Idaho Watercolor Society mouse & ELEPHANT Experimental Show

During the month of October, the Idaho Watercolor Society held their annual experimental show in the Meridian City Hall's Initial Point Gallery.  The theme of the show this year was so unusual, but so much fun..."the mouse and the ELEPHANT".  It was interesting to see all the tiny, the huge and the in between works of art hanging in the gallery together, and to see who painted what!

Here is an excerpt of the Nov-Dec-Jan IWS Newsletter talking about the show...

"What a fun, exciting experimental show this turned out to be for the SW Region! Displaying...through October, the show featured a variety of paint methods, substrates and materials; some came framed … some not. Traditional acrylics on canvas showed up while some artists painted on wood.  Pretty much everything was accepted, but the guidelines suggested ‘mouse’ paintings less than 100 square inches (about 10x10 inches) or ‘elephants’ needed to be a full sheet or larger. Counts for the show were 59 mice, 29 elephants and 6 in-betweens.  At the Opening Reception...there was equal interest in both sizes.  Some artists painted both a mouse and an elephant, painting the same subject in those two sizes.  If you normally paint large, painting small was a big challenge and vice versa.

...the most interesting wall...displayed the biggest elephant and the smallest mouse side by side. The largest was by Linda Aman; it measured 40” x 60” and was a painting of  “Tropical Paradise”.  Next to that was a mini mouse sized painting by Julianne Runkle Pinkston, “Codiaeum Variegatum Miniatura”, that had an image area of 1.5” x 1.5”.  Being a student of Linda’s, she chose the same plant (a minute portion of Linda’s large-scale painting) and the effect was quite astounding!

           

Linda Aman's Paintings Part of Permanent Collection at St. Alphonsus Boise, Idaho

Linda Aman Painting Part of Permanent Collection!

On November 13th, St. Alphonsus Hospital in Boise held a special dedication for the installation of art for the permanent "Art for Rehab Memorial Project" in their Rehab Center.  The reception was an honor to browse through and see the works of art from selected Idaho artists.

Jill, the foundation director, had some comments about the art being part of the healing process for not only the patients, but the families, staff, and visitors.  The art can help bring individuals a sense of engagement, beauty, distraction, imagination, creativity, inspiration, and help with healing, hope and the future.

Linda's two paintings, Dahlia & Hollyhock, are displayed in one of the hallways in the Rehabilitation Center at St. Alphonsus Hospital in Boise.

I am so honored and want to thank St. Alphonsus for allowing me to be a part of their exhibition and collection.

Artist and Musician Collaborate...paintings and lyrics join forces!

On October 17th, I had the privilege of hosting a house concert featuring singer and songwriter Staci Frenes.  It was a wonderful evening of musical talent, mingling, and cheesecake.  Musician-Artist/Lyrics-Paintings, join in creativity.  Enjoy the article below!

 Artist: Linda Aman              Musician: Staci Frenes

Shared Pathways in Creativity

Written by Linda Aman  

Published in the IWS Fall 2014 Newsletter

Thinking outside the box is what we do as artists. I thought you might enjoy a recent sharing of creative ideas between myself and another artist, a musician.

I recently had the privilege of working with a very talented and creative artist. Her expression is through music. Staci Frenes is a musician, songwriter, and writer that I met two years ago. I attended a local performance of her latest songs and as she sang I was moved not only by her talent, but by her lyrics.

After the concert I told her the lyrics she sang reminded me of several paintings that I had just completed! She was singing my paintings….she was probably wondering what I could mean by that statement, but that thought captured her curiosity.  We exchanged emails and a collaborative adventure transpired. Her lyrics matched perfectly to a couple of my paintings. We placed her lyrics into several paintings and we have note cards and now posters produced to sell.  (To view posters for sale, see bottom of article.)

Staci and I enjoyed the process we shared in combining my images to her music. Last week she traveled from her home in California to perform again in the Boise area. She set aside one evening for a concert in our home with invited guests. With my original paintings in the background she performed a magical evening.

The way we as artists can enhance the value of our paintings has a wider range of impact than I realized. Staci has an audience I would never have the opportunity to show my painting to and her lyrics and music were brought into another venue she would not have realized. A great coming together of art forms was enhanced by the combining of the two. 

I would encourage you to think of new venues, ideas and experiences that may be just around the corner from you.  Think outside the traditional and see what happens along with new adventures and new friends. 

       

Posters sized 24"x36"

Email Linda at linda@amanarts.com to order.

You can see more about Staci Frenes and her music at www.stacifrenes.com

 Linda is an artist and instructor who lives in Star and teaches in her studio. She also teaches in other locations in Idaho, Oregon and Washington. You can visit her website at www.amanarts.com or email linda@amanarts.com for more information. © Linda Aman 2014

Torch Fired Enameling Class!

In July, I had the honor of teaching a torch fired enameling jewelry class!  My two sisters-in-law came to visit from Oregon, and had the opportunity to create pieces of enameled, wearable art.  They had tons of fun and were very successful!  They were then able to wear their jewelry home.

Here are some photos that show their process:

        

 

And their finished projects!

...Watch for Fire Enameled Jewelry workshops in 2015...!

Interested?  I very much welcome your feedback on these workshops!

Feel free to comment on this blog or send me an email at: linda@amanarts.com

Art Retreat at the Ashley Inn 2014

Three Day Art Retreat at the Ashley Inn, in Cascade, Idaho

August 21st--August 23rd, 2014

I had so much fun watching all the creative processes this past weekend at the retreat.  The project this time was a watercolor and mixed media piece, which had many out of their comfort zones; all the while learning the importance of composition, color choices and elements & principles of design.  Just imagine two and a half days of painting and creating art morning to evening!  Of course there was plenty of time for everyone to work on other pieces they brought along.  We all enjoyed the time of relaxation, good food, painting, and just spending time with other artists.

Linda Aman's Workshop from the Artists' Perspective:

Hello, my name is Juli and I am a Linda groupie.
I was so glad I was able to attend the workshop!  Not only was it relaxing and a great getaway, but it also taught me so much about letting go from my normal, detailed way of painting; as well as design and composition, even though I thought I knew a lot on that subject already!  The way I look at things has changed (for the good) and my future art will be all the better for it.  I absolutely loved the whole retreat and I will definitely be one of the returnees.  It was exactly what I needed, and I have a feeling everyone else who attended, agrees!  Now if only we could have one every month...

                      Mine is an abstract collage in a radial design. -Juli

Other artists' comments about the weekend format....
"Lots of time for teaching, painting and free time/breaks; was very relaxed."  "The casual atmosphere"

"I liked how you could work as late/early as you liked"

"The format gave me time to work out in my brain how I wanted to do the picture."

"Composition sets/color pallet choices and creating something abstract"

"We could come and go as needed...my own table, able to leave stuff set up the whole time"

"Loved instruction followed by opportunity to implement what we learned in our own project."

"I liked how you got us there step by step...it would have been overwhelming to just begin painting."

"Thank you for your dedication, hard work and your thoughtful, tactful, thorough teaching.  I am so happy I was able to go."