July 2013 - Wet Paint

"Make Your Mark" Lake Country Pastel Exhibition at BTAC — “Make Your Mark” Lake Country Pastel Exhibition at BTAC

Who would have thought that July would become a hot soft pastel month? Out at BTAC (Bloomington Theater and Art Center) our friends with the Lake Country Pastel Society have presented a wonderful member show called “Make Your Mark.” Over 40 artists represent an amazing breadth of imagery and technique using soft pastels. There are landscapes that are distinctly Minnesotan, as well as several that remind me of a recent road trip to the Pacific Northwest. There are portraits, one of which incorporates new media by starting with a digital photo. There is an abstract image that pushes the boundaries of both the stick and the surface: pastel – a media with little adhesive property- adhered to the slick surface of Yupo with water. There is subject matter for any taste. And it is amazing to see one medium that can create such different results from the density of oil to the airiness of watercolor. It was a real treat to be at the opening reception with so many of the exhibiting artists in attendance. They were truly thrilled with the exhibit as well as being down right verbose about their artistic pursuits, their influences and their techniques. The show is up through August 23. A presentation of awards by the juror, Albert Handell, will take place Tuesday, August 6th, at 6:30 p.m. If you haven’t seen the great gallery space at BTAC, this is a perfect opportunity to remedy that situation.

McCann sidewalk pastel painting at MIA — McCann sidewalk pastel painting at the MIA

Also in pastel, but in a vastly different format, Shawn McCann takes the centuries old Trompe l’oeil technique and his box of soft pastels to the street. Shawn will be at Wet Paint this Saturday, July 27th, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. creating an illusory image on our sidewalk with Jack Richeson’s new big, fat soft pastels called Street Stix. I have to admit that soft pastels haven’t been considered the cutting edge medium in recent years. But 3D street painting brings pastel paintings out of the flat files and museums and into the contemporary art gallery space shared with aerosol painting and stenciling. Just as the Lake Country Pastel Society has a pastel painting to appeal to any esthetic, McCann’s street art will appeal to everyone’s in its populist presentation.

ruthanngigposter — Ruthann Godollei’s new book

This Thursday, July 11th, Wet Paint will host an evening event that’s part Try-It, part meet-and-greet and part book signing with our friend Ruthann Godollei. Hot off the press is Godollei’s new book, “How to Create Your Own Gig Posters, Band T-Shirts, Album Covers, & Stickers: Screenprinting, Photocopy Art, Mixed-Media Collage, and Other Guerilla Poster Styles”, published by Voyageur Press. If you’ve ever wanted to print party announcements, your soccer team’s t-shirts, or posters for a band, this book is for you. Although Godollei is the printmaking professor at our neighboring institution, Macalester College, this book isn’t just for artists and students. It covers all DIY topics and media and will help anyone create their own prints. In fact, Ruthann will be demonstrating cutting your own stencils out of paper during this Thursday night event. Don’t stay away because you don’t have your own printing press. Don’t stay away because you can’t draw. She will assist you in overcoming any barriers to creating your own multiples in no time. And neighborhood folks, don’t be shy. You will most likely know Ruthann from her green stenciled Volvo art car. If nothing else, make sure to stop in so you can hear her many stories from a recent European tour with the group of artists called “Travels in Typography.” They printed their way through Europe, even at the Gutenberg Museum.

Godollei's unique Volvo — Godollei’s unique Volvo

It is exciting to see the growing interest in printmaking happening far beyond the walls of art departments in colleges and museums. Our smart phones and many image sharing programs online have given everybody images to work with and printmakers seem to be embracing the general population’s interest in their mediums. Maybe that’s because printmakers have had to share all along. They have shared equipment, and they have naturally had to help each other in a group effort to produce a print compared to the more isolated processing of making a painting.

So join Ruthann and Wet Paint this Thursday evening. Hear some stories. Get a book. Cut a stencil. Take part in some community and some fun.