UCC Southbury Hosts Small Paintings and Woodcarvings Show for Holidays

Southbury, CT -- For the final year, more than 16 artists in paint and wood will bring their creations to UCC's Fiftieth Holiday Fair, Saturday, November 19th from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.  Artists from Pomperaug Outdoor Painters and Hat City Carvers are again setting up a pop-up gallery to showcase and sell small plein air, still life, and studio paintings as well handcarved wooden gift items.   

Following in the footsteps of the French Impressionists, John Singer Sargent, Homer and others, painters have taken their easels and paint outside to capture the beauty of the landscape.   Some painters paint only “plein air”. Other painters work in the studio to create universally beautiful scenes of still life, flowers, people, favorite memories.  This year's show will feature small collectible original oil, watercolor and acrylic paintings by:

•  Zufar Bikbov, 
• Ellie Boyd, 
• May Phillips, 
• Linda Salvagne, 
• Arline Corcoran, 
• Anita Gregorski, 
• Carolyn Bucha, 
• Shirley Michaels, 
• David Merrill, 
• Diane Dubreuil, and 
• Sandra Wakeen.  

Hat City Woodcarvers will bring carvings of Santa ornaments, wooden jewelry, small Santa statues, bottle stoppers, and other decorative collectibles.  Traditional woodcarving techniques are passed down from carver to carver and encompass many styles from Norwegian flat plane carving to relief, chip carving and carving in the round.  This year pieces will be shown and sold by Ellie Boyd, Marty Sprock and Dennis J. Taylor.

In addition to the popup gallery, the event offers 

• unique shopping opportunities--crafts, homemade baked goods and jams
• live and silent auctions with 100+ items (Silent Auction closes at 12:00) Be sure to bid on a $500 Gift Certificate toward the portrait of your choice by Ellie Boyd (Silent Auction) or a "Sip & Paint" Class for Four Friends, Project:  Handpainted Christmas Balls.
• a great raffle (1st Prize --handmade quilt "Women of the Bible"; 2nd Prize --Microsoft Surface Tablet; 3rd Prize --Amazon "Echo", 4th Prize -- $75 Gift Certificate to Newbury Place.  Raffle tickets are available for $2 each or a book of 10 for $20.  Only 2,000 will be sold.
• a visit from Mr. and Mrs. Claus, and 
• a delicious luncheon.  

A portion of all sales support UCC Southbury's wider missions.  UCC Southbury is located at 283 Main Street North in Southbury.  For more information call Ellie Boyd (203) 429-4356

Final Show "Small Treasures" November 19th UCC Southbury CT

POP and UCC Southbury team up again for a final Small Treasures 2016, the successful small paintings show at the UCC holiday fair, to benefit UCC Southbury's outreach and programs.  Twenty + artists and woodcarvers will offer framed original artwork and hand carved wooden ornaments perfect for holiday gifting.  If you'd like to be part of this one day show, fill out the registration form and send it in with your check.  

Details:

Small Treasures 2016, November 19th, from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., 283 Main Street North, Southbury. 

Painters are invited to show and sell their original small artwork, 12" x 12" or smaller, valued at $450 or less, including framing.   Link for prospectus:     http://bit.ly/2dZLk1k

#artshow #smallpaintings #woodcarvings #artevent #SouthburyCT #holidaygifts #handmade #XmasReady

CANCELLED: Middlebury Land Trust Hosts POP and OPA Painters 10-1-16

Painting of Fenn's Pond with a view of Brookdale Farm, painted by Tom Adkins, judge of quick draw event at Middlebury Land Trust's Open Farm Day, Saturday, October 1st. 

THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED DUE TO WEATHER.  

For additional information, please contact Ellie Boyd, (203) 429-4356, pomperaugoutdoorpainters@gmail.com

‪#‎OPA‬ ‪#‎oilpaintersofAmerica‬ ‪#‎quickdraw‬ ‪#‎pleinair‬ ‪#‎MiddleburyCT‬‪#‎Middleburylandtrust‬ ‪#‎openspac‬

September 10th Paintout with Zufar Bikbov

Zufar Bikbov, of Oakville, CT, is the Pomperaug Outdoor Painters guest teacher September 10th at Bent of the River Audubon Center in Southbury. 

On September 10th, Pomperaug Outdoor Painters (POP) will meet at the Bent of the River Audubon Center, 185 East Flat Hill Road, in Southbury for an outdoor painting/sketching event from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.   

