Author Archives: Sandy Lupton

the art of video games

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The Art of Video Games
Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, Virginia

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“ The Chrysler presents an exhibition that does more than trace 40 years of creative artistry and technological advances in digital entertainment. It poses the question of whether video games deserve to be considered art.”

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My Daddy was so excited in the late 70s when he brought home PONG- the very first video game I had ever seen. We all sat around the TV and played for hours. I remember playing Pac Man and Space Invaders at the Pavilion in Myrtle Beach in the early 80s. I have fond memories of Frogger, Asteriods, the Atari system and Mario. When my baby was growing up in the 90s there was Pokémon and Donkey Kong. My most recent video game purchase was a Wii system and Wii Fit, Wii Dance Party and Wii Bowling. Its crazy how much video games have changed in a relatively short amount of time.

This exhibit at the Chrysler Museum of Art shows video games from the beginning of time (or so it seems) —  to the present. It was interesting to see how much the graphics have advanced over the years. I enjoyed playing the vintage arcade games, but my favorite part was the art that the visitors made depicting their favorite video game characters.

The exhibit ends this Sunday. Check it out if you can- it was a hoot!

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an enchanted evening…

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Rawls Museum Arts
THE ENCHANTED FOREST FUNDRAISER
Courtland, Virginia, 2015

 

This year’s RMA fundraiser was a fabulous event! Board members, staff and volunteers went all out to create an awesome event full of fun. The food was spectacular, the band was hot, the art is definitely enchanting and the gnome, flower and forest décor was the icing on the cake! If you have a chance, go see the show… you won’t be disappointed.

Jill, Leigh Anne and Holly
Fabulous florals
Bob Springfield
Lisa loved my painting!
By Kat Allison
by Jill Tiderman
Nancy and Brenda
and here’s Jillybean
Sandy and Katie
by Peter Geiger
Jill was lucky to Russell’s piece
Bob and Katie
signs of spring
Peekaboo by Jill
Sandy and Don
Jill had 3 pieces in the show and won a prize!

Rawls Museum Arts is located at 22376 Linden Street in Courtland, Virginia 23837.
Call (757) 653-0754 for information or visit www.rawlsarts.com

2015 class schedule

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Street Style Graffiti JournalGEDSC DIGITAL CAMERA
Sunday, April 26, 2015, 1-4 pm
for the Suffolk Art League

Calling all Poets, Writers, Artists and Journalers! Looking for the perfect journal to hold your most creative thoughts? Each student will make a unique, bold and colorful 6” x 8” journal perfect for sketching, art journaling or writing. We will use heavy paper for pages, stencils and spray paint for street style images throughout, canvas for covers and fibers for texture.

Most supplies included. Students should bring basic tools including scissors, pencil and ruler. A bone folder or spoon will be helpful for folding pages. If you have stray spray paints (any color), please consider donating them to the class. If you are sensitive to paint fumes, bring a mask. We will be painting outside, rain or shine. Please wear old shoes

Suffolk Art League is located in the Suffolk Art Gallery at 118 Bosley Ave. in Suffolk, Va. — 757-925-0448

Beginner’s Torch Soldering: Beautiful Bezelsbezel
Sunday, May 3, 2015, 1-4 pm
at the Suffolk Art Gallery

Learn the basics of torch soldering, cutting, filing and hammering copper to make beautiful round bezels that perfectly showcase your photos or artwork! Accessible materials and a simple process will make for sure-fire success! Fill them with resin to form a glass-like bubble for beautiful, personalized pendants to wear or give.

Students must bring: a butane torch, 1 full can of butane, tin snips, needle nose pliers, scissors, safety glasses, a cookie sheet and a fire brick or yard brick. Wearing safety glasses is mandatory.  Optional: small images about 1” in size. Photos or sized down versions of your artwork  work well.

Note: *All measures will be taken to create adequate ventilation as much as possible. If you have extreme sensitivities to soldering products or smelly stuff, consider this carefully before registering.

Suffolk Art Gallery is located at 118 Bosley Ave. in Suffolk, Va. — 757-514-7284

jacketArt, Soul and Blues: Altered and Embellished Denim Jacket
Sunday, Oct. 4, 2015, 9am-4:30pm
at Art & Soul Retreat, Virginia Beach

You are an artist and you have something to say… now you can wear your art on your sleeve and show the world your vision. Mixed media embellishment is the perfect accompaniment to denim. Make a tattoo-inspired vest, a rock ‘n’ roll style jacket, or a unique boho-styled shirt — your choice. Design, cut, patch, embellish, embroider and more to take your wearable item from ‘Plain Jane’ to Rock Star! Your unique finished creation will remain soft, comfy, wearable, washable and extremely cool.

Art & Soul Retreat, 2800 Shore Drive, Virginia Beach, Va. — Artandsoulretreat.com

 

new jewelry

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Winter is a fabulous time to hunker down and make some jewelry! As soon as the snow lets up, I will drop off my new pieces at Shooting Star Gallery in downtown Suffolk, Va. I’ve worked up a lot of different styles, focusing on texture and color with lots of copper, silk fibers and sparkle. Here is a preview… I hope you enjoy them.

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no excuses art journaling

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BOOK REVIEW: ‘NO EXCUSES ART JOURNALING – making time for creativity’
BY GINA rossi ARMFIELD

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If you have ever started an art journal (or any kind of journal for that matter), you know it takes commitment!  Every time I pick up a beautiful new journal full of empty white pages I just know that THIS TIME I am going to stick with it. After all, the book is so beautiful and I have so much to say…

After a few days or weeks of diligently working in it – pouring my heart and soul into it, covering pages with gorgeous colors and textures, and making art JUST FOR ME, I get excited about another project and leave my book behind. I don’t mean to abandon it…. it just happens.

This time has been different! With Gina Rossi Armfield’s No Excuses Art Journaling – Making Time for Creativity I have been working in my new journal EVERY DAY since October 1st. I look forward to getting home from work and playing in it for a few minutes each evening! On the weekends I watercolor the pages and work on the weekly and monthly prompts. It doesn’t take long, and it is truly a labor of love. It has been such as rewarding experience, and I love to look back on my brightly colored pages and see what I have accomplished.

The NO EXCUSES website describes the process like this: Using a day planner as your art journal, you’ll find daily, weekly and monthly prompts that you can adapt to fit your real-life, busy schedule. Along the way, you’ll learn fun and convenient techniques to add sketching, watercolor painting, collage and more into your journal, all while setting goals, creating art and chronicling your unique life.

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Of course, there are lots of ways to make the journal unique to you! I started out in a small watercolor journal just to see if I would keep up with it. I really loved the paper in it, so for my 2015 journal I chose a larger watercolor journal instead of a planner and I draw the boxes and dates in each week. This gives me the freedom to spread glorious watercolor all over each page!

If you have ever been interested in starting an art journal I would highly recommend this book and Gina’s process. From getting your book ready for use to inspiration each month, she really does take away the “I don’t have time”  and the “I don’t know what to write” excuses! Gina’s website also has a gallery of artist’s pages for you to find even more inspiration!

ps…. this process offers lots of practice drawing, writing and painting, and it’s a great project to use your rubber stamps and stickers again!