Pastel:Passing Through


                                                             Misty Dunes

On February 23^rd Mint Hill Arts will present a teaching demonstration by the famous award winning artist Greg Barnes.Greg will join us for an evening of instruction and teaching using his refined skills as a pastel artist. He will demonstrate (using pastels) how to begin to create a landscape from one or more photographs.He will also discuss the many aspects of composition and design, with an emphasis on value, building the dark areas first and working towards the light areas. 

Greg will also talk about making the painting more than just a copy of a photograph, by discussing which areas to accentuate and which to play down or eliminate.He'll demonstrate how the process looks from his point of view while showing us how to find our own voice.The painting will be about ¾ finished by the end of our time together. We will also get a chance to see some of his wonderful finished paintings.

Greg Barnes

Education: BFA - Wake Forest U. 1985

Studied: figure drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking and art history.

After spending over 15 years as a so-called "artist in remission", Greg began a full time art career on the heels of the 9/11 disaster.  Realizing that life is short, he felt that he'd better start doing what he was made to do.  Taking a leap of faith with wife Janet, he began supporting the family by doing portraits, which always came naturally to him.  Shortly thereafter, Greg found that pastels were the perfect mix of drawing and painting that he'd been looking for.  The immediacy and vibrant look of the finished "paintings" encouraged him to learn as much as he could about the medium.  Taking week-long workshops with pastel artists Kevin Beck and Albert Handell sharpened his skill for painting on location (en plein air).  Quickly, Greg discovered that his pastel landscapes were becoming popular in the Charlotte area and beyond. Fueled by their love for travel, Greg and Janet decided to show his work at juried art festivals.  He has since traveled most of the country to display and sell his paintings, and has collectors from over 30 states and worldwide.

Greg has begun passing on his skills by teaching workshops. Visit his website at www.BarnesStudios.com for more information on shows, workshops, and recent paintings.

  Connie Agard

• Mila Antonyuk, Melanie Boone, Vicki Crossman, Carole Davis, Rebecca Dulin, Lois Edwards, Terry Edwards, Deborah Langsam, Suzanne Ledermann, Sylvia Lowder, Helene Main, April McDermott and Mary Beth Thomas for manning intake in February.
  
• Anthony Billotto, Christian Billotto, Melanie Boone, Larry Ferguson, and Julius and Suky Pratt for hanging the show and Bill Litaker for setting the lights and building a cart for the 8 ft tables
• Tammy Morris, Melanie Boone and Suzanne Ledermann for making and hanging the tags.
  

• Willow Grove Retirement Community for sponsoring the February postcards and reception.
  
• Eura Tunstall, CPA  and Kevin Cobb for helping with the 501c-3 application process. Eura is currently offering tax preparation services and a series of workshops aimed at taxpayers and small business owners.
  
• Kevin Cobb and Lionel Sargent of Grace Innovations, LLC for donating bookkeeping and accounting services to MHA