The New Mural part 9

A little more was added to the figures over the past few days. The top photo shows the progress made on them, the bottom photo shows how they fit in with the rest of the mural.

The New Mural part 8

The summer is almost over, but tourists are still coming to Belmar and the beach- by car, bus, and train. Here are a few who arrived this morning from the pages of art history books. As can be seen by the door to the left, the figures are about life size. There's still a bit of work needed on them, but they look great so far.

We can announce now that there will be a mural dedication and pot luck picnic coming up Sunday, September 28 at 3:00 pm. Just bring a covered dish and a chair, while the BAC provides the beverages. More details will be posted as we closer to the event.

Art in the Round- Last Chance

This week is the last chance to see the Art in the Round exhibition at the Boatworks. The exhibition will be on display through Friday, August 29. Regular gallery hours are 1:00 pm to 5:00 Wednesday to Friday. If you miss it, the next time you see some of these paintings they will be tables in our cabaret space.

Those who have works in the show that were not chosen for tables may pick up their paintings at either the next members meeting on Thursday, September 4, 2008 7:30 pm, or between 10:00 am and 1:00 pm on Saturday, September 6.

The New Mural part 7

Here's the latest on the new north side mural. All the gray that was to the left of the postcards has been repainted with much nicer white and blue. Some possibly familiar life sized figures will be arriving soon in that blue area. Check back later in the week for an update.

August Critique Group

Five artists came tonight to the monthly critique group that meets at the Boatworks. As always, everyone had good observations and suggestions for the works up for discussion. And all the artists appreciated the constructive criticism they got. All artists/all media are welcome. Bring a piece or two, finished or unfinished. The group meets the 3rd Thursday of every month, from 7:30 to 9:30 pm. Admission is free. The next meeting will be September 18.

Sad Farewell

Tonight we had a little farewell dinner for the Belmar Arts Council's first ever employee, Patrice Malone. As a part time administrative assistant, we expected her to answer the phones, help out with office functions, keep the Boatworks open a few days a week, and help coordinate some of the summer activities. She did so much more for us that she has spoiled us for whoever eventually succeeds her in the position. So before she heads out to sea, and then back to college, we felt she deserved a special treat- dinner at Klein's and a gift card to a favorite store. Patrice may be leaving the office, but she's not leaving the BAC- she'll continue to help us out with the cool internet newsletter she started this summer, and will be using her music connections to explore some possible future programs in Belmar.

Summer Film- Angels With Dirty Faces

The last film of the BAC Summer Film series is Angels With Dirty Faces, starring James Cagney, Pat O'Brien, Humphrey Bogart, and the "Dead End Kids", including Leo Gorcey and Huntz Hall of Eastside Kids/Bowery Boys fame. The influential 1938 film was nominated for 3 Academy Awards. The movie will be shown on Wednesday, August 20, at 7:00 pm. As always, admission is free.

Figure Drawing Tonight- Updated

Tonight was the latest meeting of the BAC Figure Drawing Group at the Boatworks. We had a small crowd, but the artists did some nice work. The next meeting is in two weeks, August 27, 2008, from 7 to 9 pm. Bring your materials of choice (charcoal, pencil, pastels, watercolor, etc) and $10 for the model fee. Open to all artists over age 17.

Art in the Round Winners- Tops In Show

The winners of the Art in the Round Tabletop Art Challenge have been decided. From top to bottom they are:

Heather Bryson- "In the Mirror"

AnnMarie Carton- "1Fish2Fish3FishGoldfish"

Jennifer DeLorenzo- "YUM!"

Michelle Harmazinski- "Let's Put Our Heads Together"

Pat Hutchinson- "Sleeping Mermaid"

K. Dorsey Lucas- "'Round Midnight"

Fran McCloskey- "Summer Harbor"

Dave McGrath- "Enjoy Life, Drink Coffee"

Aysha Mirie- "Mad Chef"

Joy Nokas- "Santana"

Mary Seminski- "Smooth Jazz"

Bonnie Smith- "Seafood"

The whole exhibition remains on display through August 27, 2008, with gallery hours Wednesday to Sunday, 1:00 to 5:00 pm. After that the chosen paintings will be converted to tabletops for our cabaret space, so that they may be enjoyed for a long time to come.

