Highlights of our November 2013 meeting

Our November 2013 chapter meeting was at Emil Villa's Hickory Pit in Livermore--a great location just down the street from the Bothwell Arts Center, and we had a whole room to ourselves.  More than 20 members and guests attended--the biggest group we've had in a long time! 

There was a long list of recognition for members who have won awards or had work in shows since our  August meeting--what a busy bunch!  We recapped our very successful chapter show, which was in September at the Coastal Arts League Gallery in downtown Half Moon Bay.  We also recapped our October Livermore ArtWalk exhibit experience.  We already have a claim on a better booth location for next year!

We made concrete plans for hosting a two-day workshop in 2014.  Our workshop presenter will be Gemma Gylling, and a big thank you goes to her for volunteering her time!  Gemma is a nationally-recognized wildlife artist who travels all over the US giving these same workshops, so we are fortunate to have her on our team.  The workshop will be Saturday April 12 and Sunday April 13, 2014, at the Bothwell Arts Center in Livermore.  We are also fortunate to have Maryann Kot on our team, because her connection with the Bothwell made it easy for us to seal the deal.

Because the restaurant is so convenient for many of our newer members, we voted to have our next meeting there, too, and we settled on Saturday, February 22, 2014.

We are still looking for a venue for our chapter show for 2014.  Chris Swetlin has identified a possibility, the new San Mateo Library, but he's checking out some other venues that might provide better exposure and more wall space.  As much as we'd like to have it at the Coastal Arts League Gallery again, it is already fully booked for the year so we cannot.

Maryann Kot gave a short presentation about the Fun Tangles workshop she is developing for 2014.

After lunch, we had a great discussion about "When is a colored pencil drawing not a colored pencil drawing?"  Depending on which organization you belong to (CPSA, UKCPS, etc.) and whom you talk to, there are different restrictions on what you can and cannot call "pure colored pencil" for their international exhibitions.  For example, CPSA allows solvents to be used with pencils, while UKCPS does not.  And pastel pencils and Neocolor IIs are not considered colored pencils by either organization because the pigments used in them are pastel pigments, which are different from the pigments used in colored pencils.  Finally, the surface itself can disqualify a drawing--CPSA requires it to be commercially-prepared for the International Exhibition.  If you make your own paper or work on rocks or gourds, you can only enter those works in Explore This!, which allows and encourages using additional media and different surfaces with colored pencil.  On a more individual level, depending on whom you talk to, some purists insist that even the use of a colorless blender violates the idea of a "colored pencil drawing", as does any effort to eliminate the appearance of pencil strokes.  There is room for everyone and every style of working, but it's good to be aware of some of the opinions one might run into as a colored pencil artist!  Denise passed around pastel pencils, Neocolor IIs and watercolor pencils so everyone could see what they are and try them out.

We viewed the DVD of the entire 2013 International Exhibition and the 17 award winners.  It's fun to try to second-guess the juror and wonder what they were thinking when they chose this piece or that piece, for entry or for an award!

"Show and tell" is always the best part of a CPSA chapter meeting because it's when we all get to see what others are working on and how they're doing it, and learn from each other!  We have members at all skill levels, and no matter what level we're at, there's always plenty more to learn.

Below are some photos from the meeting, taken by Mike Purdy.  See you at our next meeting, in 2014!

During a break.  For the most part, folks were too busy sharing information to really break!

Maryann Kot talks about her newest drawing of some mushrooms during "show and tell"

Gemma Gylling describes her suede matboard technique during "show and tell"

Megan Seiter a Winner in Colored Pencil Magazine's 2013 Art Competition

Megan Seiter's "Sophie" has won 1st Place in Colored Pencil magazine's 2013 Art Competition!  This is her same piece which won 2nd Place in our chapter show "Explorations in Colored Pencil II", just last month in Half Moon Bay.  She is on a roll with her wonderful piece.

The competition was juried by well-known colored pencil artist and author Gary Greene.  To see all the winners and entries, click here.

Congratulations, Megan!

