"Old Town Herndon II" Wins Third Place in Paint Herndon Competition

"Old Town Herndon II," oil, 14"h x 11"w, ©Jill Banks 2011

I'm tired ... and sore ... but happy. Today was the Paint Herndon Competition, and we (I think I heard there were 25 or 26 adult participants) had up until 3:30pm to finish up, stick the pieces in a frame and turn them in. It was a race to the finish.

My painting, "Old Town Herndon II" was awarded Third Place. I started this in the morning, under a tent, in the pouring rain. There are remnants of puddles but they faded as the rain stopped and sun started to work its way out. I was glad it was raining. If it wasn't I would have been out in the sun ... no shade with this view.

The event was fantastic for visitors of all ages. Beautiful tractors were brought over from Frying Pan Park. Kids made some wild looking scarecrows. The Farmer's Market was set up. And, there were youths and teens competing for prizes as well. The best part of the award presentation was when one of the jurors talked about the youth art and why each piece was chosen.  Those were some very excited, well deserving recipients.

"Hammond Houses," oil, 20"h x 16"w, ©Jill Banks 2011

I painted two other pieces for the event. "Hammond House" was painted last night after I went in to have my canvas/panels stamped. "Fossil Rock Farm" was painted in the last hour-and-a-half to two hours of the event. Once I get this back, I plan to add in some people at the farm stand. It's looking a little lonely, but figures were too daunting to try under time constraints. All three of these and many (if not most) of the competition entries are on exhibit  throughout the month at ArtSpace Herndon. Stop by and take a look.

"Fossil Rock Farm," oil, 8"h x 10"w, ©Jill Banks 2011

Events
August 31 - September 21: "100 Faces in 100 Days" on exhibit at the Artists' Atelier, 1144 Walker Road, Great Falls, VA. Open hours: Wednesday, August 31, 12:30 to 6:00pm, Saturdays, Noon-4pm. Additional hours will be posted on my blog.

August 3-September 5: 'Scapes Exhibit at the Art League, 105 N. Union Street, Alexandria, VA. My entry, "A New York State of Mind," won Honorable Mention.

Thursday, September 8, 7:30pm: Demo for the Vienna Arts Society, Vienna, VA. More details to come.

Saturday, September 3, 9am-3:30pm: Paint Herndon plein air event. I'll be out there in my purple smock returning to ArtSpace Herndon by 3:30pm with a wet painting in tow.

My Still Life and Portrait Painting & Drawing Classes are both full. See the Classes page on my web site for more information on those classes. Send me an email if you would like to receive notification of other class/workshop offerings -- what kind of courses you would be interested in, days of the week and times.

Sunday, October 2, 10am-5pm: MPA McLean Artfest, juried outdoor arts festival, McLean Community Park, McLean, VA

Saturday and Sunday, October 15&16, 10am-5pm: Great Falls Annual Studio Tour. Major weekend long event with 47 artists from Great Falls Studios participating in a self-guided tour. I'll be in the Artists' Atelier, the studio I share with 14 other artists at 1144 Walker Road, Suite G, Great Falls. Last year, the tour drew 7200+ visitors from throughout the DC area. Don't miss it!

To read more about the 100 Faces in 100 Days project on my web site (www.jillbanks.com), go to the 100 Faces Project Pages 1 and 2 where you can see all 100 of my volunteers. Click on the paintings, and go to my blog post for that person's sitting.

Web: www.jillbanks.com
Blog: jillbanks.blogspot.com
100 Faces in 100 Days Project Page 1 (faces 1-54): www.jillbanks.com/jillbanks/100_Faces_in_100_Days_Project.html
100 Faces in 100 Days Project Page 2 (faces 55-100): www.jillbanks.com/jillbanks/100_Faces_in_100_Days_Project_2.html
Email: jillbanks1@aol.com
Phone: 703.403.7435