The AAG March meeting will be held Monday, March 8 at the Aiken Center for the Arts. We will again forgo our social time and start the meeting at 7pm. We will continue to follow the ACA pandemic protocols for distanced seating and face coverings.
The March program will feature Matt Cornell.
Matt’s biographical information:
Matthew Cornell was born in Fairfield, CA in 1964. His first memories are of traveling across the United States in a car. His childhood was, in a sense, the quintessential American experience, because the notion of a “road trip” was conceived and perpetrated by Americans. The automobile and the family trip was, and still is, ours. It is these experiences driving across this land at a young age that formed his way of seeing things. Cornell says, ”Every year we travelled across the US and I spent most of my time looking out of the window and observing the landscape and weather. We moved a lot and I got to see almost every part of this country. It was a blessing. It made me aware of the variety and the vastness the US has to offer.”
Weather became the dominant influence on his early landscape painting. “I have always been fascinated by the extremes of weather and the power of nature,” he says. "It is in a constant state of creation and destruction, of origin and destination. With everyday, the planet begins anew. Nature seeks equilibrium. It is in a never ending cycle.” Cornell prefers the sublime and meditative observations of land and seascape, the narrative of majestic weather, and somber cloudscapes sweeping across the land and vast empty sea.
Recently his paintings have turned more complex, with dusk and night scenes, streetlights on secluded homes. The visual backdrop has allowed a subtle narrative of mystery and intrigue. “Landscapes at this hour are like ghosts that are unseen during the day, only to be revealed by the strange and myriad ways the night time glows”, Cornell says. These narratives include neighborhoods that mirror the kind he grew up in and the longing he now has to find home. “I spent a great deal of my childhood moving and this has greatly influenced my new work. I am searching for that elusive notion of where I come from and where I belong.”
Cornell has been part of many group, solo, and museum shows since 1997. He now lives and maintains a studio in Orlando, FL.
UPCOMING EVENTS
SAVE THE DATE
2021
AAG MEMBER SHOW
2021 AAG MEMBER SHOW IMPORTANT DATES:
Show Run, May 6 through June 11
Opening Reception , May 6
Drop Off, May 1
Pick Up, June 11
Also, note that you will need to be an up-to-date member of the guild in order to participate in the show.
The Friends of Hopelands and Rye Patch are planning an art show at the Aiken Center for the Arts to be held March 25th-April 30th.
This show is in honor of our 50th Anniversary. We invite you to be among the participating artists. We will feature watercolors, oils, photographs, all 2D and 3D artwork which reflect the diverse components of Rye Patch and Hopelands Gardens...the Historic Horses of Aiken, the gazebo, the labyrinth, etc. We would preferably like sellable art, 60% to the artist and 40% to the ACA. Please email Eddie Mann, eddie29803@att.net or Peggy Thome, pegthom@icloud.com to indicate your interest or to answer your questions. Thank you for your participation! The Friends of Hopelands and Rye Patch
MEMBERSHIP NEWS
In support of the Aiken Center for the Arts - Calling on all AAG golfers - We would love to see the AAG represented in the ACA Golf Tournament!
Please consider forming a team or using the contact form on our website to let us know of your interest and we will try to facilitate forming teams.
The membership list on the AAG website has been updated to reflect all new and renewal memberships through this week. Please use the contact link on the web site to let us know of any errors or omissions that there may be.
MEMBERSHIPS and RENEWALS We are now past November 1, all renewals are now $45. As always, new memberships remain $40.
It is anticipated that there will be several AAG board member positions to be filled at our May meeting. Anyone who has an interest in joining the AAG board may use the contact form on our website to let your interest be known. It is only through the volunteer efforts of all of our members that the AAG is able to continue its mission in our community. Please consider joining the board or volunteering in another capacity.
The ACA main gallery currently features:
This show will run through March 19, 2021
AIKEN ARTIST GUILD GALLERY
”Smiling Faces, Beautiful Places”
Celebrating the South
Featuring AAG Members:
Karey Santos, Betsy Hughes, and Susanna King
The ACA is sponsoring two Artist Talks offered in person and via zoom
Exhibiting artists Robert Campbell, Camryn Finnan and Whitney Kurlan will be presenting with guest speakers from conservation organizations
Limited in person seating, call the ACA to reserve. Zoom option available.
The second talk is scheduled for:
Thurs, February 25th at noon and will feature:
Exhibiting artists with Peter Blinston
from Painted Dog Conservation
Art Center Classes
Animals in Oils
With Judy Adamick
This is a 5 week class at Aiken Center for the Arts, the starting date for this class has been pushed forward to May 13th, Thurs., 10 til noon.
Call 803 641-9094 to sign up.
Beyond the Basics with Pastels With Carolyn Bohn
This is for artists who wish to further develop their own skills in pastel. Work on simple buildings like barns or small cottages; you may bring your own reference or choose from several that will be provided.
Determine your composition, and layer pastels according to value and temperature to create the the painterly image.
The building will come to life by applying strokes and very little blending.
Supply list at ACA front desk or online. Bring a lunch. (30 min break)
