Pulling Together "The Gathering Spot" Solo Show

"Candy Stripe Café" oil, 24"h x 18"w, ©2019 Jill Banks - just completed.

 April 1-30, 2019

Although there are plenty of alternates waiting in the wings, you can now view online the nine pieces I'm planning to hang for the first of back-to-back solo shows.  "Candy Stripe Café" is one of those. 

Last summer, I painted plein air for two weeks in Paris ... and this view of the café was one spot that was calling my name.  It had to be nixed for painting then and there as my shade turned immediately to full blazing sun ... but I painted the same café there just from across the street.

The solo show "The Gathering Spot" will be exhibited at the Old Brogue Irish Pub's popular Snuggery dining room/Katie's Coffee (it's open almost all day with a short break in the late afternoon) at 760 Walker Road, Great Falls VA 22066.

View the exhibit online here.

"Ladies' Lunch," oil, 16"h x 20"w, ©2014-2019 Jill Banks

The challenge isn't pulling together nine paintings for the solo show, it's juggling all the different events, fine art festivals, studio openings that are happening simultaneously.  My approach has been to prepare for what's directly ahead and paint every moment that I can.

Today was spent working on "Ladies Lunch" - a painting that depicts the dining room where "The Gathering Spot" will be exhibited. I painted it originally many years ago, on the spot, when my Mom and friends were celebrating a birthday there.  It was significantly changed yesterday and today, accentuating light, color and place.

First Friday Art Walk in the Village - Friday, April 5, 6-8pm

Come visit my studio and others in the Great Falls Village Centre on Friday -- where there will be plenty of fresh art to see there ... at the Artists' Atelier, 756 Walker Road, Great Falls ... and head over to the Brogue to see my newly hung show just steps away.  Make a night of it. I'd love to see you!

Events Coming Up:

April 5 - First Friday Art Walk, the Artists' Atelier, 756 Walker Road, Great Falls VA - 6-8pm (Art Walks run from April to December). Come attend this one and head over to enjoy dinner and see my solo exhibit at the Old Brogue right after. A neat night out on the town!

April 13 & 14 - Arlington Festival of the Arts - Clarendon District in Arlington VA - 10am to 5pm each day

April 22-27 - Artists on Location: a Plein Air Painting Event - Juried artist, plein air competition and sale, Knoxville TN

April 1-30 - "The Gathering Spot" Solo Exhibit, Katie's Coffee/The Snuggery in the Old Brogue Irish Pub, Great Falls VA

May 3 - First Friday Art Walk, the Artists' Atelier, 756 Walker Road, Great Falls VA - 6-8pm (Art Walks run from April to December) - and  the Spring Artfest that weekend - May 4 & 5 - at the Atelier in Great Falls.

May 11 - Reception, Solo Exhibit, Great Falls Library, 9830 Georgetown Pike, Great Falls VA - details to come

May 17-19 - Northern Virginia Fine Art Festival, Reston VA

June 7-9 - Rittenhouse Square Fine Art Show, Philadelphia PA

June 28 - American Women Artists Museum Exhibition Reception - Steamboat Art Museum, Steamboat Springs CO (exhibit runs from May 24-September 2 - "On Top of the World" selected for this prestigious show)

June 29 - July 6 - Telluride Plein Air - Telluride CO

July 13 & 14 - Wickford Fine Art Festival, Wickford RI

Classes Start Soon - Get more info and register at my classes page. 

Do you live in the Washington DC/Northern Virginia area?  Registration for Winter 2019 classes is now open.  I hope you'll join me.  See the Classes page here.  Top 9 Painting and Drawing Teacher in the DC area - I made the list!

Still Life Plus is now full - waitlist only. Plein Air Landscape (Thursdays, starting April 11) and Evening Paint (Tuesday nights, starting April 9) 

Thanks for reading! I tried to keep this short to encourage more posts to come.  We'll see if it worked!

Jill

www.JillBanks.com
Jill@JillBanks.com
 703.403.7435

Facebook Fan Page: https://www.facebook.com/JillBanksStudio/ (Please like that page if you like it...)

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jillbanks1

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jillbanks1/ 

 

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.  

 

Read the Article: "Christmas Card Paintings: 46 Years and Counting"Here's a link to the article in Fine Art Today, published by Fine Art Connoisseur.  

 

Read the Article: "A Paris Plein Air Adventure" published by Outdoor Painter (from Plein Air Magazine)

 

"St. Patrick's Day" Almost Done

"Saint Patrick's Day," oil, 12"h x 16"w,©2016 Jill Banks. Started at my easel behind the Old Brogue on guess what day?

