MEETINGS 2021 - 2022
We meet on the third THURSDAY of the month, September through May. Please check the home page for notice of any cancellation.
Live, in-person meetings will begin in December 2021 at our new location: Manchester Church of Christ, Fellowship Hall, 595 Tolland Turnpike, Manchester, CT.
Any member entering artwork (one piece) in the Art of the Month competition should register between 6:45 pm and 7:10 pm. For more information, click here.
Our guest artist, Janet Schwartz, will demonstrate pastel. Trained as an art teacher, Janet currently divides her time teaching art, exhibiting her work throughout New England and working part-time in corporate training. Her work includes a cross-section of subjects that use pastels to explore the variation of light in nature and architecture.
She is particularly drawn to the chaos and unexpected beauty of urban landscapes, traffic and seascapes.
Our guest artist, Yuemei Zhang, will demonstrate brush art using ink and color. Having completed her graduate studies at Central Fine Art Academy, Bejing China, moved to the US and taught fine art and printmaking at the university level for twenty years. She is the Creative Art director of Eastern Arts Connection and shares her expertise in Chinese Brush painting, silk screen and print making- woodcut and etching. She has had many solo exhibitions and awards to her credit including the Asian Design Excellence Award.
Sandra Wakeen, nationally and internationally renowned painter and teacher, has pursued a life-long devotion to her art. Following a family tradition of three generations of artists, Sandra began her studies at Paier School of Art, graduating with honors in 1978. Beginning as an illustrator and portrait artist, she continued her studies with Tony Ryder in a month-long residency at Studio Escalier in France and with Betty Pat Gatliff studying Forensic Facial Reconstruction at Scottsdale Artists School.
The meeting will featuring SUPER Art of the Month and Be Inspired! with photographs by Laura Kinlock. Laura attended the State University of New York (SUNY) at Oswego, where she double majored in photography and art history. After graduating she pursued a career in counseling, including some work for social services. Her artistic pursuits include photography, oils, and watercolor, but pastel is her “first love”. Laura attributes her compositional ability to her studies at SUNY Oswego. “Photography taught me to compose,” she said, “and now I work from my own photos.”
January 20
Cancelled
Keeping in mind the safety and health of our members, the MAA Board has made the difficult decision to cancel the upcoming January Members Meeting originally scheduled to be held on Thursday, January 20 at the Church of Christ, Manchester, Fellowship Hall. Our demo artist, Zbigniew Grzyb, does not have Zoom capabilities so we will reschedule him for sometime during our 2022 - 2023 year.
Jeff Blazejovsky, a long-time member of MAA, will explain his approach to watercolor, especially with regards to historical scenes. He has recently been working on a series of paintings recreating Stafford Springs history from old photos. Jeff's lively and colorful paintings are being showcased at The Stafford Library during Febuary.
March 17
Ellen Dougan
Art Framing Choices
Our guest artist, Ellen Dougan, of E. M. Dougan Art & Framing, will speak on how to choose a frame and mat for your artwork. She will bring some samples as part of her discussion. Ellen will also talk about the proper use of hardware for hanging your framed art. You are invited to bring a piece of your art, framed or unframed, for her suggestions to help show your art to the best advantage.
April 21
Artist rescheduled
May 19
Eric Urquhart
Dispelling the Digital Art Myth
Our guest artist, Eric Urquhart describes his drawing on an iPad as whimsical fantasy illustration. In addition to demonstrating his drawing, he will address the widespread misconception that if it is labeled as "digital", a computer did it – not a person. Eric has been a matte painter and environment artist for feature film, television, commercials, and games since 2005. He has worked at studios such as Disney, Blue Sky Studios, Warner Bros. Animation, and Netflix.
