2013 Oct-Nov-Dec TECAC Connect

Featured Artist: page 3 Oct: Martha Rhodes

Guest Artists: Pages 3 & 5

Oct: Robert Copelan Nov: Henry Bryant

Nov/Dec: Chris Lorenz

New Members: Page 4

Alaina Blevins/Jerome Sturm

Oct/Nov/Dec 2013 Vol 1, No 3

TECAC The Electric Company Artists’ Co-op LLC, 207 East Depot Street, Bedford Virginia 24523

The definition of an artist does not hinge upon one’s medium.The definition of an artist does not hinge upon one’s medium.The definition of an artist does not hinge upon one’s medium.The definition of an artist does not hinge upon one’s medium.

The TECAC ConnectThe TECAC ConnectThe TECAC ConnectThe TECAC Connect

The TECAC Connect Oct/Nov/Dec Page 2

The Artisan Shoppe in The Electric Company at 207 E. Depot Street in

Bedford is a fun and eclectic gift shop. The shop is currently being managed by

TECAC gallery and is continually looking for new vendors for the shop. Preferred items include local and original handcrafted or produced items ...

especially jewelry, pottery, stained glass, soaps, lotions, honey, jellies or

other handmade items. The Artisan Shoppe will also be listed on Bedford's

Artisan Trail. Contact info: Perri Mason [email protected]

Call for Local Artisans

TECAC Connect Newsletter TECAC members, this is YOUR

quarterly newsletter. Please send

information about any awards and

recognitions you receive, classes you

will be offering … anything to get the

word out about what is happening in

your world and the arts community in

the area. If you know of classes, work-

shops and exhibit opportunities, send

that information along also. Send to Dotti Stone:

Email: [email protected]

Important Dates - 2013-14 Gallery Rotations:

Nov 24/25

Feb 2/3

Apr 6/7 TECAC Member Meeting - 2 PM:

Nov 3

Jan 5 2014

Mar 2

May 4 Phone: 540-491-2585

Email: [email protected] “Like” us on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/TECAC207 Follow us on our Blog: http://tecacartgallery.blogspot.com/

sales given to the American Cancer

Society. If anyone has not picked up an angel

to paint or enhance through some

other medium, please do so and bring

to the November 3 meeting.

Who did those angels! Diagram and list of artists

1 Nancy Rae Brown

2 Suzanne V Paddock

3 Dotti Stone

4 Jane Schafer

5 Perri Mason

6 Edrie Bays

7 Jane Schafer

8 Shelley Koopmann

9 Perri Mason

10 Edrie Bays

11 Perri Mason

12 Rod Adams

13 Edrie Bays

14 Edrie Bays

The Angel Project The angels on the front page are just

a few of those being created for this

special holiday project to honor the

memory of Perri’s friend and enable

TECAC to donate to cancer research. Below is Perri’s story about these

special angels: I met my friend Pam when I worked

in the art department at James T.

Davis in Lynchburg. In 1995, she was

diagnosed with colon cancer. That

same year, an old shed on her prop-

erty was blown down by a bad storm.

She decided to recycle the tin from

the roof and hand-cut these “twice

fallen angels” to decorate and sell

while she went through treatment.

In 1998, she was diagnosed again

with cancer. This time the diagnosis

was an inoperable brain tumor.

Before she passed away, she gave me

the box of angels to decorate and sell

as I wanted. In the years that

followed I kept the angels in a box,

only painting a few. When TECAC

began looking for items to decorate

for Christmas, this became the

perfect opportunity to have other

artists paint these angels, sell them

and give part of the proceeds to

cancer research. The “Twice Fallen

Angels” will be available beginning in

November with fifty percent of all

Newsletter deadline:

Dec 24 for Jan/Feb/Mar issue


October Featured Artist: Martha Rhodes

September/October Guest Artist: Robert Copelan

The paintings in Martha’s exhibit, “Life Connections,” was inspired by her travel

experiences and her impressions of certain things that have happened in her life.

“ I have always loved to create some type of art. Most

of my paintings, at this time , range from landscapes

to abstracts and collage. I enjoy working with found

papers and making my own papers for collage. My

inspiration comes from many sources, usually travel,

family, gardening and past experiences.”

Martha Rhodes

A graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University with a B.F.A.in design and art edu-

cation, Martha Rhodes is an award-winning artist who is constantly exploring her

world, her art and her limits. Throughout the past 30 years, Martha has taught classes

and workshops for Roanoke County and numerous other art organizations, private

and public. She has also juried a number of art exhibitions.

Martha will be teaching a 2-day workshop at October 18 & 19 … see page 5 for more information.