Geoff Sargeant Finalist for Mortimore Art Prize

Geoff Sargeant is by far our longest-distance chapter member; he lives in Victoria, Australia!  And yes, there is significant colored pencil action down under, thanks to terrific artists like him.  His "Moodjar Awakes After Fire" has been accepted as a Finalist for the 2013 Mortimore Art Prize, a very prestigious award.  Last year he won Best Drawing for his "Pebble Beach, Cape Cod".  Geoff explains that moodjar is the Aboriginal name for Nutsia Floribunda, the West Australian Christmas Tree.

Moodjar Awakes After Fire by Geoff Sargeant
Finalist, 2013 Mortimore Art Prize

Pebble Beach, Cape Cod by Geoff Sargent
Best Drawing, 2012 Mortimore Art Prize

You can see all the 2013 finalists here:  http://www.australianartsales.com.au/MortimorePrize/mortimoreprize.html

Geoff also currently has a show of 32 giclee prints of his pencil paintings at the Bunbury Regional Gallery in West Australia.

Congratulations, Geoff!

ArtWalk and Officers

Last Saturday, October 12, we had a booth at the Livermore ArtWalk, with eight artists exhibiting in it: Carol Ann Eicher, Henrietta Haines, Denise Howard, Maryann Kot, Debaney Lefort, Sally Marone, Maureen Taylor and J.Y. Chang.  It was a team effort, from putting up the canopy, to figuring out where to place everything, to hanging the artwork, to staffing the booth all day, to taking everything back down.  A big thank you to all!

Sales were down quite a bit from last year due to the fact that nearby Livermore Labs was shut down on account of the overall government shutdown; not knowing how long the shutdown would last, locals were doing more looking than buying.  But that's okay!  We don't do this event to make money, we do it to raise awareness about colored pencil as a medium and to give participants experience at putting on a festival exhibition and talking about their work.  I think everyone agrees it was affirming to have many visitors come in and with wide eyes say "That's colored pencil?!"

All set for the day to start! And notice our new banner, too.

Another view of our booth setup.

People were lining up to come in and see our work!

The DC210 crew

For next year the ArtWalk organizers have promised to ensure we get our favorite spot back, right next to the intersection of 1st St. and S. Livermore Ave. where foot traffic is heavier.

 In other news, we have the results of our 2013-15 officer election:

• President: Denise Howard
• Vice President: Chris Swetlin  <-- New to the board!
• Secretary: Mike Purdy
• Treasurer: J.Y. Chang

Gemma Gylling has volunteered to be our new webmaster.  Thank you, Gemma!

Our next event will be our chapter meeting on Saturday, November 16.  See our website for details as they emerge:  www.cpsa210.org/calendar.html

Mike Purdy's Demo at Coastal Arts League Gallery

On Saturday afternoon, September 14, DC210 secretary Mike Purdy took on the challenge of presenting our favorite medium at the Coastal Arts League gallery, in conjunction with our show.  He wasn't quite sure what to expect, nor was anyone else involved in the arrangements.  We were all surprised!  Here's what happened, in Mike's own words....

Saturday afternoon was really fun. It was a success and the customers were happy. It was really awkward at first. A few weeks ago I had sent the gallery e-mails that stated I would not be giving a demonstration. However when I arrived there were 5 people waiting for me to give my "demonstration". Since I didn't want to disappoint anyone I went ahead and gave them a presentation. Luckily I had plenty of pencils and paper to pass around. I spoke for almost 90 minutes about the CPSA, our chapter, pencils, paper, solvents, tools to use, etc. Everyone was very pleased. At 2:30, 5 more people came in and I spoke for another 30 minutes, then I left at 3:00. All 10 people were beginners who wanted to learn CP. They were asking about workshops, and they asked if I would conduct a full workshop in their area. I'm not ready yet, maybe one day.

Kudos to Mike for stepping up to the unexpected demand for information, and representing our favorite medium and our organization so well! This was great exposure for colored pencils, the CPSA, and for Mike.

"Explorations in Colored Pencil II" award winners

Friday, September 6 was opening day for our Explorations in Colored Pencil II show at the Coastal Arts League gallery in downtown Half Moon Bay, CA.  The opening reception was a success!  Thanks to the kind folks at CAL, Chris Swetlin who hung the show, Nenette Santos who took charge of the refreshments, and Mike Purdy who took photos.  An original and several prints were sold on the first day.

There are 40 pieces in the show, by 13 artists.  The show runs through October 6.  Go see it if you can--it's a strong show!  We heard that some of the locals are saying it's one of the best the CAL gallery has hosted in years.