This year, a seasoned POP volunteer artist will work one-on-one with a beginning artist at each event. Anyone interested in trying “plein air” painting in oil with noted Watertown painter, Zufar Bikbov, the featured volunteer teacher for the event, at no charge, may register by phoning Ellie Boyd (203) 429-4356 or email,pomperaugoutdoorpainters@gmail.com.  The event is also open to experienced painters who just want to come out and spend the day sketching and painting on their own.  The beautiful nature sanctuary is adjacent to the Pomperaug River and features large open fields and a picturesque walk along the river, antique barns and structures, with plenty of shade, parking, and bathroom facilities.  Non-painters are welcome to hike the property and see plein air artists at work.  No pets allowed.  

A Russian native, Zufar Bikbov drew and painted with watercolors under the encouraging eye of his artist father as a child, and said "Learning about art was fascinating and the process of painting was pure magic for me. As a young child, I mimicked whatever my father was drawing. Because I was an enthusiastic learner, my father was taught me as much as he knew.”

He later graduated cum laude from Zelenodolsk Art School in Russia and continued his education with leading artists of Kazan, the "Third Capital of Russia", in the Saint-Petersburg Academy of Fine Arts. His other chosen field is medicine, and studying and completing a degree at Kazan State Medical University.  

Zufar states “My love of painting has been instrumental in shaping the direction of my life. It gave me my wife, talented music teacher and singer, best friends and sense of endless way of growth and perfection. Because of the presence of medicine in my life, I have a very special feeling about nature and all that lives in the human soul.  It is reflected in my mind and permeates my art. I love to work with oils, which allow me to be flexible and deeply expressive.”    

Bikbov has received numerous awards for his paintings, most recently three awards this summer alone at Plein Air Easton, one of the U. S.'s premier plein air events, including Best Composition, Artist's Choice, and Best Nocturne awards.

http://www.zufar.com/

Jim Laurino to Teach Plein Air Painting August 13th

Jim Laurino, guest teacher, pictured with a young student,
 Annie, and her first plein air painting. 

Workshop Cancelled Due to Heat

UPDATE:  Due to the excessive heat warning, the one-on-one teaching portion of the POP paintout tomorrow with Jim Laurino has been cancelled. Painters can still come out and paint in the morning if it is cool enough, and if it is not raining/thundering/lightning!




On August 13th, Pomperaug Outdoor Painters (POP) welcomes landscape painter Jim Laurino, of Burlington, Connecticut for an outdoor painting/sketching event to be held at Three Rivers Park in Woodbury CT from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.    This year, seasoned POP volunteer artists will work one-on-one with beginning artists at each event. Anyone interested in trying “plein air” painting in oil with Jim, the featured volunteer teacher for the event, at no charge, may register by phoning Ellie Boyd (203) 429-4356 or email, pomperaugoutdoorpainters@gmail.com.  The event is also open to experienced painters who just want to spend the day sketching and painting on their own. Three Rivers Park is located at the junction of Route 47 and Jacks Bridge Road, where the Weekeepeemee River and the Nonnewaug River join to form the Pomperaug River. The site features large open fields and a picturesque walk along the river, with plenty of shade and parking.

A Connecticut native, Laurino draws inspiration from nature, the changing seasons, farmland vistas, and the geography of his home state.  Like most landscape painters, he prefers working en plein air, on site, whenever possible.   Laurino creates in a style heavily influenced by American and French Impressionist painters.

As a high school student Laurino studied with Richard Montross, and received instruction from notable marine painters Carl G. Evers, and Christopher Blossom. Jim studied fine art at the college level at the University of Connecticut.  He has received numerous awards for his paintings, including a recent 1st place award from Lyme Art Association (Maritime Exhibit), and a 2nd place finish in the 2015 Finger Lakes Plein air competition (NY State). http://jimlaurino.com/

POP is a “plein air” (outdoor) painting group formed to promote landscape painting in all media, camaraderie amongst local artists, and preservation of natural landscapes.  More information about the organization and paintout schedules may be obtained at the group's website: http://pomperaugoutdoorpainters.blogspot.com/

July 9th at Great Hollow Preserve -- Chabrian and Martinez

Volunteer POP instructors Deborah Chabrian and Edward Martinez capture a scene “en plein air” in the hills of Connecticut.  Painters are invited to paint at Great Hollow Preserve in New Fairfield, CT on Saturday, July 9^th.

Chabrian-Martinez Plein Air Dynamic Duo to Teach July 9th

Pomperaug Outdoor Painters (POP) will host a free outdoor painting/sketching event in New Fairfield, CT at Great Hollow Preserve, 225 Route 37 on Saturday, July 9th, from  8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.  Join POP for prime painting locations in Western Connecticut in State parks, and on private lands.    This year, seasoned POP volunteer artists will work one-on-one with registered beginning artists at each event.  The featured artists at this event are Deborah Chabrian (watercolor) and Ed Martinez (oil) of Kent, CT.  Anyone interested in trying “plein air” painting in watercolor or oil, at no charge, will need to sign up in advance by phone (203) 429-4356 or email, pomperaugoutdoorpainters@gmail.com.  The event is open also to experienced painters who just want to spend the day sketching and painting.  

