Snowmegeddon II

Snow

The snow started in earnest within the last hour.  I hope that all the drivers are safe and everyone has food and shelter tonight.

Don’t forget to leave your facets/taps dripping a tad.  Stay home and safe and please stay off the road.

Dear Lord

I forgot to register this morning!

I just did and I hope I get in, make sure you register at the Alexandria Art League!

Liberace and On Line Registration

Due to the inclement weather, the Alexandria Art League has canceled the in-person registration.  We must either fax our registration or register online.

If you plan on faxing your registration you can use this form and print it out or register here.

So  no waiting on Liberace in the cold tomorrow morning.  It’s going to feel really weird.

Bird Central

Not sure how many people in my neighborhood are feeding the birds.  We finally were able to get onto the deck and clear a feeding are and put out trays of bread crumbs, barley and other things.

So far we’ve seen cardinals, chickadees, house sparrows, and this morning three blue jays.  The starlings haven’t noticed where the food is but they are in the trees of a neighbor.

Glad to have provided some food and shelter to the poor things, they are so puffed up to stay warm that it’s pretty funny.  Next time I will make sure I have seed before the bad weather hits.

Speaking of birds, we’ve fed them this winter.  Last Sunday we saw a coopers hawk in our shrubs. He was losing a tail feather and was trying to pull it out.  He eventually flew to the large maple out back (it’s about 120 feet tall) where he kept preening that tail feather.  A young squirrel didn’t know what the hawk was and got pretty bold.  He kept inching closer and at one point the squirrel was about 18 inches away from the hawk.  The hawk was either full or too preoccupied with the tail feather to attack the squirrel.

We had a house guest last weekend who is a wildlife biologist. All three of us watched this happen (he identified the hawk).  I was amazed but even he said he’d never seen anything like it.  BTW, the feather did eventually drop and is sitting on my desk!

Anatomy of the Torso – Robert Liberace DVD release!

Anatomy of the Torso

Robert Liberace has released the third video in his series titled, Anatomy of the Torso.  The model in the video is the one that Rob used for his upper and lower anatomy workshops at the Art League in Alexandria, VA.

From what I saw so far, its like being front an center while Rob is talking directly to you.  I also liked that there were cutaways that showed you on a drawing of a skeleton the origin and termination point of the muscles and tendon’s he’s discussing.

If the idea of the muscle names makes you you nervous, please don’t be.  Understanding what lies under the surface of the skin will help you to know what you’re seeing when you are drawing or painting the figure. Taking both of Rob’s anatomy workshops really helped improve my drawing.

You can purchase the video at Rob’s website.

Here is the link to the video. Enjoy.

Snowzilla 2009

My Street

Well the snow started in earnest about 5pm last night.  We hunkered down and watched TV or in my case I played world of warcraft for a bit.

I wish I had gone outside and shaken or knock off the snow on the crab apple tree in my front yard.  It’s now a probable goner due to the snow.

The immense weight of the snow split one of the largest branches in half and it came down on our fence and the neighbors fence.

I did go out today and knock the snow off the branch that was threatening to fall on a Mercedes parked in front of our place.  Every time we try to dig out or at least shovel, the sidewalk is covered before we hit the end of the front of our home.

snowzilla claims a victim

The poor birds in the backyard have no food and with drifts of 3 feet I can’t even get the door open to give them bread crumbs or barley. They are hiding under the seats of our chair (we’d laid down newspaper to keep the food dry) and it’s providing them with tiny little caves.

I’ve started a pot of chicken and dumplings and will probably make a pan of mac and cheese (with the smoked gouda) as well.  Hoping we don’t lose power like those in MD.

“Between Realities”

Between Realities, Principle Gallery

Last Friday evening I played hooky from class (well I made it there by 7:30) so I could attend a great art opening at the Principle Gallery in Old Town Alexandria. It promised to be one hell of a show and was featured in the American Art Collector Magazine.  Artists Jason John, Joshua Suda and Brian Martin curated the show and it was amazing.

Woman Viewing a Scott Fraser painting, Hanging by a Thread

According to the Broad Street Studio website, the artists were “…interested in representational art which uses ‘realism’ as a means of depicting an ‘unusual reality’.”   They chose to curate the show with artists who inspired them and together represented that thin edge where ‘reality and unreality meet.’  The results are amazing.

Studio Interior, Daniel Sprick

They had two gorgeous works, one by Scott Fraser and Brian Sprick, as well as Alyssa Monks’ gorgeous painting Smash which was featured on the current cover of America Art Collector magazine.

One really phenomenal work by artist Armin Mersmann captures your eye as soon as you entered the gallery. Until I looked at the tag, I thought I was looking at a photograph. It’s graphite on paper and the artist’s rendering was very beautiful.

Also in the gallery as several large landscapes by Brian Martin that were not hung as part of the show but were so haunting they need to be seen in person to really give you the full effect!

Study of the Eye, Armin Mersmann graphite on paper

If you will be in Alexandria Virginia, stop by the Principle Gallery so you can experience the vision of three talented artists chose to interpret realism through this amazing show that  the artist Jason John, Joshua Suda and Brian Martin created.

Twinrocker Paper Sale!

