Fall Stockley Gardens Arts Festival

Exothermic 14x11 mixed media on canvas

This weekend, October 17 & 18 is the Fall Stockley Gardens Arts Festival. http://www.hope-house.org/events/fall-stockley-gardens/ The show is open from 10am until 5pm on Saturday and noon until 5pm on Sunday. I am in space C-9 and would love to see you.  

The painting shown is called Exothermic and is mixed media on canvas. Come on out and see this one along with a number of new paintings.

Port Warwick Art & Sculpture Festival

This weekend is the Port Warwick Art Festival in Newport News, VA.  The show is open from 10am until 6pm Saturday and from 10am until 5pm on Sunday.  I will be in space C42 and will have a number of new paintings on display.  More information may be found at http://www.pwartfest.org/  

The painting shown here is called Uncyphered and is an 8x10 mixed media on metal (gold) leaf.

Challenge from a friend

I am fortunate enough that I have a wonderful circle of artist friends and we get together as often as possible to catch up but also to immerse ourselves in art. This usually involves painting together which leads to suggestions, etc. from one another.  

On one such occasion, I brought a heavily textured canvas to paint.  Everyone loved to lacy look of the texture.  One of my friends suggested (challenged) me to do a series of monochromatic paintings on this type of texture.  This really was a challenge for me since my love of color often overrides my intentions when it comes to this type of work. The last time I started out with the idea of a study in white, it became blue and copper instead.

This time I was determined to follow through and went home and textured two more 12x12 canvases to achieve the same lace like texture as the first.  The "experiment" resulted in a triptych titled Fretwork I, II and III.  Each painting is 12x12, slightly darker in value and framed in a simple natural wood frame.

Fretwork I

 

Fretwork II

Fretwork III

Paintings by Laura Gibbs and Don Williams
On exhibit 

September 2 through October 31, 2015

How do you relate to an artwork when there is no object to give you a clue?

When an artist uses only color, pattern and texture to convey ideas and emotions, how do you discern the artist’s message?

Opening reception with the artists

September 18th in the Arts Center @ 319 from 6 to 8 pm.

http://www.smithfieldarts.org/

Plenty of Art - Spring shows and Beyond

Unfurling - 9x12 textured acrylic on board

I am participating in one show this spring and it is this coming weekend.  The show is Arts in the Middle in Urbanna, VA which s approximately an hour and a half from Hampton Roads.  The show is open from 10:00 am until 5:00 pm on Saturday, May 30th and 10:00 am until 4:00 pm on Sunday, May 31st. There will be entertainment at the show and later that evening in the town of Urbanna as well. Please refer to their site for more information http://www.artsinthemiddle.com/

Some of you may have noticed that I was missing from a couple of the spring shows that I normally participate in.  I missed East Beach and Stockley Gardens as they both conflicted with family commitments and celebrations.  It felt really odd not to be at these outdoor shows this year, but I wouldn't have missed our son's college graduation for anything.

There are two very exciting shows on the horizon.  I will be exhibiting in a one person show in Richmond and an invitational in Smithfield.  More information will be sent soon. 

Etsy Store Open

Laura Gibbs Studio on Etsy.com

My Etsy Store is now open and to celebrate, I have listed my 6"x 6" fruits and veggie paintings at a Grand Opening special price of $50.00 each (usually $125.00 each). During the Grand Opening Sale, shipping (in the continental US) is included.  

Follow this link to me store https://www.etsy.com/shop/LauraGibbsStudio The sale price is only available through my Etsy Store.

Bell Pepper

Pear II

MOCA Art Show at Coastal VA Wine Fest

The painting shown here, Ocean Continuum is a mixture of ink and acrylic on heavily textured canvas.  I will have it on display this weekend in an art show sponsored by the VA Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA).  The show is part of the Coastal Virginia Wine Festbeing held this weekend (January 17 & 18) at the Virginia Beach Convention Center.  The hours are Saturday Noon - 7:00pm and Sunday Noon - 5:00pm.Event and ticket pricing/purchase may be found by following this link: http://coastalvirginiawinefest.com

Workshops & Classes  I will be teaching a one day workshop at d'Art Center in Norfolk on Mixed Media Yupo. Students will learn basic information on painting abstraction in watercolor and gouache on Yupo synthetic paper.  The class will be held Friday, January 23rd.  More information here http://www.d-artcenter.org/classes.html