2020-2021 Meetings & Programs
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NOTE: Due to COVID-19 gathering concerns and restrictions, our meetings this year will be held virtually (via Zoom or similar methods), or in large public museums or outdoor venues where social distancing is possible.
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2020-21 Program Summary
Scroll down for program details
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Currently, meetings are being held virtually. In other times, meetings are usually held at St. Matthews Episcopal Church, 1101 Forest Ave., Richmond, VA 23229, beginning at 11 AM and going to about 1 PM, unless otherwise specified. |
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Friday, Sept. 18, 2020
Pre-recorded YouTube video available 9/18/20 |
Robyn Ryan: Her Art Journey and Body of Work
Robyn Ryan, a water media painter and sculptor who focuses on animals and nature, will present to JRAL via a pre-recorded Zoom session and available for viewing on the JRAL YouTube channel. She will focus on her art journey and share some of her body of work. Learn more about Robyn on her website robynryanart.com. "I resonate with the saying “Paint what you love”… This is reflected in my favorite artistic themes related to animals and nature found in my native Virginia. My travels also inspire my artwork. I work in series which allows me to develop a body of work around a theme or idea over time as I explore conveying my intentions. My “Fleeting Glimpses” and “Equine Muse” series continue to evolve and my Equine BronzeSculptures continue to captivate my attention! My newest series is titled “Set Free” and explores visual metaphors related to my own freedom journey." - from Robyn Ryan's website |
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Thursday, Oct. 15, 2020
Beginning at 1:00 |
Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden-Mini Paint-Out & Photo Op
Members will visit Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, with highlights to include the M & T Bank: Wind, Waves and Light—Art in Motion installation by American Sculptor George Sherwood. This installation includes 13 large scale stainless steel sculptures throughout the Garden that move & change with the wind. Members may paint, take photos or just stroll while staying socially distanced and wearing masks. The garden is currently restricting a maximum of 100 visitors at a time to a 2 1/2 hour window, in 30 minute increments for entry. Find out more about Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden at www.lewisginter.org. Sign up with Gigi Vranian by October 2nd so we can see how many guest passes we might need for non-members. All attendees must also contact Lewis Ginter at www.lewisginter.org/visit-planner to reserve their entry ticket for 1:00 or later for Oct. 16th. There is no ticket fee for Lewis Ginter members, and while we will try to utilize complementary guest passes for non-members, there may be a ticket charge if that's not possible. Anyone painting/drawing must not impede walkways or setup within a garden; if painting in the Conservatory, bring a drop cloth.
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Friday, Nov. 20, 2020
12:45 start, then in 15 minute increments |
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts: Treasures of Ancient Egypt: Sunken Cities
Members will visit the VMFA exhibit of Treasures of Ancient Egypt: Sunken Cities in groups of 10 starting at 1:00. Tickets are free for museum members; non-member tickets are $16. Learn more about the exhibit at www.vmfa.museum/exhibitions. Sign up to attend by November 5th by contacting Gigi Vranian (vraniangigi@comcast.net, 893-4396 or 337-3720). If a VMFA member, please include your membership #. If not a member, please send your $16 check payable to JRAL to Elizabeth Hood, Treasurer, 808 Dover Bluff Place, Manakin Sabot, VA 23103, to be received no later than November 10th. (Note: sorry, but no refunds can be made after November 12th.) "Treasures of Ancient Egypt: Sunken Cities offers a rare opportunity to experience firsthand the material culture of Ptolemaic Egypt, a golden age of human creativity in science as well as the visual and literary arts. Exciting film footage and photographs illustrate underwater expeditions and dramatic rediscoveries, as deep-sea divers solve a thousand-year-old mystery through archaeological research and innovation. Visitors will encounter these findings firsthand and witness a story that continues to unfold through ongoing excavations. Treasures of Ancient Egypt: Sunken Cities tells a riveting human saga of grandeur, complexity, wealth, and power, reminding us of the potentially devastating effects of natural disasters and the vulnerability of even the mightiest of human civilizations." - from the VMFA website |
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Friday, Dec. 18, 2020
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Season's Greeting Card Virtual Exhibit
Our annual holiday luncheon will not be held this year due to the health safety restrictions of the pandemic. Instead, we will feature a celebration of Season’s Greeting cards from JRAL Members, to be published on the JRAL website and in Art News. Images of your holiday card in JPEG format should be send to Gigi Vranian by Dec. 11th. More information will be coming soon on how to submit your cards for the virtual exhibit, but get started on this year's card! |
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Friday, Jan. 15, 2021
Zoom Meeting starting at 11:00 a.m. |
Rita Kirkman: Pastels That Glow
Rita Kirkman, a nationally recognized and award-winning pastelist based in Texas, will be demonstrating her unique pastel painting process that focuses on using color temperature and value to creates glowing paintings. She is well known for her animal paintings, although she also paints other subjects such as landscapes and portraits in pastel, as well as charcoal/graphite portraits. She is a Signature member of the Pastel Society of America and an Eminent Pastelist with the International Association of Pastel Societies. Find out more about Rita at www.ritakirkman.com.
