Michelle Leivan's piece accepted in the Visions of the Flint Hills Benefit and Sale
Visions of the Flint Hills
Opening Reception Friday, Oct. 7th, 6 pm - 9pm and Saturday, Oct. 8th 10am - 3 pm. Second Reception is Nov. 4th 5pm - 9pm and Sat. Nov. 5th, 10am-3pm.
The Visions of the Flint Hills Benefit and Sale runs from October 7th through November 25th, 2011. Fifty percent of your purchase price will benefit the Flint Hills Tourism Coalition, a non-profit organization which promotes the Flint Hills as a visitors' destination with authentic Flint Hills experiences. The continent's largest remaining tract of tallgrass is also one of America's unique places, harboring a wealth of adventure, beauty, and history. All art representative of the Flint Hills area with 50% of purchase price going to support the Flint Hills Tourism Coalition. The gallery will be open M-F 9am-5pm and Saturdays IOam-3pm.
During the opening reception, appetizers provided by The Kansas City Club and wine provided by Maker's Mark. Contact Kathy to make reservations at 816-285-9040 or Kathy@ButtonwoodArtSpace.com
My piece "Pale Purple coneflower Above a Patchwork Plain" 12"x9" has been accepted in the Buttonwood Art Space 3rd Annual Visions of the Flint Hills Benefit and Sale. Come out and help my fellow artists and I support the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve and the Flint Hills of Kansas.
One of three accepted entries of Michelle Leivan's in the Kansans Paint Kansas Competition
Topeka Art Guild & Gallery Hosts it’s Annual “Kansans Paint Kansas” Fund Raiser and Art Competition A juried competition, open to Kansas artists and students.
Kansas artists come together in a collective art exhibit to benefit one of the biggest supporters of the arts in the North East Kansas area.
Statewide artists submitted Kansas inspired subject matter to be included for consideration in this juried competition. Both traditional and progressive art mediums are represented from artists in all levels of their career. All juried entries are available for sale providing an opportunity to buy art from Kansas artists as well as support the oldest continuing art organization in the City of Topeka. This exhibit was jurored by Judith Mackey an award winning a professional artist of 40 years and a native Kansan who resides in the Flint Hills of Kansas, paints
what she is most familiar with—landscapes of the prairie, working cowboys and the ranch life that surrounds her rural Chase County home. She agreed to judge our newest show, Kansans Paint Kansas. The Topeka Art Guild is grateful for her giving her time and expertise to our big fundraising event. It is an honor to have her participate.
Judith will be showing some of her paintings in the gallery along with the Kansans Paint Kansas show. If you haven’t seen her work before this will be a great opportunity for you to see beautiful Kansas art by Mackey and other members of the Topeka Art Guild.
Opening Reception for Kansans Paint Kansas will be held on Friday October 7, 2011 from 5 - 8pm during the First Friday Art Walk, juror Judith Mackey will be present. The Topeka Art Guild Gallery is located at 5331 SW 22nd Place, Topeka, KS 66614 at Fairlawn Shopping Plaza. This event is free to the public and will continue through November 2011.
If you are in Topeka, Kansas this weekend, I'll be at the Aaron Douglas Art Fair where we will be showcasing the new Stroke of Genius Game application. You'll have a chance to see it in action and try it for yourself. Also the hard copy of the game will be there for you to check out as well. The fair is at 12th and Lane at the Art Park. Happening September 24th, 2011 from 10 a.m to 5 p.m. the Art Fair showcases diverse and emerging artists from Topeka and the surrounding region. The day long fair also features entertainment, food and children's activities.
Also Featured Artist The Craftivists are a local Topeka group of friends who stand together at the intersection of art and activism. For Nikki MacMillan, Sara O'Keeffe, Laura Burton, Michelle McCormick, and Julie Velez, their mission is simple: to rock the world into an understanding about important social and worldly causes through art culture. It ought to be a grand time!
