By Martina Sestakova

Members of Montgomery Art Association come from all walks of life and their artworks and creative processes reflect this wonderful variety. In this blog, we invite you to enjoy a selection of pieces that feature the color PINK. A color with a fascinating history can indeed be interpreted and incorporated in many different ways. Enjoy this lovely variety of ideas! 

Freddi Weiner, Pink Sunset on the Meadow, Acrylic, 11x14”

Freddi says, “This piece brings me to my happy place. I am constantly trying to bring happiness and cheer during this pandemic. Sunsets and fields of flowers with blue skies and fluffy clouds.”

Here is Martina’s story behind this piece, "I recall laughing under the blankets when I was a little girl. My brother would be in his bed, under his blanket, and we would talk nonsense and laugh so hard. Such delightful moments. I try to keep this sense of lightness in my life as an adult. It’s just so nice to tuck in and talk in the darkness of the night and feel open and hopeful and loved."

Pritha Srinivasan, Unforgettable, Watercolor, 14x14”

Pritha shares, “This is my tribute to peonies, one of my favorite late spring, early summer flowers!”

Hiral Joshi, Reflection, Acrolic on Canvas, 30x24”

Rosemary Behizadeh Yue, Sunset, Acrylic on Canvas, 11x14"

Helen Wood, Zoe Bee, Pastel, 5x7"

Helen mentions, "This piece is inspired by a photo taken by granddaughter Zoe (age 15); our first artistic collaboration.”

Deb Walmer, Stargazer, Oil on Canvas, 24x18”

Paige Friedman, Cherry Blossoms, Digital, Sizes Vary

Paige tells us, “This work was all about playing with line, color, layers & shape.”

John Mac Arthur, Cherry Blossoms on the Mall #2, Acrylic, 18x24”

John highlights, “The Mall in the Spring is more than tourists wandering around; the Mall is a feeling of rebirth best portrayed as the cherry blossoms.”

Dora Patin, Competing Forces, Oil on Canvas, 8x10"

Dora conveys, "I really liked the high saturation of colors in this scene. The bright background pops forward and takes some attention away from the iris that’s in focus.”

Tuna Turner, Evening View: Bangladesh, Colored Pencil, 9x12"

Jean Fin, A Rose for Mom, Oil on Board, 8x10”

Jean shares, “Roses always remind me of my mother. Deep and complex. Beautiful and delicate.”

Elizabeth Amanda Elgin, Lloyd’s Ducks, Oil, 9x12”

Elizabeth tell us, “This is a commission for Lloyd's wife after Lloyd died last year. This is from their boat dock behind their house.”

Jeanne Sullivan, Majestic Seas, Mixed Media Collage, 8x10”

Jeanne describes her work as, “Mighty ships seeking the unknown in the majestic seas."

Patrick Sieg, Peach Amaretto, Oil on Canvas, 12x16"

Patrick tells us, "This work is based on a photo by the talented Lisa Sieg.”

Alan Rich, Red Pot, Acrylic on Canvas, 12x12"

Kathy Farrell Tynan, Birthday Wishes, Soft Pastel on Sanded Paper, 15x12"

Vicky Surles, Pink and White Azaleas, Watercolor, 11x14”

Vicky captured these Spring time beauties at McCrillis Gardens in Bethesda.

Marti Wells, Valentine for My Better Half, Watercolor, 5x7”

Elizabeth Levine Steel, Cambirds, Acrylic on Canvas, 16x20”

Thank you for stopping by and enjoying the artworks of our members! Be sure to check out our other blogs as we celebrate the unique artworks of local Montgomery County artists. 

By Martina Sestakova

All Montgomery Art Association members in good standing are invited to join the MAA Members group on Facebook. This is a private group and is one of the benefits of our organization's membership. Read on and see how this group may be of enjoyment to you. 

Martina Sestakova spearheads monthly art projects. For instance, you are invited to create a new piece (or submit an existing one) that features a certain topic. We have - as a group - painted flowers, landscapes, portraits ... We have also shared our artworks on a certain topic, for instance, squares and the color pink. These monthly projects are turned into blogs for the MAA website. Join in so your artwork can be shared with our followers. 

You are also invited to share your own updates in the group. Are you teaching a class? Have you won an award? Are you working on a new piece and would like feedback? All of these topics - and many more related to art - are welcome and encouraged. 

