Wilderness Conservation and Landscape Painting in Montana's Great Plains

Watch your easel Emilie!
http://www.nwf.org/what-we-do/protect-wildlife/bison-restoration.aspx

Landscape painter Emilie Lee, a GCA alum and a Senior Fellow at the Hudson River Fellowship has embarked on an independent project that combines her interest in wilderness conservation with her love of adventure and her artistic vision.

Inspired by the American Prairie Reserve, Emilie is currently spending one month exploring and painting  in Montana's northern Great Plains. The mission of the American Prairie Reserve is to create a 3.5 million acre wildlife refuge. The organization purchases land when it comes on the market and leases adjacent government parcels, then merges them to create a new wilderness. When it is complete, the reserve is expected to be the  largest conservation area in the lower 48 states. With less than 1% of the world's prairie grasslands under any sort of protection, this ambitious undertaking will create a lasting legacy for generations to come and is a powerful example of nature's ability to reclaim the land when the proper conditions are created by a group of well organized individuals.

Over the course of this year, Emilie will be working on a body of plein air and studio paintings inspired by her time on the reserve. Working with the Adventurers and Scientists for Conservation Landmark wildlife research crew, Emilie has spent the past week traversing the prairie by foot learning first hand about the biology and ecology of this iconic landscape. Read more about her project and follow along on her website as she posts updates from the field all month!

On May 22nd she will be sharing her work in a gallery exhibit as an artist in residence at the Telluride Mountain Film Festival.

Afterwards, she will join us back in New York to teach landscape painting workshops at the GCA in June and July!

Plein Air Drawing and Painting in Central Park (Tuesday afternoons)
June 2 - July 14

Plein Air Drawing and Painting in Central Park (weekends)
June 27 and 28
and/or
July 11 and 12

Jacob Collins' Solo Exhibition Opens this Tuesday!

Don't miss Jacob's new show at Adelson Galleries in NYC

on view April 28 - May 30!

GALLERY OPENING THIS FRIDAY

Anthony Baus, Allegory of Nature and Artifice, 2015, walnut ink, 11x14

Drawings of Anthony Baus: 

Architectural and Perspective-based Compositions

April 17 – May 8, 2015

Opening reception Friday, April 17^th, 6-9pm

 Long Island City, NY – Eleventh Street Arts is thrilled to host a unique exhibition of new work by visual artist Anthony Baus.  Drawings of Anthony Baus will feature over 30 pen and ink wash drawings centered on the artist’s architectural- and perspective-based compositions. Through May 8, 2015. Opening reception Friday, April 17^th, 6-9pm.

A selection of these works, created on site at various Manhattan landmarks, probes the richness of New York City’s Gilded Age architecture with renderings of such structures as the Surrogate’s Court Building, Central Park’s Maine Monument, the Ansonia, and the Alwyn Court. Other works include inventive compositions depicting ancient themes of nature and discovery – replete with draped figures and landscape –in a fashion that is unapologetically traditional. In addition, the exhibition will be supported by a selection of drawings by contemporary artists Colleen Barry, Victor Chong, Will St. John, and Abigail Tulis. These ancillary works provide a contextual framework for Baus’ drawings in a manner that will be familiar to visitors of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Morgan Library and The Frick Collection. Detailed descriptions of each work supply valuable insight into the artist’s working methods and the rich array of influences from which he draws.

Anthony Baus, Ruins of Bibiena, 2015, walnut ink, 15x17 in

As the show’s title suggests, themes of perspective are prevalent throughout.  One drawing appropriates a Guiseppe Bibiena theater design that is grounded with the use of distant vanishing points and a fixed horizon line.  Another piece depicts an allegory of perspective, using its concepts to deepen the space and provide a relative scale for the figures and their environment. In addition to the collection of finished, fully rendered drawings, the exhibition will also include compositional thumbnails and sketches. These fascinating studies offer a rare window into the early stages of classical picture-making.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Anthony Baus (b. 1981) is from Racine, WI. He received his BFA from the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. He later moved to Chicago and apprenticed under Eric J. Nordstrom, owner of Bldg 51 Museum, which hosts a collection of historically important American architectural artifacts. In 2010 he began studying at Grand Central Atelier under Jacob Collins. Baus is the recipient of the 2015 Alma Schapiro Prize and currently directs Grand Central Atelier’s Perspective/Design Studio.

ABOUT ELEVENTH STREET ARTS

Eleventh Street Arts is an exhibition space for contemporary drawings, paintings and sculptures founded in 2014. Adjacent to the collaborative artist studios of Grand Central Atelier, Eleventh Street Arts presents new work that invokes, challenges, and celebrates the classical tradition.

