Another artist in The Muses group is Peggy Kerwan.  Maybe because she teaches yoga weekly, Peggy is usually very energetic and productive when I have painted with her on Tuesdays.  Peggy typically has a palette full of colorful, acrylic paint globs beside her and a canvas that quickly gets covered with her expressive brush strokes.  Sometimes she uses a rag or a finger to make her "finger-paintings" and she's nicknamed, "the smudger."

Peggy is a self-taught artist and works in many mediums.  For the past year, she has been experimenting in mixed media, creating collages and mosaics with collected papers (t'art) and papers (oils), in addition to the mosaics of glass and wood.  She has created several pieces in encaustic, a blend of wax, pigments and resins.  Peggy, who accepts commissions, also has experience in painting wall murals, faux finishes, portraits & figurative, abstracts, photo-op posters, masks, and monoprints.

"My fondness of whimsy, which has allowed me to paint many children's murals, sometimes finds its way over into my portrait and figure work.  In the past I preferred to paint from my imagination, using bright colors and a sense of humor to express my high level of energy and positive outlook."

Peggy's art has been exhibited around the Detroit metro area:  Ferndale's Lawrence Street Gallery (www.lawrencestreetgallery.com), the Livonia Civic Center Library, South Lyon's The Menagerie Gallery, Novi's Picasso Cafe, Canton's Village Theater, Dexter's Daisy Lake Gallery (www.daisylakeartgallery.com), and the Detroit Artist Market (www.detroitartistsmarket.org).

Tonight, as part of the First Friday Art Walk, at the Northville Art House (www.northvillearts.org) is the opening reception of the exhibit "The Painted Stage, Theater Portrayed Through the Artist's Brush (A Tipping Point Collaboration)".   Peggy's art will be exhibiting (June 5 - 20) as well as fellow Muses: Linda Logan, Daria Fileta, Mary Step, Candace Brancik, Barbara Eko Murphy, and Jeff Cancelosi.  I know Peggy and the other Muses put a lot a planning, time, and effort into the initial Tipping Point Exhibit (May 2009) which is now the Northville Art House exhibit.  The results should be fantastic!

www.flickr.com/people/miss_peggy/











 

One of the 9 Muses is Candace (Candy) Brancik of Milford.  On Tuesdays, I see Candy paint mostly in oils, usually starting with a small, tonal underpainting.  She then introduces her rich palette of colors, and builds her figures with a delicate grace of brushwork.  Her finished paintings have an old world feeling, however, they exude a contemporary confidence.

Candy writes:  "After 20+ years in the commercial art field, I realized I had strayed from the things I really loved about art, and so in 2004, I retired early from my job to go back to the more fulfilling field of fine art.  Currently, I paint with our Tuesday group from a live model, mostly in oil, and at home in the studio.  I find myself gravitating towards mixed media drawings of animals, and of birds in particular.  But I still feel I'm looking for that inner voice to come out, so my goals are to continue to experiment with media, develop technically, and eventually build a cohesive body of work."

Tonight, Candy is receiving top honors at the Lawrence Street Gallery's 2009 The Body Electric Juried Competition & Exhibition (www.lawrencestreetgallery.com) for her mixed media work titled "Stripes". Congratulations, Candy. 

Candy's website:  www.thepixelcollective.com/cbrancik

A core group of nine devoted artists, calling themselves "The Muses", meet every Tuesday for a few hours in order to create figurative art from a  female or male model. 

Most of the time the model will pose for short gestures for the artists to warm-up and then spend the rest of the time in an extended pose, either nude or clothed.  If the model doesn't bring their own costume, the costumes are selected from a large closet of colorful dresses, skirts, blouses, scarves, and jewelry.  Various props are used, such as different chairs, chaises, or benches, along with flowers, ceramics, or vases.  Background draperies are suspended behind the model stand, which is a large, wooden base on wheels.  The lighting comes from a long row of windows with northeastern exposure, some overhead spotlights, and a model stand light.

Music usually plays softly in the background.  While the artists work at their craft, lively banter fills the air with interesting discussions about the current news events or movies playing at the theaters.  There are always humorous commentaries that keep the chatter mixed with laughter.  During model breaks, the artists enjoy fresh coffee and technique discussions with each others' work in progress.

Pictured in the Muses photo above are -
Front row:  Daria Fileta, Peggy Kerwan, Jeff Cancelosi, Barbara Eko Murphy, Mary Step, LInda Logan;
Back row:  Sandra Bozer, Debbie Valentine Matthews, Candy Brancik.

Yesterday, our Tuesday painting group installed our exhibit - The Muses: 9 Metro Artists at the Livonia Civic Library.  Mary Step's artwork may be displayed at a later date.  Mary has some family health issues and we all wish her the very best.  Barbara Murphy was at the Lawrence Street Gallery for help with jurying The Body Electric Show.  www.LawrenceStreetGallery.com   

It took about two hours to arrange all the artwork on the panels and pedestals.  Also, we put on display a guest book, an artist information book, and our business cards.

Artwork of the postcard above are from -
Top row:  Candace Brancik, Jeff Cancelosi, Mary Step, Linda Logan,
Middle:  Barbara Eko Murphy,
Bottom row:  Debbie Valentine Matthews, Peggy Kerwan, Sandra Bozer, Daria Fileta.