About Stroke of Genius: a creative game that challenges you to take a single drawn Stroke and transform it into an imaginative picture that reflects the Spark Word, please the Juror and collect the Spark Word cards to win the game.
The new electronic Android Phone version that allows you to share your creation on Facebook will be showcased along with the hard copy play at home version. You can see some home videos of game play and various comments about the game at facebook/strokeofgeniusgame (it's a facebook page, so why not become a fan while you are there too!)
This piece has been accepted in the Buttonwood Art Space 3rd Annual Visions of the Flint Hills Benefit and Sale.
Come out and help my fellow artists and I support the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve and the Flint Hills of Kansas.
VISIONS OF THE FLINT HILLS BENEFIT AND SALE is a juried exhibit featuring art of the Flint Hills. The exhibit will run from October 7, 2011 thru November 25, 2011, in the Buttonwood Art Space (www.buttonwoodartspace.com ), 3013 Main Street, Kansas City, Missouri. Partial proceeds from the event benefit a non-profit organization which promotes the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve and the Flint Hills of Kansas. www.visionsoftheflinthills.org
Gallery Hours: Monday through Friday - 9:00 am to 5 pm Sundays and Evenings by Appointment First Friday October 7th and November 4th, 2011 - Open House Food/Drink 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm
JURORS: Jamie Lavin, Buttonwood Gallery Director.
Artist's Comments:
Pale Purple Conflowers are a favorite subject of mine. Here I found them looking over a Kansas landscape known as the Flint Hills near the Konza Prairie Reserve in Riley County. The beauty of the Flint Hills in Kansas is unrivaled and many artists are inspired by them.
The Flint Hills are steep-sloped and overlain by shallow limestone soils unsuitable for cultivation. This region contains the largest remaining area of tallgrass prairie in North America since the majority of the Konza Prairie and the surrounding landscape have not been plowed. To learn more about the Konza Prairie go to http://keep.konza.ksu.edu/friends/
A 1996 study conducted by Virginia Lohr and others showed that rooms and offices decorated with plants and flowers helped sacrifice stress as measured by decreased blood pressure and pulse rates. Researchers have further determined that there is also a correlation between flowers and being satisfied with life. In another study it was demonstrated that flowers will improve a person’s mood by decreasing anxiety, depression and agitation.
Decorating your home or office with Michelle’s colorful floral art instead of fresh flowers, allows you to include flowers in your decor that will never die, dry out or fade. Having blossoms filled with personality as an element in your home can be a positive influence for both inhabitants and visitors because they make a home more welcoming and create an inviting atmosphere. With their versatility and universal appeal, floral paintings go well in any room of your home or office. In a living room or dining room they add a degree of sophistication; in the bedroom they add romance to the ambiance.
Also at Tinkham Veale Gallery:
The silent auction fundraiser for Doodle it Downtown is coming to an end this First Friday Art Walk, September 2nd. To view and bid on the pieces go to the foyer of The Tinkham Veale Gallery,909 S Kansas Avenue. This will be your opportunity to own one of these amazing pieces. The programs offered by Downtown Topeka,Inc. and Topeka Parks &Recreation Foundation will both benefit from the Auction.
Sponsored by local business, the artists created their pieces on 26″x 40″paper outside during record heat from Noon to 7:30 pm on July 28th. Among the participating artists was Art Print Express’ sponsored Michelle Leivan who painted a sunflower “Ad Astra Apollo” pictured in chalk.
The sunflower faithfully tracks the sun through a late summer watching the evening sun set and soon returns toward the east to meet the morning. This sunflower shows the wear and tear of an entire season. On occasion I find myself feeling more and more cynical about the world we live in and this sunflower echoes the withering of my optimism. It seems every time I tune into the world today whether it is on TV, Radio or on the Internet, I am inundated with disaster, murder, war and loss of various degrees. It is exhausting!
