Hello fellow DC210 chapter members!

As you know, our July 15 meeting has been planned as a field trip to an historic section of Santa Cruz, CA, adjacent to the San Lorenzo River.  Our destination is a small community of vintage and charming cottages, nestled among redwood trees, ferns, hydrangeas, and many other flora.  This location is also host to pre and post-Civil War construction of the California Powder Works, such as a covered bridge, a large Victorian farmhouse, and an original powder house for storing black gun powder.

To kick off our trip, a local resident and our host, Judy Wahl, will be providing a tour of some of the more interesting historic sites in the community, some selected with artists in mind.  During this tour, we will see many opportunities for photos and sketching/drawing.  Following the tour, we can return to any of the places we saw for more photos, or to settle in for a nice session of drawing, or exploring more of the community on our own. 

We will meet up for lunch to discuss what we are working on and to ask any questions of our host we might have.  After that, we can return to exploring and documenting the community, hopefully for future projects.  Before we depart, we will meet up for a show and tell e.g., sketches, photos, ideas for future projects.

Please feel free to bring a guest.   Artists working in any medium are welcome.

RSVP to Paula Greer and Peggy Milovina Meyer by July 12

Details - Meet at Paradise Park, 211 Paradise Park, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, at 10am, July 15, 2017. 

Directions:

1.       Take CA-17 S towards Santa Cruz

2.       Take CA-1 N (a slight right after passing the CA-1 S exit)

3.       Take a right on to CA-9 N / River St.

4.       Take a slight right at the entrance to Paradise Park Masonic Club (small red gatehouse)

5.       Once you arrive at the entrance, follow the CPSA signs to the parking location.

Carpools – We recommend touching base with other members in your area to set up carpools.  Please consider using our chapter Facebook page to post if you can drive or are looking for a ride.

Lunch – Please bring your own lunch and beverages.  There are no places nearby to purchase food.

What should I bring (besides lunch)? :

·         Drawing/sketching supplies in an easy to carry container, drawing board

·         Collapsible chair that is easy to carry

·         Camera

·         Small bag to hold any trash

·         We will be outside so don’t forget your hat and sunscreen

·         Comfortable walking shoes

·         A light jacket.  Mornings can be brisk and it can get a little chilly in the shade

Take Note:

·         We are guests in the community.  Please respect property and privacy.  If you see something you would like to get closer to that requires you to go into someone’s yard, please ask permission of the owner if they are home.  Generally use your best judgement.  To help with this, we will be given a card with our host’s information in case we are asked (who we are and why we are there).

·         For those with ATT cell phones, service is not great.  Those with Verizon will typically have no issues.

·         For those who may have difficulty getting around, our host has secured two golf carts that will be used while in the park.  

·         If you would like to make a weekend of it, there are many motels and hotels in and near Santa Cruz.

·         Staying the weekend and wonder what to do?  Let us know in advance and we can provide suggestions for interesting places to visit. 

 

May 20, 2017 Meeting Summary

Hello fellow color pencil artists!

Our latest meeting on May 20^th was at the Bothwell Arts Center in Livermore and we missed those of you who were not able to attend.  Let’s catch up with all the happenings in the last couple of months and what is in store over the next couple of months.
Recognitions and Announcements

Congratulations go out to Gemma Gylling and Denise Howard for having their work accepted into the CPSA 25^th Annual International Exhibit, and to Paula Greer and Winifred Scott for having their drawings and photographs accepted into the Alameda County Fair Art Show! 

Mike Purdy was invited to donate a piece of art for the National Conference auction.  The only way to donate to the auction is by invitation of the Board of Directors.  Congratulations Mike!

Maryann Kot is returning to Livermore and will resume teaching CP classes at the Bothwell Center this summer.   Please check the Bothwell home page for more information.

Bylaws Out for Final Chapter Review

Please remember to review the Bylaws sent out to the chapter by Paula and report contradictory statements, ambiguities, or unclear/confusing statements back to Paula by June 9^th.  Shortly after June 9, the chapter will be asked to vote to accept the Bylaws using an online survey.  A great deal of work has been put into updating our chapter Bylaws and it is important  that all of us take the time to review, understand and vote so we can move on to other important chapter business.

Amy Lindenberger Workshops

Thanks go out to a number of folks for their hospitality, time and support in putting on the workshops.  Special thanks to Betsy and her husband for hosting Amy; Paula Greer for her airport shuttle service; Sharon Wood for managing ordering and delivery of lunches; Brad Meyer, Peggy Milovina Meyer’s husband for setting up the live video display of Amy’s demo.  We had 14 attendees for both of the one day workshops. 

All the feedback was very positive and everyone took away new techniques and ideas to try on their own.  Those at the meeting who attended the workshops shared their experience and impressions.  All learned new techniques and will try using them in future projects. 

Abstract Challenge

We discussed the Abstract Challenge for “To the Point”.  There were several submissions from our chapter.  Both Paula and Denise shared theirs and discussed their inspiration.  Several felt stumped by the challenge in spite of the abstract demo and hands on earlier this year.  There was discussion about some submissions that were rejected because the imagery used was too recognizable.  Going back to our demo, we learned there are several major types of abstract work; one involves familiar imagery i.e. abstract realism, so there was some confusion.  Paula was asked to bring this up at the National meeting since the call for abstracts said all submissions would be accepted.

Chapter Show Update

This year’s chapter show will be held at the San Ramon Library from July – September.  The space for work is limited, so to maximize the number of pieces we can hang, members are asked to “think small”.  The security in the library is very good, and the gallery spaces in good, open areas.  Details and the prospectus will be available soon.  Please mark June 30^th on your calendars as the date the show will be hung.  There are a lot of moving pieces involved in putting on the show.  Please take to heart Paula’s request for volunteers.  Most jobs will only take a couple of hours, a small amount of time to make a big impact.

July 15 Fieldtrip/Meeting

For something a little different, our July meeting will be more field trip than meeting.  We will be going to a small historical riverside community just outside of Santa Cruz, CA.  Bring your pencils and cameras and your walking shoes.  A docent will give us a tour of the community built on a black powder works factory founded in the first half of the 19^th century.  The community boasts a covered bridge that was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2015.  The many cottages were mostly built in the early 20^th century and are quite charming.  Being in the shade of redwoods, the hydrangeas, camellias and rhododendrons are stunning.  We may even see some local wildlife.  We will have a picnic lunch, find a place to draw or take photos, visit and generally have a great day.  Please look for more information on this as we get closer to the date. 

Upcoming Events – Volunteers Needed!

Besides the chapter show, there are a number of events this year and next that need volunteers to make them a success.  Please consider giving a bit of your time on one or more of these events.  Examples of volunteer opportunities include set up and take down, booth time, refreshments, making flyers, and sending emails.  Events are:

·         Livermore ArtWalk – October 7, 2017

·         Nominations Committee for Chapter November officer election

·         2018 Chapter Workshop

·         2018 Chapter Show

 

Please contact Paula Greer if you are interested in a volunteer opportunity.

Chapter Project for CPSA National Conference

 This year we decided to create a chapter project to be placed on display at the National Conference in July.  The finished project will be a collage of official state symbols in the shape of the state.  The collage is inspired by traditional quilt designs.  The design was divided into 30 squares which have been handed out lottery style.  We spent part of the meeting working on our squares.  The final reassembled collage will be photographed and shared with the chapter.  Thanks to all who are contributing to this project!

Well, that’s enough for now.  We promise to be better about posting blogs going forward.  If you have any suggestions for subjects, please let Paula and Peggy know, especially if you would like to be a guest blogger!