The show was juried for awards by Half Moon Bay gallery owner Ellen Joseph, who had this to say about the difficult task:

Walking into this diverse exhibit, I was struck by the high level of skill visible in each piece. It is amazing to me that colored pencils can produce such brilliant results. It was certainly a challenge to pick just a few winners because each entry has it's unique beauty and story to tell. I applaud all the artists who contributed to this show. Keep up the excellent work!

Here are the award winners!

1st Place and $100:
Rest Stop by Gemma Gylling

2nd Place and $50:
Sophie by Megan Seiter

3rd Place and $25:
Malibu Succulents II by Phillip Zubiate III

Honorable Mention:
Reflections by Gemma Gylling

Honorable Mention:
California Poppy Quintet by Denise Howard

Honorable Mention:
Pescadero Surf by Christopher Swetlin

Phil Zubiate receives his 3rd Place certificate from DC210 president Denise Howard

Chris Swetlin receives his Honorable Mention certificate from DC210 president Denise Howard

Here are some miscellaneous photos from the reception....

To see even more photos from the reception, click here.

August 2013 Meeting Highlights

J.Y. Chang, Nenette Santos, Marian Gault, Linda Huffman, Denise Howard, Betsy Jones, Mike Purdy.
Not shown: Christopher Swetlin

Another great meeting!  We met at the Palo Alto Art Center on Saturday, August 17.  It's such a nice facility, we wish we could meet there all the time.  We welcomed three new members who were also attending their first DC210 chapter meeting: Nenette Santos, Marian Gault, and Betsy Jones.  Nenette Santos lives in San Francisco, so thanks to her, our chapter designation (San Francisco) is no longer ironic because we finally have a member there!  Marian Gault is a professional calligrapher who blew us away with her beautiful script, and we hope she'll give us a demo someday soon of how she combines calligraphy and colored pencil drawings.  Betsy is perhaps best known as the admin for the very busy Colored Pencil Artists and Lovers group on Facebook, but she's also the new national CPSA Public Relations Director.

We had lots of recognition to dole out!

•  J.Y. Chang, Denise Howard and Betsy Jones for their acceptances in the UKCPS International Exhibition
• J.Y. Chang and Denise Howard for achieving CPSA signature status
• Denise Howard for winning the Dixon Ticonderoga Award for Exceptional Merit for her Tree of Character in the CPSA International Exhibition
• Gemma Gylling for organizing another terrific CPSA convention--her last as national Convention Director
• Chris Swetlin for Honorable Mention in the Pacific Art League's "Figures and Faces" juried exhibit for Girl with a Bubble, which he had included in his demo for us at the June meeting
• Chris Swetlin for 3 pieces in the Pacific Art League's "Water Media on Paper" juried exhibit, going on this month
• Maryann Kot on becoming the new director of the Livermore Art Association Gallery

Our chapter show, "Explorations in Colored Pencil II", is coming up in only three weeks, so we discussed some logistics.  Big "thank yous" to Chris Swetlin for volunteering to hang the show, take it down, design the printed materials and round up some of the reception refreshments, and to Linda Huffman for donating $50 toward the purchase of refreshments.  This will be our first opportunity to display our new chapter banner!  Entries have started trickling in, but of course we know how artists work: most of them will probably arrive in the last two days before the deadline of August 23!  The entry form is downloadable from the Calendar page of our chapter website.

Right away after our show ends on October 6, the Livermore ArtWalk is on Saturday, October 12, so we discussed some details for that event, too.  We'll have the same great booth location as last year. Denise will provide her canopy, print racks and table. The deadline for signing up to participate in our booth is August 26.  The entry form is downloadable from the Calendar page of our chapter website.

Our biennial officers' election is coming up in October.  If you're a member of DC210 and would like to run for any position, or nominate someone else for a position, let Denise know so the  name can appear on the ballot.  Linda Loder has decided to step down after 11 years on the board (including 9 as our previous president), so the vice-president position will be open.

We already have a date and venue for our November meeting:  Saturday, November 16 at Emil Villa's Hickory Pit in Livermore.  Watch the Calendar page of our website for program details as they develop.  Thank you to Henrietta Haines for arranging this!

