P.O. Box 3268 Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701           info @ artistsnwarkansas.org
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2010 Newsletters

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Kaythy Mayhue, President
Tim Jones, 2011 Newsletter Editor
Ann Buckner Krug, Website.

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Articles, news items, sketches and/or
glossy photos are always welcome
and are due to Tim Jones on or before
the 1st day of the month for the 2008
newsletters.  Items received in regular
mail will not be returned unless a
SASE is provided.

Please submit items for the
newsletters via e-mail to:
Tim Jones timjonesart@yahoo.com

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Submit articles, news items, photos,
and member information for the
website to:

Ann Buckner Krug
abucknerart@windstream.net
2011 Newsletters

Nov
Oct
Sept
Aug
July
June
May
April
Mar
Feb
May Presenting Artist - Matt Miller (Studio Field Trip!)
                                                             by Apryl Okoroafor

Matt Miller’s studio located at 21 W. Mountain Street on the square behind Tiny Tim’s Pizza and
next to Jamin Java Coffee shop is a must visit. Visiting Matt in his creative space is the best way
to learn more about him and what he does. His studio is spacious with high ceilings allowing for
not only working space but display space as well. It is fun to walk into his space and see the very
large roll of canvas on the floor and the paint and enamel drippings on the floor. The stairway
leading to the loft space, where he works out the images in his head, is a mural in process. In
his studio you can see the different series he has going and begin to appreciate the progression
of his work.  

Matt shared with us some new projects he has in the works. One is a commission for a very
ambitious 7 foot long by 4 foot high chronology of the book of Genesis from the Bible. (If you can
picture the red painting he shared with us this last September as a visiting artist, the one that
looked like chess pieces on organic towers in silhouette, “abstract silhouette” is how he referees
to that series of paintings on his web site (http://www.mattmillerstudio.com ).  Matt is working out
the idea of using his style of the silhouette paintings to portray characters and events, an
example would be a very recognizable pose of Adam and eve in silhouette on towers of their own
with the snake curling up the tower that eve is on.  Or the story of Noah and the Ark, where Noah
is portrayed in silhouette on a tower with the animals from the ark leading up to the tower or
possible creating the tower in silhouette. This will be one painting to look for.

Another very exciting project that Matt has in the works is a mural project for Fayetteville. He has
had a real desire to work on murals in Fayetteville for some time and has put the time and
planning into action with the help of Claire Cosmos of Fayetteville’s Creative Economy Group.
Mike has been awarded a grant to help start this project. He has also been working with the city
of Fayetteville and received permission to install murals on the back of the Dame Good Pies
restaurant, the beige walls adjacent to parking lot used by the Fayetteville Underground building
and across the street from the Federal building on East Mountain. He is working toward the
permission needed to also utilize the gray walls that are closer to College Avenue. Some other
areas he is considering for mural work is the Fayetteville Trail system, the retaining wall on
South West Avenue just below the City Hospital, and the west side of the plaza in front of the
Town Center, the decking and walls (the section you look at from Jamin Java’s and the Tiny Tim’
s Pizza at 21 W. Mountain). Matt plans to have a mural in place behind Dame Good Pies
restaurant in time for Junes Farmers Market. The idea he is considering for this mural
is one of celebration, joy and diversity utilizing some new ideas dealing with color and organic
abstraction that would lead into his children figures from some earlier works and then into a
quite space of white, or maybe changing the order from quite space of white to children figures
then organic abstraction of color. Who knows? But keep an eye out on those less then attractive
wall s for something new and unexpected, to hopefully start a chain reaction of art across
Fayetteville.
Don’t Miss These Coming
ANA Programs

  • June - Apryl Okoroafor
  • July -
  • August -
  • September - Tim Tyler
  • October -
  • November -
January 19, 2012

Arts Center of the Ozarks
Upper Room
Springdale, AR

Board Meeting - 5:00 pm
General Meeting - 6:30 pm
            June Presenting Artist - Apryl Okoroafor
                                                     by Timothy Jones

In June, Apryl Okoroafor gave the ANA a helpful primer in how to properly photograph and present
art for digital archival, or entry in competitions and shows. Slides and photo prints are used less
and less, and digital images are the most versatile and universal way to store and share art and
other images.
A good photograph or scan of the art is key. A professional scan is best (available locally), but
good results can be achieved with a digital camera. Apryl suggested that for the best lighting,
outdoors is often the best place to photograph, on a cloudy day, or in the shade of something like
a carport or tree. The natural light will bring out the best in the colors. Using a tripod will help
assure a clear, in-focus image. For 3-D works, indoors or “on location” might be best, and take
shots from several viewpoints.

