Guest Artist Demonstrations for 2014
Jean Hensley - November 3
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The Llano Fine Arts Guild is honored to have Jean Smith Hensley back again to present a "hands on" demonstration of Zentangle. It is easy-to-learn, relaxing, and a fun way to create beautiful images by drawing structured patterns. The demo will be at the Art Studio located at 503 Bessemer Avenue (just north of the Inks Bridge) on November 3rd at 10:00 a.m. She has asked that students bring marker pens, colored sharpies, colored pencils, etc. The public is invited to attend the class. A potluck lunch will be served afterward. The LFAG is a non-profit organization; therefore a $5.00 donation will cover the demo and potluck luncheon.
Jean was born in Flat, Texas, raised in Amherst, Texas, and moved to Ballinger, Texas with her husband, Charles, in 1995 after retirement from the U.S. Border Patrol. She began painting in 1970 and has been teaching almost that long. She teaches a weekly class at the Do-Art Studio in Ballinger. She is a member of The Creative Arts Club in Abilene, Texas and is the president of the Mid-West Artist's Guild in Ballinger. |
Gretchen Sparks - October 6
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Ginger Test will be presenting a Watercolor demonstration at the Llano Fine Arts Studio on Monday, October 6, 2014. Ginger Test is a well-known lecturer and demonstrator and does art programs and demos for art clubs and the “Stars of Texas” art association Brownwood. She is a watercolor artist, and while she has done oil, acrylics, and pastels, her real love is the challenge of transparent watercolor. Ms. Test occasionally does textile painting and watercolor techniques on silk and is an avid photographer with photos of scenes from Hawaii to Washington, D.C., and Maryland to the Gulf Coast. She was chosen as Artist of the Year 2014 by the Creative Art Club of Abilene, Texas.
Ginger has been teaching art to adults and children since 1982. She has taught workshops throughout Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, and Oklahoma. She now teaches weekly classes in Abilene and Coleman. Twice a year, Ginger teaches a workshop in Mason, Texas and in Spring and Fall in Alpine in the Davis Mountains. Every year a trip is made to South Fork, Colorado, in the Fall to teach the “Colorado Gold” week-long workshop. Ginger has paintings in homes and businesses throughout the U.S., Europe, and Japan. She has had many solo shows and has won some prestigious awards in National Juried Shows. Galleries in New Mexico and Texas have shown her paintings. She currently has paintings at Raul Ruiz Gallery in San Angelo, and Heritage Hall Art Gallery in Coleman. |
Kathleen Riordan September 8
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Kathleen Riordan enjoys playing dirty and has got the fingernails to prove it. She has been throwing clay for a lot years but is always looking to expand her knowledge. Workshops, private studio classes, college classes and many influential potters have helped her hone her practice over the years, but her favorite place to work is in her studio out back of the house.
Many of the forms that she throws on the pottery wheel are traditionally round but lately she’s taken to throwing and altering those cylinders. It requires throwing the form and altering it into other shapes, adding slab bottoms, perhaps adding darts and finishing with added elements like spouts, handles or legs. The combination of throwing and hand-building these odd pots is a fun and loose process. Kathleen works most frequently with red earthenware clay and fires in an electric kiln. But she has worked with other types of clay and different firing processes. More information on her techniques can be found on her website at www.kathleenriordanpottery.com. Kathleen’s pottery can be seen at the Llano Fine Arts Gallery and also at the Stuffology Store on Main Street in Llano. Kathleen recently did a coil-building session for the Guild's Kid’s Art Camp and is giving a coil-building hands-on demonstration for the membership on September 8. Everyone is welcome to come get a little dirty. All you need to bring is your hands. |
Kelly Draper - August 5
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Kelly Draper will be presenting a puppetry workshop on August 4, 2014 at 10:00 a.m. Draper was the costume and stage makeup designer for Lamar University for 23 years. He received his B.S. in Education and M.A. in Theatre Arts, specializing in Costume and Scenic Design, from Southwest Texas State University. He has received numerous awards for his designs from the Kennedy Center's American College Theatre Festival, both at the state and regional level. Draper has designed costumes and puppets for over 200 productions.
For many years, Draper served as the co-chair for the Texas Educational Theatre Association's DesignFest, an annual statewide technical theatre design exhibit featuring both student and professional designers. He has also served as a UIL judge for the State Theatre Design/Tech competition. Nationally known as a puppeteer/puppet designer, Draper has designed and performed with numerous symphony orchestras throughout the country. He has given many puppetry workshops, specializing in performance and design/construction. His puppetry has given him the opportunity to study and attend workshops with many of the big name puppeteers, including Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Shari Lewis and many more. |
Jackie Thomas July 7
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Jackie Thomas, a renowned basket weaver, will be presenting a demonstration at the Llano Fine Arts Gallery on July 7, 2014 at 10:00 a.m.
