Volume 52 Issue 9

Demonstration Artist Ron Stephens - Acrylic/Mixed Media

My art background is based on an interest developed early on growing up in Texas. I loved art from childhood to high school to college and then to a career in advertising in the Dallas area. In the beginning in advertising, I was in the creative end and later in production. I retired from a 33-year career in advertising in2005 and began thinking abouta retirement career.

I began painting in watercolor in May 2006 after

reading many books and taking a weekly watercolor

course from Tom Wellman, who was President of

Southwestern Watercolor Society at that time, at the

Irving Heritage Center. Since then, I have taken

workshops from Carl Dalio, Naomi Brotherton, Mark

Mehaffey, Skip Lawrence, Maureen Brouillette, Andy

Evansen, Michael Holter and Richard Stephens. I

have been accepted into many local and regional

shows and have managed to win some awards. I am

a member of the Southwestern Watercolor Society. I

received my Signature status in SWS and to the

Texas & Neighbors exhibitions in 2014, to the Western Federation of Watercolor Societies in 2016,

and to the Texas Watercolor Society in 2017.

I started painting abstracts early on just to

experiment with the challenge of something entirely

fictional. Because it was non-objective and didn’t

have to be green grass and blue sky, I concentrated

on the juxtaposition of shapes, lines and texture. It

was exciting to me, and still is, to plan out a design

composition that combines good shapes with

interesting texture, line and harmonious color

choices to make an exciting painting.

May 21, 2019 6:30- 8:45 PM Richardson

Public Library

I like to experiment with collage elements that

complement the design and add interest.

I also like be able to use acrylic to paint over an

area that is not working to help resolve design

issues. My paintings may not be for everyone and

everyone may not understand what my intention

might be, but my paintings are my own and most viewers find something unlike other nonobjective

abstracts they may have seen. My inspiration

comes from nature and the endless variety of its

textures, shapes, values and colors. From the

most complex to simple scenes, anything is

possible as subject matter for a painting. I like the

complexity of architecture and how it relates to

its natural surroundings. I am still fascinated with

the amazing qualities of straight watercolor. The

feeling of the brush on paper, seeing colors mix

with other colors and the excitement of the

outcome is exhilarating. With acrylic abstraction I

like the ability to experiment with collage, texture,

line and a myriad of other techniques to achieve a

cohesive design and composition of shapes that

are interesting and make a painting that everyone

would like. You can see more of Ron's work at

fineartamerica.com/profiles/ron-stephens.

This Project is funded in part by the City of Richardson through the Richardson Arts Commission

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APRIL DEMONSTRATION Walt Davis — Water Color

Walt will be an Artist in Residence in 3 different National Parks this next year. He said the application is not difficult to do and it’s a wonderful experience. 2 - 4 weeks, usually. He said twoquestions are important toanswer well:

What will the experience do for the artist, and what will the artist do for the guests. SWS (Southwestern WatercolorSociety) has an article he wrote about how to do this: https:// www.swswatercolor.org.

Walt Davis, signature member and past

president of the Southwestern Watercolor

Society, began painting in watercolor over thirty

years ago. He has taught watercolor, figure

drawing, and plein air sketching at Eastfield

Community College, Amarillo College,

Panhandle Art Center, San Angelo Museum of

Art, and in his studio in Commerce.

Walt began his demonstration by sharing a

handout on books he recommended including

“Carlson’s Guide to Landscape Painting”, and

two charts with Carlson’s Theory of Angles and

Consequent Values.

He pointed out that sky values are usually lighter

than the flat of the ground.

He brought numerous sketchbooks with wonderful

plein air sketches and studies in various mediums,

including value studies on tissue paper and pen

and ink brushes.

He also listed his Plein

Air Check List and

showed us the 3

different types of bags

he uses for his plein

air outings.

He uses a butcher tray for his limited palette, using

both warm and cool of reds, yellows and blues. For

this demo he replaced his Burnt Sienna and Yellow

with Quinacridone Gold. He makes use of color

charts with various colors to test which colors will

make the best mixes for his needs.

He grids his drawing with watercolor pencil that

disappears when he wets his paper. He uses big brushes

for the initial washes, following the contours of the land

with his brushstrokes. He used pieces of watercolor paper

to test colors and values before using them on the

painting. He adds color as he paints to add variation and

interest to a wash. In watercolor, one needs to

understand the degrees of dampness in one’s paper. He

likes Escoda brushes. He also recommended Faber

Castell brushes that he uses with dark sepia ink. For the

broad shapes of tree leaves, he presses the belly of a

brush to splay it onto the paper to prevent straight edges

from happening.

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Art Demonstrations &

Show Schedule

MEETING DEMONSTRATIONS

General Meeting and Art Demonstrations are 6:30p.m.– 8:45 p.m. Third Tuesday of the month, September through May

Basement Meeting Room, Richardson Public Library

DATE DEMO ARTIST MEDIUM

May 21, 2019 Ron Stephens Acrylic / Mixed Media

It is that time of year again. The fiscal year for RCAS is from June 1st through May 30th, so our membership renewals are due on June 1st for the fiscal year of 2019-2020. It is important that you renew your membership as soon as possible in order to ensure that your information is published in the new membership directory this fall and that you will be eligible for upcoming art exhibits in the new fiscal year.

