Zak Pullen unveils painting of Masters Golf Tournament champs Feb. 25 at Corridor Gallery

News from Reed Merschat at the Corridor Gallery:

The Corridor Gallery in downtown Casper announces the completion and debut showing of the "Masters Grip," a painting by Casper artist resident and gallery co-owner Zachary Pullen. On Friday, Feb. 25, Masters Grip will available for viewing to the public for the first time ever. As well as the final painting, the show will also include the work leading up to the final canvas, including all preliminary sketches and layout pencil drawings to completion. Zak is off to the annual Masters Tournament hospitality venue in Augusta, Georgia, this April to announce the unveiling of his latest creation. The painting contains 75 years of history depicting those that helped write it. The public and press are invited to join Zak at the Corridor Gallery for Masters Grip world debut right here in Casper, Wyoming.

Four years ago, professional illustrator and avid golfer Zachary Pullen conceived and began creating Masters Grip. Inspiration for this painting came through a story told of Tiger Woods and Byron Nelson comparing their grips during a champion’s dinner. In 2011, Zachary is happy to announce the completion of a painting culminating his passions into one 72” x 24” canvas. At the center of the painting, seated at a table in the foreground of Amen Corner, a vibrant and expressive Robert Trent Jones, Jr., leads Zak’s rendition of the beautiful Augusta National Golf Course. Around Robert, Zak meticulously integrated the caricature portraits of all 45 professional golfers to date sharing the honor of winning the famed “green jacket." Zak, a professional illustrator for 16 years, has found success with many illustrations and paintings published in such periodicals as Golf World, Sports Illustrated, New York Times Book Review, Esquire, Penthouse, National Geographic Society and many others. In addition to periodicals, Zak’s work has been the content of multiple picture books published by Simon and Schuster, Penguin Putnam and Sleeping Bear Press. Zak has also earned notoriety by his acceptance into The Society of Illustrators and the Communication Arts best in contemporary illustration annual. Masters Grip is a project born for the love of the game. “I’m thrilled to be releasing a new work of art based upon my passions for the culture, personality and history of golf” Zak states.

EVENT DETAILS

Release Title: Masters Grip

Opening Date/Time: February 25, 2011 doors open at 7 p.m., cash bar

Showing: Regular business hours, Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday Noon-4 p.m.

Where: The Corridor Gallery 120 East Second Street, Casper, WY 82601

Contact: The Corridor at 307-333-7035 or Zak direct at 307-262-3549

Attention ceramic artists: HANDBUILDING conference set for May 28-30 in Atlanta

Ceramic Arts Daily featured this:

The HANDBUILDING conference May 28-30 in Atlanta will bring together a diverse group of ceramic artists to demonstrate, share and answer any questions you have. Each presentation will involve all steps of the process, from the type of clay, to forming, finishing and firing.

This conference will help you build upon your existing skills and learn new techniques that will take your work to the next level.

Space is Limited.

Register today at https://www.pubservice.com/pr/PQConference/handbuilding.aspx?

Deadline to SAVE $75 ON REGISTRATION ends March 21, 2010.

Deadline to Reserve your Hotel for a discounted rate, ends Wednesday, April 28, 2010
　
What you will learn:
* Learn how to make colored clay patterns,and how to use it in several different ways.
* Develop these techniques to add to your resume: utilize thrown & altered elements, coils, slabs, incising, sgraffito, ‘poor man’s Mishima,’ slip-trailing & inlay, carving, press-molding, texturing, tearing, slumping and bumping.
* Participants will learn the innovative, straightforward
*Patz Process Ceramic Technique* which is a method of connecting clay forms to make creative animal sculptures or figures in clay. Attendees will also learn how this technique is used to attach clay appendages to traditional pottery such as; pinch pots, slab work, coil built pieces and wheel thrown pottery.
* Learn the broomstick technique that shows how colored clays and textures can be added to the form while the clay is taking shape.
* Learn how to hand build functional pots which have good form, function well, and have a sensitivity to the human touch as well as other senses.
* Understand how to apply texture to soft slabs using found objects, cut out inlaid shapes, clay stamps and bisque molds of textured surfaces which the clay is rolled on, producing a full
slab of texture.
* Learn how to make various pottery forms starting from a basic cylinder of clay, which is altered by cutting darts or pinching, and pushing out the clay to round out the form. Alternate ways of treating the bottom of a pot with regard to added feet or foot rings will be included, as well as various types of handles made from slabs and coils.
　
Host is Spruill Center for the Arts, 5339 Chamblee Dunwoody Road, Atlanta, Georgia 30338
Phone: (770) 394-3447
Website: http://www.spruillarts.org/

FOR WYOMING CERAMIC ARTISTS: The Wyoming Arts Council provides Individual Artist Professional Development grants to help defray costs of conference registration, travel and lodging. For more information, go to http://www.wyomingartscouncil.org/ and find IAPD category under the "Grants" link on the left sidebar.

Hey ya'll -- Miss “V” in Georgia story

Here's a link to a Dec. 11 story and slide show on coastalsource.com out of Savannah, Ga., featuring Wyoming Arts Council roster artist Miss “V” the Gypsy Cowbelle from Cora, Wyo.