Art in the Round Reception

We had an amazing reception at the Boatworks today. Huge crowds came out to see the Art in the Round exhibition. In addition to seeing the paintings, those in attendance had the opportunity to vote for their favorites, and more than 60 chose to participate. The top 12 finishers in the voting will be turned into tabletops, a dozen unique tables to be enjoyed by people who come to future BAC events. The winners will be posted here on the BAC blog. Check back soon.

Art in the Round Exhibition

A mystery show currently hangs in the Boatworks. Behind these and a few dozen other canvases are the entries in the Art in the Round competition and exhibition. The more than 30 works will be turned around Saturday evening just in time for the reception, from 5:00 to 7:00 pm. During that time, those in attendance will cast votes for their favorite paintings. At the end of the reception all the votes will be tabulated, and the top 12 will have their paintings turned into tabletops for our cafe tables. Those winners will be announced here on the BAC blog.

The New Mural part 6

The new mural is really coming along. The crab sculpture (which looks like something that could have escaped from the mural on the other side of the building) was finished, then painted today. And it looks like the postcard area is just about done. The plan calls for some other elements in the blank area to the left, so keep checking back here to see further progress, or come by the Boatworks in person and see it for yourself.

The New Mural part 5

Work is progressing on the new mural on the north side of the building. The top photo shows the latest on the postcard portion- the "Greetings From" is added, the letters in Belmar mostly filled in. Muralist Bob Mataranglo, who contributed some 3-D pieces to last year's "What Lies Beneath" mural, has volunteered to contribute another 3-D piece to the new one. This time it's a large crab. Photos here show the wood forms being cut out, and foam being applied to one of the claws. Drop by the Boatworks some time and see it for yourself.

Learn to Blog

If you've been enjoying the Belmar Arts Council blog and been wondering about how to get involved, or even how to start your own blog, come to the next monthly member meeting at the Boatworks on Thursday, August 7. After the business part of the meeting, yours truly will be demonstrating how this blog works, as well as how to get one of your own. We will also see how to create posts, upload photos, and edit, using the Blogger software. Don't worry if you have little computer experience- it's no more difficult than sending an e-mail. If you're an artist without a web site or home page of your own, this is a great opportunity to get your artwork on to the internet. Best of all, the blogs are free.

The meeting begins at 7:30 pm. The blog demo will start after all the other business is over, finishing sometime before 9:30 pm.

Summer Film- Animal Crackers

The next film in our summer series is the Marx Brothers classic Animal Crackers, starring Groucho, Chico, Harpo, and Zeppo, along with Lillian Roth and the long suffering Margaret Dumont. The 1930 film was the brothers' second feature length film, a huge success in its day, and still considered one of their finest, with some of their best known routines and songs. If you're a Marx Bros fan, you definitely want to see it. And if you've never seen any of their movies, you definitely need to see it. The movie begins at 7:00 pm on Wednesday, August 6, at the Boatworks. As always, admission is free.

The New Mural part 4

Another beautiful day in Belmar, another day of working on the new mural. Since the last update the scaffold has arrived, making it much easier to work on the upper parts of the compostition. Tonight's crew included BAC regulars Pat, Hutch and Sandy. And the mural has now gone bi-coastal, with Sandy's sister from California (middle photo) doing some beautiful work inside the letters. Click on the photos to enlarge and see the details. The last photo shows where the group left off. Painting resumes early Monday morning, for all those who would like to get involved.

In and Out Weekend

A reminder that this Saturday, August 2nd is the day when entries for the Art In The Round exhibition are due. The canvases should be fully painted, including the corners around the circle that will eventually be removed when cut for the table tops. The canvases should also be wired, ready to hang.

At the same time, participants in the recent Food For Thought exhibition should come pick up their work, to make room for the incoming show.

All this is from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm on Saturday, August 2nd at the Boatworks.