Martinez and Chabrian met in the Parsons School of Design in New York. The couple shares a love of art where life and work are intertwined.  Mutual love and support have taken the artists down many paths -- one of them in plein air painting.   In this session in New Fairfield, they are going to share their passion for going out into nature and painting together.

Both painters are representational artists from Kent, CT.  While Deborah works in watercolor Ed prefers oils.  The artists migrated from commercial art mid-career to fine art, to adapt to changes brought about by a now computer-dominated world.  Their challenge is continuous improvement every day of painting.  It is a constant battle, strengthening the work in the long run.  They don't create their art in a vacuum, but live in the same house, work in adjacent spaces, and rely heavily on each other's critical eye and opinion.  An unusual arrangement between husband and wife.  But it works.  Their paintings defy the ordinary, and bring the viewers into a scene immediately. http://www.edmartinezart.com/

The Great Hollow Preserve, http://greathollowct.org/ is a new private preserve, a few miles North of New Fairfield, CT, featuring many views and painting opportunities for artists like open fields, mature floodplain forest, a beaver pond, in a natural state.  Hiking and picnicking is allowed in the park.  Visitors are also welcome to view artwork in progress.  Heavy rain cancels.  Directions from New Fairfield:  I-84 to Danbury CT, Exit 5, 9.8 miles.  The entrance to Great Hollow Preserve will be to the left.

For more information on the group or to register to paint with the featured artists, please call or email:  Ellie Boyd, 203-429-4356, pomperaugoutdoorpainters@gmail.com

Deborah Chabrian's and Ed Martinez' Bios:

Try It! You'll Like It!

Tony D'Amico paints a beautiful scene in Roxbury CT.

Pomperaug Outdoor Painters (POP) will host a free outdoor painting/sketching event in Litchfield at Topsmeade State Forest on Saturday, June 25^th, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.  This will be the group’s fourth season of scouting out prime painting locations in Western Connecticut in State parks, and on private land.    This year, seasoned POP volunteer artists will work one-on-one with beginning artists at each event.  The featured artist at this event is Tony D’Amico (oil painter) of Fairfield.  http://tonydamicofineart.com/   Anyone interested in trying “plein air” painting, at no charge, will need to sign up in advance by phone (203) 429-4356 or email, pomperaugoutdoorpainters@gmail.com.  

The Topsmeade State Forest offers many views and painting opportunities for artists featuring open fields, mature floodplain forest, and an authentic English Cotswolds type architectural masterpiece.  Hiking and picnicking is allowed in the park, and the restored main house is open for tours that day.  Visitors are also welcome to view artwork in progress.  Heavy rain cancels.  Directions from Litchfield Center: take Route 118 east for 1.5 miles. Turn right onto East Litchfield Road. Take the first right onto Buell Road. Topsmeade entrance is the first road on the right.

POP is a “plein air” (outdoor) painting group formed to promote landscape painting in all media, camaraderie amongst local artists, and preservation of natural landscapes.  Tony D’Amico joined the group two years ago.  Trained as a commercial artist/illustrator, Tony enjoys capturing scenes of everyday life that are “often overlooked” with his idealized interpretation of the subject.  He has studied with many well known outdoor painters like Don Demers, Matt Smith and Kenn Backhaus, and has garnered many national awards for his work in New England and a number of plein air competitions across the U. S.  He is eager to share his knowledge of identifying an outdoor subject and how to go about getting that three-dimensional subject onto a two-dimensional canvas.

In addition to the Topsmeade paintout, the following additional events are planned for the remainder of the summer/fall season (check POP calendar for updates):

Great Hollow Preserve

New Fairfield, CT

July 9, 2016 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM

Featured volunteer teacher:  Ed Martinez (Oil) and Deborah Chabrian (Watercolor)

Three Rivers Park

Woodbury, CT

August 13, 2016 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM

Featured volunteer teacher:  Jim Laurino

Bent of the River Audubon Center

Southbury, CT

September 10, 2016 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM

Featured volunteer teacher:  Zufar Bikbov (Oil)

Middlebury Land Trust Brookdale Farm Open Day and Fenn's Pond

Middlebury, CT

October 1, 2016 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM

Featured volunteer teacher:  TBA

For the most up to date info on scheduled paintouts, check the group’s website:

http://pomperaugoutdoorpainters.blogspot.com/2016/05/pop-2016-schedule-of-paintouts.html

For more information on the group or to register to paint in oils with Tony D’Amico, please call or email:  Ellie Boyd, (203) 429-4356,  pomperaugoutdoorpainters@gmail.com

Flanders Paintout Event --Prizes, Registration

Flanders Nature Center in Woodbury CT is having a plein air event May 21st. Open to the first 50 registrants.  For more information, click Flanders artist registration page.  Or, call the center at 203-263-3711 .  

