Groundwork:
The Painting Process Revealed
Rick Vertolli & Cris Guenter
August 20 - September 22
Reception: Friday, August 25, 5-7PM
Featuring select artwork from two artists who work in both digital and traditional art media to find the beauty in form, color, rhythm and movement. As lifelong artists and practicing art educators, their exhibit shares the completed artwork and unpacks the process and methods used in developing the final work. Beyond educational, the importance of these preliminary plans and sketches is that they often reveal the element of chance, the inspiration point, and the energy behind each painting.
The importance of the visual culture to contemporary life makes it imperative that education includes learning to make meaning of multifaceted visual information and experiences. The use of emerging technologies in traditional art practices still challenge the artist to think and plan in art making. Emerging tools and materials are expanding the traditional practice of the visual arts. These technological tools are a vehicle for communication and the creative process. They are not an end to themselves.
Free Workshops
Digital Painting on an iPad with Cris Guenter | Friday, September 8, 12:00 - 1:30PM
Zoetrope Animation with Rick Vertolli | Friday, September 15, 12:00 - 1:30PM
A zoetrope is an animation device that creates the illusion of motion by displaying a sequence of drawings in a cylindrical drum. As the drum spins, the slits in the zoetrope provide broken views of the drawings. This generates a strobe effect which in-turn produces the illusion of a moving image.
In our workshop you will have an opportunity to create your own zoetrope animation. We will provide a 10 frame template, a zoetrope, and drawing materials for you to design your own sequence of images.
You should bring a cell phone to record your animation.
You may also think about, or thumbnail, your animated sequence prior to the workshop. The zoetrope animation works best when it continuously repeats in a loop. This presents an interesting design challenge, because the final image of the sequence must connect back to the first image.
Our workshop is designed for students of all ages. Plan to have fun, think, and be innovative.
Cris Guenter
Cris Guenter is often inspired by “on the spot” experiences in nature, capturing a moment in time through drawing, painting, or photography. This could be through onsite plein air painting or the thoughtful development of an idea or sketch that leads to a completed work.
Guenter (pronounced 'Genter' like guerilla) exhibits her paintings, prints, and photographs in local, regional, and national juried shows. She began exhibiting her work while still in high school and continued while teaching K-12 art in Pennsylvania, Wyoming, and then as a professor at Cal State Chico. Line, color, shape, and composition that surround us daily, especially in nature, influence the images that Cris creates.
Rick Vertolli
Rick creates a sequence of paintings, which add the element of time to the artwork. In this method, similar to animation, one painting informs the next in order to tell the full story.
Vertolli was an animator an educator at Cal State Chico for 35 years. Then, while Chair of the Animation Program at the California College of Arts in SF/Oakland, Rick renewed his love for traditional painting. Studying with many Bay Area masters he developed a unique balance between animation and painting. These “sequential paintings” are inspired by capturing movement over time.
