Art Guild of Orange Park Meetings 2024-2025
Our meetings include a social time, a short business session followed by a program given by a professional artist who will demonstrate and discuss their process and art medium. Check in begins at 6:30 p.m. Questions are encouraged. All meetings are “free” and open to the public. Visitors are always welcome.
Meetings are held on the 1st Monday* of every month
(September through May )
at the 150 Fox Valley Drive, Orange Park, FL
TIME: 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
*View our Calendar for a complete list of meetings & events
2024-25 Programs
September meeting
October 7, 2024 – carron Wedlund – Pastelcarron will discuss pastel, its uses, past history, and materials such as various surfaces and the pastels, underpainting, finishing and framing with pastels. She will demo her steps to create an artwork.
november 4, 2024 – Abby Howard Murphy – Plein AirPlein air artist, Abby Howard Murphy, will talk about capturing the vibrant colors and play of light while celebrating the intricacies of nature that a camera fails to see.
December 2, 2024 – Annual Holiday PartyEnjoy a potluck dinner with members, family and friends at 150 Fox Valley Drive, Orange Park, FL 32073
January 6, 2025 – Pal Ladnier – Oil LandscapesPaul has painted throughout the US, Central America, the Caribbean, and Europe. He will demonstrate his approach and processes for making a convincing painting.
February 3, 2025 – Bill Gura – Pencil, Lighting, Live Model – Art SwapBill will introduce the pencil…its concept, construction, grades and use of creating portraits employing the cross-hatching method, along with use of the Pantograph. He will demo lighting with a live model. Then the Art Swap/Sale, a fun event where members bring their are wares/supplies to sell, trade or share begins.
March 3, 2025 – Janet Rogers – Watercolor FloralsJanet will first demonstrate her application of paint and use of color to create a "mini" demo - the proceed to paint a bouquet of flowers - (FRESH FLOWERS). Janet will explain how she approaches painting and creating a composition. She uses a "loose" application using a limited palette.
April 7, 2025 – Paula Pascicci – Mixed MediaJoin Paula Pascicci as she explores multiple techniques for creating collage fodder. She will guide you through the process and showcase examples of the unique results you can achieve.
May 5, 2025 – Installation of Officers – Scholarship Awards – Guest SpeakerScholarship awards will be given to one or more Clay County High School Seniors after the installation of our 2025-2026 officers. Special guest speaker.
September 5, 2023 – Season OpenerNEW LOCATION TONIGHT ONLY - ORANGE PARK LIBRARY MEETING ROOM - 2054 PLAINFIELD AVENUE, BEHIND THE DIARY QUEEN.
Join the Art Guild for an exciting year. This first meeting will highlight all the great things coming up this year and next. Including details about our Annual Gala, "Putting on the Glitz", our first annual Studio Tour, upcoming programs and workshop and so much more. Be there or be square!
Join the Art Guild for an exciting year. This first meeting will highlight all the great things coming up this year and next. Including details about our Annual Gala, "Putting on the Glitz", our first annual Studio Tour, upcoming programs and workshop and so much more. Be there or be square!
October 3, 2023 – Ellen Diamond – Loosening upEllen Diamond will be doing an acrylic demonstration showing how to express oneself using stronger brushwork, simplifying the subject and expressing these new ideas with imaginative color eliminating the need for careful rendering to achieve a more exciting painting. Looser more expressive paintings seem to fit with our lifestyles of today.
Ellen Diamond was raised in Brooklyn, New York where she developed her career as an artist. At an early age she was regularly seen sitting by her father’s side, Ben Clements, trying to emulate his painting techniques and skills. Her father, a well-known portrait artist and art teacher, mentored her and directed her to study at Pratt Institute and then on to a degree in fine art from New York University. There she studied with renowned artists such as Hale Woodruff, Robert Kaupelis, and Esteban Vicente first generation Abstract Expressionists. Inspired by their vibrant color and gestural style of painting, Ellen continues to create paintings that have been influenced by their training. She is currently working in a Contemporary Impressionistic manner experimenting with color and shape as her most important inspiration.