Some of you have renewed very recently, but if you are not sure of your membership status, please contact our membership chairman, Rosalinda Trevino Stone, at iberianstone@yahoo.com.

SHOWS DATE SHOW CHAIRMAN CO-CHAIRMAN

Apr 29 - May 28

June 29 - Aug 17

Various

Various

Various

Regional Show

Summer Show

Huffhines Rec

Center Heights Rec

Center CIvic Center

Linda Clary

Linda Clary

Denise Weeren

Denise Weeren

Jonesy McConnell

Debbie Langham

Mickey Archer

The reception for the 53rd Annual Regional Art Exhibit was held on Sunday, May 12th at the Eisemann Center. The list of winners along with many photographs of the artists and the guests at the reception have been posted on the RCAS website and on the RCAS Facebook page.

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2019 RCAS Spring Show Winners

Award Title Winning Artist Title of Work Category Sponsor

Best of Show Helen Bailey Kiger Majesty Pastels/Graphics

Judge's Choice Rupali Kudale Feathered Beauty Oils/Acrylics The Encaustic Center Workshop

1st Place Claudia Caudill

Spring Collage/Mixed Media

2nd Place Linda Bauer The Mother Lode II Collage/Mixed Media

3rd Place Ron Stephens Panorama Collage/Mixed Media

Honorable Mention

Debbie Langham

Global Warming Collage/Mixed Media

Merchandise Award

Brenda Guyton

Control or Escape? Collage/Mixed Media

Canyon Creek Art Supply

1st Place Ron Stephens Disturbed Pastels/Graphics

2nd Place Dan Myers The Explorer Pastels/Graphics

3rd Place Ted Houston Fractured/Getting Together Pastels/Graphics

Honorable Mention

Anjali Pai Hornbill Pastels/Graphics

Merchandise Award

Helen Bailey Chasing the Light Pastels/Graphics Canyon Creek Art Supply

1st Place Pete Quaid Potted Leaves Oils/Acrylics

2nd Place Sue Killingsworth

Ruth Oils/Acrylics

3rd Place Linda Clary Lava Flow Oils/Acrylics

Honorable Mention

Ted Houston What You See Depends on How You Look

Oils/Acrylics

Merchandise Award

Janak Narayan

Wildflowers Oils/Acrylics Wind River Arts

Merchandise Award

Sue Killingsworth

Squirrel in My Shadow Oils/Acrylics Asel Art Supply

Merchandise Award

Judith Pafford Salmon Run Oils/Acrylics Asel Art Supply

Merchandise Award

Denise Weeren

Calling for Love Oils/Acrylics Asel Art Supply

Merchandise Award

Toni Wengler The Pulse of Life Oils/Acrylics Canyon Creek Art Supply

Merchandise Award

Patricia Watson

Carina Nebula Oils/Acrylics Canyon Creek Art Supply

1st Place Claudia Caudill

Morning Glories Water Media

2nd Place Linda Perry A Few Loose Marbles Water Media

3rd Place Linda Bauer Pride of Santa Fe Water Media

Honorable Mention

Mickey Archer

Waiting to Dance Water Media

Merchandise Award

Mickey Archer

Leaning Water Media Wind River Arts

Merchandise Award

Barbara McNutt

Siberians Water Media Asel Art Supply

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Photographs of the winning artwork has been posted on the RCAS website and on the RCAS Facebook page.

Please Support our Sponsors

John O. Cheney

PAINTING OF THE MONTH WINNERS

Thanks to Asel Art Supply and The Wiley Art Gallery for their continued support of the RCAS Painting of the Month competition.

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MAY Ron Stephens

Acrylic/Mixed Media

Message From The President — Mickey Archer A beginning. I hope you’ve noticed the street banners we’ve been hanging at the library, Heights rec. center, Huffhines rec. center and the Eisemann Center. These banners can’t help but draw notice to RCAS and the wonderful art base we have here in Richardson. If we add to these banners next year, it will have an even greater impact to tell the community how much art means to all of us.

By the time you read this we should have had our paint-out at the State Farm headquarters complex (weather permitting). The paint- out is one more way to draw attention to RCAS and to our wealth of really good artists right here in Richardson.

Our new slate of officers and chair people will be inducted at our May meeting and will take the reins in September. We do have a few unfilled spots so give a small amount of your time to help make our society even better. Claudia Caudill and Kay Hoag volunteered to take the Painting of the Month job after our April meeting so thanks to both of them. We still have our publicity chair and Rosemary Cheney show chair positions unfilled so pick one.

The 53rd Annual Regional Show reception at the Eisemann Center is set for Sunday, May 12th from 7:00PM to 9:00PM and may be the best one yet. The show is really strong this year and I know the judge had a hard time picking the winners.

This year has been a really fast one but also very rewarding as your president. Have a wonderful summer and come back in September with some of your best work yet !

Happy Trails,

Mickey

Richardson Civic Art Society P.O. Box 831027 Richardson, TX 75083-1027

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