Paint the Farm Artist Challenge

Saturday, May 21

11 AM at the Van Vleck Santuary

Flanders “Paint the Farm” Artist Challenge is a timed event for artists to create works of art during Farm Day. 

This non-juried event is open to all plein air artists working in all media and includes a “Wet Paint” exhibition/sale from 3 – 4 PM at our hay wagon main stage. Visitors and art buyers can place bids in the silent auction or “buy it now” to take home newly created artwork. Flanders commission is 30% from Wet Paint Sales.

Plein air artists are required to arrive by 11 AM and must finish a painting by 2 PM to participate in the judging and wet paint sale.

The surrounding areas of the Van Vleck farm offer a wide range of subjects, including historic barns, water views, gardens, antique machinery and farm animals. Musicians, period correct costumed Colonial and Native American demonstrations, and a many other colorful outdoor views will inspire paintings.

Monetary prizes will be awarded included a People Popular Choice award where farm day visitors will vote for their favorite art and the Natalie Van Vleck Award for Best of Show.

Location: the Van Vleck Sanctuary located on Flanders Road in Woodbury CT  
To Register: https://app.etapestry.com/onlineforms/FlandersNatureCenter/paintthefarm.html

POP 2016 Schedule of Paintouts

Please take out your calendar and make plans to paint, make new friends, have fun at POP's schedule of paintouts for the season from May to October.  Be sure to check Google Calendar before you head out, for the latest details. (See Calendar Tab.)  Eblasts and updates will also be posted on Facebook and here as well.
NEW:  sign up to be a featured volunteer teacher/painter, to share your talent and experience with a beginner one-on-one for the morning or afternoon (you supply easel and materials).  Your name will be featured in pre-publicity.  Newbie painters will need to preregister for the session.  Zufar Bikbov is our first volunteer teacher!

Private Estate, Roxbury CT (Pre-registration)

May 14, 2016 from 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM, (Rain Date May 15th)

Topsmeade State Forest

Litchfield, CT

June 25, 2016 from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM

Great Hollow Preserve

New Fairfield, CT

July 9, 2016 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM

Three Rivers Park

Woodbury, CT

scheduled for August 13, 2016 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM

Bent of the River Audubon Center

Southbury, CT

September 17, 2016 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM

Featured volunteer:  Zufar Bikbov

Middlebury Land Trust's Brookdale Farm Open Day and Fenn's Pond

Middlebury, CT

October 1, 2016 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM

#pleinairpainting #landscapepainting #artists #pomperaugoutdoorpainters

Create Your Own Art Career With Vince Giarrano

Vince Giarrano will give a career building workshop at Gallery 25
in New Milford on Sunday May 22nd.

Create Your Own Career in Art  with Vince Giarrano Learn to navigate the waters of the art market and how to discover your ideal place in it. Sunday, May 22, 2016 From 1:30 pm to 3:00 pm Vincent Giarrano, one of the area’s most accomplished fine artists, has transitioned from the commercial art world to full time artist. It took Vince nearly 16 years to make and realize his dream. Join your fellow artists as he shares his research and the steps he took to make his success. The cost for this program is $20.00. Bring a sketchbook or notebook to write in. Seating is limited, so please REGISTER as soon as possible bit.ly/1T9TJNz Contact Gallery 25 at (860) 354-6009 Email: newmilartscomm@gmail.com

Special Roxbury Invitation to Start the Season

Bob Norieka paints along the banks of the Pomperaug River.

Be inspired to paint at one of Roxbury's loveliest private estates.

POP is invited to paint Saturday, May 14th from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., (Rain Date: Sunday, May 15th.)
The property features a stately home, surrounded by open pastures, a running brook and pond, an equally beautiful barn with a number of paddocks, specimen trees, shrubs, and lush flower plantings.   On Saturday, starting at 8:30 a.m., the property will be open to painters who have preregistered.   Painters will break for lunch around noon.  Bring a sack lunch, drink, and folding chair.  No pets please.  Bathroom facilities available.
For details or to signup, call (203) 429-­4356   Email: pomperaugoutdoorpainters@gmail.com
Limited to first eight painters.