Art has always been a part of Robert Copelan’s life … since age 4 studying under

his mother who was an artist in Atlanta, GA.

Formal art education has been plentiful by masters of their craft. He studied

painting, porcelain, glass, wood and metal arts with the passion of providing

the best in whatever field he undertook. Another hat he wore was as a luthier

(violin maker); for 31 years he produced 116 violin and violas. He has been very

successful in his years in the arts and created companies selling his work while

keeping his name silent for the most part.

He has painted for over 50 years with women as recurring subjects. He says he

respects women and wants the world to see his view of them as the most important hu-

mans on earth. He wants to change the minds of men who do not respect women.

Copelan has created a scholarship fund,

“Want-a-Dance,” and is painting dancers in

positions of beauty. In 2014 he will have an

auction for all of these works and the artist’s profit

will go to benefit the dancers.



New member: Jerome Sturm

New member: Alaina Blevins

In Jerome’s words ...I’ve been fortunate that along the way I’ve had some great

mentors and have been successful as a portrait photographer, photojournalist, and

university photographer. My work explores abandoned places and things in a search for secrets. My images

create a space where time exists in the present and past at the same moment. By using a process of HDR (Hyper Dynamic Range) photography and digital

painting, I create a new energy in the abandoned places I photograph. In my

work the abandoned becomes a beautiful, eerie, out of time place. I always wonder why we abandon places and what

happened to the people who lived and worked in

those spaces. My work has been exhibited nationally and in my home

state of Virginia in the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art. My photographs have also

been published in Creative Quarterly, a national magazine of the arts, on a consecutive basis. I have worked as a portrait photographer, university photographer, and photojournalist,

before my pursuit of fine art photography. My photographs have won several national and

state awards and have been published in People Magazine, US News & World Report, The New

York Times, and other national publications. I have also served as a mission photographer for

Operation Smile International when the organization worked in Ecuador.

Inspired by everyday experiences and nightly dreams, native Virginia

artist Alaina Blevins expresses her thoughts and moods by painting a

mixture of natural views, historic symbols and fantasy images. "Each of

my inspirations has a distinct personality, and I feel a strong need to

paint each with the colors and media that best express that personal-

ity. Sometimes that's realism, sometimes it's abstract, and sometimes

it's fantasy. Sometimes the image begs for oils, sometimes acrylics and

sometimes it just needs watercolor. I have to be true to the inspiration

in order to give each of my works the life it deserves." Alaina's love for her art often leads

her to work with large canvases and murals that allow her to make bolder statements. Today Alaina works primarily with oil-on-canvas paintings in her studio in the Bedford

County village of Lowry where she enjoys painting landscapes (rural as well as urban),

murals, abstracts and portraits. "I am particularly inspired by the natural beauty of Bed-

ford County's diversity of landscapes and seasons, and the quiet little village of Lowry

offers me the kind of environment that is both inspiring and conducive to making my

art." Alaina's recent move to Lowry makes her the sixth generation of her family to live

in Bedford County, and the fourth in Lowry.

Alaina developed her styles in each of several genres while earning her Bachelor of Fine Arts at the School of the Art

Institute of Chicago. During her early studies at the Corcoran School of Art in Washington DC, Alaina learned the

value of painting with more accomplished artists in pursuit of new and intriguing styles. She continues to seek out

and paint with well-established artists with styles that interest her. Paintings by Alaina Blevins hang in galleries and homes around the country, including Los Angeles, Washington DC,

Chicago, Memphis, Auburn and throughout Virginia.


November guest artist: Henry Bryant

.

November/December Guest Artist: Chris Lorenz

Henry Bryant is owner of Fort Vause

Outfitters, a supplier of historically

accurate products to historical parks, museums and

re-enactors, and specializes in 18th century reproduction leather

work and other items. He welcomes custom work.

In addition to making and selling historic reproductions to

historic parks and re-enactors, Bryant attends historic battle reen-

actments and historic trade fairs.

Bryant has been doing custom leather work for over 25 years. He made an instructional video on leather work and

has a second in production with more to come in the future. He has provided

products to many historical parks on a regular basis.

Bryant’s specialties are: Custom Leather Work, Foundry Work, Sheet Metal Work,

Video Production and Consulting.

In addition to Fort Vause Outfitters, Bryant is owner of Great Road Craft Guild.

Both are located in Elliston, VA.

Equine artist Christine Lorenz boldly

creates with vivid color and generous

paint, in her own evocative style, a

moment in time captured. Other scenes

are more sedate and pastoral in feeling while still carrying the

intense impressionist colors of her palette.

