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Francisco's Farm Arts Festival at Midway College Newsletter |
March 2009
in this issue
Artist Profile ~ Paul Fontana
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Issue No. 16
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Thanks to Our Title Sponsor
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~ Mark Your Calendar ~ The 6th annual Festival is June 27 & 28, 2009 ~
Each week between now and the Festival, we'll introduce you to one of the 150 artists from 17 states
who will be coming to Midway in June. If you enjoy the newsletter consider using the 'Forward Email' link
to share with friends and help us grow!
Meet Paul Fontana ~ one of this year's Emerging Artists ~
Paul Fontana, of Cohutta, Georgia, has only been painting seriously for about a year. However, he brings to his artwork the eyes of a lifelong photographer. A retired teacher who has served as a Photographer's Mate in the U.S. Navy, Fontana sometimes laments his lack of formal art education.
"It was the beginning of learning to see the beauty in those small abstracted slices of life, says Fontana of his lifelong hobby and profession. "I use that same eye to create my paintings. Most people who see my work remark on the vibrant colors that I like to use."
 It's the interplay of like and opposing colors in either geometric or free-form designs that intrigue him. His work is pleasing in both color and composition. Indeed, Fontana says, "My inspiration for most of my work comes from color and the visualization of how it can be aesthetically presented."
"ROJO" (above right) is a geometric abstract created in acrylics with brush and palette knife.
At left is "Checkers", created with palette knife alone.
Fontana makes all of his own frames, because he wants to be in control of the size and format. He prefers a deeper than usual canvas and paints around the edges, making framing optional.
'Emerging Artists' at Francisco's Farm are a very limited category representing no more than 5% of the show. An emerging artist must have a solid body of work, completed in the last 2 years. An emerging artist applicant, while having a developed and cohesive body of work (not a beginner), should not currently be earning a living as a professional artist. This should be viewed as an opportunity to "jump start" a professional art career, and we've watched several Emerging Artists do just that over the past five years.
 I was especially pleased when Paul contacted me to discuss bringing his latest work to the Festival. We recognize that artists are engaged in continuous growth and evolution. We do restrict applicants to work in only one media that is already juried into recognized art and craft organizations. However, we are aware that artists may have new work, work in a different media, or may be experimenting with new media. We encourage them to bring their more experimental artwork to Francisco's Farm, and our visitors have been delighted to discover even broader ranges of our exhibitors' work.
After learning about the transfer properties of gel media, Paul began experimenting with his own digitally manipulated photographs. After a bit of trial and error, seeing which photographs worked best, he came up with the idea of applying them to wood and having the grain show through.
He applies the gel medium to a photocopy and then presses it to the wood, using a roller to get out all the air bubbles and excess gel. When it dries, he uses his wet fingers to rub the paper off. He is left with the image adhered to and seemingly part of the wood.
I am intrigued by the texture and the unusual effect of the wood grain in these images. There is something haunting and literary about the combination, and I can't wait to see this work first hand.
In addition to graduate degrees earned in the United States, Paul has studied in Mexico at the University of Monterrey and at various language schools throughout the country. His travel experiences have taken him, literally, around the world. We're looking forward to welcoming him to Midway this June.
Thanks for your support! Talk to you next week!
Marcie Christensen
Event Coordinator / Imagineer
For the third time in three years, AmericanStyle Magazine has named
Francisco's Farm among the Top Ten Art Fairs in the country!
Come and find out why.
What's New? ~ Order a Kroger Gift Card ~ Win FarmBucks! ~
 When you order a Gift Card we'll put your name in the FarmBucks Drawing. One lucky winner, drawn at the beginning of June, will receive $100 in FarmBucks to spend on art at the Festival. AND every time your recharges total $500, we'll put your name in the drawing again!
Order your Gift Card from us today! Mail a check for $5 and a self-addressed, stamped envelope to Francisco's Farm at the address below, and I'll send your card (preloaded with $5) and complete instructions. Each time you recharge (add money to) the card, Kroger will donate cash to the Festival.
Questions about how the Gift Cards work? Click here for the Answers!
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Contact Us
PO Box 4354
Midway, Kentucky 40347
859-846-4049
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