I'm running quite a few steps behind ... blog-wise. This has been a jam-packed, fun week of painting including yesterday's treat of capturing thirteen-year-old ballerina Anna for my free demo at the Great Falls School of Art. More on that tomorrow or the next. (See what I mean about being behind?)

On St. Paddy's Day, I parked my easel behind the Old Brogue Irish Pub -- capturing on canvas -- the party. It was lots of fun for me, the guys I was painting, and all the visitors who stopped by to talk and enjoy. I'd do it again, for sure!

There may be more to come about this tale and the painting may just get some more tweaks. We'll see. In any case, soon I plan to put it up in the Snuggery/Katie's Coffee for all to enjoy before my "Witness: Close Encounters of the Painting Kind" solo exhibition comes down on March 31. (Make sure you see it before then.) Katie's Coffee is located at 760 Walker Road, Great Falls, VA.

See the Events page for more info/updates

March 1-31: "Witness" Solo Exhibit, Katie's Coffee at the Old Brogue, 760-C Walker Road, Great Falls, VA. View the exhibit online here. See Six Cool Ways to Visit the Exhibit ... Here

April 23-24: Fairfax Corner Fine Art Festival, Fairfax, VA

May 7-8: A-RTS@Rockville Town Square, Outdoor Juried Arts Festival, Rockville, MD

May 13-15: Art on the Square - Belleville, IL, Outdoor Juried Fine Art Festival (Ranked #1 by Art Fair Sourcebook), Belleville, IL

June 3-5: Rittenhouse Square 89th Annual Spring Original Art Show, Philadelphia, PA 

June 26-July 3: Paint with Me in Italy this Summer! : Plein air workshop in the Piemonte wine region. Find out more about this wonderful trip. I hope you can join me!

And...

Sign up Now for Spring 2016 Classes Taught through the Great Falls School of Art in Great Falls, VA

Painting the Plein Air Landscape: Thursdays, 9:30am to 1:30pm starting April 21.

Still Life Plus: Tuesdays, 10:30am to 1:30pm starting April 5. ( first class only: demo starting at 9am)

Evening Paint: Tuesdays, 6:30 to 9:30pm starting April 5.  

Get more info on my Classes page.

Thanks for reading!

Jill

Phone: 703.403.7435

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

P.S.
Calling All Artists interested in Brushing Up on Their Portrait Painting Skills
Lea Colie Wight Portrait Workshop: April 1-3, 2016, 9:30am to 4:30pm each day

One of Lea Colie Wight's portraits

Sometimes you need a little nudge. A Portrait Society of America winner and Studio Incamminati instructor, Lea Colie Wight, will be conducting a special portrait workshop at the Great Falls School of Art over three days, April 1 to 3. She's an outstanding artist and patient, thorough teacher. Once upon a time, I attended essentially a portrait/figure painting workshop in Philadelphia at Studio Incamminati and Lea was a favorite instructor who really helped propel my art forward. Here's a link for more info and to register.  I hope you'll take advantage of this opportunity and sign up. Find out more about Lea on her web site: leawight.com

Scenes of Great Falls, VA and Jurying a Show

"Sidewalk Sale in the Village Centre" is the painting I entered for the "Quintessentially Great Falls" show jurying that took place at my house yesterday. I was one of three jurors for the Great Falls Studios (www.greatfallsstudios.com) show that will take place August 1-30 at the Old Brogue Irish Pub in Great Falls, VA. But "Sidewalk Sale" won't be in the show! Of the 78 artists that make up Great Falls Studios, an alliance of artists in various media who live or work in Great Falls, VA, 22 artists submitted to this show that is capturing our town in art -- and as jurors, we had to whittle the show down to 10 to 15 pieces that told the story of Great Falls and held together as an exhibit. Walt Lawrence, Adrienne Kralick and I decided to pull our pieces from the pool of entries to ease the process. At the end, and against his will, we brought Walt's image of "L'Auberge Chez Francois" back into the show because this restaurant is a real fixture of Great Falls. Adrienne and I both painted scenes from the Village Centre which is already being well represented with Frances Vecchi's "Gazebo, Great Falls". Still, it was a case of juror/artist martyrdom and warrants the warning that you shouldn't try to jury a show or venue in which you'd like to exhibit. The show will be great, though, and I hope you visit it!

I encourage you, too, to consider purchasing "Sidewalk Sale." The painting is charming, if I do say so myself. It's the latest in my plein air painting series -- still a challenge for me to handle the sun, bugs, heat, etc. -- but I can see that I'm progressing. "Sidewalk Sale in the Village Centre," 10"h x 8"w, oil on linen, copyright Jill Banks 2008. Contact me to purchase or see the painting in person.