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! 

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!