Next Meeting

 Saturday, November 3, 2012

11 am - 4 pm

I've Been Framed

411 Ferry Street

Martinez, CA

925-228-7353

 

The shop is at the corner of Marina Vista and Ferry Street. 

Bring your own lunch, and a recently completed piece or work

in progress for "show and tell". We will review the DVD of the

entries in the 2012 International Exhibition. 

Stay tuned for further details as the time draws near.

 August Meeting Highlights

                                                                          

                Mike Purdy, Jan Cregan, Pete Frank, Denise Howard, Jackie Chang, Gemma Gylling,

Linda Loder, Linda Huffman, Edie Christensen, Nan Siegel

What a great meeting on Saturday! Even the long drive to Gemma Gylling's home in Valley Springs was nice. Just to prove that some folks won't let distance be an obstacle, one of our guests drove all the way from Santa Rosa (136.5 miles, according to Google Maps), and Geoff Sargent emailed in an update from Australia with photos of his latest work to share at the meeting.

 Our chapter show, "Explorations in Colored Pencil" is coming up next week at the Main Street Cafe in Los Altos, and volunteers are all set to help. We have 32 entries by 13 artists! We figured out how to give out prizes for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place "people's choice awards" without a big cash outlay, and we'll feature the winners on the banner of our Facebook page, one at a time for a month each.

 The Livermore ArtWalk is coming right up on Saturday, October 13 11 am - 5 pm, and we have reserved a "group" booth in the same primo location we had last year. This is a relaxed and gentle introduction to what it's like to exhibit at an art festival, because we'll all be there to help each other and watch out for each other. In addition to your original artwork, you can sell giclee prints and cards of your work; the ArtWalk organization keeps 20% of all sales. Since we have to pay $125 for our booth, we are asking anyone who wants to participate to pay $30. If you're interested, email Denise at pres@cpsa210.org

 We already have a venue set for next year's (2013) chapter show! It will be in September at the Coastal Arts League Gallery in downtown Half Moon Bay. It's in a great location with shops, boutiques and restaurants all around, and the beach just a few blocks away. Since it's a real gallery, we'll be able to accept 3D works and allow folks to ship their entries to the gallery (no hand-delivery necessary). We'll also be able to plan a reception.

 We have an open position on the chapter board for Secretary. If you're interested, please let Denise know since elections are in October and take effect November 1.

 Gemma held everyone's rapt attention as she demonstrated how she works wonders on sueded mat board to produce her amazing wildlife portraits. The texture takes a bazillion layers and even allows you to work light over dark to make corrections, rather than erasing. Which is a good thing since the "poster putty" erasers we're accustomed to using with paper don't work on the sueded mat board because they pull the nap off. And because the sueded texture is interesting all by itself, depending upon your subject you may not need to draw a background. You can also use a brush to move the pigment around a bit, but keep a light touch to avoid scrubbing it off altogether. Gemma provided samples and pencils for everyone to try it out for themselves. Thanks, Gemma!

My favorite part of every meeting is "Show and Tell" because I love to see what everyone is working on and what they're learning from it. We all learn from each other! This time was no exception. Thank you to everyone for being brave and putting it out there, finished or not.

August 24 Meeting

Lunch Provided for August Chapter Meeting

For our chapter meeting at Gemma Gylling's home in Valley Springs next week (Saturday) Aug. 24, 11:00 AM) since we will be "far afield", Gemma has generously offered to provide us with a chili relleno caserole and salad for lunch! We will also provide some beverages and snacks, but you're also welcome to bring your own if you prefer. And, remember to bring your "show and tell" artwork!

Highlights of the 2012 CPSA Convention

Happy August!

I hope this finds you finishing your entries for our chapter show!  Remember that the entry deadline is August 22.  Of course they don't have to be *ready* ready until delivery day, September 1,  but if you're planning to have your framing done by someone else, remember that usually takes about two weeks.

I just returned from the CPSA national convention in Covington, KY (right across the river from Cincinnati, OH), July 31-August 4.  I thought I'd share some highlights.  You will want to go next year!

