Linda Warner Constantino (MFA 2007) Awarded a Presidential Fellowship from SCAD

From Linda Warner Constantino's blog, "A Passion for Small Paintings":

"I just found out I have received a Presidential Fellowship from SCAD to paint in Rome this June. I am thrilled! It is a dream come true. My proposal is to paint the Italian Culinary Experience from Garden to Table. I definitely want to paint the garden at the Academia of Rome but also study the works of Giovanna Garzoni and still life painter from the 1650s and one of the first women painter in Italy. I will be painting in watercolors and oils and the subject matter will be varied but have something to do with the uniquely Italian culture of food. After Rome I will head up to teach my painting workshops. Maybe I will finally be able to speak some Italian after this summer. I cannot seem to get enough of Italy."

Congratulations to Linda from all of us!

For to follow more of Linda Warner Constantino's painting and writing>>

News from David Labrozzi

The Illustrators Club of Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia just completed their annual Members Show at The Art Institute of Washington in Rosslyn. Even though the weather was not so nice for the opening, we still received great attendance. Paul Zdepski and myself were among the local Illustrators who exhibited works through the month of December into January. We always promote the MFA program at the shows and this year we may have even gotten 2 candidates. One is Charlotte Fremaux who seems to be very interested in proceeding. The other is Jim Starr. I recognize Jim from the IC for, well … forever. Both Illustrators would be great additions to the program.

We design many tours, seminars, speakers, etc … through the Illustrators Club every year. Last year we toured a local private collection of Golden Age Illustration. I'll leave some mystery, but the collection rivals many of those which are on public display. The collection owners love to show the works; especially to people with a background and knowledge of Illustration. As such, the Illustrators Club has been invited back for future tours. I'll be sure to let everyone in our classes know when the next tour is scheduled. The Illustrators Club events can also be checked out on the web at: http://illustratorsclub.org/ We normally post all upcoming events on the site.

I will be in one more show from January 19 — February 27, titled "Seasons." The show will be held at Montgomery College in Rockville, MD at the Communications Arts Technology (CAT) Gallery. Martha Vaughn (one of Murray's former students in the MA, Syracuse Program) puts this show together. It features 12 Illustrators/12 pieces. It's an honor for me to be shown with some of my favourites from the Washington DC area. I've attached a copy of the show postcard to this e-mail.

News from Ted Michalowski

Here are the exhibitions I've been in since a student in the Hartford program. I have them by year, especially in case you only want shows since graduating, which I did in 2007 as of the Thesis Exhibition.

For possibly noteworthy stuff in addition to exhibitions, I've been doing more courtroom illustration for CNN, and running the weekly Drawing Socials at AfA Gallery in Scranton, PA (drawing group with live music performances). Also I was awarded Best Visual Artist 2008 by Electric City (Scranton's weekly).

