Tuesday, October 11, 2011

VERSATILITY MEANS...

An artist blogger friend, Irina (from Russia so her name spelled by her in her language is Ирина Рехвиашвили) of Irina's Painting and Stuff has graciously passed on an internet award she received.  It's called the Versatile Blogger Award. 



The rules to this award are to list 7 things about yourself others don't know.  One would think it would be easy to do this - but it's not.

1.  I was named by my father after his favorite actress, Rhonda Fleming.
2.  Yes, I had reddish hair when I was born.
3.  I never took an art class in school until I took one drawing class in college after I got my degree - just for fun.
4.  I feel a real affinity to crows and this has been going on for at least 10 years.
5.  When my weight goes over 133 lbs, I panic.
6.  I am the oldest child in a very dysfunctional family that seems to get worse as the generations grow and have children of their own.
7.  I have no children but have two grown step-daughters who are both under 5 feet tall.

So there you have it - nothing about art - except for the crows - because you all know about my art!

And now I'm to pass this award on to others.  The rules say 15 others but I think that waters the award down too much so I'll list 7 others!  (Even though I am first-born, I don't like all rules!)


But first, what does versatility mean?  According to the dictionary.com site,  
ver·sa·tile   /ˈvɜrsətl or, especially Brit., -ˌtaɪl/ Show Spelled[vur-suh-tl or, especially Brit., -tahyl] Show IPA

adjective
1. capable of or adapted for turning easily from one to another of various tasks, fields of endeavor, etc.: a versatile writer.
 
So let's look at some versatile artists from my sideblog and see who fits perfectly in that they are doing more than just painting in one medium or are stretching their particular medium to new lengths for those who follow.  I am going to include those artists who paint in more than one medium plus teach others and share work with others, either in a regular class or workshop situation or online.
 
1.  Barb Sailor of Barb's Daily Creations works and paints in Ohio.  She paints in watercolor, acrylic AND oil plus she teaches and studies; Barb also works behind the scenes in WatercolorWorkshop (and online Yahoo group) and shares freely with all the members.
 
2.  Carol Carter will always be one of my absolute favorites in the way she makes watercolor dance across the paper!  Carol teaches classes through a local St. Louis college, she does workshops all over the world, shows her work internationally and is often found in the pages of our favorite art magazines; she also goes off on artist retreats to study and learn and broaden her knowledge of watercolor and acrylic.
 
3.  Steve Sorrell of Steve Sorrell's Mineral Art blog does something I've never seen anyone else do.  He paints watercolor/gouache on black paper.  He is very much into minerals and gems from the earth and creates beautiful works of art by painting their many facets onto black paper.  It is very very cool and unusual.  Plus Steve is "from the land down under" so he gets extra points for that :)
 
4.  Elizabeth St. Hilaire Nelson has the blog, Paper Paintings.  And what are paper paintings?  Well, Elizabeth works on wooden supports with acrylic paint and then collages (using torn paper bits, not cut) over them to paint some of the most fantastic and bold peacocks, cows, flowers, etc.  It is a fascinating technique and she teaches and shares it with others in workshops all over the US.  A Florida artist, she is also a wonderful friend, as evidenced by her work to help her friend, Cheri, recuperate and get what she needs after an auto accident that left her paralyzed.  Elizabeth has created art auctions and books for sale to help raise funds for Cheri.  Oh, and did I mention, shes a triathelete??

5.  Myrna Wacknov of Creativity Journey has a heart as big as her talent - and that's saying a lot!  She is a wonderful artist who is always stretching herself, whether it's in drawing or painting.  She creates every day and when she's not creating for herself, she travels the world teaching others and sharing what she's learned along the way.  If one could bottle Myrna's enthusiasm and joy for art and then sprinkle it all around, the world would be a much better place.  She draws with everything that makes a mark; she works on watercolor paper but also on Tyvek (that plastic stuff that wraps houses in construction); she shares her work and knowledge freely and although I have never met her in person, I consider her a friend.  Plus she's going to be teaching in the spring of 2012 at the Kanuga Watermedia workshops in North Carolina and I am going to be there in the front row!!

