February 10, 2009
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Amelia Wiggins
Educator, Public Programs, Stark Museum of Art
409.886.ARTS (2787)
ORANGE, Texas, February 10, 2009 - In association with its new exhibition, Bluebonnets and Beyond: Julian Onderdonk, American Impressionist, the Stark Museum of Art has teamed with Lamar State College-Orange to offer Painting in the Landscape, a free continuing education workshop to be offered in the spring 2009 semester.
Both beginning and practiced artists are invited to participate in the workshop, which will be held every Saturday from February 28 through March 21, 2-4:30 p.m., with scheduled participation on March 28. The workshop will begin with a tour and discussion of Bluebonnets and Beyond: Julian Onderdonk, American Impressionist. Workshop participants will paint outdoors in selected locations during the next three Saturday sessions. The workshop concludes with Art in the Park on Saturday, March 28, when participants will display their paintings with fellow local artists.
Painting in the Landscape will be led by instructor Amelia Wiggins, who holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in painting from the Maryland Institute College of Art and currently works as educator for public programs at the Stark Museum of Art. Wiggins encourages interested locals to sign up for the painting workshop, saying, "I hope that area painters will take inspiration from the work of Julian Onderdonk and gather to make art together in the fresh air."
Registration information can be found on the Lamar State College-Orange website, www.lsco.edu, or by calling 409.882.3321. Participants will be responsible for providing their own supplies. A list of suggested materials is available upon request.
Bluebonnets and Beyond: Julian Onderdonk, American Impressionist is organized by the Dallas Museum of Art and is on view at the Stark Museum of Art February 10 through May 24. Julian Onderdonk (1882-1922) is primarily known for his portrayal of the Texas bluebonnet, though he explored various landscape scenes throughout his career. He traveled to New York to study art with the revered American artist and teacher William Merritt Chase before returning home to Texas to continue painting.
Bluebonnets and Beyond: Julian Onderdonk, American Impressionist includes works Onderdonk painted while attending Chase's summer school in Long Island as well as other scenes he experienced during his life in New York and Texas. Also on view will be works by William Merritt Chase, and a portrait of Julian by his father, Robert Jenkins Onderdonk, who also studied under Chase and imparted some of his knowledge to Julian Onderdonk's early childhood studies.
Located at 712 Green Avenue in Orange, Texas, the Stark Museum of Art is open to the public at no charge Tuesday through Saturday. Hours are from 10 AM - 5 PM. Group tours are available by appointment. For more information call 409.886.ARTS (2787) or visit www.starkmuseum.org.
Julian Onderdonk (1882-1922), Untitled (Field of Bluebonnets), n.d.
Oil on canvas, 23 3/8 x 39 3/8 inches. Dallas Museum of Art.
Julian Onderdonk (1882-1922), Southwest Texas, c. 1919.
Oil on canvas, 20 x 30 inches. Melissa and Trevor Fetter.
About the Stark Museum of Art
The Stark Museum of Art focuses on the stunning land, the dramatic people and the diverse wildlife of the American West. Paintings, sculpture and prints interpret the West from nineteenth century frontier artists to the twentieth century artistic colonies in New Mexico. Artists include John James Audubon, Frederic Remington, Charles Marion Russell, and many others.
The museum also features a significant collection of American Indian art, including baskets, pottery, clothing, and weavings. Other permanent collections in the museum include the complete porcelain American Bird Series by Dorothy Doughty and the only complete series of The United States in Crystal, a collection of crystal urns produced by Steuben Glass to depict the 50 states and the Union
The Stark Museum of Art is a program of the Nelda C. and H.J. Lutcher Stark Foundation, a nonprofit organization.