Once a good, clear photo is achieved, often a little work is needed to bring the image up to par.
The best presentation, Apryl pointed out, is to crop the photo until only the artwork is showing,
leaving out any frame or mat, or any background that might distract the viewer (like a judge) from
the artwork itself.  Also, it might be necessary to straighten or rotate the image, color correct, and
so on. Getting the digital photo to the right size (measured in pixels) is important for competition
entry. Photo editing programs like Photoshop are best, but you can also make helpful
adjustments with more basic photo software, and Apryl also shared the name of a website -
www.resize.it - which has a free, online program for photo editing and sizing.

Naming the photo is important, because this is how competitions and galleries know what they
are seeing when your image comes up. Your name, the title of the work, medium and size are
usually essential.  This will be very useful, even for your own record keeping.

Apryl presented a great deal of helpful information, complete with slides, in a short time in our
meeting at The Jones Center, and Victor Parkerson, who filmed her presentation, may have
DVDs available at the July meeting. Thanks, Apryl, for doing such a great job!
                  July Meeting - Gregg Kreutz Still Life Video
    by Timothy Jones

Gregg Kreutz is a traditional realist painter. His images exhibit solidness of form, brilliant color
and a glowing atmoshphere. He demonstrates precise control combined with fresh, expressive
brushwork and holds these in creative tension that brings his paintings to life.

You might have imagined, as I did, that watching an instructional video in a darkened room at the
end of a day (and after having a couple of cookies) would be a matter of simply trying to stay
awake , especially considering the gentle voice of Gregg Kreutz.

That wasn’t the case, though. From the minute he laid brush to canvas, he held the attention of
the room with his breathtaking confidence, sure knowledge and technical skill. In the way of so
many accomplished people, he made it look easy.

Kreutz made the point that a meticulous drawing was unnecessary, and probably
counterproductive, because it tended to stifle a spontaneous, natural response to the subject.
Then he demonstrated this concept by diving in to the painting with quick, broad strokes,
roughing in the main areas of color in just a few minutes.

From there it was a matter of development and refinement. Watching Kreutz correct his missteps
was as instructive as any other aspect of the process. He left the impression that it is a mistake
to try too hard to make each stroke right the first time. He painted the edge of one plate four
times. He even became a little dissatisfied with his composition about halfway into the painting,
and decided to add a wine bottle to make it more complete and coherent. He worked with the
calm assurance that he could always make changes later, and that everything would work out in
the end. Because he had this confidence in his ability to make needed changes, his initial
strokes were that much more decisive and energetic.

In the end he produced a lovely and powerful still life.

Thanks, Kathy!                                                                                                  www.greggkreutz.com
                              September Meeting - Timothy Tyler
        by Timothy Jones

Tim Tyler is a realist painter known and admired well beyond the Northwest Arkansas area. His
work is exhibited in galleries and museums around the United States and abroad. He put on a
still life painting demonstration for us at our September meeting that kept ANA members’ close
attention throughout.

Tim painted a very simple set-up of 4 red apples, and to capture the full range of their color, he
began by painting over a deep red toned ground that he had laid in ahead of time. Reds being
generally more transparent pigments, this red ground made it unnecessary to lay on thick layers
of paint in order to capture the rich reds of the apples. He noted that it is helpful to have the same
light source on both the artist’s canvas and the subject being painted. Different light sources can
cause color difficulties.

The painting developed very rapidly as Tim confidently established the basic forms of the apples
early on in the process. He began by quickly laying in large shapes and relationships, which
were refined as the painting progressed. The area around the apples was painted in a neutral
gray, but with subtle variations and some cast shadows that made the apples sit convincingly in
the space.

Tim emphasized the importance of edges, value and color temperature in making objects
recede or advance in the space. He began to pick out deeper shadows and subtle reflected light
that further tied the apples to the space and to one another, making the forms palpably solid.

Finally, in a wonderful display of expressive brush (and knife) work, the background was
developed into an energetic abstract foil for the apples, incorporating color notes and gestures
that masterfully completed the composition. The painting was auctioned at the end of the
meeting, and was proudly won by -----. The proceeds will go toward ANA scholarships.