Diamond has received many awards in juried competitions and has exhibited in many solo and group shows. She is a juried member of The National Association of Women Artists, and The American Impressionist Society. Her work is represented in Florida at the H. Whittaker Gallery –Ponte Vedra Beach, Vault Gallery, Jacksonville FL, Plum Gallery. St Augustine FL.
Her works are in over 500 private, public and corporate collections including: EverBank, Jacksonville FL, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville FL, Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville FL, Jacksonville City Hall Mayors Office, Regents National Bank, St. Augustine FL, State University of New York, Garden City New York. Recent solo and group exhibitions include Sunlight Captured, Fairfax Gallery, Summer in Tuscany, Fairfax Gallery, Beauty, Miller Gallery, European Landscapes, Miller Gallery, Traditions in Paint, Haskell Gallery. Chasing Color, (50 year retrospective) Cultural Center Ponte Vedra.
Ellen Diamond is sharing her knowledge and experience by teaching, lecturing, and taking groups on workshops in the US and Europe. Most recently she has taken groups to Tuscany and the South of France.
Ellen Diamond was raised in Brooklyn, New York where she developed her career as an artist. At an early age she was regularly seen sitting by her father’s side, Ben Clements, trying to emulate his painting techniques and skills. Her father, a well-known portrait artist and art teacher, mentored her and directed her to study at Pratt Institute and then on to a degree in fine art from New York University. There she studied with renowned artists such as Hale Woodruff, Robert Kaupelis, and Esteban Vicente first generation Abstract Expressionists. Inspired by their vibrant color and gestural style of painting, Ellen continues to create paintings that have been influenced by their training. She is currently working in a Contemporary Impressionistic manner experimenting with color and shape as her most important inspiration.
Diamond has received many awards in juried competitions and has exhibited in many solo and group shows. She is a juried member of The National Association of Women Artists, and The American Impressionist Society. Her work is represented in Florida at the H. Whittaker Gallery –Ponte Vedra Beach, Vault Gallery, Jacksonville FL, Plum Gallery. St Augustine FL.
Her works are in over 500 private, public and corporate collections including: EverBank, Jacksonville FL, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville FL, Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville FL, Jacksonville City Hall Mayors Office, Regents National Bank, St. Augustine FL, State University of New York, Garden City New York. Recent solo and group exhibitions include Sunlight Captured, Fairfax Gallery, Summer in Tuscany, Fairfax Gallery, Beauty, Miller Gallery, European Landscapes, Miller Gallery, Traditions in Paint, Haskell Gallery. Chasing Color, (50 year retrospective) Cultural Center Ponte Vedra.
Ellen Diamond is sharing her knowledge and experience by teaching, lecturing, and taking groups on workshops in the US and Europe. Most recently she has taken groups to Tuscany and the South of France.
November 7, 2023 – Charles Dickinson – OilLearn the secrets of plein painting by award winning artist, Charles Dickinson. Charles will share how to set up for plein air painting and what equipment he recommends. He will demo in oils, using the best colors for outdoors and show how to simplifying the beauty of nature.
Charles has been painting the East Coast of the United States for many years and often divides his time between Florida, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Maryland, Connecticut, Maine and Vermont. Charles's artistic aim is to create quality paintings that capture his vision of the spirit and beauty of nature.
Charles is an award-winning artist who has been honored most recently in 2023 with an Award of Merit for his entry in the Figures and Faces exhibit at the St. Augustine Art Association.. In 2022 Charles was honored with the Maecenas Award chosen by collectors for his painting, Streaming Florida, during the Forgotten Coast en Plein Air event. Also in 2022 two of his paintings were chosen by two paint out events to represent the event in 2023. In 2021 he received a Best Figure in a Landscape award at the Glouster Paint Out in Virginia. Then also in 2021 and back home in Florida Charles won Best of Show during the Florida Wild Exhibit. In 2019 he received a "Best in Show: Jean Wagner Troemel award." Then in 2018 Charles was honored with the Blick Award at Plein Air Richmond as well as a Third Place award in the Bucks County Plein Air Festival Quickdraw and in 2017 with a Second Prize for his painting "Shockoe Bottom Fire Escape" from Peter Trippi, Editor-in-Chief of Fine Art Connoisseur magazine during Plein Air Richmond 2017. Also in 2017 Charles was awarded the Emmett Fritz Award for Best Oil Painting for his painting "Hanover Industrial Park" in the Honors Show in St. Augustine, FL. In 2016 his painting, Banyan Land, won Best of Show, Jean Wagner Troemel Award at the Spring Members Show and then in 2015 with awards that include a "First Place" award in the 2015 Paradise Paint Out Quickdraw in Islamorada, FL and "Honorable Mention" at the 2015 Lighthouse Art Center Plein Air Festival in Tequesta, FL. He has been commissioned for paintings in such diverse locations as the New York Stock Exchange, The Meadowlands racetrack in New Jersey, Saratoga Springs, New York, and Epcot. Charles's work is collected internationally.
