Mixed Media

"Botany" (pictured left) was my lastest entry in the Lamar Art League art show in August. This piece is on a 16" X 24" wrapped canvas, and was created using pages from an old book, acrylic paints, india ink, pressed leaves and a few items I found in my shed...  I was very happy to receive the second place prize and ribbon! I was also pleased by the many requests I received from show attendees to purchase "Botony." I don't want want to sell this piece, but I will definitely be creating more mixed media works in this vein. Those WILL be for sale! But I encourage everybody to grab your paintbrushes and a bottle of Modge Podge, and create your own awesome mixed media works!

Announcing The Arts Council of Barton County’s NINTH ANNUAL YOUTH ART & PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST

General Guidelines

• Entries must be original work of youth aged 16 years old or younger.
• Art themes may explore any subject, style or medium.
• Photography: No posed portrait photography, but any artistic theme is welcome – nature, animals, people (candid), buildings, scenery, weather, interesting close-ups, whatever catches your artistic photographer’s eye! The sky’s the limit! But all photographs must be “as taken,” and cannot be manipulated in Photoshop or other graphics computer programs.
• Entries will be exhibited throughout the entire month of August at The Arts Council Gallery, 206 W 10^th St., Lamar.
• Judging will occur immediately prior to the opening of the Lamar Free Fair.

ART/PHOTOGRAPHY JUDGING CATEGORIES

Categories for judging this year will be based on age alone, rather than on thematic categories. All art will compete against all other art, and all photographs will compete against all other photographs within the creator's age group, regardless of theme. The age groups in which prizes in both art and photography will be awarded are:

ART

Under age 10

Ages 10 through 12

Ages 13 through 16

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PHOTOGRAPHY

Under age 10

Ages 10 through 12

Ages 13 through 16

PHOTOGRAPHY GUIDELINES

Photo must be 8 x 10 and matted

Mat can be any color or size.

No frames or double matting.

Limit of five photos per person

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Photography Awards (each age group)

First place: $25

Second place:$10

Third place: $5

Peoples’ Choice: Trophy (one People's Choice Trophy will be awarded for photography, not one for each age group. All entries will be eligible to win the People's Choice Trophy, not just those that take ribbons, so it's a whole 'nother opportunity to win!)

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ART GUIDELINES

Art should be ready to hang & may be of any size, theme and medium

Art Awards (each age group)

First place: $25

Second place:$10

Third place: $5

People’s Choice: Trophy (one People's Choice Trophy will be awarded for art, not one for each age group)

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How to Enter:

Bring entries to the Arts Council Gallery, 206 W. 10^th St., Lamar (just west of the Square on 10^th St.) Tuesday through Friday between 2:00 PM and 5:30 PM, any date between Tuesday, July 26^th and Wednesday, August 17^th. All entries will be displayed in the art gallery beginning the day they are received, so the sooner you turn in your entry, the longer it will be on display, and the more people will see it! So submit your work early!

All entries will remain on display throughout the Lamar Free fair, which ends Saturday, August 27^th. Entries will be available for pick up Tuesday, August 30^th through Friday, September 2^nd, any time between 2:00 PM and 5:30 PM.

2nd Annual Lamar Open Air Art Show Photos

Here are a bunch of pics from the 2nd Annual Lamar Open Air Art Show, held Saturday July 16th under the Moore Pavilion in Lamar - in connection with the Missouri State Chili Cook-off!

Lamar Open Air Art Show Pics

The Open Air Art Show held under the Moore Pavilion on July 17th was a huge success! Here are some pics:


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Paintings by Carolyn Dunsing

More paintings by Carolyn Dunsing

Painting by Chandler Curtis

Painting by Chandler Curtis

Drawing by Chandler Curtis

Photograph by Jessica Edwards

Drawing by Pam Allen

Drawing by Pam Allen

Open Air Art Show, July 17th

The Arts Council of Barton County will host a Free Open Air Art Show, featuring the work of a variety of local fine and folk artists, photographers, sculptors, handcrafted jewelry makers and more, to be held in conjunction with the 2010 Missouri State Chili Cook-off in Lamar, Missouri. This event will benefit the Rebuilding Fund for St Mary's Catholic Church, which was tragically destroyed by fire in 2009.

