Announcements for the Week of August 11th – 17th

Did you know…

Pastel as an art medium dates back to the 15^th century.  DaVinci was one of the most notable pastel artist of that time, using pastels as a drawing tool.  Later artists, especially in 18^th century France, approached pastels more as painting tools.  Artist such as Degas covered entire papers with their works of art. Because of how they are made, pastels have longevity, even lasting centuries. Pastels made in the 1600s are still useable today.  Amazingly, the paper on which the some of the oldest pastel art was created is deteriorating, yet the pastels applied to the surface are not!

Pastels are composed of pigment, a filler, and a binder.  Soft pastels have more pigment and less binder; hard pastels have more binder and less pigment. Pastels are easily blendable, and some can even be combined with water.  Although the general composition of pastels hasn’t changed much since DaVinci’s time, each manufacturer has their own blend of pigments and binder, producing wide ranges of shades—pastels aren’t always pastel.

• Learn the basics of this medium during the Intro to Pastels Workshop on Saturday, August 17^th from 10:00am to 1:00pm with Janice. No experience needed. This class is for anyone interested in trying out a new medium. Supplies will be provided. (If you have soft pastels, you are welcome to bring them.)  Sign up soon!

 

• Announcing the solo exhibit of the art of Mish Elaine Murphy, focusing on her whimsical canine creations, MISH’S  DOG PORTRAITS ART SHOW. The exhibit runs until September 13 at Pinellas Ale Works, PAW ART PULSE GALLERY, 1962 1st Avenue South. For more information, please contact Tim Gibbons at 813.231.2579.

 

• Mark your calendars! September brings (slightly) cooler weather and cool, new workshops and classes.  Seats are limited, so sign up soon!
• Beginning Conversational Spanish with Ricardo returns on Thursdays from 10:30am -12:30pm starting September 5.
• On Saturday, September 7, there will be TWO workshops:   Watercolors with Kathy from 10 am -noon and  Jewelry-making with Zan and Jo from 1-4pm.
• Starting Monday, September 9 from 1-3:30pm, you can join the Intro to Mah Jongg class with Alice and learn a fun, new game.
• The jewelry-making joy will continue during three weeks of classes starting September 21.

 

• The hybrid Poetry Class with Mish will continue on August 15. You can Zoom in or attend at the LEC! The Poetry Class will run for 7 more weeks on Thursday mornings, 10:30 to noon. Each week, the class will explore a different form of poetry.  No experience necessary–you just might be a poet and don’t know it.

 

• After a short break, Chair Yoga with Debbie is back! Relax and stretch on Fridays from 11am-12:15pm or during the new Monday sessions from 2-3:15pm starting on August 26.

 

• Book Club has their monthly meeting on Zoom on August 20^th at 12:30 to 2:00. They are reading Table for Two by Amor Towles.

 

• Photo Club has their monthly meeting on August 21^st 1:30 to 3:00 pm on Zoom. The Photo Challenge this month is “Hardware.” Take a picture of anything you think meets the challenge. You can interpret that how you wish.

 

• The voting for “Best of the Bay” has begun… Vote now, and every day between now andAugust 31st!  Voting is once per day within each category.  https://vote.cltampa.com/
• ARTS– Best Literary Journal = Life Enrichment Center ‘Embers and Ashes’
• PLACES– Best Community Center = ‘Life Enrichment Center’

 

• Call for Manuscripts! LEC’s yearly Anthology Creative Fire, Embers and Ashes 25 is now accepting original works of writing in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry from LEC Members. The submissions deadline is August 30^th. Please put “Anthology” in the subject line of your email. If you have any questions give us a call at (813) 932-0241 or email us at [email protected]. We look forward to receiving your entries.

• Do you have a free two-hour block on any afternoon during the week? The LEC needs volunteers! Please call or drop us an email if you are interested in volunteering with us in the afternoons. Responsibilities include checking emails, light organizational projects, answering phones, etc.

For more information about pastels:

https://www.metmuseum.org/about-the-met/collection-areas/drawings-and-prints/materials-and-techniques/drawing/pastel

https://www.artfinder.com/blog/post/pastel-art-its-a-medium/?srsltid=AfmBOoot4wMMpIjgCIS_IMiQqUjA0UecmKKLuczoekG424YwYd1IgNmP#/

https://www.tucsonpastelsociety.org/pastel.html