Casper students to perform at Junior Theatre Festival in Atlanta

This news comes from Candice Cochran, executive director of the Casper Children's Theatre:

The Casper Children's Theatre (CCT) has once again been invited to participate and compete at the Junior Theatre Festival in Atlanta.

The CCT was one of only 50 children's theatres throughout the nation invited to participate in this festival.

Last year 17 CCT students ages 12 and older represented Casper at the festival. They performed selections from last fall's "Pirates of Penzance" production and scored very high in an adjudication from professionals in the field. Emma Narotzky won the Outstanding Technical Theatre Award for her set design of the same production.

In January 2010, the Acting in the Afternoon class will present selections from "Mulan" (in photo above) at the festival. Over 30 kids and chaperones will travel to Atlanta to expand their knowledge of the theatrical arts and to compete against other theatres in the country.

Students are working exceptionally hard to raise funds to offset the expense of the trip. To date, over $8,100 has been raised. Planned activities include a 50/50 raffle, Christmas-Grams and selling Papa Murphy's Pizza Coupon Cards.

On Dec. 12-13, Schwan's Food will have their truck parked in the parking lot of the theatre, 138 S. Kimball, Suite 6, in the Commissary Mall . A percentage of all sales from items sold from that truck will support our JTF fundraising efforts.

If you would like information about how you can help the kids get to Georgia, call the theatre at 307-473-8470 or e-mail candice@casperchildrenstheatre.com

WAC roster artist in Georgia as movie extra

One of the Wyoming Arts Council's roster artists, "V, a.k.a. The Gypsy Cowbelle, continues on her ever-growing journey entertaining audiences with her authentic "Cowbilly" music. Having missed her when she entertained here in Cheyenne last weekend at the Old West Museum for their annual Traditions Art Show and Folk Art Festival, I called her to find out what was going on. She called back from Savannah, GA, where she will be living for the next couple of months as an extra on the new Robert Redford-directed movie. She'll be back through these parts in January when she's scheduled to perform in Arvada at the cowboy gathering there, and in Elko later.

WAC Biennial Exhibit opening reception Nov. 5 at Wyoming State Museum

"Repose" by Matt Flint, oil, alkyd and pencil on canvas, 40"x34.5"

The work of six Wyoming artists will be featured Nov. 5, 2009, through Jan. 9, 2010, at the 2009 Biennial Fellowship Exhibition at the Wyoming State Museum Gallery in the Barrett Building, 2301 Central Ave., in Cheyenne.

An opening reception will be held on Thursday, Nov. 5, 4:30-6:30 p.m. at the State Museum. Fellowship judge Lawrence Argent, sculptor and art professor at University of Denver will speak. The public is invited to come out and meet the artists and see their work. Hors d’oeuvres and beverages will be provided.

The exhibit showcases the work of the 2008 and 2009 Wyoming Arts Council fellowship recipients: Matt Flint, Lander; Leah Hardy, Laramie; David Henderson, Worland; Ricki Klages, Laramie; Florence Alfano McEwin, Green River; and Doug Russell, Laramie.

Each year, the Wyoming Arts Council awards visual arts fellowships to three artists in the state. Every two years, the WAC honors its fellowship winners with an exhibition at one of Wyoming’s fine art galleries or museums.

The exhibition is a project of the Arts Council and the State Museum. The reception is co-sponsored by the Cabot Creamery Cooperative of Vermont.

The museum is open Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m., and Saturday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.; closed on Sundays.

For more information on the WAC and fellowships for individual artists, contact Mike Shay at 307-777-5234 or go to the WAC web site at www.wyomingartscouncil.org.

Call for entries: Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction

Each year, the University of Georgia Press selects the winners of the Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction. Authors of winning manuscripts receive a cash award of $1,000, and their collections are subsequently published by the press under a standard book contract. The press may occasionally select more than two winners.

Selection process: in addition to series editor Nancy Zafris there are three external judges. The manuscripts undergo blind review, meaning that the name of the author is stripped from the manuscript before judging begins. Each judge reads a third of the contest entries and makes a selection of 7-10 finalist manuscripts, which are then forwarded on to Nancy Zafris, who selects the two winning manuscripts from the group of 20-30 finalists.

Deadline: May 31

FMI: http://www.ugapress.org/info_aup_submitfoc.html

Georgia's new creative economies initiative

The State Arts Action Network newsletter distributed by Americans for the Arts carried this interesting story about innovative ways that the State of Georgia is using to promote its creative economies:

The Georgia Department of Economic Development and Georgia Tourism Foundation have combined forces in the creation of a new state creative economies initiative to help creative businesses grow and prosper in the "Peach State." Artists, craftsmen, and others can apply for the right to display the initiative's logo on their products and in their galleries or stores.

The main tool being used in the effort is a new website called Georgia's Creative Economies: Georgia Made, Georgia Grown Products. The site features searchable databases for artists, places to visit, and products offered around the state. In addition, a map breaks down the state into its nine travel regions, so visitors can find information about the creative economy in the specific area they live in or are planning to visit.

The site also contains a link to a creative economy brochure that has been produced, as well as a You Tube video promoting the cause.