"I've always considered the atmosphere as a kind of soup, with more body and

energy that the thin air we are taught to believe in, she says."The electricity that is

created before and during a storm is palpable. We humans barely acknowledge it

exists - full moons, gravitational pulls, and atmospheric changes affecting our behaviors.

The animals feel the pull and excitement of the forces we are taught not to see. I try

to bring that excitement and freshness to my work. Much of my portrait work is of a deceased beloved. I

try to feel the love they have for the one that has been

lost, and channel the soul, if I have not been able to meet them in the flesh. I have a

special place in my heart for my past companions who will never be forgotten … each

touched my life and shaped it in some way, whether it was a long or short path.”

we walked together.”


TECAC Members Offer

Classes and Workshops

Watercolor Rod Adams teaches weekly water-

color classes at Artists on Depot.

For information and to register email

Rod:

[email protected]

Advanced Encaustic Wax Donna Nevers will be conducting a

1-day Advanced Encaustic Wax work-

shop, Sunday, November 17, 9:30am-

4:30pm at Bower Center for the Arts,

Bedford, VA. Register at www.bowercenter.org

Creating Textural Surfaces

for Watermedia Painting with Martha Rhodes This workshop will emphasize the

development and use of rich textural

surfaces with strong design elements

for creating successful paintings using

watermedia, acrylic, watercolor or

gouache. We will build surfaces creat-

ing texture with collage using found

papers such as paper towels, Chinese

washi papers, napkins and cardboard.

After gessoing surfaces, we will paint

in your choice of styles, realistic,

abstract, etc. There are no limits to

this fun and exciting approach. Individual help will be given to each

student. Space is limited. Come join

us for a 2-day workshop. Contact Martha Rhodes at:

[email protected]

For information Supply list upon registration

Call the TECAC Gallery to register:

540-491-2585

Paint and Tour SW France

in 2014

with Donna Nevers

April 19-May 11

5-day Mixed Media Workshop

with Jeanne Bessette

Voted top 20 East Coast

May 10-23

5-day Mixed Media Workshop

with Jeanne Bessette

Workshops will hang in Soreze

Sidewalk Art Show/Sale

Friends Travel Tour

May 23-June 4

Tour Toulouse Lautrec Museum

Albi Cathedrals, Wine Tasting

French Cooking School

Roman Ruins and Copper Museum

Most meals included

$2200. per person plus airfare

Holiday theme art work for

TECAC The holidays are just ahead. In order

to create a festive environment for

visitors and prospective clients all

TECAC members are asked to bring

one artwork with a seasonal theme to

the November 3rd meeting. If you will

away at that time please deliver your

holiday art prior to the 3rd or have

some one deliver it for you. This exhibit will be installed in the

space usually reserved for featured

artists and remain up during November

and December.

The “Beds” Challenge In the Dessert Gallery

Everyone enjoys a challenge … this

one is beds! Are you scratching your

head??? Think of the possibilities!!! There are all kinds of beds if the word

is taken literally: cribs, kiddie beds,

cat beds, dog beds, hammocks, bird

nests, bunk beds, tree house beds,

army cots, sleeping bags, beds of hay,

flower beds, tanning beds, bed of

nails, bed of roses, canopy beds, is a

kangaroo pouch a bed? Papoose,

people beds overtaken by animals,

and the list goes on … The Dessert Gallery will likely be the

stage for this Challenge exhibit. And

don’t feel limited … this could include

a group 3-D effort. The bunk

room??? Animal house??? Paintings,

photographs, prints, mixed media,

glass, mosaic, fabric, clay, metal,

wood …. let you imagination go wild. If you have anything by the Novem-

ber 3 meeting, bring it. Present your

ideas if you want to collaborate with

someone or several members on a

group project. Let’s have fun with this

and try to have it well underway by

December and into January. Make it

the talk of the holidays!!!

Maxeen Vashro Wyatt

Guest Author at TECAC on

Second Friday

October 11, 5pm-8 She will be signing her book

Kimberly’s Courage

Holiday Openings

at Bedford Art Venues

Thanksgiving weekend:

November 29 and 30 11am-5pm

Sunday, December 8, 1pm-6

A TECAC party will follow BYOB

December 8 is the date for the

Bedford Holiday Home Tour. Many

businesses in town will be open for

the benefit of increased holiday

traffic and this includes local art

galleries.


Awards & Recognitions Sales at TECAC: Davies, Megan:

“She Was Telling Us a Story” - photo Mason, Perri:

“When Life Gives You Lemons” Ostroff, Nancy: “Old Barn” watercolor Rhodes, Martha: “Soul Food” Skinnell, Bryan: “Lost in Space”

ink drawing Stone, Dotti: “Elephant Walk” mosaic

Other successes: Bays, Edrie:

Edrie’s

painting

“Waiting”

has a new

home!

