BAC Goes to LaPlaca Pottery

With the 5th Annual Juried Exhibition occupying most of the Boatworks for this entire month, there is no room to have the monthly members meeting. No problem- just take the meeting on the road, and learn more about local arts in the process. The April member meeting was held at LaPlaca Pottery Studio in the 5th Avenue Pavilion on the Asbury Park boardwalk. Owner Greg LaPlaca gave a presentation about his studio and the processes of making and firing pottery, including types of kilns. He also demonstrated how to wheel throw a bowl and a vase, transforming lumps of clay into attractive vessels. All in attendance were very impressed with his skills.

(photos courtesy of Joe Villa)

Belmar Art Walk 2009

The Boatworks hosted an event related to our 5th Annual Juried Art Show for the 3rd day in a row. Today was the annual Belmar Art Walk, with arts related events being hosted at 18 locations around downtown Belmar. The Boatworks was one of those locations, where we had an open house to show off our new exhibition and our wonderful home. As happened the past two days, we had live music, this time provided by our own Tim McCorry. He performed original compositions on the keyboard, on one song accompanied by the talented Myya, as seen above. If you didn't have a chance to see the exhibition this past weekend, the show will remain on display during regular gallery hours through May 1, 2009.

5th Annual Juried Art Show Reception

Once again a huge crowd came out on this lovely spring day to attend the opening reception for the 5th Annual Belmar Arts Council Juried Art Exhibition. After reading the juror statement from Marie Maber (who had the difficult challenge of choosing these 87 works out of almost 300 entries), visitors could check out the show. Shown above are the various award winners. From top to bottom-

Best in Show- Paul Qian By the Beach (oil painting)

Honorable Mention Sculpture/Fine Crafts- Freya Gervasi Centurian (stone)

Honorable Mention Painting- Barbara Edelhauser Out of the Tangle (oil)

Honorable Mention Photography/Digital- Vicky Culver One's Point of View (photo)

Honorable Mention Mixed Media- Ralph Katz Through the Black (mixed)

Honorable Mention Graphics/Drawing/Printmaking- Melissa Dayton Adam (pastel)

In addition to all the art, visitors could enjoy the usual wine and cheese and our guest musician for the day, Susan Lavin playing the harp.

Juried Art Show Preview

The night before the official opening of 5th Annual Belmar Arts Council Juried Art Show, the Boatworks hosted a special preview reception for the trustees and some special guests. Tasty food and beautiful music from Keith Calmes were there, along with the 87 artworks that were selected for the show. As for the art, stop by the Boatworks on Saturday April 4th from 3 to 5 pm for the exhibition reception, or on Sunday April 5th from 5 to 6 pm for our open house, or during regular gallery hours through May 1, 2009.

Art and Music All Weekend at the Boatworks

The 5th Annual BAC Juried Exhibition is up at the Boatworks and ready to be seen. And you have 2 great opportunities to do so this weekend.

First, there is the official opening reception on Saturday, April 4, from 3 to 5 pm. Come see all the work selected by the juror for the exhibition, while you enjoy the harp playing of Susan Lavin and our usual great wine and cheese spread.

Then on Sunday the BAC will be winding up the Belmar ArtWalk with an open house from 5 to 6 pm, featuring the keyboard music of Tim McCorry. The ArtWalk is from 12 to 6 pm, with events at 18 different locations around downtown Belmar. A schedule of events and map of locations is available at Artifacts Boutique, 1012 Main Street.

And The Winners Are...

Visitors to Saturday's opening of the first annual "En Plein Air" exhibit at the Boatworks chose favorites among the 31 paintings on display. Works by (top to bottom) Bobbie Crane, Trevor Bryan, and Jim Ferrier were among those awarded prizes.

The show features oil, acrylic, and watercolor paintings done outside, in direct contact with the environment being depicted, rather than in the studio from sketches and photographs. "Plein Air" painting was popularized in the 19th century by the French Impressionists.

Plein Air Reception

Another weekend, another big crowd at the Boatworks. Outside it was a cold gray February day, but inside everything was bright and sunny. Because today was the opening reception for the En Plein Air exhibition, with dozens of landscape paintings created outdoors in warmer times. Not only could everyone in attendance enjoy the art, but there were the usual tasty refreshments, the return of local band James and the Giant Peach, and the opportunity to vote for the best piece in the show. The winners will be announced on this blog soon. The exhibition will remain on display during regular gallery hours through March 19th.

Trackside Art

It's a great time to be riding a train through Belmar. If you're on the side of the train facing east, you get a great view of the murals we have on the two sides of the Boatworks. And now if you're sitting on the other side of the train with windows facing west, you get a great view of these abstract paintings created by members of the BAC and recently installed at Belmar's train station. The top photo shows the whole set, and the other photos show the four diptychs in more detail. Not taking a train trip any time soon? Just walk up to them and get a good look.

Abstract Art at Belmar Station

This afternoon 8 BAC abstractionists were at the Boatworks, painting large panels to be displayed in the windows of the Belmar Train Station, a special request from the town. All the artists started with a theme of spring, with the resulting work ranging from stylized realism to non- objective. Today's participating artists were Susan McLean, Sandy Taylor, Merry Brennan, Colleen Lineberry, Leslie Ovechka, Jean Larson, Lorraine Madsen, and Kathryn Paul. The panels will be installed later this week, on the southbound side. Give us enough time, and we'll cover the whole town with art.

(photos courtesy of Pat Hutchinson)

Call For Entries- Plein Air Exhibition

The Belmar Arts Council is hosting an exhibition of Plein Air paintings, work painted outdoors with a focus on rendering the effects of atmosphere and light in nature. While the show is inspired by the Plein Air group that includes several of our BAC members, anyone can enter this upcoming exhibition.

All works must be original creations by the artist, painted outdoors, and must be show ready and wired for hanging. Artists may enter up to two works each, with a maximum of one per artist that may be chosen for the exhibition. Acceptance into the show is not guaranteed. Entry fee is $10 per piece for BAC members, $15 per piece for non-members. Work must be dropped off for jurying by the hanging committee on Saturday, February 21 from 1 to 3 pm. Unaccepted work should be picked up during office hours Feb 25 - 27.

The exhibition will open with a reception on Saturday, February 28, from 3 to 5 pm. People who attend the reception can vote for favorites, with People's Choice Awards announced at 4:45 pm. The show will remain on display through March 19, 2009.

Four Artists Reception

This afternoon we had another great art reception at the Boatworks. This was for the exhibition of the 4 winners from last year's Annual BAC Juried Show. The four artists can be seen in the top photo (from left to right- Catherine Dentino, Marge Levine, Bobbie Crane, and Trudy Maran). Many people came through over the course of the afternoon to enjoy the art and the great spread put out by the artists. If you missed it today, you can see the show during regular gallery hours: Wednesday to Sunday, 1 to 5 pm, through February 20th.

And if you are interested in being part of the next Annual BAC Juried Show, the prospectus is available at the Boatworks, or can be downloaded from the main website. Art intake is March 27th and 28th. Don't miss it!

Four Artists Setting Up

Earlier today at the Boatworks a whole lot of art was being installed by four artists, the winners of last year's Annual Juried Art Show. The artists are Trudy Maran and Catherine Dentino (both photography), Bobbie Crane (oils and acrylics), and Marge Levine (pastels). The exhibition opens with a reception on Saturday, February 7 from 3 to 5 pm, and remains on display during regular gallery hours through February 20.