’s “contact” page features the names, addresses and websites of the galleries that represent the artist — including Somerhill Gallery in Durham, Broadhurst Gallery in Pinehurst, Anne Irwin Fine Art in Atlanta, Georgia, and Bucks Gallery of Fine Art in Newtown, Pennsylvania – and contact information for Craighead’s publicist.
The site also features an “about the artist” page that offers more detailed background into the evolution of a painter who has become a recognized leader in the North Carolina art scene. The page includes listings of group, two-person and solo exhibitions, publications where Craighead’s work has been featured, select public and private collections, and his professional experience serving as a juror for art exhibitions and as a member of the Public Art Committee for the City of Raleigh Arts Commission until 2011.
The new website will also allow the artist to post new works as they are finished.
Jason Craighead’s next major exhibition of his work will be a solo show at Somerhill Gallery in August. More details will be available this summer at www.somerhill.com.
For more information on the artist and to see his most recent work, go to www.jasoncraighead.com.
posted by blueplate pr
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