"Rainy Day in NYC" on the Washington Post's Arts Post

August is the month for the Art League's most popular exhibit ... the 'Scapes show. Randy's en route this morning to put in my entries for the 2011 'Scapes exhibit. (So I get more time to sit at the computer.)

Last year, my "Rainy Day in NYC" won Best in Show ... and because of that honor, the painting is reappearing in the local art news promoting this year's exhibit. It appears in the Art League's July and August newsletters and Erica Fortwengler, Communications Director of the Art League sent me an email that it was published in the Washington Post's online ArtsPost.

Read the full ArtsPost

This afternoon, Randy and I hang my "100 Faces in 100 Days" exhibit at the Artists' Atelier, 1144 Walker Road, Suite G, in Great Falls. It will be interesting to see how they fit in the gallery. I strongly suspect that Face #27 (husband Randy) will be seen taking a nap -- out of frustration/exhaustion -- from my almost guaranteed indecisiveness. See? I can't even fully decide if I'm going to be indecisive.

Wish us both luck.

Painting on the waterfront. Photo by Megan Fox.

I'll be back with photos.

Coming up:

Sunday, August 7: Painting on the Waterfront with the Art League's Plein Air Painters, behind the Torpedo Factory in Alexandria, VA, in the morning.

August 8 to August 19: Three of my drawings will be on exhibit as part of the Salmagundi Club's Annual Photography and Graphics Non-Members Exhibit in NYC. This prestigious, 140-year-old arts club is located in a beautiful brownstone at 47 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY. Through the years, the Salmagundi Club has been the gathering spot of such luminaries as Childe Hassam, William Merrit Chase, N.C. Wyeth, Howard Pyle, Louis Comfort Tiffany, and many others. It's a pretty incredible spot. So ... if you're in NYC any time soon ...

August 1-31: "100 Faces in 100 Days" Exhibit #2 in the Gallery at the Artists' Atelier
Reception: Friday, August 12, 6-9pm
Ice Cream Social: Saturday, August 13, 2-4pm
RSVP helpful for both events ... but please come anyway if you don't get around to it.

Sunday, August 14: Painting on the Waterfront with the Art League's Plein Air Painters, behind the Torpedo Factory in Alexandria, VA, in the morning.

NEW! Sunday, August 21: At the Registration Pavilion for the Reston Century Ride, Reston Town Center, Reston, VA -- with prints of "W&OD BBQ", the first place winner in the T-Shirt competition.

August 26-August 29: Four-day intensive, still life workshop: "A Painting A Day" offered through the Great Falls School of Art. Space is limited. Details coming soon on my web site: www.JillBanks.com.

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 

Accepted into Salmagundi's National Exhibit

There's lots more to catch up on ... but I'm still catching up since coming home from Italy yesterday. I heard word late this afternoon that two of my drawings were accepted into the Salmagundi Club's (a prestigious art club in New York City) Annual Graphics and Photography Exhibit slated for this summer. One is a drawing I did of my daughter Sarah, as a warm-up before teaching my first drawing class. The second is the drawing of "The Nutcracker" created while son Sam was recuperating from surgery (while hanging out in his college apartment). Sort of a family affair.

Today I was ordering frames, hopefully in time for this weekend's art show at the Colvin Run Schoolhouse (Saturday and Sunday, April 10& 11, 10am-5pm, Colvin Run Road, Great Falls, VA). Plus, working a bit on the Patil portrait, and doing odds and ends. I'm spending lots of time thinking, absorbing, contemplating my next paintings and direction. That Caravaggio exhibit "got" me. So did the Sistine Chapel. So did the people, sights, sounds encountered these past two weeks. I'm percolating.

My two accepted works are:
"Sarah", copyright Jill Banks 2009
"The Nutcracker", General's layout pencil, copyright Jill Banks 2010.

This is my second time being accepted into this exhibit. I'll give more details later for exhibit dates, address, reception, etc.

Registration is still going on for Great Falls School of Art classes that start next week. I hope you sign up! Go to my classes page on my web site: www.jillbanks.com for more information.

Come to the Colvin Run Schoolhouse show this weekend.

I will post more about my Italy trip and drawings. Promise!

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