6.  Maggie Latham is an artist that does so many things to promote watercolor and I'm so glad I discovered her many blogs.  Her main focus is on watercolor and she aims to become the best watercolor artist she can be while sharing her knowledge online and in regular classes; plus she has created a blog for a group of watercolor artists who challenge each other do to - 100 watercolor washes - in a year.  The blog is just about ending but it's going to remain up after the challenge ends and all artists have finished their 100 paintings.  For those who love watercolor and what it can do when left to its own devices and some real knowledge of the medium, do visit 100 Washes!  And after finishing her own 100 washes, Maggie's challenged herself to - 1,000 washes!!!  The woman is obsessed in the best possible way with what watercolor can and will do.

7.  I would be very remiss if I didn't put my friend, Deb Ward, in this list of 7.  Deb paints in watercolor, fluid acrylic, and casein.  She has won many awards for her work and has a strong connection to the past in the choice of her subject material.  She also just happens to join many many local art groups and take on responsibilities most members won't take on - like being membership chair, program chair, coordinating the groups' shows, and coordinating the Cincinnati Art Club's Viewpoint national juried show (3 years in a row).  When she's not doing that, she teaches in her studio in Indiana and at other venues around the Greater Cincinnati area.  She is always the first one to tell you to "enter the show because your painting is good!"  She lives in a beautiful setting in the country with a stray dog and several very fancy cows which are her husband's "hobby."   When she's not attending art club meetings, she working or attending shows and teaching - and then she has time to paint award winning paintings!  

Well, that's 7 and I could go on - it seems to be female heavy and there are 2 men I'd like to mention without bragging a lot about them - I don't have to as they both have solid backgrounds in water media and they both teach, travel and do workshops all over, and...well, you get the idea!  Their work ethic is extraordinary and they have a lot to share with other artists.  I would love to take lessons from both of these guys...

8.  David Lobenberg  

and

9.  M.E. (Mike) Bailey

Now, take some time and visit these wonderful artists - you won't be sorry!

10 comments:

debwardart said...

Wow, Rhonda, I was reading your list and saw my name and thought to myself "I know her" and then realized it was me! Even I was impressed with me!! I sound (look) good on paper!! (Oops, sorry, know you don't like those exclamation marks). I'm honored to be in such good company with those really fine artists. You do know that this compliment will not get you a ViewPoint award; I've got nothing to do with that (insert exclamation mark here). See you Thursday (insert exclamation mark here).

RH Carpenter said...

Well, I think you're pretty darned impressive! ha ha I do want to tell anyone who stumbles on their name here that they are not obligated to continue the award - I just wanted to do it to say "THANKS" to those who have shared so much of their artful versatility with me :) I'm getting back to exclamation marks more and more and I guess it's just me!!! ha ha I never even thought about Viewpoint awards - I would fall over if I got one.

irinapictures said...

Rhonda, thank you for these great links.
I think that internet awards are more opportunity to see new people or say "Hi!" to known friends then feed for our pride).

Pam Johnson Brickell said...

I wish blogger had a 'like' button.
Good to know you a tad better. I agree... for some reason, age does not help dysfunctional families...

Sadami said...

Dear Rhonda,
Thank you very much. I admire your disclosure cooked with a sophisticated sense of humour. But a brave lady, you are! And thank U again for sharing wonderful information of the blogs. One day, we, bloggers have to set a day for you!
PS. Over60kg is not a matter!!
Cheers,Sadami

Anonymous said...

Gorgeous photos on the Sunday post, Rhonda. Love the crow piece and the arm itself lends the macabre factor for me. Congrats on the award too!

RH Carpenter said...

Irina, I agree - this type of thing shares favorite sites with others who may not have known about them :) Thanks, again, for sharing this award with me.

Pam, good idea - maybe Blogger will do that if we send in enough requests?? Ah, dysfunctional families - what can you do?

Sadami, I am now telling people I am 60 kg - sounds so tiny! ha ha

Thanks, Sherry!

olivia said...

Thank you very much Rhonda for our 100 washes challenge ! Bises.

Carol King said...

Hi Rhonda, I enjoyed reading the list of things you wrote about yourself. I feel like I know you so much better now.

and thanks for all the great links. I'll be perusing those sites and checking them out.

RH Carpenter said...

Thank you, Olivia. I have so enjoyed the washes blog!

Hi, Carol, yep, there are many little things people don't know - or don't want to know! ha ha Hope you get a chance to check out the sites - all are winners!