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. 

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 photograph by Elizabeth B Sullivan, a Washington-DC based photographer. You can see Elizabeth's work on Instagram at @elizfrog77. This photograph - called "Downpour" - was our first abstract inspiration so we really got to play! Members were encouraged to interpret the photo in any medium and any way (e.g., as part of a realistic painting). 

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.

Original photograph; credit: Elizabeth B Sullivan

Our Member's Interpretations

Deb Walmer, Let the Rain Come Down Down, Acrylic, Oilstick, Oil on Canvas, 24" x 30" 

Martina Sestakova, Downpour, Watercolor on Yupo, 4" x 6"

Anita Gupta, My interpretation, Peace and Serenity, Acrylic on Canvas, 16" x 20" 

Susan Farrer, Watercolor with Ink, 9" x 10" (Susan says, "The photo brought to mind the dripping, cool feeling of a forest just after rain.")

Tena Turner, Colored Pencil on Paper, 6" x 9" (Tena says, "When I squinted at the photo, it made me think of Japanese woodblocks.") 

Solace, an oil painting by member Patti Connell, was awarded first place in MAA's Natural Landscapes judged exhibition. Artist and George Mason University art professor Chawky Frenn served as the judge.

Second place went to Jeanne Powell for her oil painting Potomac Pinnacle and Hiral Joshi's acrylic painting Fall Colors at Fall earned third.

"It was not easy to jury the show and decide on the awards," Frenn said. "For three days, I went back and forth, looking, looking again, and allowing the paintings to speak."

Frenn awarded honorable mentions to the following works:

• Glacier Lake by Jean Finkelman

• Gloucester Cove by Alden Schofield

• The Road Home by Alexandra Treadaway-Hoare

• Spring's Final Poppy by Kathy Tynan

• Blazed with Blue by Deborah Walmer

Frenn submitted the following judge's statement:

"It was an honor to see the creativity, joy and celebration of color and light in your work. I appreciate the exquisite choices you have made, both visual and technical. I could see the quiet and calm of spaces, the thundering of water, and the peaceful landscapes, not only in your subject, but also in the manner it was treated. Your compositions, brushwork, and colors were mindful and resourceful. Your visual decisions were creative, they convey and heighten the paintings’ mood and the viewers’ emotive responses.

"It was not easy to jury the show and decide on the awards. For three days, I went back and forth, looking, looking again, and allowing the paintings to speak. The visuals are strong, the styles diverse and rich, the approaches authentic.

"I narrowed down my selection to the paintings that kept stopping me time after time. The hard task of prioritizing my selection was guided by the intrinsic quality of the painting and the response it evoked in me."

See the show

Watch a recording of the awards presentation and judge's remarks

Lives in:  Bethesda, MD. 

Why you joined MAA:  I joined MAA to push myself to enter art shows and to challenge myself to do my best work, and to get out of my comfort zone and try new subjects and media.

Media & Subjects:  I use mainly water color but I also do mixed media. When I do zen tangles I use felt tip markers. I love nature and so I like to paint flowers and landscapes. I tend to be very eclectic so whatever inspires me at a given moment becomes my subject. 

Artist Biography:  I have had two careers. I started as an elementary school teacher. Then I went back to school for an MSW and worked as a geriatric social worker. I started painting after I retired and am so grateful to have a hobby that I can pursue at home especially during this pandemic while we have been at home for such a long time.

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: a seagull photograph by Marti Wells. This activity aims to celebrate the diversity of MAA members' work so join in and show us your artistic point of view. Scroll below to see how our members interpreted the inspiration.

Original photograph; credit: Marti Wells

And here we have our members' interpretations ... 

Anastasia Walsh, 29" x 21", Translucent Acrylic on Glass (Old Window)

Marti Wells, Pen and Ink

Tena Turner, 8" x 10", Colored Pencil on Paper

Montgomery Art Association is excited about the upcoming July “Natural Landscapes” online exhibit and proudly announces this show’s judge, Chawky Frenn. We are looking forward to showcasing our members’ artworks and while July is yet to come, you are invited to learn about Chawky Frenn’s art and career in this blog.

Born in Lebanon, Frenn immigrated to the United States in 1981 having experienced years of civil war in his native country. Its devastating effects would influence his life and work. Frenn received a BFA from Mass College of Art and Design in Boston and an MFA from Tyler School of Art of Temple University in Philadelphia. Having taught at a variety of colleges in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania, he is currently an Associate Professor at George Mason University in Fairfax, VA.

Frenn’s exhibit history includes shows in the United States, France, Germany, Italy, Lebanon, and Paraguay. In 2017, Frenn was awarded the Fulbright-Nehru Academic and Professional Excellence Awards and spent 5 months in New Delhi, India, painting and teaching. He has received numerous awards including the Teaching Excellence Award, George Mason University in Fairfax (2009).

Frenn is the author of two books 100 Boston Artists and 100 Boston Painters published in 2013 and 2012 by Schiffer Publishing. Chawky Frenn lives and works in Arlington, VA.