by Brandi
During the August 1, 2006 VAL Art Talk, Danette Dufilho mentioned a website that VAL members might find interesting. That’s Glasstire.com. So, what’s Glasstire all about? Glasstire is an online journal of visual art in Texas, founded in 2001 to encourage awareness of, and dialogue about, Texas visual art. Visit the website »
by Brandi
“I am a current student at Lewisville High school going into my senior year and I am looking for opportunities in the career field I wish to pursue, art. More specifically I wish to major in art history and education and to one day become a curator. I was hoping that VAL would be able to assist me by not only letting me become a member, but to also allow me to help them by volunteering to work at the gallery whenever needed. I am having one difficulty with membership, I do not know where I might find an application. If someone in the organization could be so kind as to help me with acquiring an application and contacting me for volunteer opportunities wherever I am needed. Thank you so much for your time!” — Sara
by Brandi
Danette Dufilho will be the featured speaker at the next general meeting on August 1, in the VAL Gallery at 7:00 pm. A resident of Dallas, Danette began her current position as Assistant Director of Conduit Gallery in 1999. In 2002 she took the reins as the curator of the gallery’s Project Room, a small exhibition space dedicated to showing the work of unrepresented and emerging artists. Installations in the Project Room have included the work of Bradly Brown, Michael Velliquette, Ellen George and Portuguese video artist Vasco Arauj, as well as Marina Pavlutskaya, Coleman Miller- and opening July 28- David van Ness. In 2005 she curated a group show of Texas and California artists, Coming Together, at the Michael Martin Gallery in San Francisco, California. We were honored to have Danette serve as the juror for Fresh Ideas 2006, and are looking forward to her insights in August.
Juror’s Statement
Since 1978 the Visual Art League has championed a thriving art community in Lewisville of and for artists, collectors, supporters and students. Large scale exhibitions such as the Fresh Ideas juried competition can be most telling of the talent and diverse range of artistic practice benefiting from a community art center as engaged and thriving as the Visual Art League.
Initially, what I found very exciting is that this would not be an exhibition juried from slides. Walking into the exhibition spaces to jury the competition, I knew I would be able to make the most informed decisions possible with out question as to the intent or representation of each work of art.
As to how or why I was interested in certain works and not others, I will say that what first struck me was the high level of execution of the works and their presentation. This, I assume, became in the process of looking, a measuring stick by which the works were judged, not by my own set of aesthetic criteria but by one another.
The range of what was chosen was as rich as the range that was entered. My intent was not to choose a work to fill a quota for genre or style but to showcase works that surprised me in some way through subject or composition. To this end, you will notice a show of many colors, moods and proficiency levels.
The award winning works stood out as complete thoughts that represented the collectiveness of proficiency in the media, thought to composition and my own emotional response as the viewer. It has been an honor and a fantastic learning experience for me to be involved with the Fresh Ideas Juried Exhibition for 2006. Thank you to Meg Smith and the entire staff for the opportunity to enter this rich community of artists and art supporters.
Danette Dufilho, Assistant Director at Conduit Gallery in Dallas, Texas.
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by Brandi
John Chen is our Art Talk Speaker on Sept 5 in the VAL Gallery at 7:00 p.m.
Artist, lecturer, collector and connoisseur of Oriental painting, John Chen will be the guest speaker/demonstrator at the September general meeting, in anticipation of his exhibit “Z: Zen and the Art of Paintings”, opening Saturday, September 9. “Artists and philosophers have long been faced with the problem of what is expressed in a work of art (or, put in another way, what is created in a work of art).” John the Artist as Collector will explore issues on Zen philosophy, Zen and Contemporary Western Art, and connoisseurship in Zen brush works.
John’s artistic endeavors include acceptance into the “Critic’s Choice” – a juried exhibition at the Dallas Visual Art Center in 2000 and 2001, and selection of his painting “Uttermost Speed” for the “Visions International Competition 2002” at the Art Center in Waco. He was one of six local artists invited to do a demonstration on Art Train USA in Grapevine, in 2003. He was asked to conduct a calligraphy demonstration as part of the “Late Nights at the Dallas Museum of Art” program in January of 2005. He has taught at SMU, in the Informal Courses for Adults program — “Oriental Painting: The Zen Experience” since 1999. John has truly ascertained himself as a bridge between east and west, but he is also trying to blur the line of division between Eastern and Western arts and into a new horizon. Don’t miss this month’s meeting and a unique exhibit Sept. 9 through 23.
Artist’s Statement
For me as an artist, painting must not be excessively organized or constricted with formal design elements and the emphasis must on the creative process. Some call it seeing with the mind’s eye. The visualization comes to me as I communicate with my subconscious and innermost emotions as I transpose these thoughts and feelings to physical reality with color and shapes on paper. Art speaks through my soul or heart and uses my eyes and mind only as instruments of communication. My vision is to go beyond the mere surface of human experience. My thoughts seek to find images that fit a particular set of data/information or solve a specific problem. During the painting process my creativity involves finding patterns and ordering random, disparate elements. Thus, Life itself is creative and painting is just a process. I visually represent the image with my rapid free brush gesture and color-splashing technique. Often, the representations are juxtapositioned amongst many styles and the two cultures, which I possessed-it is a fusion of my Oriental heritage and western education along with my American way of life.
by Brandi
March 7, 2006
12:28 am
A native Texan and a resident of Plano, Texas, Nel Dorn Byrd began drawing as a child, first painted with oils, and for the past thirty five years has painted with the medium of watercolor. She studied art at Midland Institute of Fine Arts, Richland College, The University of Texas at Dallas, and with many outstanding watercolor instructors. She has painted in Switzerland along the trails where Sargent painted and she’s enjoyed numerous painting workshops in Greece, Italy, France and Mexico.
She has attained signature membership in several watercolor societies including: the American Watercolor Society, Rocky Mountain National, Texas Watercolor Society, Western Federation, and the Southwestern Watercolor Society. Nel has won major awards in juried exhibitions throughout the United States including the Quaintance Award from Rocky Mountain National, the Alan Chiara Memorial Award from the American Watercolor Society, Best of Show from Western Federation, and the Beverly Green Memorial Collection Purchase Award from the National Watercolor Society. And her paintings have been accepted in more than 150 juried competitions. Her work has been included in numerous publications and books, and most recently an article on her interior paintings was published in Watercolor, the summer issue, 2003.
Artist Statement
I find the medium of watercolor to be an exciting and challenging way to paint; it responds well to my personal style and I enjoy the quick, expressive interpretation it allows. The pursuit of watercolor continues to be a life-long growth process and I feel fortunate to be involved. There is constant inspiration from nature, a wonderful camaraderie with fellow artists, and the sheer joy of painting.