Everyone who attended received a "schwag bag" from the CPSA national convention, full of great samples of papers, pencils, erasers, sharpeners, and new products.  These were extra bags that were left over at the end of the convention and since Denise drove to it, she was able to bring back quite a few.  The remainder will be up for grabs at the November meeting!

Denise read aloud a recent blog post by Ann Kullberg, "Judge Not, Lest Ye Be Judged...Unless They Ask Nicely" and some of the comments that were posted in response to it.  It's about how presentation matters very much when entering artwork into shows, whether we like it or not.  A timely topic since our chapter show is coming up right away!  We talked about how we prepare our own work for various situations.

We briefly discussed "When is a colored pencil drawing not a colored pencil drawing?" but we will revisit it again at November's meeting since we were running out of time.

"Show and Tell" is always a delight--it's so much fun to see what everyone is working on, and works that have been posted online always look sooooo much better and more full of life in person!  Thank you to everyone who brought something and for sharing your cp problems.

Swetlin wins Honorable Mention in Pacific Art League show

Congratulations to Christopher Swetlin, whose beautiful Girl with a Bubble received an Honorable Mention in the Pacific Art League's current juried exhibit, "Figures and Faces"!  The show runs August 2-29 in Palo Alto.

We got to see this luminous piece in real life at our June chapter meeting when he presented his rather unusual techniques, using sandpaper, Xacto knives and electric erasers to abuse the paper as he develops his drawings.  In case you didn't pick up on it, his piece and title alludes to Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring."

For more details about the show, visit PAL's current exhibit web page.

2013 CPSA national convention recap

For a chapter our size, we had some pretty good representation and recognition at this year's CPSA national convention and the International Exhibition!  Denise here with some highlights....

Every year during the general meeting, there's a slideshow of all the entries into the year's International Exhibition.  Not just the ones that were accepted--all entries.  Folks get to applaud or even cheer for their friends and fellow chapter members.  It was fun to see our chapter represented with artwork by J.Y. Chang, Gemma Gylling, Denise Howard, Mike Purdy, and Chris Swetlin.

Gemma Gylling made the position of national convention director look easy, as usual.  This was her last year at the job--she's stepping down so she can focus all those hours of hard work on something else, like creating more art!  Congratulations to Gemma on organizing so many successful conventions.  We're glad to get you back for chapter-level stuff!

Gemma Gylling, Denise Howard, J.Y. Chang at the banquet

Jackie Chang and I both received our "signature" status, meaning that this was our third year of having work accepted into the International Exhibition.

J.Y. Chang and Denise Howard with their signature status certificates

And finally, I'm honored to say that my "Tree of Character" won the Dixon Ticonderoga Award for Exceptional Merit in the International Exhibition.  This comes with a $1000 cash prize, one of the largest given.

Denise (left) and Holly Siniscal (right) just as Denise's award was announced.
Photo by Gayle Uyehara

You can view all of the wonderful award-winning pieces here.

Prior to the festivities, I attended the DC presidents' forum, a two-day event that helps keep all the chapters energized.  Jackie and I both took Arlene Steinberg's one-day workshop, "Creative Trompe L'Oeil Made Quicker with Inktense Pencils and Pan Pastels".  There was also the general meeting, with fantastic door prizes, raffle prizes, and last-minute spirited bidding on the 39 silent auction pieces.  I managed to be the top bidder on Eileen Sorg's "The Surrogate", but it took some effort because everyone else really wanted it, too!  The silent auction raised over $5,000 for the CPSA this year.  As you may have read elsewhere by now, the piece that brought in the most in the auction was CJ Worlein's composite portrait of CPSA founder Vera Curnow surrounded by several board members and award winners, "Because of Her"; a whole bunch of people pitched in a total of $755 to group-purchase it for Vera as a big surprise.  She was speechless!

 Here are some other photos I took....

That is a whole smoked salmon, served with
diced eggs, capers and onions.  Hors d'oeuvres
before the general meeting!

At the show reception

The turnout for the show reception was huge

A woman from Japan, Reiko Anisman, who has a piece in the show, made a whirlwind 4-day trip from Japan just to attend the banquet and reception!

