Spring Challenge Update

We're coming into the home stretch! It's May, the Merry Month of May, the last month for our spring challenge. So send in those flowers! Here's a new addition from Linda. My roses are just starting to bud, so this painting hits home for me this month. How about you?



Summer's Last Call by Linda Wicksell

Spring Challenge Update

We had a great meeting last evening! It was great to see such a good turn out for guest speaker, Duane Lutsko. His presentation was fascinating, and his paintings were very inspiring! Duane's landscapes definitely made me want to get outside and paint. How about you? Let's see what you're doing this spring. Send in some images for the spring challenge.


Hydrangea Window by Brenda Joyner

Spring Challenge

Ok, so it's been a long time since I posted a new challenge. But it's a new year and a new season. Let's get out our paints, pencils, pastels, cameras, clay, wire, and all those great art supplies and get to work! Share the results on the VAAM blog.

Frankly, at this time of year, those straggling winter days start getting me down. How about you? Yesterday, I saw that my spring bulbs are starting to poke through the ground. Hooray! I'm ready for spring, and I bet you are, too. So let's usher in spring with flowers! Share your images of spring blooms with your fellow artists. Send a digital image to me, and I will post it on the blog.

Oh, and I bet you noticed that I've reformatted the blog page, and it sure looks dull. No complimentary colors, just plain and simple. There's a reason for that. It's up to you to spruce it up with your artwork. Once we get a few images posted, it'll look great!


Lilacs by Cher Compton

Summer Challenge

Well, spring has proven to be slow for the blog page. April Showers was to lead to May Flowers. So rather than continue the monthly, let's try a seasonal challenge. The summer challenge is easy. The subject matter is SUMMER! Email me an image of a summer-themed work you have done and I'll post it.

April Challenge

April Showers bring the opportunity to focus on water, clouds, rainy weather, puddles, and drips and drops. Anything water-themed is appropriate for this month from an ocean scene to small drops of water or a morning mist in the valley. Send a photo of your work to me by the end of the month and it will be posted on the blog page.

March Challenge

March is a busy month. We celebrate the arrival of spring. In a couple of weeks many will be decked out in shamrock green for St. Patrick's day. So, the subject of this month's challenge is GREEN. If you work in color, a lot of options are probably running through your head right now. If you work in black and white, this may seem a bit more daunting, but think about what green represents (growth, spring, leaves...) and share that. When you have completed the challenge, email me a photo so I can post it on the blog.

February Challenge

"What Matters Most" pastel on Wallis sanded paper, by Cher Compton

February Challenge

Valentine's Day is just around the corner, and that inspires this month's challenge. This month your subject is something that you are passionate about when it comes to your art. Maybe it's your first Canon 35mm camera, your jar of favorite paint brushes, your old box of pastels... Whatever it is that makes you passionate about your art -- Paint it! Photograph it! Sculpt it! And share it with us. At the end of the month, send a digital image of your artwork to me, and I will post it on the blog.

"Winter Morning" by Mary Boeh

January Challenge

Happy New Year! There's still snow on the ground out where I live, and that inspires this month's challenge. The January challenge is "The White Stuff".

For those of you who might be sick of snow and just want to snuggle inside with a nice still life, that's fine. If not a snow scene, give us a white on white still life - a white vase or bowl on a white table cloth... perhaps add some white eggs...

Pay attention to the shapes of objects and their shadows. Capture the subtle changes in values. You may choose to work in black and white, but I encourage you to work in color, because "white stuff" just isn't white. There is a whole spectrum of color reflecting off of those objects, and if you observe carefully, you may be surprised at at all the colors you will see.

If you are working in color, carefully observe the color variations in the different white objects. Some surfaces will be warmer, some cooler. Look for those blues and purples in the shadows; contrast those with the warmer values you see. Note how the white objects pick up and reflect colors in the environment around them.

When you are done, email me a digital image of your composition, and I'll post it on the blog page.

Have fun!

"Holiday Cats" by Deborah Maklowski

December Challenge

This month, we celebrate holidays well-loved by children around the world. Bright colors of the holidays surround us. The December challenge is simple: be child-like. Give us an image that captures the joy of childhood. It's ok to play with this one. The holidays can be stressful, so shake loose and have a little fun.

When you are done, email your digital image to maryboeh@gmail.com.

"First to Turn" Plein Air Pastel by Deborah Maklowski

"Summer Window" by J. Phil Morgan

"Pumpkins for Sale" by Linda Wicksell

"Fall Apples" 11x14" pastel by Cher Compton

"Squirrels' Garden" 9x12" oil painting by Mary Boeh

"Appalachian Trail" photograph by Jerry Weinstein

"Raindrops" photograph by Jerry Weinstein

November Challenge

The harvest is nearly in. Fields are golden and trees are flush with color. As the month progresses, yellow and orange leaves give way to deep reds and russet browns. With Thanksgiving ahead of us, we think about family and things for which we are thankful.

The November challenge is a composition that features the fall harvest. Consider a still life of fall fruits or vegetables, or perhaps a landscape of the farmers' fields - the last stalks of corn or those wonderful fields of soybeans. Look around, work from life. Have fun and share with us the essence of the harvest season that we celebrate every year.


When you are finished, send a photo and I'll post it on the blog.