Furthermore, members often share Calls for Art that you may be interested in and would have otherwise missed. We encourage all media and there may be a call for art just for you. 

To sum it up, be part of the MAA Members page and enjoy warm camaraderie and opportunities to promote your own artistic endeavors. If you have any questions, reach out to Martina Sestakova at connect@radostbymartinasestakova.com. 

Our October Portraits exhibition and competition drew 43 people entries and 30 animal works. Our judge was artist Kevin King, founder of the King’s Canvas in Montgomery, Alabama.

People Portraits

1^st place: African Queen by Isabella Martire

2^nd place: Searching by Paula Zeller

3^rd place: Brett by Ally Morgan

Honorable Mentions:

• Let Me Think About it by Susan Friend
• Woman in Leather Jacket by Janet Hillel
• Mishika by Hiral Joshi
• Who Am I? by Karen Lanter
• Geraniums and Tie by Patrick Sieg
• Birthday Wishes by Kathleen Tynan

Animal Portraits

1^st place: Hungarian Folktales by Dora Patin

2^nd place: Archimedes the Owl by Kathy Moore Wilson

3^rd place: Gray by Julia Rosenbaum

Honorable Mentions:

• Seeing Eye to Eye by Lily Kak
• I Have Something to Tell You by Ally Morgan
• Lunch with a Panda by Alden Schofield
• Hold Me by Diane Shipley
• Sheltered by Patrick Sieg

See the exhibition

New Member Spotlight – Sue Fierston 

Lives in: Silver Spring, Maryland

Website:  Suefierston.com

Social Media: Instagram @suefierston

Media and subjects: Painting, printmaking (including gyotaku and hand-printed botanical clothing and bags) 

Why you joined MAA: MAA’s newsletter is full of energy and looked so inviting! I also see many opportunities to show work in a variety of media. The energy of MAA is what called to me. 

Something fun about you: I grew up on Kwajalein, a tropical island in the South Pacific. 

Artist Biography:  I teach gyotaku, the Japanese art of printing fish, at the Smithsonian in their studio arts program where I also teach modern botanical printmaking. It is exciting to choose the fish I will print as a demo for the class, and I’m always looking for a large fish with big scales (think carp or rockfish). 

I paint in both acrylic and watercolor, and I’m a regular urban sketcher, always carrying my sketchbook. I’d love to start an urban sketchers group here in the DC suburbs. I’ve exhibited here in our area at the NIH and Lombardi Cancer Center as well as out in Yosemite National Park, where, if we get past the pandemic, I will be an artist in residence in 2021. 

My first book, Into the Woods: Families Making Art in Nature was published in May. It collects many activities I’ve done as a teaching artist and encourages people to find solace and fun in the natural world. 

By Martina Sestakova

Members of Montgomery Art Association come from all walks of life and their artworks and creative processes reflect this wonderful variety. In this blog, we invite you to enjoy a selection of pieces that feature SQUARES. A simple geometric shape that can be interpreted and incorporated in many different ways. Sometimes you will see the square easily; other times you will need to pause and look for it. Some of our members enjoy working in a square format too. Enjoy! 

Alan Rich, Acrylic on Canvas, 11x14"

Paige Friedeman, Acrylic on Hand Stretched Canvas, 36x36"

Dora Patin, Fortitude, Oil on Panel, 10x10" 

Ellen Yahuda, Neon Ink, 20x16"

Anastasia Walsh says of the image below, "I have a very fun piece I keep adding to: Junque Drawer. It is a wall-mounted piece that contains all kinds of things that I am cleaning out of my various junk drawers as I try to simplify. It is now hanging in my kitchen, a very favorite piece now." 

Martina Sestakova, There Is Always a Rainbow, Watercolor on Yupo, 4x6”

Marti Wells, Collage, 22x15"

Jenny Wilson, Above the Treeline, Panels with Collaged Paper and Acrylic, 10x10.

Of this work, Jenny says, "This triptych reflects my love of the feeling of being above the treeline on a mountain hike, my love of stones and scrubby trees!"

Jennifer Gwynne Lubell, We Isolate (Series), Mixed Media, 11x9"

Tena Turner, Colored Pencil, 9x12"

Deb Walmer, Nice Night for a Run, Oil on Canvas, 36x36"

Angela White, East Meets West #13, Encaustic on Wood Cradle, 6x6"

Elizabeth Levine Steel, A View from the El: Bronx 1959, Mixed Media on Canvas, 16x20".