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Friday, Feb. 26, 2021
(rescheduled from 2/19 due to inclement weather) Zoom meeting starting at 11:00 a.m. |
Juana Levi: Presentation on "Guernica"
Juana Levi, an instructor at Lifelong Learning Institute in Chesterfield, will be presenting a Zoom overview and discussion of Pablo Picasso's "Guernica". 
"What would be the best way today to protest against a war? How could you influence the largest number of people? In 1937, Picasso expressed his outrage against war with “Guernica,” his enormous mural-sized painting displayed to millions of visitors at the Paris World’s Fair. It is a painting that still feels intensely relevant today. This ... will cover the history of “Guernica” and the complex imagery Picasso used to depict the horrors of war. In his own words from the time, “Painting is not done to decorate apartments. It is an instrument of war against brutality and darkness.” – from the Lifelong Learning Institute website
Find out more about the Lifelong Learning Institute at llichesterfield.org . |
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Friday, Mar. 19, 2021
Pre-recorded YouTube video available before the meeting 3/19/21 Zoom Meeting: 11:00 am Q&A with Todd Parsons and then JRAL business meeting |
Todd Parsons, of Parsons Fine Art Services: Creating Heritage Giclee Reproductions
Todd Parsons, owner and operator of Parsons Fine Art Services, specializes in Custom Archival Fine Art printing. His business was formally Staples Fine Art Printing, which many of our JRAL members used for printing their Giclees from original images. Todd worked with Mark Staples for many years, prior to Mark’s retiring to North Carolina. We will video Todd in his studio as he discusses the process for scanning imagery and the production of Heritage Giclee reprodcutions; the video will be uploaded to our YouTube channel for members to view prior to the 3/19 Zoom meeting. Todd will be answering questions at 11:00 in our 3/19 meeting, and we will be giving one lucky member present at the Zoom meeting a $50 gift certificate towards services at Parson's Fine Art Services. About Parson's Fine Art: Parsons Fine Art Services’ Custom Archival Fine Art Printing conforms to archival standards consistent with collectible fine art. They do large format fine art scanning, scanning of photos, rare document scanning for archives, digital capture of 3D objects and scanning of maps and architectural drawings. Find out more about them at www.parsonsfineartservices.com. |
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Friday, April 16, 2021
1:00 - 3:00 PM Rain Date Fri., Apr. 23 |
Agecroft Hall & Gardens - Mini Paint-Out & Photo Op
JRAL members will visit Agecroft Hall & Gardens from 1-3 PM on April 16, when the gardens should be in full Spring bloom. Bring your en plein air painting gear and/or cameras to Agecroft Hall & Gardens for an afternoon of painting, photography or just touring the gardens. Members may paint, take photos or just stroll while staying socially distanced and wearing masks. JRAL is taking care of the entry fee to the gardens; if members wish to tour the house, they will need to purchase a separate ticket. The rain date in case of spring showers is Friday, April 23rd, 1-3 P.M. Pre-register with Kaye Jones if you plan to attend. Painters should bring drop cloths to protect the walkways and structures at Agecroft. Restrooms will be available to attendees. Agecroft Hall is a Tudor mansion built in the late 15th Century in England and brought to Richmond, piece by piece, in 1926, and is located at 4305 Sulgrave Rd, Richmond, VA 23221. Find out more about Agecroft at www.agecrofthall.org.
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Friday, May 21, 2021
5/21/21 Zoom Program and Annual Meeting |
Annual Meeting & Members' Artist Challenge: The Medium is the Message
The theme for our 2020 artist challenge is "The Medium is the Message." With the medium of your choice, do something new! Try a new medium, a new technique, a new surface, new tools or whatever, as long as it's new to you, and share what you learned with other members. Our guest critiquer will be Fiona Ross, who will be showing our virtual gallery of members' art online and commenting during our live Zoom meeting. For more information about the challenge, click here. |