Classical Realism at Bohrer Park

"We're a group of artists that paint together in a class," said Nancy Still of the Thursday Art Group, a member-based association of oil painters currently showing their signature Old Masters-style body of work at the Activity Center in Bohrer Park in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

"We have been working under Carol Lee Thompson, who studied with Ann Schuler of the Schuler School of Art in Baltimore. We stuck with her all this time because she is a good teacher and artist," said Still who also noted that the group has been active for 14 years.

The Thursday Art Group paints in a Classical Realist vein. Although Classical Realism is a 20th century art movement, techniques inherited from the Renaissance and the French Impressionists dominate the work that emerges from this informal yet established federation of artists.

"We have undergone several changes over the years. We started out as a group of women painting in Damascus. Now we have both male and female members and we paint at the Zoll Studio in Timonium," said Still who designed the show currently on view at the Activity Center in Bohrer Park.

According to Still, the group has full access to supplies and easels at the Zoll Studio, and there are usually 20 people in a class.

"Many of our members are accomplished painters rather than beginners. We use dry pigments and mix our own paint, and we use the Maroger medium, which was developed by Jacques Maroger," said Still.

Jacques Maroger was an oil painter and technical director of the Louvre Museum in Paris. He devoted much of his life to studying the techniques of the Old Masters.

The Thursday Art Group boasts a rich repertoire of landscape, still life, wildlife and figurative paintings. The show at the Activity Center in Bohrer Park provides a generous sampling of these versatile genre.

A miniaturist herself, Still reports that several group members also paint miniatures.

"Most people that paint miniatures love to paint small and get into the details," she said. "The biggest I go is 11x14". Everything that applies to a larger piece of work applies at the miniature scale. Light, perspective and tone still matter."

Still also commented on how patrons love miniatures because they are more affordable and can fit anywhere when it comes to displaying the work.

The Thursday Art Group meets every Thursday at the Zoll Studio in Timonium. Members of the class often travel together to paint en plein air. They scale the entire United States, east to west, and in the summers paint the farmlands around Baltimore under the exacting eye of Carol Lee Thompson.

"She is our fearless leader," said Still.

The Thursday Art Group traditionally shows artwork at the Zoll Studio in Timonium, Maryland and the Washington, DC Miniature Show at Strathmore Mansion in Bethesda, Maryland each fall. These artists also exhibit on Gibson Island and at Fairhaven Senior Community Center in Clarksville, Maryland.

"On Thursday, I know I am going to paint all day," said Still who is grateful for the routine and friendship that painting with a dedicated group provides.

To find out more about the Activity Center at Bohrer Park, click here.