FIGURE 8 PLUS 1: Opening Reception

Group Wall has examples
of each artist's work

Touchstone Gallery held the Opening Reception for a small group exhibit titled FIGURE 8 PLUS 1 on March 4th.  Eight 2-dimensional artists plus one sculptor explore the human form in a variety of media. The exhibit includes contemporary art in oil, acrylic, photograph, pen and ink, ceramic sculpture, and watercolor.
The artists (left to right)
Janathel Shaw, Steve Alderton, Dana Bratman, Gail Vogels, April M Rimpo,Timothy Johnson, and Shelley Lowenstein 

Unable to attend the reception were artists: Michael Lang and Paula Lantz, who were missed.

Great crowds attended the opening reception and asked a lot of questions about the artwork. I know I enjoyed explaining the stories about my inspiration and my painting techniques and based on the grins on the other artists' faces I know they too had a wonderful time.  

Enjoy these photos from the reception. If you missed it, there will be another chance at the Artists Talk on March 19th, starting at 2PM.

   

 

The Reception at Ranazul

It has already been over a week since the reception at Ranazul. That means means there are less than two more weeks to enjoy the show. I wanted to share some photographs from the reception. It was so great to see everyone who arrived to enjoy my art, discuss my gallery wrapped presentation, and share stories behind the paintings. Visiting with old friends and meeting some new ones was a joy.

Interested in learning more about April's art inspirations, tips about her painting process, or art business tidbits? Want to know when her art is in exhibits? Consider joining her friends and collectors by signing up for her twice-monthly email.

Copyright April M Rimpo 2015 All Rights Reserved. You may share my work with attribution, but all other uses are prohibited.

Solo Exhibit: Exploring Cultures through Color at Bernice Kish Gallery - Update

My solo exhibit at the Bernice Kish Gallery at Slayton House in Columbia, Maryland runs from May 14th through June 9th.  Whether you want original art or prints either is available.  Forms for order giclee prints are on hand at the gallery. See my article "Giclee Prints Can Provide New Color for Your Office or Home" ,which was published in The Business Monthly, May 2015, Volume 23, Number 5, learn more about giclee prints.

I've included a few images from installation so you can see a bit of the venue as well. In addition there are close ups shots of several paintings.

Installation Day - Getting the spacing just right

Consider yourself invited; I look forward to seeing family, friends, my collectors, and meeting new people who love the arts. Bernice Kish Gallery is located at Slayton House, 10400 Cross Fox Lane, Columbia, Maryland 21044.

Deciding on the artwork to include in a solo exhibit is more difficult than you might think.  The artwork needs to look like it belongs together either through theme, color transitions, style, or some combination of those elements.  

My subject matter is diverse.  I also vary my style based on the subject matter using what best suits what I want to say about the subject. As a result, I felt I had to limit the styles included in this exhibit so I could present you with a variety of subjects. I hope you enjoy the result. 

... and level

I used a common set of pigments for most of my paintings, but you can achieve a wide variety of colors from the same pigments. As a result the colors vary in the paintings I selected, but they are harmonious since they come from the same set of pigments.

I find deciding on the order of the paintings to be great fun, grouping similar subjects together and using color to transition to the next subject. Six paintings are shown here to give you insight into the flow of the exhibit.

In addition to original paintings, a few giclee prints are included in the exhibit. In fact, a couple prints in the exhibit are the same image as an original also in the exhibit. Order forms will be available so you can order prints of most of the original paintings. If you are interested in a different size than listed on the order form you and use the form to request a quotation for a different size. To see the same image in various print formats click here.

Wondering what else is going on in Howard County? Check out TotallyHoco.com. This site includes a wide variety of events. It allows you to filter events by category or explore options for a particular date. I think you'll find it a useful resource.



  #HoCoArt

Reception at WAS-H

April M Rimpo with her husband Chas standing by April's painting
More Beautiful with Age (as lower left)

I've been able to attend the WAS-H International Exhibition reception for the last two years. This exhibit is very popular, as evident by the crowds that attend. There is literally standing room only starting about fifteen minutes into the reception.  Last year I decided not to go to the studio/presentation area for the presentation of awards so I could enjoy the art in the exhibit, stepping back and being able to take it all in. However this year the juror, Eric Wiegardt, was giving a talk during the presentation of awards and I wanted to hear it.

Eric discussed his selection process to whittle down the approximately 300 entries to the 100 on exhibit. He explained that it was only subtle nuances that allowed him to select the award winners.  His talk about the top award winners was fascinating. Eric’s in depth understanding of art and art history was evident. His approach was to select paintings that emphasized different artistic styles, historically important transitions in art, excellence in technique, and particular aspects of design and execution. As he stated not all paintings can excel in all the different attributes of an excellent painting but focus on different aspects.  His selection showed the breadth of great art.  Hearing his thoughts on these pieces added so much to the exhibit for me and I am very glad I didn’t miss it. Spending more time with Eric would no doubt enhance just about anyone’s understanding of art and history since his ability to explain his view point was extraordinary.

April with her son at WAS-H Reception

Enjoy the picture of the reception with my family and me.

Exhibit In New York City

 

The reception at Agora Gallery was an exciting time that left me exhausted.  Having finally recovered I wanted to share the reception with you.  There were three exhibits having their receptions at Agora Gallery that night: Sensorial Perspectives, Pathways to Abstraction, and The French Perspective. Before the crowds arrived, Agora Gallery's videograper, Crumlicmedia, worked with each artist to film us and our art.  These individuals clips were compiled with filming done throughout the reception to create a video that you can see along with stills taken by the still photographer.  Photos and a video of the reception  I have borrowed a couple of the stills in this blog posting, but most of the photos were taken by my husband, Chas Rimpo.

As you will see in these photos Agora Gallery is a large, beautiful space.  Each artist's space included a bio with their work along with a Quick Response Code (QRC) that can be scanned by mobile devices to take you directly to the artist's sales site.  I had six watermedia paintings on display, some were only watercolor and others were a combination of watercolor and fluid acrylic.  Five of the pieces can be seen in the picture with the videographer.  The sixth, At One with their Gondolas, is in the first photo (above). 

I spoke with several people during the reception, including Agora Gallery staff, clients, family, friends, and other artists. Below are photographs of some of the people I met during the event.  I really enjoyed the work by Liesel Beukes, (take a look at her website) .  Her paintings are visually intriguing and thought provoking.   I also met Kevin Stevens who does abstract paintings; I loved the inclusions that represent moments from his life.  He tells me he continues to explore a variety of media to learn and grow as an artist.

 

 

My friend, Joyce, attended the reception with her daughter.  It was great to visit.  One of our nieces was in New York on her way to Europe, so we were able to visit with her as well.  We were so busy talking we forgot to take her picture.

I was fascinated by the mixed media work by Katherine Li .  Unfortunately we were unable to meet her to ask about her process for creating this wonderful mixed media art. It had great depth and texture.

 Note: Chas and I took an Amtrak train to/from New York during which I took lots of photographs.  We also took many photos while in New York.  There are definitely some future paintings interspersed in all of this great material.  Stay tuned.