Mason, Perri Two of Perri’s paintings were juried

into the 7 Hills Art Club Magnolia

Foods Juried

Exhibit and one

received a 2nd

Place award.

Paddock, Suzanne V Several of Suzanne’s painting have

been selected to hang in Town

Kitchen and Provisions that will soon

open at 309 N Bridge St.

Rhodes, Martha Martha’s “Pottery Shop - Provence”

sold in the 49th Annual Bath County

Art Show in July. Stone, Dotti Dotti Stone And Roanoke mosaic

artist Stephen Brailo have teamed up

for an exhibit, “Mosaics: Classical

Meets Contemporary” at MOarts Gallery,

Moneta Library in downtown Moneta,

Rte 122, the month of October.

Exhibit Opportunities Virginia Museum of

Contemporary Art 2200 Parks Ave, Virginia Beach VA 23451

New Waves 2014

Annual Juried Exhibition

Entry Deadline: December 1, 2013

Exhibit: Jan 31, 2014-Apr 28, 2014

Prospectus: www.virginiamoca.org

$3750. in awards

Open to Virginia artists

Don’t forget to “like” us

on Facebook!

https://www.facebook.com/TECAC207

“Polka Dot #413”

by Perri Mason

2nd Place award winner


Who Does What? Adams, Rod

• New member screening committee (with Nancy & Martha)

(obtain bios, jpgs, artists’ statements from new members for PR)

• Create 2nd Friday invitations (for email)

• Make artist name tags (for frames)

• Make video of all members and their work (in general) Bays, Edrie

• Write/proofread/send Press releases (with Jerome)

• Facebook updates (with Perri – anyone can post)

• Training (with all members) Blevins, Alaina

• 2nd Friday shift in December

• TBA Brown, Nancy Rae

• New member screening committee (with Rod and Martha)


• Add new members’ info to computer and to notebook; add

them as employees and consignors (with Martha)

• Write/send guest artist thank-yous (designed by Erni) Houser, Erni

• Design guest artist TECAC thank-yous

• Household – floors (beyond daily member task list)

• Monitor email and respond (with Suzanne)

• Keep up inventory of TECAC label cards Kindermann, Kurt

• 2nd Friday shift in November

• Devise gallery rotations - year in advance (with Jane)

• Hang art work during gallery rotations (with Jane)

• Schedule/hang work of guest artists (with Jane)

• Oversee completion of inventory forms & label

making during rotations (with Jane)

• Maintain walls and necessary materials for installations Koopmann, Shelley

• Administrator for TECAC blog

• Coordinate local Bedford (Centertown) opportunities

(with Jane) Mason, Perri

• Work schedule/member sign-ups for gallery duty

• Facebook updates (with Edrie– anyone can post)

• Track supply inventory & keep stocked

Nevers, Donna

• Secure guest artists (with all members)

• Get bio info, artists’ statements, and jpgs from all guest

artists for publicity

• Organize/manage “fun” meetings - list of who is doing what

and when (Nov-April)

• Secure and manage volunteers and food for Second Fridays

(with Nancy O)

Ostroff, Nancy

• Take minutes at meeting & email to members

(alternate with Jerome)

• Organize/manage “fun” meetings - list of who is doing

what and when (May-Oct)

• Secure and manage volunteers and food for Second

Fridays (with Donna)

Paddock, Suzanne

• Monthly dues notices/delinquencies

• Monitor email and respond (with Erni)

• Coordinate workshops - scheduling & promo work

(with George)

Perkins, Dan

• Email 2nd Friday invitations

• Artisan Trail liaison

Rhodes, Martha

• New member screening committee (with Rod and Nancy B)


• Add new members’ info to computer and to notebook; add

them as employees and consignors (with Nancy B)

Schafer, Jane

• Coordinate local Bedford (Centertown) opportunities

(with Shelley)

• Devise gallery rotations - year in advance (with Kurt)

• Hang art work during gallery rotations (with Kurt)

• Schedule/hang work of guest artists (with Kurt)

• Oversee completion of inventory forms & label making

during rotations (with Kurt)

Skinnell, Bryan

• Post email addresses from guest book (to Second Friday

contact list)

• Check Second Friday contact lists for duplicates

• Insure press contacts go in press contacts folder, not

Second Friday

Stone, Dotti

• Newsletter

Strum, Jerome

• Write/proofread/send Press releases (with Edrie)

• Take minutes at meeting & email to members

(alternate with Nancy O)

Wacob, George

• Collect monthly dues

• Balance register

• Coordinate workshops - scheduling & promo work

(with Suzanne)

Documents

2013 Oct-Nov-Dec TECAC Connect