Saturday, September 2, 2017

Lessons from the Road: A Weekend with My Folks

"Porch Light On," oil, 16"h x 12"w, ©2017 Jill Banks

I'm so behind on blogging ... with stories from Italy, a trip to Shadyside, and my first solo show opening in Charleston SC (last night) ... that here it is, I'm starting somewhere in the middle.

Two weeks ago, Randy, my Mom and Dad (Ken and Shonnie Johnson) and I headed to Pittsburgh to attend my cousin's son's wedding. It was no ordinary trip. All along the way, my parents showed how they collect friends and well-wishers at every stop on the road, each lunch out, every possible interaction. Really.

Thinking vs. Saying

On the way there, we stopped at the world's cleanest rest stop with one woman checking the ladies' room (which was already spotless) and another sweeping the leaves from the walk in its almost park-like setting. (There was a family who seemed to have chosen this spot for a picnic vs. just a stopover en route.  When does that happen?)  I thought about saying something to one of the ladies -- to thank her -- but then didn't.  Outside, there my Dad was talking and laughing with the woman who was sweeping. Neither of those women will know what I was thinking.  They both know how much my Dad appreciated their efforts.

At the Inn on Negley, where Randy and I have stayed many times ... Mom and Dad got to know all the guests and staff -- the man who tends the flowers perfectly, Andrea who was invited to help sing Happy Birthday to our son Sam, the couples who ate breakfast with us.

They just reach out and instead of keeping people at arms' length, they wrap those same arms around them.

Throughout Dad's tough times in rehab, there were nurses, doctors, desk folks, servers, therapists, friends who all took a little longer and tried harder to help and who were touched by this pair. It's nice to witness the same connections constantly formed in just day to day life.

 "Porch Light On"

When Randy and I returned to the Inn at Negley the next weekend for Shadyside: The Art Festival on Walnut Street, we reached out -- met our fellow "travelers" and had fun finding out why our paths were intersecting that weekend.  "Porch Light On" was a painting started last year when I attended the Art Festival, and finished on the Friday night before the festival this stay. The finishing parts to the painting included the flowers with a little more growth (we now knew their keeper), the lights inside the dining room indicating the warmth of the place inside (that's where Andrea served those wonderful breakfasts to the four of us and all those guests we met), and the now open door, inviting us in.

Solo Exhibit at the Ellis-Nicholson Gallery through September 30

Opening Night at the Ellis-Nicholson Gallery in Charleston SC
Please stop in to see eleven of my oil paintings in "Close Encounters" at the Ellis-Nicholson Gallery at 1-1/2 Broad, Charleston, SC.

The Post and Courier published a great article in the Charleston Scene" August 31, 2017 "Long Weekend of Arts Opportunities" by Scott Elingburg. Here's a link to the online version. Scroll through the photos to see "Cabaret."

Thanks to all who showed up on opening night. (The photo was taken before the doors officially opened.)

View the paintings that are part of my "Close Encounters" exhibit at Ellis-Nicholson in Charleston, SC this September online here.

Upcoming Events
 
"Close Encounters" Featured Artist of the Month, First Friday Art Walk -- Charleston SC at the Ellis-Nicholson Gallery, September 1
 
Long Beach Island Plein Air Plus, Long Beach Island NJ, Exhibit September 8-October 31
 
Gracie Square Art Show, Carl Schurz Park, NYC, September 9-10

Alexandria King Street Art Festival, Alexandria VA, September 16-17
 
Armonk Outdoor Art Show, Armonk NY, September 23-24
 
MPA McLean Artfest, McLean VA, October 1
  
Sedona Plein Air Festival, Sedona AZ, October 14-21
 
Great Falls Annual Studio Tour, Great Falls VA (Artists' Atelier, 756 Walker Road, Great Falls -- I'll be there Sunday only.) October 20-22
 
Fall Classes and Workshop ... Register Now
Still Life Plus (Personal Projects Also) starts September 12.
Evening Paint starts Tuesday, September 12.
Painting the Portrait -- Three-Day Workshop -- October 27-29, 2017.
Class size is limited. The class and workshop are taught through the Arts of Great Falls School at 756-C Walker Road, Great Falls VA.
Get more info on my Classes page.  
I was chosen as one of the Top 9 Painting and Drawing Teachers in the Washington DC area by Expertise.com. (Pretty cool endorsement.)
https://www.expertise.com/dc/washington/painting-and-drawing-classes

Paint Great Falls 2017 - September 6-9 - CALL FOR ARTISTS
Artists are invited to participate in this third annual event to paint plein air anywhere in Great Falls VA from September 6-9, 2017. Generous awards. Open to the first 40 registrants -- non-juried. I was the competition judge last year -- and it was tough to pick the winners from the fine work that sprang to life in the span of a few short days. Get more info at: www.greatfallsart.org/paint-great-falls/

Thanks for reading!

Jill Banks


Chosen as one of the Top 9 Painting and Drawing Teachers in the Washington DC area by Expertise.com.
https://www.expertise.com/dc/washington/painting-and-drawing-classes
 
Blog: For my latest news and works, visit or subscribe to my blog Life as an Artist at jillbanks.blogspot.com
Facebook Fan Page: https://www.facebook.com/Jill-Banks-Studio-278493468836508/ (Please like that page if you like it...)
 
Read the Article: Southwest Art Artist to Watch,  July 2017
Here's a link to the PDF of the wonderful Artist to Watch article written by Kim Agricola.
 
 
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