300 Mason Jars at the Gage Gallery, classes and videos

​Joanne Thomson's January 2016 Newsletter
 
Happy New Year to all of you!  Seems a long time since the year started.  I have been very busy with the 300 Mason Jar installation.  Response has been overwhelmingly positive and the stories warm my heart!  Posters have been selling well and art cards.  I re-ordered some today, so if you missed out on the blackberries, they should be there by the weekend!
 
The New Years Eve reception was great fun, my daughter Elizabeth, and my good friend Nora helped out with refreshments and sales.  I was really glad I offered the 5-9 time, because most people came early and were gone to parties and meals by 8 o’clock! 
 
If you haven’t seen the December FOCUS article here is the link. http://focusonline.ca and click on the PDF, pages 24 – 27. I think Aaren Madden did a wonderful job with the write-up handling the subject of the show with sensitivity and respect.
 
And I’ll be at the Gallery every Saturday during the show, some other days as well.
This project is near and dear to me and many of you have asked if you can participate by bringing a jar of your own canning. The answer is yes.  If you want to bring it and not pick it up, I hope you will accept an art card in exchange. Otherwise you are welcome to bring it and pick it up at the end of the show. I have a linen cloth on the window ledge and labels for them in a mason jar.

Efren did up a lovely little video of the show:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVqKSL0txH4&feature=youtu.be
 
January 9, 2016 is the free artmaking “Take the Lid Off” your creativity event.  I invite you to join me and some other Gage artists to start to fulfill those New Years resolutions about ‘making more art’. All materials supplied. 2-5 pm at the Gage Gallery, 2031 Oak Bay Avenue.  NOTE: this isn’t a workshop, more of a drop in invitation to make some art with dry media and scissors and inventive juxtapositions. I’ll be talking about art making and we will have fun.
 
OF INTEREST: The Art Gallery of Greater Victoria will be having and exhibition of watercolours beginning at the end of January and running until May 23, 2016.  It looks wonderful and is quite rare to have such a focused exhibition.  http://aggv.ca/exhibitions/water-pigment-paper
 
And I stumbled across this a great video illustrating watercolour painting, the medium, the versatility and the unique properties.  Worth the 10 minutes and more. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSiUYOGgloU&feature=youtu.be
 
IT IS TIME TO REGISTER FOR STUDIO CLASSES 2016:  The Wednesday morning class is full and the Wednesday afternoon class is teetering on the edge- not enough registrants to make it happen yet… AND I have decided to offer some Saturday workshops- details below.
 
COMING SOON: WINTER CLASSES: There will be a few spaces open in January.
Wednesday Studio Groups will continue. (Note: if you miss classes you can make them up in other classes I offer in this session, this location and others).
January 13 – March 30, 2016 (12 sessions)
Mornings  9:30 am – 12:30 pm
Afternoons 2 pm – 5 pm  (if you want to join please let me know asap or the class will be cancelled.)
(includes tea and cookies) $300.00
 
UVic Continuing Education:
Watercolour: A weekend workshop for beginners January 29, 30 and 31. https://www.uvcs.uvic.ca/Course/Watercolour-for-Beginners/ASVA019/
 
Classes at CB55+ are continuing and are full.
 
NEW: ART ON SATURDAY
10:30 am to 4:30 pm (bring a bag lunch and coffee if you need it) tea and cookies provided. Individual workshops :$60.00 each.  All 4 workshops $220.00
February 6, 2016-  Drawing for Painters: time to look, see and capture the essentials on paper so your brush can finish the work later, contour drawing, sketching, layout lines, techniques.
March 5, 2016- Watercolour basics revisited. Monochromatic painting, layering, glazing, washes, drybrush etc.  A full day of play. *NOTE- for absolute beginners you’ll need to come on the Friday evening 7-9pm (additional fee of $25.00) to set up your palette and become familiar with the paper and brushes.
April 2, 2016- Colour for watercolour painters- wheels, overlays, shifting colour, tints and opacity- lots of things to explore and play with.
May 7, 2016- Taking it Outside- sketching with brush and pencil in the forest and on the shore- all weathers- we will decide on the exact locations once the weather is determined, but my plan is Francis King Park or Goldstream and then Whitties Lagoon or Esquimalt Lagoon. (Mobility notice: we won’t have to go far, but we will be doing some walking on groomed trails in the forest and on sand at the shore).
 
 
As always email me if you want more information about any of the above. [email protected]