It is so invigorating to be surrounded for a week by fellow colored pencil artists!  I got to hang out with Arlene Steinberg (author of "Masterful Color"), Elizabeth Patterson (who had a solo show in Paris earlier this year), Jeff George (multi-year CPSA award winner, including the CIPPY), and many others whose work I admire greatly.  I roomed with Barbara Krans-Jenkins, who is still a member of our chapter even though she now lives in Ohio.

I took a one-day workshop with John Ursillo and learned about using colored pencils on canvas.  The last time I used canvasboard for anything was about 30 years ago, so I was surprised to learn there are multiple grades of it now, including one with a very fine texture suitable for use with watercolors.  This is what John uses, along with any kind of colored pencils (wax- or oil-based) and watercolor pencils with and without solvents, along with liberal applications of workable fixative and final coating at the end to yield work that needs no matting or framing.  In fact he walked up to his own entry in the International Exhibition and raked his fingernails across it to demonstrate how durable the surface is!  That drew gasps, let me tell ya.

Speaking of the International Exhibition, it is fabulous!  There were around 570 submissions; during the general meeting on Thursday we got to see all of them via a slideshow.  Folks often applaud for people they know, so I "represented" for our chapter when I saw the entries by J. Y. Chang and Maryann Kot.  Our chapter is well represented in the show with pieces by Gemma Gylling, Mike Purdy and myself.  There are 121 total pieces in the show.  The venue is the Carnegie Center for the Visual and Performing Arts.  The show fills one large gallery downstairs and three smaller galleries upstairs, as well as the main corridor and the main entry.  The gallery director has been thrilled with the response from the local community.  He said he knew the show was going to be great as soon as he started opening the packages.  He had to have more show programs printed after the very first weekend because a bunch of local cp artists came through after seeing the article about it in the Cincinnati Inquirer, and took them all!  Most of those folks hadn't heard of the CPSA before, so they're all excited now.  I won't even try to describe some of the spectacular pieces.  Our chapter will be receiving a copy of the show DVD in time for our November meeting, so you'll see for yourself then!

It was such a relief to see Mike Purdy's piece, "Splendor in the Sun" in the show.  Although he had packed it perfectly for shipment, the shipping company (which will remain unnamed but their acronym also goes with "Uninterruptible Power Supply") somehow split his wood frame in half.  When he got a call from the gallery director about it and was informed that it couldn't be hung, he was understandably upset.  But then a miracle occurred: Debbie Hook, president of the Greater Cincinnati chapter (this year's host chapter) swooped in and took it to her frame shop, fixed it overnight with some glue and clamps, and returned it to the gallery, ready to hang.  She did such a great job, I couldn't even tell where the damage had been!

If I remember correctly, four of the 19 award winners were first-time entrants.  So keep that in mind for next year, and for the next Explore This!,  if you have never entered!  You'll just never know, unless you enter.  The gallery of 2012 award winners is up: http://www.cpsa.org/coloredpencilartists/AWARDS/WINNERS2012/awards2012.html

Jamie Markle, publisher of F+W Media (Northlight Books and magazines such as The Artist's Magazine and Southwest Art), was the juror who selected this year's show and the award winners.  He also spoke briefly at the awards dinner, gave a talk on how to get published, and--most surprising to me--even attended the show reception.  It's pretty unusual for a juror to attend a show reception; jurors don't want confrontation and hard feelings about why they chose this one or didn't choose that one.  So I walked over and told him I thought he was very brave.  He chuckled and replied "Well, nobody has walked up and punched me yet!"

Gemma Gylling received a five-year recognition award, which means she has had work accepted and hung in five International Exhibitions,  Congratulations, Gemma!  In case you didn't know, Gemma has also been the convention director for several years.  She is stepping down and that position is open on the national board for next year.  She's done such a great job with all the planning and coordination year after year that I don't know what they'll do without her.  But now we'll have her all to ourselves again! 

Every year there's a "silent auction" of small, original colored pencil artworks by 25 or so well-known artists to benefit national.  The bidding can get pretty animated.  I couldn't resist, and I brought home a beautiful 7"x9" piece by Iris Stripling.  Don't tell my husband!