Jackie is a native Texan. She spent her first 40 years as a military dependent both as a child and then as a spouse living in Germany most of the time. She attended college in Seguin at Texas Lutheran graduating with a degree in Accounting in 1980. She took her first basket weaving class in 1994 with a friend and loved it! Her family all received handwoven baskets that year for Christmas. With 3 young children underfoot, she continued weaving baskets in her precious spare time. In 2000 Jackie’s husband retired from the Army and they moved to Georgetown. She went to work part-time, Her children were in both middle and high school, so she had more "free" time to perfect her craft. It wasn’t long before she started selling her baskets on the Square in Georgetown. At the urging of some friends, she also started teaching beginners to weave. She is now an active member of the Central Texas Basket Guild in Austin and several state guilds. She has taught weaving classes in Texas, Kentucky, Missouri, North Carolina and Oklahoma. |
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Charlie Bullock, an accomplished artist from Athens, TX. Charlie considers art to be as necessary as eating. He picks up a paintbrush with the same accuracy as the rest of us would a fork. And he will paint, draw, or sculpt on just about any material available. His eye is his inspiration, and whatever is handy is the preferred material. During his 35 years as an artist, he has lived in places like Sedona, AZ, Santa Fe, NM, Durango, CO, and Fredericksburg, TX. He associates himself with the western art themes that are so prominent in this part of the country. Charlie has studied with Howard Terpning and Jack Swanson, who are members of the Cowboy Artists of America. He has been accepted into numerous juried shows and workshops. He also studied under notable portrait artist Dimitri Vail, and nationally-recognized landscape painter Bruce Peil.
Charlie teaches painting, drawing, and mosaics for all ages at his Art Studio. His students work on subjects and media of their choice. The basics are taught as his students explore different medias. He wants his students to eventually begin to create one-of-a-kind works of art from their own references. |
Lonny Hocker - May 5
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Lonny moved to the Burnet/Bertram area in 1959. He served 3 years in the army and came back to stay because of the natural beauty the Hill Country offers.
His first painting experience was "Flower Power" during the Hippie era. He painted flowers on the girls by request. The girls liked the paintings so much they kept coming back for more. A few years ago Paula Harris, the head librarian at the time, encouraged Lonny to pursue his art and purchased art supplies for him. He would show her what he had painted during the week and she would give him positive feedback. Because of his interest in the Native American Indians he developed special ink drawings on leather. In 2010 he visited the ArtHaus in Brunet and was fortunate to meet Heiki Jost who was giving a free adult art lesson. Through her guidance he learned new art techniques in a different media. He also started stopping in at the Daniel Adams Fine Art Gallery for critiques of his work. Lonny is currently concentrating on landscapes in pastels. His images are being purchased and are finding their way into the homes of those who admire his work, which encourages him to create his next piece. Sometimes he will meditate while playing a Native American flute which inspires his creative thought processes. |
Jean Hensley April 7
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Jean was born in Flat, Texas, raised in Amherst, Texas, and moved to Ballinger, Texas with her husband, Charles, in 1995 after retirement from the U.S. Border Patrol. She began painting in 1970 and has been teaching almost that long. She teaches a weekly class at the Do-Art Studio in Ballinger. She is a member of The Creative Arts Club in Abilene, Texas and is the president of the Mid-West Artist's Guild in Ballinger.
The "hands-on" program that she will present at the demo is called "5x5x5." It is a little different approach into the world of collage. She will provide pre-cut supports and a dish for mixing glue. Please bring school glue, a selection of paper, a 1/2' or 1' brush (for glue), scissors, paper towels or cloth. This will be an informative lesson as well as a lot of fun. |
Gretchen Sparks - March 3
Under the Bayou
2011
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Artist Statement
With a background in the earth sciences, the art of spatial relationships is important to me as an artist. One of the subjects I often turn to is showing my viewers an abstracted view of traditional scientific illustrations. I want to transport the observer into another reality in order to articulate the natural processes that exist in our world. Abstraction comes from a desire to convey both the truth of the subject and the emotion the subject awakens in me. My goal is to show the seen and the unseen – the reality and what lies beyond the reality. I work on projects that have a common subject, theme or emotion. These projects consist of a collection of works using a broad range of media. I am constantly researching my projects, combining my own experiences, the experiences of others and reading texts about the subject. No project is ever finalized, there is always something more to explore. From the research comes my communication through the visual arts. I like to use a variety of colors and textures in my work. The medium I choose for any particular piece is the one that I feel will best convey my message. This includes works on paper, painting, 3-D or a combination of many things! For my demonstration in chalk pastels, we will be learning the importance of: paper selection; differences between the types and brands of pastels; the importance of the under painting; color choices; layering texture and color; and finishing touches. We will discuss the pros and cons of “setting” the pastels as a final touch and/or during the painting process. Please bring any and all chalk pastels (both soft and hard) and pastel pencils that you have. I will bring some small examples of different pastel papers for everyone to practice on. Please bring at least one sheet of pastel paper (can be sanded or not) to do your own piece on. Also you may want to bring a favorite image to draw! |