Of this piece, Elizabeth says, "When I was growing up, it was magical to ride the elevated trains and gaze at the windows as we passed by."

Judith Levine, Shtetl Dancer, Watercolor, 9x12".

Of this work, Judith says, "I love painting dancers and this also happens to coincide with the fact that I am an ethnic Jew whose grandparents lived in the shtetls (Jewish villages) of Eastern Europe." 

Thank you for stopping by and enjoying the artworks of our members! Be sure to check out our other blogs as we celebrate the unique artworks of local Montgomery County artists. 

New Member Spotlight – Fran Oviedo

Lives in:  Bethesda, Maryland 

Why you joined MAA:  I joined the Montgomery Art Association because I want to connect with other artists and learn from them. 

Media & Subjects:  My major in school was printmaking but because my physical space is a little tight right now I mostly work with acrylics, watercolors, encaustics and mixed media.  The themes for my paintings are usually inspired by nature and personal memories from my childhood and from my home country and family. 

Social Media where you can connect with Fran:

Instragram: https://www.instagram.com/franart715/?hl=en 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100009871419933

Something fun about you:  I am from Chile, and when I turned 33 I wanted to change my life.  So I came to the United States to start a new adventure.  I was an intern at the Art Museum of the Americas.  

Artist Biography:  I was born in Temuco, Chile. I am a visual artist living in Washington D.C. since 2012. 

Fran’s artistic motivation developed in early childhood as she began to notice and appreciate the arts and crafts around her house. From a very young age, her vacations were spent in her grandparents' farm, which helped develop her creativity and acquire a special sensitivity for the landscape and nature.

In 1999, Fran began studying design at Finis Terrae University. Her passion for art was stronger and changed her career within the same University, graduating with honors in the specialty of engraving, where her mentor was the outstanding engraver, Teresa Gazitúa. Also, she was always drawn to education which lead her to study art education for high school students.

After some years teaching children ages 3-10 years old in her private art studio in Santiago, she decided to leave Chile to participate in a professional internship at the Museum of the Organization of American States (OAS) in Washington D.C. In the OAS Museum, she worked supporting the educational projects of the museum, inventory of the permanent collection and installations of works for exhibitions held during her internship period.

Among the educational projects in which she was involved, we can highlight the green engraving workshops Fran made for children at the Latin Youth Center in Washington D.C. and workshops for children and adults within the same museum. The green engraving technique is characterized by being an environmentally friendly technique. It is made mainly with tetra type containers and water inks.

Her works in general are composed of bright, warm colors and sometimes with a lot of texture and materiality. Board pieces, personal garments, magazine clippings, sand from places she visits, will be incorporated into her creations when she believes them necessary or appropriate. These are made in different supports such as canvas, wood, paper, cardboard, etc.

Her themes oscillate between the abstract landscape, the self-portrait and the total abstraction, which she achieves through different techniques such as monotype, green engraving, watercolor, acrylic and encaustic painting.

Due to her introverted personality, art has been her best therapy and form of expression, thus achieving her most intimate feelings in her works. Art is her passion; she cannot live without it. Unfortunately, she has had to leave it for periods of time, but she always comes back to it because it is an essential part of her life.

One of her first artistic recognitions was in 2005, when one of her paintings was chosen as a corporate image for the notebooks of the students of the University where she studied.

By Martina Sestakova

In the absence of our regular in-person art shows, MAA is hosting several online exhibits in 2020. Each exhibit will include judging, awards, and artist's salons.

The September/October show category is Plein Air. Recognition will be made for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places; a award presentation will be held via Zoom to have the judge, Lesley Lundgren present the awards as well as her perspectives on the entire exhibit and the specific art pieces that are receiving awards.

Lesley Lundgren is responsible for overseeing Strathmore’s exhibition schedule which serves artists in Montgomery County and the surrounding region.  Lundgren arrived at Strathmore with a background in public programming she gained through working in galleries, libraries, and a mix of cultural organizations. She earned her Master of Library Science degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. While on campus she developed a critical awareness of illustration and book design for young audiences as a grad assistant in the nationally renowned Cooperative Children’s Book Center. After graduation she worked as a children’s librarian in the District of Columbia and Allen County Public Library systems.  There she organized and participated in regional Caldecott Award committees selecting the best illustration in children’s publishing each year. Returning to Washington, D.C., she studied Arts Management at American University, earning a Master of Arts in 2013. She was the program’s first candidate accepted into the Arts Business exchange program with Sotheby’s Institute of Art in London.  Lesley dabbles in weaving, watercolor and encaustic mediums, but mostly enjoys exhibition planning and visiting galleries and art fairs. 