Eleventh Street Arts at Grand Central Atelier

46-06 11^th Street, Long Island City NY 11101

www.eleventhstreetarts.com  |  eleventhstreetarts@gmail.com

Steve Bass: Drawing the Elements of Architecture

The elements of architecture are the kit of parts out of which classical buildings are composed. The elements, such as capitals and bases, are built up of 'shapes', and are combined to form 'orders'. The elements and orders are described in a series of reference books. Traditionally there are five such orders, distinguished mainly by their capitals. In the classical system every part has a name and we will use this vocabulary. 

The Five Orders

Vocabulary of the Elements

The elements have significant anthropomorphic aspects. Anyone interested in rendering the human figure will be right at home drawing the elements as they have many human body analogies. Beyond that the orders have myths of origin associated with them which link them to the human being and the human form.

Entablature/person

Origin of the Corinthian Order

The elements provide a background for classical painting. They are used to create the space in which the story, the 'historia' takes place. The manner of selection and rendering of the elements also set the mood for the story.

The Story of Antiochus and Stratonike by David, left, and Ingres, right. David's image is Roman, sober and monochrome, while Ingres is Greek and erotically polychrome. Both use the Ionic order.

To understand classical composition, one must get to know the elements through drawing them according to the descriptions in the references. In the upcoming studio course we will do just that. By the end of the course you'll be knowledgeable of the ideal or 'ground state' of the elements and prepared to begin their use in composition.

Architect Marty Brandwein drawing the Doric column

Join Steve Bass, on five Saturdays, starting April 18th to explore the Five Orders of Classical Architecture . To read more and sign up, visit here. 

Drawing from the Past: Michelangelo and the Antique

Please join us this Friday, April 10th for a fascinating lecture about one of the most monumental figures of art history: Michelangelo.  GCA Resident Artist, Brendan Johnston, will give us an in-depth look into the life and work of Michelangelo, as well as share his own experiences studying Michelangelo over an eight month trip to Italy. Accompanying the lecture is an exhibition of studies Brendan and his wife, Katie Whipple, made while abroad. Over eighty works are on display, including drawings, master copies, and plein air paintings.

Brendan Johnston, "Studies of David" 2014

"Drawing from the Past: Michelangelo and the Antique"

Arguably the greatest practitioner of fine art, Michelangelo Buonarroti produced some of the most exhilarating paintings, sculptures, and buildings in the Western Tradition. After outlining the historical circumstances of Renaissance Italy, Brendan will discuss the great artist's influences and working processes. Brendan will reflect upon how Michelangelo's work is viewed today, and his personal experience studying the Master's original pieces in Italy. 

Friday, April 10th

5:30-7:00 pm 

Eleventh Street Arts

free and open to the public

A lecture not to be missed! Can't wait to see you on Friday! 

Emilie Lee: From Inspiration to Expedition

This Wednesday, April 8th, GCA Resident Artist and instructor Emilie Lee will give a presentation on an exciting new project that will take her out of NYC for most of 2015. 

Photo: American Parie Reserve 

"From Inspiration to Expedition"

In this presentation Emilie Lee will introduce her upcoming project that combines adventure, science, and art on the great plains of Northern Montana. Geared towards an audience of fellow artists, this talk will focus on how Lee developed her idea sparked by an article read in Bloomberg News. Lee will discuss the entrepreneurial aspects of being an artist and share what she's learned about writing a proposal, collaborating with partners, and laying the groundwork for a successful painting expedition. 

Wednesday, April 8th

5:30-6:30 pm 

Grand Central Atelier Lounge (second floor) 

Free and open to the public

See you there! 

Lecture this FRIDAY!

We are so pleased to welcome very special guest lecturer, Eric Nathan, to the GCA this Friday, April 3rd.

"On My Recent Work"

Accomplished composer Eric Nathan (2014 Rome Prize Fellow, 2014 Guggenheim Fellow) will share the ideas, inspiration, and process behind his most recent compositions. Nathan has garnered international acclaim through performances around the globe, including New York Philharmonic's 2014 Biennial, Carnegie Hall, and the Louvre Museum. 

Friday April 3rd

Eleventh Street Arts 

5:30-6:30 pm 

free and open to the public 

This is a lecture not to be missed! Eric is a great artist of our generation and will be playing some of his award winning compositions along with his presentation. We are thrilled he can join us, and we hope you can too!