Charles has been painting the East Coast of the United States for many years and often divides his time between Florida, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Maryland, Connecticut, Maine and Vermont. Charles's artistic aim is to create quality paintings that capture his vision of the spirit and beauty of nature.
Charles is an award-winning artist who has been honored most recently in 2023 with an Award of Merit for his entry in the Figures and Faces exhibit at the St. Augustine Art Association.. In 2022 Charles was honored with the Maecenas Award chosen by collectors for his painting, Streaming Florida, during the Forgotten Coast en Plein Air event. Also in 2022 two of his paintings were chosen by two paint out events to represent the event in 2023. In 2021 he received a Best Figure in a Landscape award at the Glouster Paint Out in Virginia. Then also in 2021 and back home in Florida Charles won Best of Show during the Florida Wild Exhibit. In 2019 he received a "Best in Show: Jean Wagner Troemel award." Then in 2018 Charles was honored with the Blick Award at Plein Air Richmond as well as a Third Place award in the Bucks County Plein Air Festival Quickdraw and in 2017 with a Second Prize for his painting "Shockoe Bottom Fire Escape" from Peter Trippi, Editor-in-Chief of Fine Art Connoisseur magazine during Plein Air Richmond 2017. Also in 2017 Charles was awarded the Emmett Fritz Award for Best Oil Painting for his painting "Hanover Industrial Park" in the Honors Show in St. Augustine, FL. In 2016 his painting, Banyan Land, won Best of Show, Jean Wagner Troemel Award at the Spring Members Show and then in 2015 with awards that include a "First Place" award in the 2015 Paradise Paint Out Quickdraw in Islamorada, FL and "Honorable Mention" at the 2015 Lighthouse Art Center Plein Air Festival in Tequesta, FL. He has been commissioned for paintings in such diverse locations as the New York Stock Exchange, The Meadowlands racetrack in New Jersey, Saratoga Springs, New York, and Epcot. Charles's work is collected internationally.
December 5, 2023 – Annual Holiday Party150 Fox Valley Drive, Orange Park, FL
Time: 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Tickets are $5.00 at the door. We will have an ornament exchange and some exciting raffles! So bring extra cash for the great raffle items that will be available. Please bring one or two artistic hand-crafted or painted ornaments for the fun ornament exchange.
Create your favorite holiday dish and bring enough to share. Dress up in your sparkly holiday best or wear a funny Christmas sweater. Guests are welcome to join in the fun.
This is our biggest fund raiser for the scholarship fund, all for a good cause!
Please RSVP no later than Tuesday, November 28, 2023 to
Beth Haizlip at [email protected]
Time: 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Tickets are $5.00 at the door. We will have an ornament exchange and some exciting raffles! So bring extra cash for the great raffle items that will be available. Please bring one or two artistic hand-crafted or painted ornaments for the fun ornament exchange.
Create your favorite holiday dish and bring enough to share. Dress up in your sparkly holiday best or wear a funny Christmas sweater. Guests are welcome to join in the fun.
This is our biggest fund raiser for the scholarship fund, all for a good cause!
Please RSVP no later than Tuesday, November 28, 2023 to
Beth Haizlip at [email protected]
January 9, 2024 – Ana Flynn – ProcreateAna Flynn will demonstrate how she uses Procreate to create patterns for surface design, sketches for illustrations, and compositions from photo references to create a final sketch for a painting. She will speak about the pros and cons of using procreate as an art medium in her work and the digital art industry.
