ALABAMA ART COLONY REGISTRATION

Art Colony Registration

STORY BY BETSY ILER Alabama Art Colony will take on a retreat format this fall when its signature painting event returns to Children’s Harbor on Lake Martin after COVID19 restrictions canceled last year’s main event, said board member Barbara Grimes. “The artists’ retreat offers a time to retreat into creativity in art and to get away from everyday stress,” Grimes said. A Along with daily painting demonstrations, Ordman will emphasize the understanding of color in terms of temperature, intensity and value in both oils and pastels. Artists in her workshop will experiment with exciting color while maintaining value and intensity. “Let’s say goodbye to overworked tight paintings and learn to create loose, bold but still illustrative Now in its 29th year, Alabama Art Colony last work,” she said. month opened registration for the five-day The event will begin on Friday, Oct. 1, with a painting retreat and workshop that began meet-and-greet session and dinner. Studio time in 1992 when Sarah Carlisle Towery’s with optional lecture instruction will begin at 9 a.m. children hosted a birthday party painting Saturday through Tuesday and conclude at 5 p.m. event for their mother. Since then, artists each day, with dinner and evening activities to follow. have gathered annually at the lake for Evening activities include an art walk in which studio classes, one-on-one instruction and registered artists and instructors will display comcamaraderie with other artists. The event pleted works that they have brought with them to has grown to include as many as 50 artists, the colony event. Hors d’oeurves will be served, and as well as an art walk, a trading card event, artists will be allowed to sell their displayed works if an awards ceremony and opening and clos- they choose to do so. ing receptions. A favorite activity among returning artists, the Room, board and instruction are includ- trading card exchange event is another evening actived in the registration fee, which varies ity. Artists will create 12 business-card sized paintaccording to accommodation preferences. ings to exchange for those of other artists. Registration details are available at ala- “Everyone goes home with 12 small, quick sambamaartcolony.org. Registered art- ples,” Grimes said. ists will choose an instructor from At the awards ceremony, the instructors will judge this year’s instruction team and works by registered artists and present two merit will study with that instructor for awards. A peer award also is presented. the entire event. Stonehenge Art Gallery in Montgomery donates This year’s instruction team includes a meal for artists at each year’s event, and Red artists Trish McKinney, Jean Pederson and Hill Kitchen will donate a meal this year as well. Aline Ordman. Nutritionist and chef Betty White in Alexander City McKinney will guide artists to connect prepares meals for the event at Children’s Harbor. with the creator within them through negative paint- Those artists who are unable to attend the October ing, lost and found edges and color theory. Artists retreat could sign up for one or more quarterly uno will learn to create colorful and patterned gel printed events – one day with one artist – one-day workshops papers that will become the surface of their paintings. with a well-known professional artist. These events

The fast-paced workshop will explore how to con- most recently have been held at Opelika Art Haus nect colors, patterns and textures to create wonderful and at Emporium Wine in Alexander City from 10 paintings. a.m. to 3 p.m. The cost for uno events is $95, which Pederson will encourage artists to use all forms of includes lunch and some materials or paints. acrylic products and collage in painting referential CDC guidelines are followed at subjects and shifting to stylizing and transitioning to Alabama Art Colony events. non-referential imagery. The emphasis on Pederson’s For details, visit the colony’s workshop will be on mixed media, largely focused on website at alabamwater-soluble medium. aartcolony.org or Ordman will focus on dynamic painting and using call Grimes at abstract thinking to create illustrative paintings. 334-546-2233. “Painting is learning to see,” Ordman said. “Often, we paint what we think we see because we all have preconceived notions of what something looks like.”