For those of you who have wanted to try the paper –

I received this in an email today!
Greetings to all our friends and valued customers,

We’ve made a New Year’s Resolution to stay in touch with you on a more regular basis to let you know about the special artist and book papers we’re making,  limited over-runs when they become available, and more!  To kick off  our new commitment to you, we’re beginning the new year with a TOTAL IN-STOCK PAPER SALE! It’s actually the first ever in our 36 year history and probably won’t happen again any time soon.   So this is a great time to order your favorite papers and to try some new ones you haven’t used before.  ANY IN-STOCK PAPER ORDER PLACED NOW THROUGH THE END OF MARCH, IN WHICH YOU MENTION THIS NEWSLETTER, WILL RECEIVE A 20% DISCOUNT!! You can view the current inventory of all in-stock paper on our web site www.twinrocker.com.

To find the current inventory on our web site, just click on “Select & Order Handmade Paper” on the right hand side of the Home Page, then scroll down to either Watercolor Paper or All Purpose Papers and click on the down arrow to see the available colors.  When you click on a color name, you’ll be able to see the current inventory with the description of size, thickness, surface, price per sheet and the total number of sheets available.  Here’s the link to that page (http://www.twinrockerhandmadepaper.com/pa_main.php)

To order, you can either call us M-F 9-5pm and mention this newsletter or you can order on our web site and mention this newsletter in the comment section.   The best way to see the big variety of Twinrocker handmade paper colors is to have a Swatch Set which you can order for $15 post paid.  Most of the paper colors are available in several different thicknesses, and the Swatch Set is just an example of the color; all the available thicknesses are described in the inventory

MORE NEWS!!
We are currently making a large run of White Watercolor Paper.  Now you can order that special size or shape you’ve always wanted.  We will make any custom size smaller than 22×30 without the $55.00 custom deckle charge and the normal custom order set up fee $250.00. There will be a 25 sheet minimum order. This offer is only good until we break down the watercolor vat, which will be sometime in late January.

MORE NEWS!!
When we make paper, there naturally are a few slightly flawed or irregular sheets that happen from time to time.   While inspecting the paper after it’s made, we set those “seconds” aside so that only “firsts” go into the inventory on our web site.  However, these “seconds” can be quite a bargain because they are normally discounted 30% off the retail price.  We only sell “seconds” to individuals, not to retail stores, and only announce their availability in this newsletter.  Normally, people need to call us to find out what “seconds” are available.  Presently we have 110 “seconds” of 22×30 art weight White All Purpose seconds that can be purchased for 50% off retail.  Most of these sheets have some tiny specs on the surface of one side that can be removed with tweezers, an erasure, and some patience. The other side of the sheet is perfect.  so you can see this is quite a bargain.

Well, all these savings and custom watercolor papers should get your artistic juices flowing toward an exciting 2010!
Happy New Year!

Travis Becker
Director and Master Papermaker
Twinrocker Hand Made Paper
twinrocker@twinrocker.com
1-765-563-3119
1-800-757-8946

Like a Gentle Breeze

Farewell

I just found out that a friend who has struggled with cancer for the last year and a half died today.  I am very sad.  He was a wonderful person who was intensely private and a deep quiet soul.

You know people always say that the world was a better place when/while someone lived in it; but in this case it was true.  He spent his life making this a place that was better for not only us but our children’s children.  Or, I guess in my case, my cat’s kittens….err even though they’re neutered.

He would have laughed at that.

I  was nice at Thanksgiving and spared him my two puns.  I guess now, I wished I’d have tortured him with them.

Life is precious and short; live, laugh and love to the fullest.

Between Realities

If you will be in Old Town Alexandria Virgina Friday (22nd of January) please make an effort to stop in to see the work of some amazing artists from the Broad Street Studio for their Between Realities show at the Principle Gallery.  The show begins at 6:30pm and will continue until 9pm.

The Broadstreet Studio website, states they were founded by artist Jason John, Brian Martin and Joshua Suda.

To make this clear, we highly respect the old masters for their technique and what they have given to the history of art for the sake of progress. But in today’s artwork, with artistic movements ranging from all facets of life and the human residue. We choose painting, not because we want to be a new old master, for what ever that means. This medium gives us the greatest ability to record the strange world we live in. I guess we could take a picture of the man mowing his lawn and run away, but it just wouldn’t be the same. Painting the moments that deviate from the normal is something only a painter understands.

According to the gallery newsletter, “they have gathered a number of nationally renowned painters to participate in the artist-curated exhibition ‘Between Realities’. Artists participating include: Alyssa Monks, Aaron Morgan Brown, Stephen Cefalo, Mikel Glass, Robert Jackson, Daniel Sprick, Jon Beinart, Leah Peterson, Will Wilson, Scott Fraser, Lisa Selby, Tim Lowly, Ann Piper, Sarah Petruziello, Denis Peterson, Ben Oddi, Justin Meyers, Monika Malewska, David Lindsay, Jay Davenport, Pamela Sienna, Kate Kretz, Armin Mersmann, Jason John, Joshua Suda, and Brian Martin.”

The Principle Gallery is located at 208 King Street, Alexandria VA 22314.  If you need directions, you can reach them at 703-739-9326.  The closest metro station is the King Street Metro (via the Yellow or Blue Line).