Welcome to our blog page on the Art currently being displayed at the Royal Bean and Previous artist who have displayed at the Royal Bean.  Year round we have rotating art from the “Art Alliance”, which is an organization at Meredith College.  When you walk in the front doors of the Royal Bean in the back left hand side of the store you’ll find their work.  Please Read a letter from their group below!:

Art Alliance is an organization at Meredith College that strives to bring together artistic and creative minds.  The mission of our group is to promote a sense of community within the Meredith College Art Department and inspire students to further their own artistic endeavors both on and off campus.  We offer a safe and judgment free zone where members can reach out to their peers and/or professors for encouragement and creative criticism to further their own artistic abilities.  We want to empower the unique and artistic women that attend Meredith College and provide a creative outlet that supports community and artistic freedom.  Our goal is to have fun and promote expression through our artistic voice!

 

The Royal Bean Coffee House has offered us a wonderful opportunity to display the work of our members.  We will be having a rotation of exhibitions with varying themes.  Each exhibition will be juried by both our club officers and a variety of professors in the Art Department at Meredith College.  We hope you enjoy the variety of work displayed and continue to visit and support us as an organization. 

   

If you are interesting in purchasing any of the works, please contact us at:

mcartalliance@gmail.com

 

Thanks!

The Art Alliance Club at Meredith College

  

  New artist display artwork at the Royal Bean starting the month of April 2010:

Janae Lehto

   

I’ve always considered myself an artist, whether or not I was actively pursuing it. My childhood dream was to grow up and become a starving artist. As this became a reality after receiving an art degree, I decided to do what many people do-find a regular 9 to 5 job. 

While some people restart their art career after retirement, I am quietly trying to build my portfolio while I continue working. I’m always looking at life as if it were a still life, portrait, landscape worth painting. 

The details in life (the people/animals/flowers/leaves) are what inspire me to paint. By “paint”, I’m using a broad term since it really depends on the subject. I mostly use colored pencils/watercolors for anything from nature and charcoal for portraits and animals. 

The different mediums I use allow me to play with my technique and subjects. The watercolor allows me to be free and let the watercolors mix on the paper. There is a translucency with this medium that is difficult to maintain with other paints. 

Charcoal has always been one of my favorite mediums as I use it to sculpt the subject. I enjoy trying my hand at pulling the portrait out of the paper whether it’s a cow, goat, person, or pet. 

 

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

Previous Artist Below:

  

Vicki L. Rees

Artist Statement

Two years ago, I embarked on a series of vegetable and fruit still-lifes.  For a foodie, this is the equivalent of “writing what you know”. 

My “fruits + veggies” exhibition has no socio-political message; it is simply a paean to everyday food beautiful in its own way.

My process typically starts with a reference photograph – often taken by my husband – which I edit and crop.  I draw the image by hand on either a blank canvas or one that I have prepared with a colored background, and then paint the image in oils with a commercially prepared medium. 

Biography

Over the past four years, I have been re-pursuing my muse after a 30-year break.  During this time, I have explored a variety of subjects and styles, and rediscovered the wonder of seeing colors, shapes, and paint strokes bring life to canvas. 

I studied art, particularly oil painting, as a child and teenager.  As an adult, I have joined a wonderful group of painters through Wake Tech Community College with instructor, David Benz. 

Originally from Indiana, I came to Raleigh after a 20+ year stop in Lexington, Kentucky.  My husband and I live near downtown and enjoy being within walking distance to many of the First Friday venues. 

*NOTE: You can find her artwork in the Royal Bean Coffee House when you walk in the front door in the front of the store on the right hand side**                    

 Christine D. Renae, artist and Raleigh native

Christine D. Renae’s work has been shown at the Visual Art Exchange gallery in

downtown Raleigh during the 20th Annual “N.E.W. Show”, Aries Lounge, the Black Flower, Le Peche, and Dress Boutique.

I see the world as being full of mystery, beauty, darkness and intrigue. I focus on these concepts to fulfill my need to explore the world as it exists in reality and as it flourishes in my mind. I begin a piece by picking a moment in time that calls out to me, whether real or imagined, wanting to be captured and acknowledged for its significance in its own tale. My ambition is to spark your imagination so the story continues to unfold.

I work with acrylics using both airbrush and traditional techniques as the vibrancy and possibilities of this medium remind me that the world is full of countless colors and hues to be explored and celebrated. Some vibrant and boisterous, others calm and subdued yet all beautiful in their uniqueness.

I am continuously exploring new ways to share the beauty and possibilities of both paint, my mind and the experience of human imagination. Stories have been told from the beginning of man’s ability to communicate; I share a moment of time with you as you view my piece hoping that the tale doesn’t end with my vision.

Click on the image of Christine’s original artwork below to explore her website! 

*NOTE: Make sure you come to the Royal Bean’s to see Christine D. Renae artwork.  Walk in the front door and her artwork will be on the right side from middle to back.***

  

  

  

 

 

 

 

 

               

 

               

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

  

  

  

  

*NOTE: Below art was displayed during the first six weeks of 2010*** 

Barbara Blaisdell Photography

 

About Barbara Blaisdell                     

Barbara has been photographing people and places for most of her life.  Beginning with a Brownie Hawkeye around the age of twelve, she advanced to more sophisticated cameras, added lenses, filters and kept right on shooting.  Over the years she has photographed anything and everything – from chronicling the daily lives and special events of her family and friends to preserving memories of journeys taken to capturing a moment in nature.

A graduate of Temple University, Barbara taught English at high schools in Philadelphia and New York.  During the 1970’s she journeyed with her husband and two sons to the wilds of Alaska where they built a log house from trees on their land and learned how to deal with the unpredictability of nature.  After that she and her family moved to Raleigh then Charlotte, NC, then Greenville, SC.  She and her husband have recently moved to Wake Forest, NC.

Barbara has done everything from drive a tractor trailer, to own a personnel consulting firm with her husband, to manage a temporary staffing service.  No matter where she’s been or what she’s done, photography has always been her passion.  Her photographs can be found in numerous private collections throughout the Southeastern United States.  In addition, her works have been exhibited at Furman University, the Commerce Club, Oliver Yu Gallery, and Upstate Visual Arts in Greenville, SC.  She participates in art fairs and exhibitions throughout the year and has just opened a retail space in the Cotton Company in Wake Forest, NC.

 

Maryann Hopper

Please go to her website: www.maryannhopper.com .

Artist Statement

      Most of the art that I create represents the beauty and grace of our fine-feathered friends. They are all around us every day and yet they mostly go unnoticed. Through experimentation with texture, line, and color, I hope to convey several characteristics of birds such as their movements and their graceful body structure. In my pieces, I try to include aspects of their habitats. However, the main focus is on birds’ body structures. The feelings that people have towards birds are also of interest to me and help inspire many of my works.

                        

Bio: Maryann Hopper

      In 2003 I received a BFA in Art Education from East Carolina University. After graduating, I taught art in Wilson County for three years and am now happily teaching art in Wake County at Pleasant Union Elementary School. I live in Raleigh with my husband, Brandon, and our cat, George. Recently, I have become a Graduate student through ECU’s distance education program and hope to have my Masters by the end of next year. In regards to art creation, I enjoy taking pictures, drawing, painting, and then using the resulting images in Photoshop to advance the creative process. My future plans are to develop my university education, continue teaching, and explore new artistic possibilities.