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A Birthday Celebration Cupcake ~ A TASTE OF SUNSHINE ~ by Barbara Hackney
Canvas by Canvas LLC is a group of eleven close friends and fellow Texans who paint collaboratively together. That is, all of our fine art pieces contain six to twelve canvases painted in acrylics, each created by a different artist. Simply put, we cut up our own photos into squares and blindly draw for the square we get to paint. The proposed subject matter is always voted upon as is the title of the piece, the frame is built by a carpenter husband, and the final assemblage usually calls for a group celebration; however, sometimes the celebration is delayed as an artist might tweak a bit to make her canvas integrate with the others as well as it can.
People who see our work for the first time usually ask "How do you all paint so much alike that it’s hard to tell one artist’s work from another’s?" The answer is... we don’t know! I suppose the fact that we’ve been painting together for years has to have an effect on our personal styles. But I think it’s more than that. This past year being a member of Canvas by Canvas (the corporation) is like suddenly having 10 new best friends. We are eager to share with one another every single thing in our lives, and that includes tips, techniques, photos, ideas, and advice. It is a delight to take a new workshop and come back home to "teach" the other 10 members what we learned!
It does take a lot of constant communication, however, to keep up with each other, as some are far more energetic--or shall I say--gung-ho than others. But here we are... middle-aged and more, having the time of our lives. College kids in a dormitory couldn’t have more fun than we do when we go off on painting retreats together. More often than that, though, are the bi and tri-weekly "events" we attend together, whether it’s a painting day at the local gallery where we can all "fit" in the studio with our individual tonnage of art supplies, or a new movie after lunch, or scouting around on photo shoots to get ideas for our paintings.
During the past 12 months, CBC artists have produced some 35 large paintings and the group has been highlighted in several publications including a full-page ad for Dick Blick in Artist’s Magazine. All four paintings entered in the Dallas PCPC Arts Festival juried show were accepted for display, one winning a First Place ribbon and cash prize. Creative Catalyst Productions awarded Canvas by Canvas a National Merit Award in the summer of 2006 for one of their pieces, and in May of 2007 another painting won the Juror’s Choice Award. A brand new television show called "The Art of Living" is featuring the artists in a TV segment to be broadcast worldwide in high definition during the fall of this year.
No wonder we’re so happy! Is something wrong with this picture? We just don’t see what it could be.
Happy Birthday to us!
CYandell for CBC
People who see our work for the first time usually ask "How do you all paint so much alike that it’s hard to tell one artist’s work from another’s?" The answer is... we don’t know! I suppose the fact that we’ve been painting together for years has to have an effect on our personal styles. But I think it’s more than that. This past year being a member of Canvas by Canvas (the corporation) is like suddenly having 10 new best friends. We are eager to share with one another every single thing in our lives, and that includes tips, techniques, photos, ideas, and advice. It is a delight to take a new workshop and come back home to "teach" the other 10 members what we learned!
It does take a lot of constant communication, however, to keep up with each other, as some are far more energetic--or shall I say--gung-ho than others. But here we are... middle-aged and more, having the time of our lives. College kids in a dormitory couldn’t have more fun than we do when we go off on painting retreats together. More often than that, though, are the bi and tri-weekly "events" we attend together, whether it’s a painting day at the local gallery where we can all "fit" in the studio with our individual tonnage of art supplies, or a new movie after lunch, or scouting around on photo shoots to get ideas for our paintings.
During the past 12 months, CBC artists have produced some 35 large paintings and the group has been highlighted in several publications including a full-page ad for Dick Blick in Artist’s Magazine. All four paintings entered in the Dallas PCPC Arts Festival juried show were accepted for display, one winning a First Place ribbon and cash prize. Creative Catalyst Productions awarded Canvas by Canvas a National Merit Award in the summer of 2006 for one of their pieces, and in May of 2007 another painting won the Juror’s Choice Award. A brand new television show called "The Art of Living" is featuring the artists in a TV segment to be broadcast worldwide in high definition during the fall of this year.
No wonder we’re so happy! Is something wrong with this picture? We just don’t see what it could be.
Happy Birthday to us!
CYandell for CBC
