"COWGIRLS" Exhibit Coming to Arts on Grand!

The Cowgirls are coming!!!  Carol Herdin, Mona Majorowicz and Barbara McGee have been talking about putting this show together for several years and it is finally ready to hang at Arts on Grand in Spence, Iowa.  Barb is a member of the 2015 Artisans Road Trip!

 oil painting - ©Barb McGee

  watercolor painting - ©Barb McGee

These two paintings were completed by Barbara McGee in the last month, and Barb gives us a little insight and look into the process she used working on these two paintings - one is oil and one watercolor but they were both painted with only three colors, blue, red and yellow plus white for the oil painting.  This was an interesting exercise, in which McGee learned that there is a limitless number of colors that can be created from these three colors.  The oil painting was started first, it is a very tight, precise panting that required a large range of colors and values. She was surprised to find out that almost every color mixed required varying amounts of all three of the colors plus white for the lighter values.  The watercolor was started on a Wednesday in August and was framed and hung on the wall the next day.  It didn't turn out at all as she had intended but when it was done she was happy.  The watercolors were mixed in the same way as the oils except that no white is required because the paper works as the white.  After doing two full paintings in this manner McGee is taken with the simplicity of working with fewer colors.  

The exhibit runs from September 1 through 26th with the opening reception on Thursday September 3rd from 5:30 to 8:00.  The reception is free and open to the public - come meet the artists and take in this fun show!