Want to do portraits? Your chance comes Sept. 21!

Acclaimed portrait artist Eddie Filer Jr. of Texas City will teach his specialty in the Galveston Art League workshop “Portraiture with Eddie Filer.” He will cover the fundamentals of portraits in oil paint, graphite pencil, or pastel from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Sept. 21 at the Art League Gallery, 2117A Postoffice St. in Galveston. 
Participants can register for the workshop, which costs $85, at www.GalvestonArtLeague.com – click on “Workshops” to sign up and pay by credit card. Attendees should bring a photo to work from, an easel, their preferred medium, and any related tools and supplies such as brushes, erasers, and paper.

Filer, 53, earned a master’s degree in art from the University of Houston – Clear Lake and has taught art at Galveston College, Ball High School in Galveston, and Texas City High School. Interestingly, Filer is now a brain rehabilitation caregiver in his day job, but he also continues to teach, giving private art lessons in his home studio in Texas City.

He is a longtime member of the nonprofit Galveston Art League. “It’s an opportunity to show my work,” says Filer, referring to the 12 monthly exhibits at the league’s gallery in downtown Galveston. His oil painting “Vincent” received the Best of Show honor at the Galveston Art League’s Spring 2019 Juried Show.
A Galveston native, Filer also competes in the annual Texas City Art Festival (taking second place for his drawing “Troubled Soul – The Thinker” in 2019) and has received a Certificate of Excellence in portrait competition from the Portrait Society of America in 2017 and 2018. “I was among the 50 winners two years in a row. I was very fortunate that they picked me.” In October 2018, Filer had an exhibit at the Houston Museum of African American Culture. 
Although portraits comprise much of Filer’s work, he renders other subjects, too. People often contact him for commissions by emailing EddieFiler@yahoo.com and through his website, www.EddieFilerArt.com; he’s also on Facebook and Instagram.

The Galveston Art League offers low-cost workshops led by accomplished regional artists such as Filer about once a month. These classes are part of the 105-year-old Art League’s mission to promote visual arts and art education in Galveston County and beyond. The league also publicizes area artists through its exhibits, which change monthly, and through its juried competitions, held three times annually; see www.GalvestonArtLeague.com for details.

The league is an all-volunteer organization that has never had a salaried staff member. It is largely supported by tax-deductible memberships, sponsorships, and contributions as well as through its annual fundraiser gala.

This year’s gala, themed “The Nature of Art/The Art of Nature,” will be held 6-10 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 26, at the San Luis Hotel Grand Ballroom. The laid-back event will include upscale dining, live and silent auctions of artwork, silent auctions of local merchants’ donations, a raffle of a wheelbarrow full of spirits and gourmet snacks, and a live jazz band. 

Gala tickets are being sold online at www.GalvestonArtLeague.com. If you’d like to be a gala sponsor or want more information about the event, please email gallery2117@gmail.com or call 409-938-1671. 

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