Ann Arbor Area Pastelists will be exhibiting their pastels, August 1-September 30, 2011The Artist reception will be August 26, 6-8pm
Demos by Susan Clinthorne and Janet Kohler will be going on during Dexter Days August 12-13, 2011
This beautiful pastel was done by Jean Lau
The Side Door Gallery presents:
What If? by Valerie Mann
June 6, - July 31, 2011
Artist Reception: July 22, 2011 6-8pm
From Val:
The title of this show is a reflection of the development of my studio practice. As I get older, I try to take down barriers and make less rules for myself. I'm not talking about personal values or ethical behavior here, but methods of thinking, looking and problem-solving. I try to ask myself “What if I tried this color next to that color?” or “What if I drew this in wire or rubber?”, etc. I love working with so many different kinds of materials for so many different reasons. The more I explore them, the broader and deeper is my pool of options.
When I teach a class, I often have my students spend part of the first day writing a list of all the things they know how to do – not necessarily all art-related. I have them keep that list in their sketchbooks and tell them to consider that as their tool box. I try to follow that line of thinking, myself, and add to my tool box along the way.