Next year's convention will be co-hosted by the San Diego and Los Angeles chapters, in Brea, CA.  That's just a hop and a skip away compared to Kentucky, so I want you to start thinking about a road trip!  The opportunity to meet some of your favorite colored pencil artists, take a couple of workshops, see all the show entries, win a great door prize and maybe a raffle prize, and take home a big bag full of art supply freebies makes it very worthwhile.
I hope to see you at our next meeting, coming up Saturday, August 25!  Remember to RSVP to Gemma by the 22nd if you're planning to attend so she can plan seating, etc.

Happy drawing!

Denise

Gemma Gylling with her "Here's
Lookin' At Ya"

"Splendor in the Sun" by Mike Purdy

The Carnegie Center for Visual and
Performing Arts, site of the
2012 CPSA International Exhibition 

The show reception gets underway

Denise Howard with her "Their Origin" (above)

On the Cincinnati side of the river, a beautiful
set of waterfalls with changing lights at night!

DC210 Colored Pencil Exhibition

Explorations in Colored Pencil
2012 CPSA DC210 chapter show
Main Street Cafe and Books
Los Altos, CA

The prospectus and entry form for our 2012 chapter show at the Main Street Cafe and Books in Los Altos is now available for download! Entry deadline is August 22.  It's easy: just read and fill out the form, sign the waivers and mail them with your entry fee, and you're in! Then all you need to do is get your work to the cafe on September 1.  

Please forward the prospectus to anyone you know who also works with colored pencil in any fashion, whether they are CPSA members or not. We can't wait to see what everyone's producing right here in our area!

If you have any questions or you're interested in helping with registration, hanging or setup of the show on September 1, email Denise Howard, pres@cpsa210.org.

For a prospectus please go to our website at http://www.cpsa210.org/.
There are links on the home page and on the news page for the entry form.
OR click: Explorations in Colored Pencil Prospectus

Important dates:

August 22 Submission deadline
September 1 12-2 PM Hand-delivery of work
September 2 Show opens
September 22 People's Choice awards announced
September 29 Show closes
September 30 12-2 PM Pickup of work

Next Meeting

Saturday, August 25  11:00 AM

Gemma Gylling's home

3481 Priscilla Court, Valley Springs, CA

Please RSVP to Gemma at gemma@glassgems.net by Wednesday, August 22 so she can plan seating, etc.

Yes, it's a long way, but it will be worth the trip to the beautiful Sierra foothills!  

- Gemma will demonstrate how to draw with colored pencils on suede mat board

- Denise will summarize the CPSA convention and workshops and have product samples to try

- Show and tell with fellow members

- Last-minute planning for our chapter show which we'll be hanging just three days later

Carpooling is encouraged.  Denise lives in Santa Clara and has two available seats in her car - contact her at president@cpsa210.org if you'd like to ride along.  Check your chapter membership roster to see who lives near you, or contact Denise for help arranging a ride.  If you don't have a membership roster, email Linda Huffman at membership@cpsa210.org to get one.

Happy Summer!

Happy Summer! Have you noticed that your Prismacolors are extra "creamy" in this weather?

I just realized it's been almost a month since our chapter meeting. Hopefully that means you're a month farther along on your entries for our chapter show in September! Watch for the entry forms to be available in the next week or so. We'll need some volunteers to help with registration, hanging, takedown, etc. so if you can help in any way, let me know. Our chapter is only as strong as its volunteers! And, even if you've never entered a show before, I encourage you to enter ours: it's a great way to "get your feet wet", and you'll be helping raise local awareness about colored pencil as a legitimate art medium, one of the goals of the CPSA.

The photo is me with the lovely starter set of Faber Castell Polychromos I recently won by getting the most right answers (19out of 20) in a "scavenger hunt" quiz on a Facebook group named "Colored Pencil Artists and Lovers." There is no affiliation whatsoever between it and the CPSA, but there are a lot of CPSA members on it and it's quite a nice resource for information about anything colored pencil related! Many folks post their new work as they finish, so it's like a non-stop revolving art show, too. So if you 're on Face Book, check it out.