Exhibitions:
2009 Members Show, AfA Gallery, Scranton, PA

2008 Drawing Social Original Drawings, One-Man Show, Eden Café, Scranton, PA

2008 AfA Annual Auction, Group Auction Show, AfA Gallery, Scranton, PA

2008 AnthropomorPlease, One-Man Show, Everything Natural Gallery, Clarks Summit, PA

2008 NEPA Regional Art 2008, various Scranton galleries, Scranton, PA

2008 Size is Relative, Silpe Gallery, Alumni Show, Hartford Art School, Hartford, CT

2008 September Members Show, AfA Gallery, Scranton, PA

2008 AfA Live Drawing Exhibition, Group Show, AfA Gallery, Scranton, PA

2008 Members Show, Society of Illustrators, New York City, NY

2008 Drawcore, One-Man Show, Main St. Jukebox Gallery, Stroudsburg, PA

2008 The Pink Show, Two-Person Show, The 411 Studio, Olyphant, PA

2008 Keystone College Faculty Exhibition, Linder Gallery, La Plume, PA,

2008 Original Drawing Social Works, Starbucks Coffee, Scranton, PA

2008 Members Show, AfA Gallery, Scranton, PA

2007 Holiday Exhibition, Members Show, AfA Gallery, Scranton, PA

2007 Ted Michalowski – Laura Orvieto, Two-Person Show, Marquis Gallery, Scranton, PA

2007 Marywood University Faculty Biennial, Mahady Gallery, Scranton, PA

2007 Pen, Paper, and Ink, Group Show, AfA Gallery, Scranton, PA

2007 Hartford Art School MFA Illustration Thesis Exhibition, Silpe Gallery, Hartford, CT



2007 Members Show, Society of Illustrators, New York City, NY

2007 The Old Broad Show, Members Show, AfA Gallery, Scranton, PA

2007 Madness Exhibition, Members Show, AfA Gallery, Scranton, PA

2006 Holiday Exhibition, Members Show, AfA Gallery, Scranton, PA

2006 AfA Annual Auction, Group Auction Show, AfA Gallery, Scranton, PA

2006 The Charlie Genius Show, Two-Person Show, Test Pattern Gallery, Scranton, PA

2006 The Governor’s Exhibition, F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts,
Wilkes-Barre, PA

Our Flickr account!

Chuck P reminds everyone there is a Flickr account set up for the Hartford Illustration MFA students. He set this account up so everyone can upload and share any pictures they want from the program. Set up categories and collections, leave pithy comments...have fun.
The site is:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/25123852@N02/

We will post a link to the left for posterity. Engage! Upload!

An opportunity for illustrators: The United States Air Force Art Collection

From their site:
"The United States Air Force Art Collection documents the story of the Air Force through the universal language of art. The actions and deeds of Air Force men and women are recorded in paintings by eminent American artists in a way words alone could never tell. These paintings are both historical and educational and expose the military and the public to the role and diverse capabilities of the United States Air Force."

Murray Tinkelman has participated in this program and is a good person to contact about this opportunity. Check out the list of illustrators who have been involved in this program since 1951 (with earlier aspects of the program being exclusively a portrait program). Impressive! A great opportunity to experience the Air Force and participate in something of history and prestige.

Congratulations to Our Class of 2008!

"Do not fail, as you go on, to draw something every day, for no matter how little it is it will be well worthwhile, and it will do you a world of good."

Cennini, 1370 – 1440


Congratulations to our Class of 2008!
After a whirlwind year of travel and projects, new friends, new approaches and concepts, significant life and art changes, your thesis' and illustrations are done. We all will miss you during our travels and critiques, our breakfasts and bus trips but we will see you soon!

From left: Mike Massengale, Sylvia Shapiro, Anne Catharine Blake, Ron Mazellan, Mariano Nicienza, Amanda Saxton, Durwin Talon, Gerry Hampton, David Monette, Jim O'Brien.

Day One: July 13, 2008

We gathered today for the first time. Old returning students ready to graduate, not so old returning students midway, the first years and the hybrids (MA>MFAs). It was very exciting and fun--and as Murray remarked, it was nice to see the energy and the way all the students came together. He shared that despite the work being so different, the great thing about our students is the energy and passion that they all share. I totally agree.

We were given our locker keys, our email addresses and the emergency phone numbers should we need them. We saw a slide show of the incoming students (twice!), and had some beginnings of thesis information shared. We had a tour of the areas on campus that we are going to use (all impressive, clean and air conditioned spaces) along with the various options for eating (including a fixed price lunch club in the building our studio is in). There is a nice computer lab complete with the 12" x 18" epson scanner and two big epson printers we can use. Impressive. Yes, there is a lot to learn and accomplish in these short two weeks, but it seems the spaces and accomodations will make it much easier to get the work done. What a delight.

Top: lunch in the Koopman Commons; Middle: Paul Zdepski, Bottom: Chad Grohman (left) and Jay Lincoln (right)