Finally, I got better acquainted with Betsy Jones.  You may know of Betsy as the main admin for the very popular Colored Pencil Artists and Lovers group on Facebook.  She has just moved from Pittsburgh to Sacramento and is joining our chapter, and she is the new national PR Director.  We're so pleased to have her with us!

It's hard to say what the best part of attending a CPSA convention is.  Connecting with soooo many cp artists from around the country (and the world), making new artist friends, meeting some of the top artists in the medium, sharing ideas, seeing the show pieces in real life, taking a workshop, winning a door prize...  I hope you're looking forward to attending next year's convention in Daytona Beach!  Gemma will be one of the workshop presenters, and I've been told that all the hotel rooms overlook the beach.  Less than 365 days to go!

One-day colored pencil workshop at Palo Alto Art Center in November

The Palo Alto Art Center is open again after a two-year major remodel, and is back in full swing offering all sorts of classes and exhibits.  I learned today that they will be offering a one-day colored pencil workshop this fall.  Here is the info:

--------------------

Beyond Black and White: Colored Pencil Workshop
Sunday, Nov 3, 10am-4pm, $89 resident/$102 non-resident
taught by Brian Lamprell, www.brianlamprell.com

Do you want to inject some color into your drawing? Students of all levels are invited to explore the basics of drawing with colored pencils, watercolor pencils and conte crayon, working from photographs. Newer student will be introduced to a variety of materials as well as techniques such as blending, hatching, burnishing, impress, and perspective drawing. Experienced students will further explore composition, form, light and shadow, and color theory.
-------------------

If you're interested in the workshop, contact the Palo Alto Art Center directly for more info.  Their website is http://www.cityofpaloalto.org/gov/depts/csd/artcenter/default.asp  The address is 1313 Newell Rd, Palo Alto.  Phone: (650) 329-2366

Explorations in Colored Pencil II prospectus and entry form now available

The prospectus and entry form for our annual chapter art show is now available for download from our website!  See our Calendar page for the download link, or click here.

You'll notice that the first page is information-only (the prospectus) and the second page is the form to send in.  We designed it this way so that we can print hard copies of just the first page to leave with art leagues, art supply stores, community centers, etc. and it will direct folks to the website to get the entire document.  Please help us get the word out by printing a few copies of that first page and leaving them at places where you think other artists might find them!  (Get permission first, of course....)

Some things worth pointing out: 

• Cash awards! 1st: $100, 2nd: $50, 3rd: $25
• Non-members are welcome to enter
• Submissions will be juried only for awards--if you enter, you're in
• Works need not be 100% colored pencil
• 3D works are welcome 
• Opening reception and awards presentation Friday, September 6, 6-8 PM

We are hoping to fill the lovely Coastal Arts League Gallery with so much wonderful colored pencil art, people will come from miles around just to gaze in amazement and want to join CPSA on the spot!

If you have any specific questions, contact me (Denise) at president@cpsa210.org or call me at (650) 787-9953.  Don't wait too late--the deadline for entry is Friday, August 23!

Many thanks to Christopher Swetlin for his graphic design work on the prospectus/entry form.

Chang, Howard in UKCPS International Exhibition

Congratulations to CPSA DC210 members J.Y. Chang and Denise Howard on having their entries accepted into the UK Colored Pencil Society's 12th Annual Open International Exhbition!

Yes, that's UK as in England!  The UKCPS is the equivalent of our CPSA, and they welcome international members and exhibit entries just the same.

Not only were both women's works accepted, but this is the third year for both, so they both have now earned UKCPS "signature status".

The exhibit will take place at the Patchings Art Centre in Calverton, Nottinghamshire, September 1 - October 6, 2013.

Here's a little preview of their pieces...they may yet win awards! 

Harmony
J.Y Chang

Portrait of AgustinaJ.Y. Chang

Cricket Time
Denise Howard

Winter Santa Cruz Sunset
Denise Howard

Malay Lacewing
Denise Howard

 

Preview of the accepted pieces

In my previous post I announced that J.Y. Chang, Gemma Gylling and myself (Denise Howard) have pieces accepted into the 2013 CPSA International Exhibition.  Now I can give you a tantalizing preview of them!