You've already read the meeting minutes that Linda Loder sent out, but I want to reiterate what a great presentation Gil McMillon, owner of Accent Arts in Palo Alto gave us. If you weren't able to attend, you really missed out! Just when you think you've got a fair grasp of the materials available that work well for colored pencil, here's a man who's not only a walking encyclopedia of art materials, but is a working artist who has tried them all himself and has the lowdown straight from the manufacturers. I hope to have him back for a future presentation!

I'm going to be attending the national CPSA convention in Covington, KY July 31-August 4, so if you're not attending and there is anything specific you'd like me to report back about, please e-mail me and let me know. I will be representing our chapter so your concerns are our concerns!

Our next meeting will be Saturday, August 25 at 11:00 A.M. The best way to ensure you'll be able to attend is to host it! We don't have a location yet so if you'd like to host at your house/apartment or know of an economical (or better yet free) venue nearby, please contact me. We promise not to draw on your walls ... unless you want us to!

I want to give a shout-out this month to one of our hardest-working chapter members, Yevonne Reynolds. She's not only our webmaster, who undertook a complete overhaul of our website last year, she also is our graphic designer anytime we need a unique certificate, a chapter brochure, an entry form, a blog posting, you name it! Yevonne lives way up north in a rural area near Eureka so she's proof that you can be a very active member no matter how far from other members you live. Thank you for all you do, Yevonne!

Finally, on a technology-related note, I want you to promise you'll back up your computer files tonight. Yes, tonight. And then make sure your backup is good. Just do it. I am still recovering from a hard-drive crash on my main computer earlier this month. Of course all of my digitized artwork, art business files, e-mail, potential reference photos, etc. were on it! I had gotten out of the habit of regular backups over the past year, shame on me. Simply making backups doesn't solve everything, either — the last time I suffered a hard-drive crash, my backups were all bad because the drive was already going bad when they were created. It's costing me $2000 to try to have my files recovered this time. Don't let it happen to you! Once your original artwork is framed, sold and gone, it's not around to rescan.

Happy Drawing!

Denise



Prismacolor and the Sketchbook Project

Prismacolor and the Sketchbook Project are setting up shop in the Bay Area.

06/1,12 to 06/20, 2012

12:00 PM-12:00 PM

Sketch Book Project Pop-Up Library

1485 9th Street, Suite 100

Oakland, CA  94607

http://www.facebook.com/events/308284892589026/ |cait@arthousecoop.com

Dates:

June 1-20th, 1-5pm

Description:
Drop by our pop-up library to check out the 2012 sketchbook Project and Tour Mail, our new creative project we're sponsoring with our friends at the Art House Co-op, creators of the Sketchbook Project.

The Sketchbook Project is a library of personal sketchbooks featuring the work of thousands of creative-minded people traveling to 15 cities around the world. The 2012 World Tour, a project from Brooklyn's Art House Co-op with support from Prismacolor, invites the curious to peruse these unique works from talented people while being the first to experience Prismacolor's new Brush/Fine Art Markers.

You'll also get the chance to participate in Tour Mail, a new tour-wide project from Prismacolor and the Art House Co-op. Create a work of art with prismacolor markers, and it'll be delivered to a Sketchbook Project attendee somewhere in the world. In return, you'll get to pick a random envelope containing a piece of Prismacolor art from another attendee in a different state.

We'll be on-hand with free giveaways, and we'll also be demoing our new Prismacolor Brush|Fine Art Markers. Our Brush|Fine Art Markers are double-ended, and are perfect for making varied lines in just one stroke.

Please join this community of artists, designers and inspired creative people when the Sketchbook Project stops at a city near you.

* * * *

The Sketchbook Project is a worldwide creative experience. Together, thousands of creative people from around the world are creating a traveling library of artists' books.

Learn more;
www.thesketchbookproject.com

Prismacolor is a leader in professional art supplies. Our complete line of markers, pastels, and colored pencils have been helping art students, teachers, and design professionals realize their creative vision for over 70 years.

Learn More
www.prismacolor.com
facebook.com/prismacolor

Members of DC210 accepted into the National Show

Congratulations!

