Every Painting Tells a Story

There is an exhibit in the gallery this June that brings back an artist we saw at last year’s Juried Art show. She is Christine Tierney who won an Award of Excellence at the Show. According to her web site, she has been creating art ever since she discovered that she could make marks with a pencil and drew constantly as a child on every available surface. That passion to “decorate” did not always keep her out of trouble. See how time and lots of practice has brought her art to a very high and enjoyable level. Her art can be described as traditional representation with an impressionistic influence. Her show, “Every Painting Tells a Story” will be at the Edge Art Gallery during normal open hours this June 1^st  to the 24^th with the exhibit’s opening reception on Friday, June 2 from 5 to 7 p.m. Tierney will be present to talk to viewers and answer questions.

Tierney is a classical painter who works primarily with oil and pastels. She enjoys creating art in a variety of surroundings—from working on a commissioned portrait in her studio to scaling river rocks in search of the best vantage point for an outdoor painting. Christine Tierney’s art is accompanied by a short story about each painting.  See her entry in last year's Juried Show entry (below) titled Sunrise on the road). Also shown (below) is Tierney receiving her award.

Also from her web site, “After a career as an advertising artist-designer she (above) followed her heart's desire and returned to the fine arts. She studied classical painting in the traditions of the old masters. Some of her favorites are Sargent, Sorolla, Bouguereau, Degas, Cassatt, Vermeer and Zorn (not necessarily in that order!)”

“Christine finds inspiration in nature's endless beauty, particularly the way the light dances and plays on any given subject. You can find her in studio painting a still life, portrait, or studio landscape. When plein air painting (outdoors, in the open air), she searches carefully for the right scene that just stops her in her tracks, and has painted in rain, bugs, sleet, and snow, and even scaled some perilous rocks in the rapids of a wild river to get the best vantage point.”

                           
                                   
Christine is currently Vice President of the Lake Country Pastel Society, and has served as President of the Outdoor Painters of Minnesota. She teaches art classes and workshops in the Twin Cities metro area. Christine has won numerous awards, and her paintings are in many private collections. “Residing in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area, Christine and her husband have a rustic little cabin in the Chippewa National Forest, providing endless painting inspiration.” For more about Christine see: http://christinetierney.com/

Tierney teaches painting and drawing in the Twin Cities area and served as head of the Outdoor Painters of Minnesota from 2014–2015.

The Edge Center Gallery is open during Edge events and on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free and open to the public. Again, Please join us for the exhibit’s opening reception on Friday, June 2 from 5 to 7 p.m. Tierney will be present to talk to viewers and answer questions.

What Do Wet Chalk Dragons, South American Masks, and Gyotaku Fish Prints Have in Common?

Every year brings a new group of student artists presenting their work at the Edge Center Art Gallery in Bigfork. The shows are always full of color with plenty of variety. This year, however, there is something special about the art.  It is the last of the art done under the direction of retiring art teacher Roberta Steinhart. She is retiring after 22 years of art teaching at the Bigfork school and another 10 years at the Clinton-Grace school. So what DO wet chalk dragons, South American masks, and gyotaku fish prints have in common?  It is in the art...come and see for yourself. To see this exhibition, visit the Bigfork Art Gallery that is attached to the Bigfork School through May 20^th during the regular hours of the gallery which are Thursdays through Saturdays 10AM to 4PM each day.  There is no charge to see the exhibits. 

With this group of student artists, the Edge Center Gallery again exhibits the innovation best made possible with youngster's early encounters creating art. The young student artists learn the basics of color, texture, shape, line, plus dark and light as used in compositions as they are stretching their creativity.

The exhibit will evolve throughout the month to showcase newly completed work by elementary, middle, and high school students.

Students’ skills are on display throughout the exhibit: a study of contour lines in a sketch of a bee’s wing, an exploration of positive/negative space in a drawing of birch trees, a playful use of color and texture in a wall mount of a Seussian creature.

The show also highlights the role of art in classroom learning. This year, Steinhart worked with teachers Aimee Rahier and Michelle Carnahan to integrate art projects into the curriculum. As third graders read Charlotte’s Web and learned about the role of spiders in nature, for example, they also created web paintings using a watercolor wash with salt. “We work as a team,” says Steinhart. “It's a very unique way to teach art [and] we are very fortunate!”

The Student Art Show will remain open to the public through May 20. Says Steinhart, “The students take so much pride in their work. It’s a thrill to have their art [displayed] in a real gallery.” 

Thank you Roberta for your years of introducing Spring to the Bigfork area in such a colorful way with wonderful student art. Your first-of-the-season color in the gallery has always been a favorite for many. Enjoy the lake and the next part of your journey.

Admission to the exhibit is free, and the gallery is open during Edge events and on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m..