First Day of the Great Falls Annual Studio Tour ... and a Cow

"Persimmons, Melon and a Cow" work in progress, oil, 16"h x 12"w, ©2015 Jill Banks

A big thank you to all who visited the Artists' Atelier ... and me in the studio today on the first (of three) days of the Great Falls 12th Annual Studio Tour. "Persimmons, Melon and a Cow" is what I was painted during my promised daily painting demonstration ... from noon to 1pm in the Great Falls School of Art space adjacent to the Atelier at 756 Walker Road, Great Falls, VA.  Come visit on Saturday, October 17, when we're open from 10am to 5pm. I'll be demo'ing again ... but instead of capturing a still life will be painting a very quick alla prima portrait. Stop in anytime but if you're there from noon to 1pm, you'll start to see a portrait emerge on the canvas.

For "Persimmons, Melon and a Cow" -- I incorporated a cast iron cow sculpture purchased yesterday at DePaul's Urban Farm in Vienna, VA. It was the last day of my Plein Air landscape class and the owners of DePaul's graciously allowed my class to set up throughout their beautiful property. While I wasn't painting, instead teaching, the setting was so inspiring, artful.  Turns out the owners are artists and pansies, mums, pumpkins, gourds, market stands and displays are their canvas.  If you are anywhere close, stop by and see Autumn at its best at DePaul's at 2499 Chain Bridge Road in Vienna, VA. Tell me what you think. Maybe this weekend? Farm market shopping and the Great Falls Annual Studio Tour ... what could be better?

Studio Tour hours:
Friday, October 16: noon to 5pm
Saturday, October 17: 10am to 5pm
Sunday, October 18: noon to 5pm.

Winter classes are now up, too, on my web site. Take a look!  Find out more during Studio Tour.

October 16-18:  Great Falls 12th Annual Studio Tour, (I'll be at the Artists' Atelier, 756 Walker Road, Great Falls, VA 22066). Self-guided tour of the home or group studios of 44 Great Falls artists. Hours: Friday and Sunday, Noon to 5pm. Saturday, 10am to 5pm. I'll be giving a painting demo from Noon to 1pm each day of the tour.

Pass the word. Invite your art-loving friends to join you... please.

Thanks for reading!

Jill

Phone: 703.403.7435

Email: jill@jillbanks.com
Web: www.JillBanks.com
Blog: jillbanks.blogspot.com

See the Events page for more info/updates

October 16-18:  Great Falls 12th Annual Studio Tour, (I'll be at the Artists' Atelier, 756 Walker Road, Great Falls, VA 22066). Self-guided tour of the home or group studios of 44 Great Falls artists. Hours: Friday and Sunday, Noon to 5pm. Saturday, 10am to 5pm. I'll be giving a painting demo from Noon to 1pm each day of the tour.

October 19-25:  Plein Air Brandywine Valley, Juried plein air competition, wet paint show and sale in Delaware.

December 3-6: One Of A Kind Show and Sale, Merchandise Mart, Chicago, IL

Scenes from MPA Artfest

Sunday was a successful (and fun) day at MPA Artfest. Tiring, though. I wonder if people visiting outdoor art shows have any idea what goes on behind the scenes. Hard, manual labor is involved.

On Sunday, I sold "Sunday Morning" -- my comics, croissant and coffee painting that had been juried into Salon International and appeared in American Art Collector magazine in April 2009. Now I know someone else loves it just as much as I do. I also sold two new, framed drawings.

I was excited about the sales, but also loved the comments received all day. My favorite might be "Wow. Wow!".  All of my pieces were somebody's favorite... which is good news, and interesting.

Many visitors said that they appreciated that if they kept looking at my paintings, they saw something more. Something they hadn't noticed at first glance. Since new meanings, ideas and connections come to me while I'm painting each piece, those layered nuances naturally result. It's an evolutionary process, a slow unfolding.

If I had one real showstopper, it would be "Nigerian Beauty", a painting that's won Honorable Mention at the Art League and been juried into a National Biennial Exhibit in Punta Gorda, FL.  The painting, and its subject, Uchenna, possess a beautiful, emotional aura. This is also one of the few paintings that is just as intriguing up close as far away. "Nigerian Beauty" wasn't one of my sales -- but an awful lot of people wanted to take it home.

Now, the next event I'll be participating in is the Great Falls Annual Studio Tour on Saturday, October 17 and Sunday, October 18, from 10am-5pm. I'll be one of 45 artists participating in the tour. You can find me at the Artists' Atelier, 1144 Walker Road, Suites D&G, Great Falls, VA. Download a map and more info at the Great Falls Studios web site: www.GreatFallsStudios.com. Come see me and my fellow studiomates. We'll have our paintbrushes in hand.

Also, read up about Art Bucks on the Great Falls Studios site. Enter to win one of 40 $50 Art Buck certificates -- to spend on the Tour. (I accept Art Bucks... hint.)

"Nigerian Beauty", 24"h x 18"w, oil on linen-lined panel, copyright Jill Banks 2007.

Web: www.jillbanks.com
Blog: jillbanks.blogspot.com
Email: jillbanks1@aol.com
Phone: 703.403.7435