Programs
We provide a variety of programs during our monthly general meetings throughout our fiscal year which runs from September to May. These programs are presented by guest artists and others associated with the art scene in and around Charlotte. The programs vary from slide presentations, technique demonstrations, medium demonstrations, and lectures. We vary the programs from month-to-month and year-to-year to satisfy the many interests of the diverse group of talented artists that make up our organization.
  


January 23, 2008

Artist

Sketch Regine Bloch as Marie Antoinette

Fanciful sculptures of German-born artist Regine Bloch are a reflection of the human struggle to overcome tumultuous events and emotions. Her works are decidedly feminine in both subject and form, with materials ranging from clay and porcelain to fabrics, driftwood, and wire. Bloch's sculpture is fascinating to explore, incorporating collage elements and written words to create a discourse between the artist and her audience. “Many viewers will recognize the feelings of pain and pressure reflected in these works,” she explains. “They should also stimulate the onlooker to think about partnership, honesty, trust and friendship.” Moving from her native Germany to North Carolina was a deeply affecting challenge, in mastering a new language as well as the cultural nuances of the American South. Her personal struggles and triumphs are a key influence in her creative process. Bloch's European heritage contributes to the formal qualities, while her interest in South American cultures has been a factor in her exploration of lively colors and soulful themes. Bloch lives and works in Huntersville, North Carolina.

 

February 27, 2008

Nancy Smith Couick

Nancy was born on St. Patrick's Day in Asheville, North Carolina and currently lives in Charlotte. Her father was from South Carolina and her mother from North Carolina. As you can see, Nancy's heart and her roots are in the Carolinas!

Nancy paints in watercolors and acrylics and has studied with numerous well-known artists including Harris Holt, Joseph Bohler, Tom Lynch, Susanna Spann, Margaret Hall Hoybach, Steve Rogers, and Robert Burridge.

She instructs in watercolors on annual painting tours in Italy, and is currently working on a series of works based on Italian life and the Italian countryside. Some recently completed paintings are of Portofino, the Cinque Terra, Lake Como, Venice, Cortona, Tuscany - including Pienza, Lucca, Florence, Bagno Vignoni, Siena, San Gimignano, Montepulciano, the Tuscan countryside and of Rome. Subjects included villas, lakes, a barber in his shop doorway, a dog guarding his master's shop, a canal in Venice, streetside venues, harbors and boats. Nancy will be leading a painting and cooking trip to Italy in May 2007. The past few years tours have led Nancy's group to Tuscany, Venice, the Amalfi Coast, Rome, Umbria and other beautiful areas of Italy. This year's tour will have something for everyone as cooking classes will be a part of the adventure in a Tuscan villa just south of Florence, followed by a trip to Lake Como including a private boat tour with visits to the incredibly beautiful lakeside gardens there! A great trip for painters and non-painters alike!

Nancy continues her Botanical Garden series. Some of these works have been found in the museum shop of Brookgreen Gardens in Pawley's Island, S.C. and in the garden shop of Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens in Belmont, N.C. She is well known for her beautiful flower portraits painting close-ups of magnificent blossoms. Some of her favorites are roses, peonies, calla lilies, tulips, azaleas, magnolias, and irises. Nancy's works can be found in corporate and private collections in the United States, Italy, South Africa, and in Australia.

Professional memberships include: North Carolina Watercolor Society, Guild of Charlotte Artists of the Mint Museum, Charlotte Art League, Charlotte Artist Society.

Nancy teaches classes and workshops in watercolor painting in her studios in Charlotte, and other locations throughout the Southeast and in Italy.

She currently accepts painting commissions and has created memorable paintings using client's travel photos for inspiration.

Nancy is the owner of The Artists Gallery in Charlotte, NC

 

March 26, 2008

Chas Fagen

For almost 20 years, portrait artist, landscape painter and sculptor Chas Fagan has been creating nationally recognized works of art.  A self-taught artist, he graduated from Yale University with a degree in Russian and East European Studies.  While growing up in Brussels , he was artistically influenced by the works of great European masters.  This interest in traditional art, coupled with his incomparable skill in form and color, fuels his distinctively elegant style.

His portraits display a classic, layering technique and are recognized for their extraordinary likenesses, as well as compositions that reveal each subject's unique personality.  Recent works include a life-size portrait of Mrs. Barbara Bush for the White House in Washington , DC .   Unveiled with Mrs. Bush in January 2005, the final portrait includes her dog, Millie, and hangs in the ground floor corridor of the White House. 

Sculpture is a more recent component of Chas' career, and examples of his sculpture range from maquette to monumental scale.  In 2001, he was commissioned by the National Cathedral in Washington , DC , to create 3 figures for placement next to the Cathedral's altar.  John Donne, George Herbert, and Howard Thurman were created in clay by the artist, and master stone carvers will cut the permanent figures in Indiana limestone.  To render each figure accurately, Chas undertook extensive research, and the final result is a dynamic grouping the Cathedral considers exceptional.

In 2004, in a highlight of his sculpture career, Chas created an 8-foot bronze of President George H.W. Bush for Houston , TX .  The statue, with two accompanying eagles, is the centerpiece of a monument to the former President in Sesquicentennial Park .  Chas' design for the monument and plaza places the statue facing Houston's skyline, to emphasize the President's significance to the city of Houston.  The eagles, symbolic of the Presidency, flank the backdrop.  The monument was dedicated in December 2004.
 
Landscapes and still lifes by Chas Fagan showcase dramatic mood and color.  They vary from intimate scenes to sweeping vistas, often including pastoral settings from his native Pennsylvania.  He currently resides in Charlotte, NC, and recent solo exhibitions of his works have been hosted by Shain Gallery in Charlotte, NC; Metropolitan Gallery in Washington, DC; and Somerville Manning Gallery in Greenville, DE.

 

 

April 24

Margaret Hall Hoyback

During 30 years of world-wide travel, Margaret has developed rapid sketching techniques (journaling) that allow the artist to instantly capture impressions of light, composition, and the essential magnetism of the subject in a painting journal. She has "journaled" from cars and planes, boats and trains, horseback and even while rafting down white water rivers.

These "journaling sketchbooks", which Margaret calls "encyclopedias of inspiration", have logged 100,000 miles of travels from Bali to Singapore and Hong Kong to Egypt. Her books contain sketches of landscapes, flowers, people and animals.

They even include sketches of different alphabets from other languages, along with dried flowers, wine bottle labels and recipes from her travels.

The first sketch books of France became the book "Colors of France: A Painting Pilgrimage" by Margaret Hall Hoybach and Joan Brown. Her sketches follow her trip through France to visit Monet's Gardens. It was published in 2002 by First Light Books .

Journaling Workshops

Hoybach has conducted over 100 watercolor workshops throughout the United States and Europe. The course covers these journaling techniques using different mediums and direction for developing them into larger paintings using the artist's personal style.

Workshop

April 24 and 25, 2008 at Cheap Joes

Call Sandy Siepert at 704-442-5725

Please contact Margaret Hoybach for more information about the workshops.
1-800-HOYBACH (469-2224)

Watercolor demonstration

May 28 , 2008

Membership dinner and slide show.