Ana is primarily an illustrator and emphasizes her art efforts in surface design and painting. She loves to paint florals, people, landscapes, and still life in different styles and mediums. She is also a wife and a mother of four college age children. Before becoming a mother, she was given a presidential scholarship to attend the Savannah College of Art and Design, Georgia where she obtained a B.A. degree in Graphic Design and Illustration. Since graduation she has worked in various freelancing projects that range from graphic design to illustration to fine arts. This includes paintings for private collections, portraiture, illustrations for magazines, poster illustrations, logos, and business identity projects. She has also won art competitions and even featured her work in places like the Church History Museum in SLC, Utah. She loves to create artwork traditionally and digitally and she is currently working on her online store.
Ana will demonstrate how she uses Procreate to create patterns for surface design, sketches for illustrations, and compositions from photo references to create a final sketch for a painting. She will speak about the pros and cons of using procreate as an art medium in her work and the digital art industry.
Ana is primarily an illustrator and emphasizes her art efforts in surface design and painting. She loves to paint florals, people, landscapes, and still life in different styles and mediums. She is also a wife and a mother of four college age children. Before becoming a mother, she was given a presidential scholarship to attend the Savannah College of Art and Design, Georgia where she obtained a B.A. degree in Graphic Design and Illustration. Since graduation she has worked in various freelancing projects that range from graphic design to illustration to fine arts. This includes paintings for private collections, portraiture, illustrations for magazines, poster illustrations, logos, and business identity projects. She has also won art competitions and even featured her work in places like the Church History Museum in SLC, Utah. She loves to create artwork traditionally and digitally and she is currently working on her online store.
Ana will demonstrate how she uses Procreate to create patterns for surface design, sketches for illustrations, and compositions from photo references to create a final sketch for a painting. She will speak about the pros and cons of using procreate as an art medium in her work and the digital art industry.
February 6, 2024 – Michelle Held – Contemporary Floral in OilsMichelle Held will do a contemporary floral still life painting creating movement and energy through the use of color, texture, brushwork and composition. She is known for her luminosity paintings of birds and landscapes. Michelle has won many awards, best of show, and travels all over the world teaching classes and participating in plein air events.
Michelle brings with her a splash of vibrancy, a flutter of unique perspective, and the song of nature in its truest form. Born and raised in Maryland, Michelle knew from a young age that she was meant to paint as her career. Passionately working as an artist and business owner for the past 25 years, Michelle has been living out her dreams in Sarasota, Florida. Michelle currently participates in invitational paint outs and is widely collected throughout the United States. Often commissioned for custom paintings as well as murals, Michelle’s passion for wildlife and its ecosystems brought her to embrace the natural world through painting from life.
Michelle believes that evoking a feeling of light, space, and PASSION is the key to any successful contemporary painting.
Recently Michelle won, for 2 years in a row, people’s artists choice at Forgotten Coast. She also won the Grand prize in Sedona Paintout 2020. The real victory, however, has come with her love of teaching. Michelle finds that paying it forward is the best way to fulfill the soul.
Michelle brings with her a splash of vibrancy, a flutter of unique perspective, and the song of nature in its truest form. Born and raised in Maryland, Michelle knew from a young age that she was meant to paint as her career. Passionately working as an artist and business owner for the past 25 years, Michelle has been living out her dreams in Sarasota, Florida. Michelle currently participates in invitational paint outs and is widely collected throughout the United States. Often commissioned for custom paintings as well as murals, Michelle’s passion for wildlife and its ecosystems brought her to embrace the natural world through painting from life.
Michelle believes that evoking a feeling of light, space, and PASSION is the key to any successful contemporary painting.
Recently Michelle won, for 2 years in a row, people’s artists choice at Forgotten Coast. She also won the Grand prize in Sedona Paintout 2020. The real victory, however, has come with her love of teaching. Michelle finds that paying it forward is the best way to fulfill the soul.
March 5, 2024 – Janet Rogers – Watercolor PortraitJanet will demonstrate an approach to painting the Head (Portrait style) in transparent watercolor – which will include a focus on translucent flesh tones, making color, design, etc. Janet’s style of painting is spontaneous, direct and intuitive. She will paint from a photograph from her collection.