When: Saturday, July 17th, 2010, 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM.

Where: Under the Moore Pavilion, 103 East 10th St., Lamar Missouri. The Moore Pavilion is one block east of the historic Lamar town square.

How Much?: This event is FREE, but donations to the St. Mary's Catholic Church Rebuilding Fund will be gratefully accepted.

Contact: For more info about the Art Show, call Chris @ 417-681-0199. For info on the Missouri State Chili Cook-off, call Dixie @ 417-682-5432. For more info on the St. Mary's Catholic Church Rebuilding Fund, go here.

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CONFIRMED ARTISTS, SO FAR...

(Many More to Come - check back frequently!!!)
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Carolyn Dunsing, of Peaceacre

Chandler Curtis

Pam Allen

Jessica Edwards, of Jessica Edwards Photography

Joyce Cody

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ATTENTION ARTISTS/PHOTOGRPAHERS!

Would you like to particpate in The Arts Council of Barton County Free Open Air Art Show? Call Chris @ 417-681-0199 ASAP. Time is short, and slots are filling up fast! Thanks!

A Few New Paintings

Great Grandmother

20" X 16"

Acrylic
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Rose and Her Cousins

24" X20"

Acrylic

Rose and Her Cousins

(closeup)

These two paintings represent a new direction for me. These are paintings of old family photos my sister gave me on a recent visit. I've never painted from photographs before, so this is a real challenge for a self-taught folk artist who usually paints completely from imagination. I'm not a portrait painter, and "photo-realism" is just not an option, but I think I captured the essence of the real people in the pictures. Surprisingly, I see my cousin's face in one of the little girls, and my mother's eyes in "Great Grandmother." Which is funny because I didn't see the resemblances until after the paintings were done. It was an unusual experience. As I was painting faces from the past, the present generation came through. Cool.

Festival Queen

16" X 12"

Acrylic and Gold Leaf

Swan Lake

16" X 12"

Acrylic and Gold Leaf

May Festival

16" X 12"

Acrylic

Plague Doctor

12" X 9"

Acrylic

Opera Singer

18" X 14"

Acrylic

Monk's Cat II

12" X 9"

Acrylic and Gold Leaf

The last six paintings are part of a series I am doing that I call the "Festival Series." Lots of bright colors and gold leaf. The Plague Doctor is based on an old engraving showing the protective suits doctors wore during the plague. In the original, the outfit is unembellished, and the stick he carried was more likely used to poke the patients to see if they were still alive... I decided to send him to a party instead, and the stick became a party favor/mask. Don't you just love artistic license! I wish I could do that in real life!

Making Art from Recycled Materials

I'm really excited about teaching the Arts Council April "Creative Kids" class, "Making Art from Recycled Materials. I want to help the kids create a mixed media collage using things that most people think of as "trash." There's no wrong way to make a collage, so this should be fun for all. Here's the flier announcing the class:

The Arts Council of Barton County Invites Kids to

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Making Art From Recycled Materials!

Join us Thursday, April 22nd, from 4:00 PM to 5:00PM, for our FREE April Creative Kids Class, Making Art From Recycled Materials. Participants will create an original mixed media collage that transforms found, discarded and recycled/recyclable objects into art. It will be a fun, informative and creative Earth Day hour for all! This class is open to anyone ages 6 and up. Children under 10 must be accompanied by an adult.

WHEN: Thursday, April 22nd, from 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM.

WHERE: The Arts Council NE classroom, located in the Arts Council building, 206 W 10th St. (upstairs), Lamar.

INSTRUCTOR: Carolyn Dunsing, from Peaceacre.

REGISTRATION: This is a FREE class, but advance registration is required. Please call (417) 681-0199, and leave a message that includes your name, phone number, and how many kids you're signing up. Or email your info to ArtsCouncilofBartonCounty@Yahoo.com.

Recent Paintings

Took time over the winter to play around with some paint and pastels. I had a lot of fun with it. As you can tell, my mood was all over the place, so there's no theme to be found amidst these recent entries. All but the first and last paintings are done in oils. I love working with oils. I'm not a photographer, though, so these paintings look a lot better in real life than they do on this website.

