NewsRegistration has begun for the winter quarter at The Art League School. The class "Landscape Painting, Breaking it Down" will be on Monday afternoons 1:00-4:00. The Winter quarter will find students focusing on the challenges of painting skies. For more information and to register on line visit http://www.theartleague.org. Go to "School" and look for “Bobbi Pratte” under the drop down menu.
Bobbi's painting "Buoy, Shallow Water" has been selected for inclusion into The Richeson75 International; Small Works 2012 Exhibition.
A total of 75 pieces were accepted from the hundreds that were submitted from around the world. Prize winners will be selected by jurist Stephen Doherty when the show opens. The exhibit runs from February 6-March 30,
2012 in Kimberly, Wisconsin. A full color hard bound catalogue of the show is produced and offered for sale. Two additional paintings by Bobbi, "Stripes" and "Shoreline" were selected as "Meritorious Entries". All three paintings are 12x12" oil on panel and are images of Lake Barcroft.
In October Bobbi participated in the plein air event "Out and About Norfolk". The two days of plein air painting ended with a "Wet Painting Sale and Gala". Her painting "Hermitage Rose Garden" was given the "Jurors Choice" award and sold that evening.
The Art League's annual landscape show "Scapes", was held in August and Bobbi's painting "The Green Noodle" was awarded an "Honorable Mention" and sold during the opening.
Over the past few years, patrons and neighbors have asked about the possibility of a book of the lake paintings. This project has finally been completed!
“Paintings of the Lake” is 34 pages of oil paintings and works on paper.
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Preview pages from Bobbi Pratte's new book, "Paintings of the Lake" |
| In June Bobbi was in the Hudson River Valley, painting at the same locations that artists of the Hudson River School (such as Thomas Cole and Frederick Church) painted. Pictured here is Olana, the Hudson Valley home of Frederick Church. It was a great experience to paint the same views that Church saw out his studio window or captured while walking on his property. For more information on Olana visit http://www.olana.org/. |  |
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| Last year, Bobbi taught a plein air painting workshop at Solomons Island, MD. and this May the workshop is happening again. There will have plenty of inspiration in this water front town with it's harbors, lighthouses, old churches, and cornfields. The dates this year are May 21-22. As of this posting, the workshop is Wait List Only, but please check with Margaret Cerruti at the Art League School for last minute cancellations. You can reach her at 703 683-2323.
If you visit Solomons Island, don’t forget to visit Anne Marie Gardens, a public sculpture park that is affiliated with the Smithsonian. It has an indoor art center that hosts rotating exhibits of 2-D work as well. Their website is http://www.annmariegarden.org/ |
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The first Sunday of May was the LBWC studio tour and Bobbi was invited to be a part of this major fund raising event. The head count at the door revealed that over 240 people came through the studio that day. Organizers of the tour announced that it was their most successful event to date. Paintings were sold and visitors were also able to place orders for Bobbi’s new book “Paintings of the Lake”.
September 2010 found Bobbi in Greece. Painting in Santorini was the highlight of the trip. The work done there has led to a series of monotypes that are currently being developed.
March 27th was the opening for "The Painted Garden" in Virginia Beach, VA. The show was part of the annual "Historic Garden Week in Virginia" program and Bobbi was one of 30 Virginia artists who were invited to participate. The exhibit was organized by artist Ellen Sinclair and hosted at Beach Gallery.
The faculty show at the Art League School was in March and this year the format was "LARGE WORK". What a great opportunity to show and view something besides the usual 11x14's!!!!
The Mid Atlantic Plein Air Painters Association (MAPAPA) held a membership exhibit in the Galleries at Quiet Waters Park and Bobbi had
two paintings on display. This venue in Annapolis MD also has an out
door sculpture garden and 336 acres of woodlands and open space.
"Seasons" was the name of the show hosted by Montgomery College in
Rockville MD, in January 2010. Two paintings by Bobbi were included in
the exhibit that ran until the end of February.
In November 2009, "Art at the Lake House" opened. Bobbi was asked to
curate and hang art in a brand new state of the art home on Lake
Barcroft. Picking the artists, the work and staging the show was a
unique project that lasted for several months. The home played host to a
number of social events and was featured in several publications.
Artists were picked from the greater Washington DC area and NY. The show
included the work of painters, sculptors, glass artists and ceramicists.
We were fortunate to have on display a print of Howard Mehring’s,
celebrated member of the "Washington Color School"and a few other
stunning pieces courtesy of Osuna Gallery in Bethesda MD.
In July, Bobbi and Jeff were out west on the Sonoma Coast, near Bodega
Bay, California. It’s a wonderful place to paint with great weather and
endless inspiration.
Alfred Hitchcock filmed his movie "The Birds"
there. Coincidentally, Tippi Hedron who starred in the movie was there
at the same time and we gave them an autograph!
All images copyright by Bobbi Pratte ©2011. Phone: 703-998-9292