Members of DC210 juried into the National Show

Denise Howard, Gemma Gylling and Mike Purdy

Their Origin by Denise Howard

Here's Lookin' at Ya! by Gemma Gylling

Splendor in the Sun by Mike Purdy

DC210 Chapter Meeting

Chapter Meeting
Date: May 19, 2012
Location: Accent Arts, 392 California Ave., Palo Alto, CA
Phone: 650-424-1044
Speaker: Gil McMillon, longtime owner of Accent Arts, will talk to us about various brands of colored pencils and papers, and perhaps share some stories about the crazy art supply business.

Please join us.

Gemma Gylling Workshop

Gemma Gylling Workshop

Cat Workshop on Suede Mat Board

Saturday & Sunday • May 5 & 6

Gallery Copper

10:00 am - 3:00 pm with lunch break

Cost: $60

Create a beautiful animal drawing

with Gemma Gylling of Valley Springs!

Have  you ever looked at animal art and wondered how the artist created the fur's shine, or have you thought the eyes looked so real you believed the eye was really wet? When an artist uses the right side of their brain, it becomes easy for them to see the object, which they want to create. Gemma will teach you to break an object down into small sections so you see only lines, shapes and colors, it then becomes much easier to achieve the realistic look of shiny fur or a wet eye.

Participants in Gemma's workshop will learn to create realistic animals using colored pencils. Gemma will share her secrets on the best ways to break a reference photo down into small manageable sections rather than viewing the drawing as a whole. Participants will do this by drawing an animal portrait on Suede Mat Board (Mat Board supplied by Gemma). If the animal portrait is not completed in the class they'll have the Step by Step instructions along with a photo for them to take home. When completed, they'll have a beautiful animal drawing that they created.

Town Hall Arts

under the clock

Copperopolis Town Square

785-2050

$30 deposit required

Maryann Kot Demonstration

Icarus Heated Drawing Board Demonstration

Maryann Kot will be demonstrating colored pencil using the Icarus Heated Drawing Board at the Livermore Art Association Spring Show. The date and times of the show are listed below. She was told that she could be demonstrating at all times that the show is open, but if there are more demonstrators that sign up that may change. Members can e-mail her with questions on the times that she will be demonstrating at maryannkot@gmail.com.

The Icarus Drawing Board was invented by Mario and Ester Roi. It is a portable drawing board featuring two working zones, a warm zone and a cool zone. The warm zone is used for mixing pigments, blending and burnishing while the cool zone is used for line drawing, layering and detailing.

 Livermore Art Association  ~ Spring Art Show

At The Barn, 131 Pacific Avenue,  Livermore, CA
March 31-April 1, 2012 ~  10:00 am-5:00 pm.  

Reception: March 31, 2012 ~ 7:00-9:00 pm.

Gemma Gylling in the News!

Gemma Gylling Wins Big!

LOL • First Place

Gemma Gylling entered the Placerville Art Association Membership Exhibition.

There were about 15 entries in the animal category. She entered three colored pencil pieces. Her three pieces

took first, second and third place awards. This was an all media show so she is very proud of her success.

When she went to the reception she was presented with the People's Choice Award as well. Her work and a

friends work were the only Colored Pencil Artworks in the entire show.

This is how the placement Went:

First PlaceAnimal Category - LOL

Second Place Animal Category - Rest Stop

Third Place Animal Category - Wild Reflections

People's Choice Award - Rest Stop

Rest Stop

Wild Reflections

DC210 Chapter Meeting

Chapter Meeting 

Saturday, February 18 • 11:00 A.M.

Gemma Gyling's Home

3481 Priscilla Court, Valley Springs, CA

Gemma lives about 30 miles east of Stockton, but if you live in the bay area, don't let that stop you from attending! Denise Howard will be driving from Santa Clara and has two seats available -- contact her at president@cpsa210.org if you would like to ride along with her. We like to bounce our meeting location around because our territory is so huge -- this way everyone can attend sometime.

Denise will give a demonstration using UArt sanded paper, Lyra Polycolors, and a stencil brush to achieve painterly results, a great technique she learned from Bonnie Auten at the 2011 CPSA convention.

• We'll discuss the possibility of a chapter show during 2012!
• Bring a recently completed or work-in-progress piece for show and tell!