31. Acrylic Painting Classes at Michael's

Other posts about my time working with Grumbacher and Michael's can be found at posts 52, 46, 34, 33, 32 and 31 and on Bob's website here.

I have been asked by Chartpak, Inc. to be their Grumbacher representative and teach beginning acrylic painting classes beginning in August, 2010 at Michael's in Greensburg, PA, Monroeville PA, and in Tarentum, PA at The Village at Pittsburgh Mills.  Grumbacher is the maker of fine artist products including Academy line of acrylic paints.  Unlike oil paints, which use turpentine or mineral spirits as a solvent, acrylics are mixed with water and are much less messy.  I am looking forward to this opportunity to teach art again (I used to teach an Bill Alexander oil painting class for JoAnn's a few years ago).  We will begin with a class on painting a simple landscape and a second class painting flowers.  Check back here for dates, times and more information in the coming weeks!

30. Bear Hollow Park, Murrysville, PA

Bear Hollow Park Wetlands, by Bob Bickers, photograph, 2010

Bear Hollow Reflections, by Bob Bickers, photograph, 2010

The East Suburban Artists League has been sponsoring an informal event at various local parks the last two months in which members are encouraged to photograph or paint plein-aire paintings, which will be exhibited later this year.  So far, I have been unable to participate in this event due other obligations, but I have been able to sneak over to Bear Hollow Park to take a series of photographs.  My hope is to create some art from these images, but some of them I think I will let stand on their own.  These two photos are examples of photography that  would be hard to improve. The top one is Bear Hollow Park Wetlands and the bottom one I call Bear Hollow Reflections. I will keep trying  to get to the park with my paintbrush in hand and eventually, I will have some paintings to include in this series. Click on images to enlarge.

29. Brad Bickers the Graduate

Allow me a little expression of a father's pride when I extend a hearty congratulations to my son, Jonathan Bradley Bickers, who was graduated from Bartlett High School in Bartlett, Tennessee this past weekend.  Brad, always a hard worker, has been mentioned in this blog before (once for becoming an Eagle Scout and the other in regards to his growing yard greeting business, Flamingo Brad & Friends) and he is working this summer expanding his landscaping and lawn care business before starting college this fall.  Don't get a heat stroke, Brad.  It's already over 90 degrees in Memphis!   In this picture is Brad, his truck he uses in his business, and Ajax his dog, all photographed at Shelby Forest State Park north of Memphis.  Click on the image to enlarge.
 

28. Valley of Fire State Park (photographs)

Thanks to the recession, a couple of months ago I was able to spend a few days in Las Vegas, Nevada for a price that made it impossible to turn down.  My wife and I aren't big gamblers, so we spent most of our days visiting the local state parks including Red Rock Canyon and the Valley of Fire State Park.  It was a fascinating experience as I had usually gone through the major deserts of the west in the summer, enduring blistering heat.  Here, it was a pleasant 60 degrees at day and nearly freezing at night.  Everything poisonous was hibernating, the parks were nearly empty, and the weather was great (we had arrived just after weeks of storms had rolled over the Las Vegas valley).  I took about 6,000 pictures over four days.  Here's a couple of them from Valley of Fire State Park, about 20 miles northeast of Las Vegas. Many more will soon follow.  Click on the images to enlarge.

27. Snow Vanes I and II (photographs)

It has been snowing here in western Pennsylvania. It's been snowing a lot. Step into my front yard and the snow will come up past your knee and half way up your thigh. I drive out of my garage along the bottom of an ice canyon until I burst upon the street, hoping that a person or an animal isn't lurking behind these white wall corners. Actually, I would find getting about quite an exciting adventure but for the other drivers out on the road who tend to tailgate and have no appreciation how slick snow can really be, as evidenced by the great pile-ups we keep seeing over and over again.

This time of year is also one of great beauty and I am loading up on plenty of digital images of the sights of the season. The sun has an especially appealing way of interacting with snow and ice to create unexpected wonders. After our epic snowfall, I noticed thin vanes  of snow clung to the branches for days --something that I rarely see. I'll be posting more photos and snow-inspired paintings in the days and weeks to come. Click on the images to enlarge.

 

26. Flamingo Brad and Friends

For those of you who live in the Memphis, Tennessee area and Northeastern Shelby County, I'd like to announce the beginning of my son's new enterprise, Flamingo Brad and Friends, a lawn greeting business. Brad started a landscaping and lawn care business last summer, and he plans to continue that business this year as well. But in addition, Flamingo Brad and Friends provides people a delightful way to surprise and entertain someone with a special greeting a bold visual statement. Flamingo Brad's logo and website were created by yours truly. Click the logo and check out Brad's website for more information.

25. A Cold Wind - (photograph)

A Cold Wind, by Bob Bickers, digital photograph

This image is another example of using various devices to achieve a desired effect. In other words, "whatever works." I took this picture (one of my favorite barns in Murrysville, PA) with a Polaroid camera one cold winter day. A combination of short exposure and slow development in low temperatures created a very coarse image with a bluish overcast, perfectly capturing the bitter cold I was after (and was experiencing!). Click on the image to enlarge. If you have seen my main website (at www.bobbickers.net) you might have noticed a new design change. I am trying to modernize my websites to make them more readable and easier to navigate. Expect additional changes in the weeks to come.

24. Winter's Breath - (photograph)

I decided to start off the new year with Winter's Breath, one of my favorite images. It was taken a few years ago with a Polaroid camera on a sunny but cold and brisk day. I hoped that the cool colors of the cloud and sky would convey the cold wind I felt on my face. Sometimes, my best images aren't necessarily created with my best equipment. Anyone with a good eye for composition and color can capture an image in such a way to transform a snapshot into fine art. Click on the image to enlarge. 

 

23. The Business End - (photograph)

The Business End, by Bob Bickers, photograph, 2009

Technically, 2010 is the last year of the first decade of the 21st century, just as 2000 was the last year of the 20th century. But just as that argument fell on deaf (and largely ignorant) ears back then, so are people unwilling to listen to logic now. It's hard not to think you are in a new decade when you are forced to write two different digits in the date. That being the case, I won't even try to argue when the decade ends or begins, at least, not here.

This blog began in 2009 and it has been an interesting and successful year for me in many ways. I think it is fitting, however that I end out the year with the photograph, The Business End, as it shows how almost anything you encounter in life can be made into an interesting piece of art. This truck was in front of me and I was amazed at the detail in colors and shapes that was so unlike the back end of most vehicles. I had to grab a photograph and preserve what I saw. I want to thank all those who supported and encouraged me this year and in the past. I hope your own artistic vision continues to expand as well and that you will find art --and maybe beauty- in everything you see throughout the new year. Let's make this year and decade a good one! Click on the image above to enlarge.

22. ESAL Art Show at the Penn State New Kensington Gallery

The East Suburban Artists League is holding its annual members show at the Penn State Gallery at their New Kensington, PA campus during the month of December, 2009. The campus is located on Route 780 in Upper Burrell, PA in Westmoreland County. More than 50 paintings, drawings and sculptures are part of the exhibit, and many are for sale at prices ranging from $50 to $500. An artists' reception is slated for 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4, in the gallery. The Art Gallery and the East Suburban Artists League exhibit will be open through the holiday break except for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. Hours are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and noon to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The reception and exhibit are free to the public. For information on ESAL, contact Sue Foster at (724) 327-6097 or susanfoster@windstream.net via e-mail. The two pictures shown here are by Bob Bickers and appear in the exhibit, Clear Signal and Misdirection. Both pictures are framed and available for sale at $60 each. Click on the images to enlarge.