Alpha Rho Tau Newsletter
March, 2017
Next General Meeting is March 20th , 2017 at Hardesty Regional Library
Please take note! Our meeting starts promptly at 6:30 sharp and due to time constraints with the library, we must abide by this. Doors will be open at 6:00.
**The Bargain Table will close at 6:30 so as not to compete with the business of the meeting. Please turn off cell phones in respect of the meeting and those speaking.**
Raffle Prize
A beautiful piece of Art
Donated by
Charlotte Lough
Titled “Peruvian Lilly”
Cookie Angels and Table Decorators will be notified by Becky Foust - Hospitality Chairperson
Many thanks to all of you who signed up to share your fabulous new work in 2017. Please keep your sharing to only two pieces and try to keep your comments to 5 minutes, due to time constraints.
Our two sharing members for March are: John Fingerling and Carol Mullen
We look forward to seeing your art work!
Just a reminder: if you haven't signed up, please do not bring art work to share. There are a few spots open in coming months and a list will be passed around at the general meeting for signing up.
Our Presenter this meeting will be
Leonard Wren
impressionist oil painter
The subjects in Leonard Wren’s paintings- swans at rest, ordered gardens, bright riots of wildflowers- lead you to believe that the Tulsa, Oklahoma painter spends most of his time peacefully surveying idyllic, nonexistent places. But in fact, it’s the everyday world that provides Wren with inspiration. “I have nothing in mind when I go out to paint,” he says, adding, “ It’s enjoyable to just load up the van with my artist’s box and drive around looking for paintings.”
Wren refers to himself as an “American Impressionist” and shrugs off those who criticize the style as trite. “There’s a lot of bad impressionism out there, paintings that are too sweet, like greeting -card art. I believe a painting should be beautiful. Not necessarily pretty, but beautiful.” He considers the style’s accessibility and popularity a plus. “Impressionism is like the blues,” Wren says. “It’s so basic that it touches you profoundly.”
Wren presents a sunny face to the world, with his silvery gray hair, purple sweat shirt and green jeans. Born in 1940, he grew up near Coffeyville, KS, in what he calls a narrow world, populated with less that 200 people. “I was 18 years old before I knew there was such things as artists.” Wren left a difficult home life at 18 and lived on his own, working at a greenhouse, where he slept on the floor. He also worked as an itinerant car pin striper. “I was a free spirit, working in places like drive-ins. People came from miles around to have me pin stripe their cars,” he says.
“Learning about art was more complex than I had ever imagined. The more I learned the more I realized I still had to learn.” Once he became acquainted with impressionism, Wren moved quickly, selling his first painting to another student and securing his first one-man exhibition.
March Committee News
March Exhibits News - The reception at The Museum Broken Arrow was a huge success. Three members sold paintings and many people attended. Congratulations to Phyllis Snyder, Kathy Soliday and Linda Dunbar. Many thanks to Becky Foust for an outstanding presentation of food and to the Museum for hosting our show. If you have not seen the show please go check it out and give the museum your support. Our next member’s exhibit will be Utica Square in October and in November our all member’s judged show at The Hive in Jenks. Lots of information will be coming later on both of these events. We are also in the beginning phase of a new annual Plein Air Painting event to be announced soon. We are hoping to offer a event that all can attend with nice prizes and a professional artist judge.
March Membership News - The directories are being finalized and will go to the printer soon.
March Bargain Table News - We are needing supplies that are in good shape to sell, i.e. brushes, paints, pallets, pallet knives, etc. Also we can use art books that are in good shape. NO MAGAZINES at this time, please as we have a surplus we need to sell and places for storage space is very limited.
March Scholarship News - Our scholarship chairperson is looking for ideas to raise funds for scholarships. Please remember that a donation is greatly appreciated. If you need it to be tax deductible please check with Nanda Thompson on how to make that happen!
March Newsletter/Facebook News - We would like for more people to send in photos of their art to put in our Facebook Gallery. If you need assistance to add a album of your art, please contact Linda Dunbar at this email address and she will help you create your album. These albums are great ways to show our work and to let upcoming possible hosting venues see the artists they may want to showcase. This is not limited to just 2D art but also we would love to showcase our 3D artists too!
Byrene Culver
Memorial will be March 12, at 3:30 at Saint James Church, 5050 E. 111th St South, Tulsa
Things to See and Do!
Bartlesville Art Association Spring Show
The Bartlesville Art Association's Annual Spring Show is held in Bartlesville in the month of April.
Enter your artwork and compete with other artists for honorary ribbons and cash prizes. Find all the information on their website.
Southeast Oklahoma Fine Arts will be hosting a Juried and Judged Show on June 5th-11th. The SOFA Show Correspondence Secretary is Joanne Beeninga. To get on communication line email sofashowcomm@gmail.com
Tulsa Art Coalition is hosting its annual fundraiser 5x5 show. Canvases are available at Zeiglers Art Supply and at the TAC Gallery.
More Color Show is coming up soon at the Oklahoma Equality Center. Check their website for more information.
Your Design in Broken Arrow has several events coming this spring. Check their website for those events.
Tulsa Community College will host a show for Mother’s Day. Contact Nanda Thompson from the directory for information concerning this show.
