Welcome to the Blog Of CPSA DC210 San Jose

CPSA District Chapter 210, San Jose, CA

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

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.

Sunday, August 19, 2012

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!

Friday, August 10, 2012

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!