JANET ROGERS has been a working professional artist for over 40 years, and is a nationally recognized instructor, conducting workshops throughout the United States, Canada and in Europe. She has been awarded SIGNATURE MEMBERSHIP of the American Watercolor Society, Transparent Watercolor Society of America, Florida Watercolor Society, as well as others – also winning many honors and awards for her paintings. As well as a National Instructor, she has demonstrated extensively for various groups and exhibitions.
Four instructional DVDs have been filmed on Janet’s work. Janet has been published in articles featuring her portraits and florals, including “The One-Hour Watercolorist”; some of her demonstrations can be viewed on YouTube. An exclusive interview can also be seen on YouTube.
ARTIST’S STATEMENT:
“I LOVE THE QUALITIES OF WATERCOLOR – ITS FLUID NATURE. TO ME, THE INTERACTION OF ARTIST WITH THE MEDIUM IS LIKE A DANCE – FULL OF MOTION, FEELING AND EXPRESSION. I LOVE TO WATCH THE PAINTING DEVELOP AND TO DISCOVER NEW COLOR AND COMPOSITION. AS A TEACHER, I WOULD LIKE TO ENABLE STUDENTS TO FIND THEIR CONNECTIONS WITH WATERCOLOR IN A NEW AND EXPRESSIVE WAY”.
JANET ROGERS has been a working professional artist for over 40 years, and is a nationally recognized instructor, conducting workshops throughout the United States, Canada and in Europe. She has been awarded SIGNATURE MEMBERSHIP of the American Watercolor Society, Transparent Watercolor Society of America, Florida Watercolor Society, as well as others – also winning many honors and awards for her paintings. As well as a National Instructor, she has demonstrated extensively for various groups and exhibitions.
Four instructional DVDs have been filmed on Janet’s work. Janet has been published in articles featuring her portraits and florals, including “The One-Hour Watercolorist”; some of her demonstrations can be viewed on YouTube. An exclusive interview can also be seen on YouTube.
ARTIST’S STATEMENT:
“I LOVE THE QUALITIES OF WATERCOLOR – ITS FLUID NATURE. TO ME, THE INTERACTION OF ARTIST WITH THE MEDIUM IS LIKE A DANCE – FULL OF MOTION, FEELING AND EXPRESSION. I LOVE TO WATCH THE PAINTING DEVELOP AND TO DISCOVER NEW COLOR AND COMPOSITION. AS A TEACHER, I WOULD LIKE TO ENABLE STUDENTS TO FIND THEIR CONNECTIONS WITH WATERCOLOR IN A NEW AND EXPRESSIVE WAY”.
April 2, 2024 – Mike Grecian – Color TheoryA sample of the Color Workshop…showing endless possibilities of mixing an unlimited palette of color combinations using a primary mixing set.
Mike majored in drawing and painting major at Northern Illinois University. He ran a fine art store in Evanston, IL for almost 13 yrs. That retail experience, working with major vendors and artists, was a foundation for his career for the next 30+ years. Mike's love of color work, combined with working with the finest of artist materials and schools and retailers in the southeast, has brought him to a love of doing demos and workshops for all levels of creative work!
Mike majored in drawing and painting major at Northern Illinois University. He ran a fine art store in Evanston, IL for almost 13 yrs. That retail experience, working with major vendors and artists, was a foundation for his career for the next 30+ years. Mike's love of color work, combined with working with the finest of artist materials and schools and retailers in the southeast, has brought him to a love of doing demos and workshops for all levels of creative work!
May 7, 2024 – Installation of Officers ~ Scholarship Awards ~ Art Swap/SaleAfter installation of our 2024-2025 officers, scholarship awards will be given to one or more Clay County High School Seniors. The final selection is made by our Scholarship Committee after viewing portfolios, transcripts, letters of recommendation, application forms and conducting interviews. Following the scholarship presentations, we will have the Art Swap/Sale, a fun event where members bring their art wares/supplies to sell, trade or share.
We have no meetings during the summer. Our new Season begins Tuesday, September 7st, 2021. Please Join Us – Guests are Welcome.
