“The Pack” by Amy Guidry; acrylic on canvas; 20″w x 10″h; (c) Amy Guidry 2013
I received some great news the other day. My painting The Pack recently received a Juror’s Award in the Peaceable Kingdom: Animals, Real or Imagined exhibit at the Bedford Gallery in Walnut Creek, California. My work was selected by guest jurors Stephanie Cannizzo, Assistant Curator of the Berkeley Art Museum and Cathy Kimball, Executive Director and Chief Curator of the San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art. If you are or will be in the San Francisco area, you can view the exhibit now through May 19.
Two of the five colors I typically use to mix paints
Weird but true: blue + brown paint = black. I mix my own colors, so I don’t actually own any black, though I use it A LOT. I learned this handy tip years ago- mix Ultramarine blue with Burnt Umber to make black- it makes a richer color (and handy if you run out of the tube version).
Small note, bad handwriting, big statement. This is an old Post-it note I keep on my easel, though it doesn’t quite stick anymore, with the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson on it. “Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.”
I get asked pretty often how I paint such small details. I always tell people that I use small paintbrushes and work on one square inch area at a time, but I don’t think that really quite explains it. Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words so I thought I should take a before and after of my brushes. Now, these are actually in better condition than most since I’ve been working on small paintings lately. Usually I use these on some larger canvases and those bad boys destroy the bristles. Regardless, you get the idea. The new brush is on the right- crisp, pristine and miniscule compared to a dime. The group on the left are my “afters” with the bristles splayed out in different directions or completely curved which does not work very well for fine details. I go through roughly a brush a day, sometimes I can eek out two days, depending on the painting. Now just imagine taking that to a 30 inch tall painting: http://www.amyguidry.com/wild_west.html.
Time again for the Lafayette 2nd Saturday Artwalk! This one will be held October 13th, from 6-9pm in downtown Lafayette. Several galleries have new exhibits up. If you haven’t had the chance to check out the Configured & Reconfigured show at the AcA, now is the time to do so since this will be its last day up! (Also of note, you may recognize Lisa Osborn’s work at the AcA… she is also in the Louisiana Voices exhibit with me at the Hilliard Museum.) The exhibition lineup is as follows:
Acadiana Center for the Arts– 101 W. Vermilion St. / 337-233-7060
Main Gallery: August 11, 2012 – October 13, 2012- Configured & Reconfigured: Transformations of the Human Body
Side Gallery: October 13, 2012 – November 3, 2012- John Gargano
James S. Mallia Galleria: September 8, 2012 – November 2, 2012- Terry Grow
Coca-Cola Studio: October 13, 2012 – December 1, 2012- Bradley Sabin
Vault Series: September 8, 2012 – October 27, 2012- Margaret Brinkhaus: Gourds
Arts Co-op– 535 1/2 Jefferson St. / 337-344-8657 Clarity Ann Martin
Cajun Spice– 535 Jefferson St / 337-232-3061 Melissa Dronet
Cité des Arts– 109 Vine St. / 337-291-1122 Jim Stacy
Gallery 549– 549 Jefferson St. / 337-593-0796
Paintings, Drawings and Sculpture by Donald LeBlanc. Also featured REFLECTIONS: New ceramic works by Cliff Broussard, Erin Broussard, Susan Chiquelin, Susannah Craig, Zach Gonsoulin, Kathy Pumford, and Teresa Wood
Gallery R (at The Russo Group)- 116 E. Congress St. / 337-769-1530
30 year collection of Downtown Alive! posters
Lounge Art Gallery– 402 S. Buchanan St. / 337-236-5570 Fifty Under Five Hundred group exhibition
Sans Souci Gallery– 219 E. Vermilion St. / 337-266-7999 Terri Kennedy and Carnie Frizzell
Whoojoo Stained Glass– 532 Jefferson St. / 337-269-9310 David Alpha, Whitney Gounsoulin, Tom Ladousa,and Craig McCullen
Zoom Photo Studio– 205-AW. Vermilion St. / 337-781-2036 WHITMORE and Travis Gauthier
I recently got another piece to add to my own art collection. This one is by Alli Bratt, a fellow vegan artist in Portland, called In, Out, and Upside Down. It’s an acrylic and watercolor on wood, 1 7/8″wide x 11 5/8″high. As a vegan myself, I especially want to support other vegans and as an artist, I want to support those that are also artists all the while enjoying my new purchase. I have yet to put it in its “official” spot, as I have big plans to paint walls and arrange other works with it, but I’ve posted a photo of the painting which you can view below. And you can check out more of Alli’s work on her website: http://allisonjbratt.com/.
"In, Out, & Upside Down" by Alli Bratt; watercolor and acrylic on wood; (c) and photo courtesy Alli Bratt 2012
Recycled shipping boxes and cardboard = awesome cat scratcher
One thing people may not realize is that as an artist, I have to keep a LARGE supply of packing materials on hand. Much of it consists of boxes and tissue paper or kraft paper, so I recycle whatever I can. For instance, tissue paper that ends up in return shipments can be used again in other shipments or I use it when wrapping gifts. Thanks to Design Sponge, I found a great use for corrugated cardboard- DIY cat scratchers! This is actually a photo of the first one I made modeled by Tiny, the cat. Warning: this project will give your Carpal Tunnel a workout, depending on the thickness of cardboard, so be sure to take many breaks. Cute results, though.
New postcards featuring "Succession" by Amy Guidry
Just got my new postcards in! My new painting Succession is on the front cover as well as my upcoming exhibitions list on the back. If you would like to receive one, sign up for my postcards here: http://www.amyguidry.com/contact.html. (Just click on the postcard icon.) And for the over 500 (!) people that are already on my mailing list, be on the lookout for your new cards in the mail this week!
For a change of pace, I will serve as the juror for the upcoming LAA “Eye of the Beholder” exhibition in Lafayette, LA. I was honored to be asked and more than happy to be this year’s juror. I’m excited to see the work that is submitted, especially as I am sure to see work by new artists and those that are just new to me, in addition to new work by artists that are fixtures in the art community here. The competition is regional and open to anyone in from Texas to Florida. Submission dates are May 16- 25, which is right around the corner, so get your entries in soon. Also, it is an open themed show, so don’t get too caught up in the exhibit title. More information can be found on the Lafayette Art Association website at this link: http://lafayetteart.org/wp/2012/05/eye-of-the-beholder-xxvi-submit-may-16-25/