This is an example of why you need to be careful when you re-use old canvases. Notice the raised areas showing through - it gives the painting a creepier edge than I was going for. But all in all, I 've had mostly a positive experience re-using canvases from thrift shops and yard sales. But I always feel kind of funky painting over somebody else's work - of course the universe will get even with me when somebody someday gessos mine to make room for their own inspiration...

Back to acrylics! And with a little bit of gold leaf, too. I plan on making a whole series based on this "monks cat" - I painted this one right after "Mr. Lonely" above, so it was nice to get back to something lighthearted and fun.

Arts Council of Barton County Christmas Ornament Making Class a Big Success!

On Saturday, December 12th, I taught a kids' class on "Making Christmas Ornaments from Natural Materials." The class was held at the Arts Council building on the Lamar Square. It was a blast! The kids were really into the class and showed off their amazing creativity. And I had a great time, too! There is going to be a class in January for older kids on digital phtography, taught by Gayla Miller, and a class in February led by my husband, called "How to Tell a Story." After the great time I had with the kids on Saturday, I will almost surely be planning more fun stuff for the younger set soon. Check back here, or check ther Arts Council website at http://www.acobc.org/.

"Making Christmas Ornaments from Natural Materials"

I will be teaching a class on "Making Christmas Ornaments from Natural Materials" on Saturday, December 12th, from 11:00 to Noon, at the Peaceacre studio located above the Arts Council builing at 206 West 10th St., just west of the Lamar Square. I think this will be a lot of fun for the kids. It's not some big, heavy art class - it's all about glitter, googly eyes, pipe cleaners, paints and markers and having a good time. I grew these mini gourds and they just screamed to be made into Christmas ornaments! So that's how I got the idea. My kids had a really good time creating the ornaments you see in the pictures below. Also, since we don't want to leave out our little animal friends, everyone will make a "birdfood bangle" out of a popcorn ball to hang on a tree outside, as well. So everyone will leave the classroom with one ornament for the Christmas tree indoors, and one for a tree in the great outdoors, too! Who could ask for more? And it's FREE! Adavance registration is required, so if you would like for your child to attend, please email me at Peaceacre@Ymail.com.

Don't forget the photography class coming in January! It looks like the date will be the 28th, in the morning. We'll post more on this class later. Stay tuned!

Peaceacre Meets the Arts Council

When I moved Peaceacre, the business, into the Arts Council building on the Square, I moved my personal art studio as well. Can you believe this all used to all be crammed into my tiny little dining room at home! Art is important, You have to find space for it, in a room somewhere, and in your life, in your day. Your art can be painting, photography, dance, poetry - anything. Just never let it go. Pursue it. Make it happen. Art is not a country club activity - it's the grass roots, real life work of people like you and me, laboring in the trenches of the imagination to create something from the heart and mind and muse. No art school required, at least in my book.
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That little tirade out of the way... Let me tell you about our involvement in the Arts Council of Barton County. I'm an artist, my husband is a poet and a writer, my kids are artists, my friends are mostly artists, too. You are, too, if you're looking at this website, I'll wager. Art matters. So we joined the Arts Council to see if we could make a difference and bring art to life in Barton County. We've got some exciting ideas for classes, events and groups this winter, so watch this space for "coming soon" announcements.
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A few things we have planned include:
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• I'll be teaching a kid's class on making Christmas ornaments from natural materials. The class should roll out in early December.
  

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• In January, Gayla Miller will be teaching a photography class for the 12 to 17 year old crowd.
  

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• In February, watch for "How to Tell a Story," presented by my husband the poet, a class aimed at the teen/young adult crowd.

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Plus lots more, to be developed. If you have any ideas, or if you would be interested in teaching a FREE arts class, email me at Peaceacre@Ymail.com. This is a volunteer organization and effort, and nobody is getting paid... We just want to bring the arts to everyone... period! Come on everybody, it winter - there's no excuse! Let's get together, have some fun, and inspire each other a little!

The Party's Over

Is it a wedding cake? Is it a birthday cake? Everybody finds their own story in this painting. I entered this in the Lamar Art League art show in August. It didn't win, but I'm cool with it.