Lost in Time by J.Y. Chang

Animal Totem: Cougar and the Cloud Spirits by Gemma Gylling

Tree of Character by Denise Howard

Start planning a road trip to attend the convention and see the show--it will be well worth your time, in inspiration alone.  You might even win a fabulous prize in the raffle at the members meeting!

Colored pencil classes and 2013 International Exhibiton acceptances

DC210 chapter member Maryann Kot is teaching colored pencil classes in Livermore! See the contact information in the image below to get more info or sign up.....

Member Gemma Gylling is teaching a two-day workshop in Copperopolis, CA June 29-30.  See her website for more details.  She is running all over the US this year so catch her in California while you can!

On another note, the acceptance list for this year's CPSA International Exhibition was announced today and we are proud to have three members listed on it!

    J.Y. Chang: Lost in Time

    Gemma Gylling, CPSA: Animal Totem: Cougar and the Cloud Spirits

    Denise Howard: Tree of Character

This marks the third acceptance for both Jackie and Denise, which means they have now earned "signature status" and can append "CPSA" after their names on anything art-related.  And it marks the sixth acceptance for Gemma.   Congratulations to all!  Here is the link to the complete acceptance list.

The exhibition will be at the City of Brea (California) Art Gallery, July 31st thru September 13, 2013. So if you're in the L.A./San Diego area, mark your calendar! It will blow you away.

What's shakin' for 2013?

Spring has arrived!  I can't seem to stop myself from taking photos of the hundreds of poppies in our front yard garden, ostensibly as reference photos for future drawings. Smart phones have made it so easy to snap photos on the spur of the moment, and the photo quality is quite decent for reference purposes.

It's been quite awhile since my last posting on our chapter blog, simply because I've taken to keeping in touch with our members via direct email.  But it occurred to me today that these posts provide some color (no pun intended) for outreach to folks who find our website and wonder what we're about beyond the formal structure of the website.  So I'll try to get back into the swing of it.

So, what's shakin' for 2013?  We have our next meeting all lined up!

Saturday, June 8, 2013
11:00 AM - 3:00 PM

Accent Arts (classroom upstairs)
392 S. California Ave.
Palo Alto, CA
(650) 424-1044

See the calendar page on our chapter website for the details.  I'm excited to have Christopher Swetlin present his unusual techniques, which he humorously refers to as "wrecking expensive paper", to produce his luminous and painterly work.  As I write this, his beautiful "39th and Hacienda III" is on display in the Pacific Art League's "Breath of Spring" juried show, through the end of April.  And Accent Arts owner Gil McMillon will give us an update on new materials for colored pencil.  

This year's national CPSA convention will be in Brea, California.  That's a few hundred miles south of here, but at least it's on this coast.  See the national website for details and how to register.  I'm planning to drive down.  I'll be going early to participate in a forum for all the chapter presidents, but I encourage folks to get a carpool together and make a road trip--it's totally worth going to meet some of your favorite famous cp artists, see the jaw-dropping International Exhibition first-hand, and perhaps win one of the fabulous raffle prizes.  At last year's convention, in Covington, KY, there were groups who drove all the way from Florida and Texas!

Our chapter show is starting to take shape, too!

Explorations in Colored Pencil 2013
September 6 - October 6
Coaastal Arts League Gallery
Half Moon Bay, CA

Important dates:
    Entry deadline: Wednesday, August 28
    Dropoff date for hand-delivery to gallery: Monday, September 2
    Show: Friday, September 6 - Sunday, October 6
    Opening reception and awards ceremony: Friday, September 6 6:00-8:00 PM
    Pickup date from gallery: Monday, October 7

Our awards juror will be Ellen Joseph, owner of the Ellen Joseph Gallery and Studio in downtown Half Moon Bay and a member of the Coastal Arts League.  Keep checking back on our website for the prospectus and entry form.  It will be open to anyone over 18 who works with colored pencil, and they need not be a CPSA member.  Jurying will be only for awards, not for entry. 

I'm excited to have our show at the CAL gallery, because it's a beautiful space in downtown Half Moon Bay, a high-traffic, touristy area.  I recently participated in their annual members show and my "California Poppy #3" sold to someone from Oregon.

So to bring this post full circle, that's why I need to take all these poppy photos--now that my latest poppy drawing sold, I need to draw another one for our chapter show.  Fire up your pencils and get ready to show Half Moon Bay what we do!