 

Lives in:  Poolesville, MD- where I have happily lived for 30 years

My website is:  franciedartist.com

Social Media: instagram  franciedartist.com 

Why you joined MAA:  The Montgomery Art Association has some wonderful opportunities to learn, paint, and teach that I am looking forward to participating in.  I am really excited to meet other artist and be part of this art community.  This is a very active art area and I’m delighted to be part of it.

Media & Subjects:   I enjoy painting in oil exclusively.  My work is representational with lose strokes which are sometimes thick and also occasionally transparent, depending on the subject. 

Because I grew up in Charleston, South Carolina, the flowers and landscapes of the deep south are my primary subject. Magnolias and camellias evoke visual, olfactory and emotional memories of my youth.  I recall the towering magnolia tree in my father’s garden that perfumed the air of the back yard and the beautiful camellia blooms that my mother frequently wore pinned at her shoulder.  The subtle changes in color and shape as the flower progress from bud, to mature flower and finally to cone. I am also lucky now to live in an area that has magnificently colorful sunsets and sunrises.  It is a wonderful way to start and end another great day.

Artist Biography:  As a child, I was known to have every notebook margin covered with sketches of horseheads, hooves, legs, etc.  Besides sketching and painting, horses were an obsession that led me away from art to a successful career in veterinary medicine.  My profession pretty much took over my life until once I could cut back I took a couple of drawing classes at Montgomery College and my passion for art was revived.  I was lucky to find a wonderful teacher who helped me develop skills to become an artist.

I really like to laugh.  For me, it is the stuff of life. While it is great to laugh with friends I give myself lots of opportunities to laugh at myself.  By the end of a painting session, it is not unusual for me to have as much paint on me as on the canvas.  Especially pthalo green, for some reason pthalo green and I have a love/hate relationship.

Graduate Master Artist Program 2020, The Compass Atelier

Studied under Glen Kessler, Steven Assael, Duane Keiser and Alyssa Monks

"Painting through the Lens", Glen Kessler, The Compass Atelier

"Introduction to Painting" Tom Semmes, The Compass Atelier

"Introduction to Drawing" Michael Piechocinski, Montgomery College 

Pieces in private collections, Colorado, South Carolina, Virginia, Michigan, and Maryland 

Solo Exhibition - Signal Financial Federal Credit Union, Washington, DC, 2019

JFK Show, Tryst Gallery, Leesburg, VA  2019

MCO Show, Tryst Gallery, Leesburg, VA  2018

Lavender Fields Forever Show, Artist and Makers II, Rockville, MD 2018

By Martina Sestakova

Let's create together! One idea, many unique interpretations. If you follow our MAA Members Facebook page, you know we enjoy painting together. This blog highlights our latest project inspired by a painting by Miguel Mitchel. Miguel's painting is titled "Angel of Chaos". He is interested in fantasy and you can see more of his work on Instagram at @drchemmom. In this painting project, our members were encouraged to interpret the artwork in any medium and any way. 

This group activity aims to celebrate the diversity of MAA members' work so join future activities and show us your artistic point of view. Scroll below to see how our members interpreted the inspiration.

Our Members' Interpretations

Martina Sestakova, Angel of Balance, Watercolor on Yupo, 4" x 6"

Tena Turner, Chaos Angel, Colored Pencil, 8" x 12"

By Martina Sestakova

In the absence of our regular in-person art shows, MAA is hosting several online exhibits in 2020. Each exhibit will include judging, awards, and artist's salons.

The August show category is Urban Landscapes. Urban Landscape art is the depiction of human scenery such as cities, towns, people in motion through 2 dimensional art (excluding photography). Recognition will be made for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places; a award presentation will be held via Zoom on Saturday, August 1st to have the judge, Carolyn Bevans present the awards as well as her perspectives on the entire exhibit and the specific art pieces that are receiving awards.

Bevans currently works at the National Gallery of Art Educational Division. Carolyn’s background is in art history, docent management, and educational programs for adults, children, and educators. She has worked at the Freer Gallery of Art, Jewish Museum of Maryland, National Building Museum, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum. She holds a Master’s degree in Museum Studies from Johns Hopkins University.