However, we must remember that with the passage of time come eternal change and the promise of a new day just as the change of each season. When I feel overwhelmed by the media and the pessimistic events of our day, I rummage around in my mind for a bit of comfort. Lately I’ve found an item of peace with an ancient observation offered by King Solomon in the Book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible and later brought into pop culture in the ‘60’s by Pete Seeger of the Byrds, “Turn, Turn, Turn, to Everything There is a Season.”
Turn, Turn, Turn - The Byrds
To everything, turn, turn, turn There is a season, turn, turn, turn And a time for every purpose under heaven
A time to be born, a time to die A time to plant, a time to reap A time to kill, a time to heal A time to laugh, a time to weep
A time to build up, a time to break down A time to dance, a time to mourn A time to cast away stones A time to gather stones together
A time of love, a time of hate A time of war, a time of peace A time you may embrace A time to refrain from embracing
A time to gain, a time to lose A time to rend, a time to sew A time of love, a time of hate A time of peace, I swear it’s not too late
by Michelle Leivan on 11/28/2010 2:24:45 PM1 Comment
It's been a while since I blogged, it's funny how life seems to take over. I started a series of portraits and there are several of them in my "People I Know" series category. This is my newest piece in that series and it features my niece in a daydreamy pose. It makes me think about clarity of morning thoughtfulness. I was so excited to get this piece painted because it was a wonderful pose and the lighting was just right to capture her character. I hope you enjoy it.
Topeka Art Guild celebrates the Third Annual “Kansans Paint Kansas” juried art competition this weekend with live music, food and Kansas inspired art. The afternoon party promises to be a fun filled event with Nate Hill of KSNT as Master of Ceremonies, Dulcimer Music by Fred Appelhanz and many of the participating artists will be in attendance. The announcement of prize award winning entries for 2D, 3D, photography and student categories will be made during the grand opening reception on Sunday September 26, 2010 from 2-5pm at the Topeka Art Guild Gallery. Read more at : Topeka Art Guild Gallery celebrates “Kansans Paint Kansas” art competition - Topeka art | Examiner.com
A fundraiser for the Friends of Ted Ensley Gardens
Sunday, September 19, 2010 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Garden House at Lake Shawnee, 37th & West Edge Rd.
(Refreshments served)
In June, SouthWind Gallery invited 35 artists to participate in a one-day plein air painting competition at the beautiful Ensley Gardens at Lake Shawnee. Shown is a photo of me (taken by Dylan Clemmons) painting my "Ensley Echinachea" pieces near a fantastic collection of purple coneflowers in Ensley Gardens.
The paint-out is part of a fundraising event organized by the Friends of Ted Ensley Gardens. The public is invited to attend the juried art exhibit and sale on Sunday, September 19, 2010, from 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m., at the Garden House at Lake Shawnee, 37th & West Edge Road. Jurors for the art competition are Gary Blitsch and Sharon Hotchkiss of SouthWind Gallery.
The World Class Ensley Gardens would not be possible without the public and private partnership created between Friends of the Ted Ensley Gardens and Shawnee County Parks & Recreation. All proceeds from the art sale will be used to support local artists and to ensure that the Ted Ensley Gardens remain "World Class Gardens" for all to enjoy. *
New house, new studio, it is crazy how much there is to do that does not involve art! Finally had a few minutes to spend in my studio doing something other than organizing! So, relaxing and fun! Somehow I feel a little more sane today. Imagine that! Here is the result, a new painting!
A day lilly that was in our new front yard. I didn't plant them, it was a wonderful surprise as is all the other amazing flowers. I feel so lucky to have the new house with all of it's hidden treasures.
A large selection of fine art giclee prints of Michelle's work is available at www.ArtPrintExpress.com a business owned by Michelle Leivan. Each print is produced and approved by Michelle.
The silent auction fundraiser for Doodle it Downtown is coming to an end this First Friday Art Walk, September 2nd. To view and bid on the pieces go to the foyer of The Tinkham Veale Gallery,909 S Kansas Avenue. This will be your opportunity to own one of these amazing pieces. The programs offered by Downtown Topeka,Inc. and Topeka Parks &Recreation Foundation will both benefit from the Auction.
