SCAN Will Bring Color Back To January

With Its Annual Show And Sale, January 23-31

The Society of Creative Arts of Newtown, Inc (SCAN) is sponsoring its annual “Color in January” art show and sale at Lexington Gardens, 32 Church Hill Road in Newtown, from January 23  through January 31.

Color in January will be open to the public daily from 10 am to 4 pm.

This colorful exhibition will feature beautiful, original artwork by local artists in a variety of media, including watercolor, oil, acrylic, and pastel. On weekends, professional artists will be in attendance to demonstrate their skills at landscape, still life, and portrait painting. The demonstrations will take place at 12:30 each Saturday and Sunday.

All are invited to the opening reception on Saturday, January 23, from 2 to 4 pm, offering an opportunity to meet and chat with area artists and to support SCAN, a regional nonprofit arts organization that promotes the visual arts through a variety of activities, including art shows and lectures, as well as training and allied activities for both artists and art enthusiasts.

During the opening weekend, Patricia Barkman will offer the first artist demonstration during Color in January.

Mrs Barkman has lived in Newtown for more than 40 years. She is a strong supporter of the preservation of Newtown’s open spaces and the protection of the environment, and her love of nature shows in much of her art, which regularly features spaces in Newtown. A retired college teacher, Mrs Barkman has become a watercolor artist with an eye that celebrates natural beauty.

About eight years ago Mrs Barkman and her husband moved from the center of town to Taunton Lake Road, and Mrs Barkman was able to create a permanent gallery space, Lakeside Gallery, for her work. She opens the gallery for one weekend each year, usually in June, and the public is invited in to see the latest originals alongside favorites from her oeuvre.

Janice Papayani will be giving an oil painting still life demonstration on Sunday, January 24. Ms Papayani is a graduate of Pratt Institute in NYC. She paints in oil, acrylic and watercolor and her paintings show the fluidity of objects in nature.

She has had a career in commercial art as well as teaching fine art painting and drawing in the area. Her awards include Catharine Lorillard Wolfe in NYC, Palm Beach Watercolor Society in Florida and Connecticut Watercolor Society as well as many others

On the following Saturday, January 30, Alain Picard will demonstrate the technique of painting a landscape in pastel.

Mr Picard studied at the Art Student’s League in New York City, and currently resides in Southbury. He cites Sargent, Degas, and Sorolla among his artistic influences. A love of light and beauty are immediately apparent in his pastel and oil paintings, which have been featured in such publications as The Artist’s Magazine and The Pastel Journal.

Mr Picard has garnered top awards throughout the Northeast in esteemed exhibitions including the Pastel Society of America, Hudson Valley Art Association, Connecticut Society of Portrait Artists, and Connecticut Pastel Society, where he holds signature member status.

In 2004, The Artist’s Magazine highlighted Mr Picard as one of 20 contemporary artists “On the Rise.” Last year he won the Best Portfolio Award at the Annual Portrait Society of America conference in Washington DC. He was also published in the April 2009 issue of The Pastel Journal as a finalist in two categories (Portrait and Figure, and Landscape) for their Annual “Pastel 100 Competition.”

Bethel based artist Beverly Branch will present the final artist’s demo, on Sunday, January 31. Ms Branch, who specializes in portraits and still lifes, will offer an acrylic portrait session that afternoon.

Ms Branch speaks of herself as a mover of color and manipulator of images in her paintings

“I give rise to the spirit and goodness of what I see as valuable on this fragile and extraordinary place we call earth,” she has said. “The potential for a great many variations on a theme is endless. My process is not new but the way I approach my subjects may be something you have never seen,” she said.

Ms Branch graduated from Paier College of Art in 1973. She was the recipient of the Urban Arts Initiative Grant by the Connecticut Commission for the Arts in 1999.

She has completed commissioned work for Reader’s Digest Young Family book Series; Thumberlina and Nightingale in 2003 and is working on Proud Little Peacock for Reader’s Digest Kids series Little Animal Adventures.

For additional information about Color in January or SCAN, contact show chair Barbara Saltman  (203-261-4495) or visit scanart.org.