January 9, 2012

Hello Everyone,

Here it is January 2012 and with the new year it means that the holidays are past and we are onto the Super Bowl.

I hope that all of you had a joyous and wonderful Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa.  I hope I got them all.

With all the shopping, baking, cooking, visiting and family get-togethers, I hope all of you found some time to pursue your passion and love of painting.

Our holiday party at Marcia and Chuck’s was wonderful and although I didn’t stay for the gift exchange, it definitely was a good time.  We all are very appreciative of the Hero’s opening their home to entertain us all.  It was great that so many were able to attend.

Now for a quick recap:

·        Our meeting is this Wednesday, January 11^th at Artist and Display and starts at 6:30 pm.  Wendi Thompson will be the guest speaker.
·        Annual dues of $25 are due at this time.
·        The Registration form for our Spring show is attached to this e-mail and there are some changes to the form, which we will discuss at our meeting.
·        We will be offering classes, on proper art work presentation, and they are open to any member.  This class will be conducted by Carol and we will discuss this at the meeting.

I look forward to seeing all of you at our meeting.

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President's Newsletter 8/26/11

Hello Everyone,

Here it is almost Labor Day and the summer seems to have flown by.  

I hope all of you have had time to get out and paint.  There have been so many Plein Aire events and the weather has been awesome for painting.  Well, maybe not the really hot steamy days we had recently but the rest of the summer has been awesome.

Our first picnic was so much fun.  Darron gave a great Plein Aire Demo and the food was really good.  Thank you to everyone that attended that made it a success.  I think we will change things up for next year.  Maybe paint in the morning before the picnic and then eat.  It seems the only person that painted was Darron but it was a great time.

We just had our reception last night at the One Way Café for the Déjà vu II exhibit with the Underwood Photography Group.  The show is really beautiful.  All the members that participated did a really incredible job of interpreting the photos.  I just love the show and every single piece hanging.   I honestly couldn’t have picked a favorite if I wanted to, because the florals, the animals, the people, and the landscapes are breathtaking.  If you weren’t at the reception, please take time to view the show it is something to see.  The show will be going on until October 21^st.  I can’t wait to go back and see it a second time.

I want to congratulate the winners but in my book, each and every piece was worthy of an award.  It was so nice that the judge, Fred Bell, was on hand to discuss our pieces and spend time with any and all artists.

First Place was Alecia Schmitz’s Shadow Dance.  Second Place was Debbie Callahan’s Lavender Parasol, Third Place was Debra Patterson (yes, it’s me) for Trails End.  Honorable Mention was Ray McInerney’s Cameroon Lady in Waiting.

Our next meeting is Wednesday, September 14^th at Artist and Display at 6:30 pm.  Fred Bell, that judged our show, will be on hand to do a demonstration of his pastel painting techniques.

I look forward to seeing all of you there.

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President's Newsletter May 4, 2011

Hello All

Here it is May, the flowers are blooming and all is right with the world, even if it is still a little cold for me.

Spring Serenade Exhibit

We had our reception at the Schauer Center April 29th for our “Spring Serenade” exhibit.  Here are the winners.  I have to say that Lorin, our judge, must have had a very hard time judging because the body of work was truly awesome.  It was really nice that Lorin was available to share with the artists, that were there, insight into their work from his perspective.  I had the opportunity to spend sometime with him and he really made me of aware of things.  The show runs until May 23rd and hopefully, if you haven’t seen it, you will take the drive to Hartford to do just that.  Congratulations to all our artists for putting your work out there.

Best of Show:  Roxanne Hanney “Mama’s Favorite”                                Honorable Mention 1:  Debbie Callahan  “Irish Vu”
First Place:       Rhoda Tews  “Prairie in Waiting”                                Honorable Mention 2:  Ray McInerny  “Late Summer at Whitnall"
Second Place:   Carol Chapman  “Shelf Life”                                        Honorable Mention 3:  Chris Behrs  “First Light”
Third Place:     Darron Lillian  “Hyw. I”                                                Honorable Mention 4:  Gina Ward  “Sofia”

May 11^th Meeting – at Artist and Display – Selection of Photos for the September exhibit

I am really looking forward to the May 11^th meeting.  The Underwood Photography Group will be joining us again so that we can select pieces from them for our dual show at the One Way Café in September.   The selection is limited to one piece per artist and we are only allowing 20 to 23 photos to be selected.  The Underwood group will be will be the first order of business, so please plan to be there by 6:30 to make your selections.
The Exhibit committee is currently working on the registration form and getting the last details ironed out.  Just so you know we will be collecting the entry fee of $25 that evening.

Summer Picnic – July 30th

Darron Lillian and I have been in contact regarding the Summer Picnic.  We tried to schedule this around the Plein Air competitions and our busy summer schedule.  The date we picked is July 30^th.  The WPA will be providing the food but we will need some dishes to pass (i.e. salads and desserts).  We will need a picnic committee to keep things organized, so please think about signing up as a member.  Darron is scoping out some locations for us to go to.  There will be more information to follow at our meeting on Wednesday.
 
Brochures on Display

I will be bringing brochures into the meeting for those of you who have volunteered to be our “mailmen”.  We will also have new inserts for you to put into those and to replace those that are still on display at your locations.

The board is still looking for donations of your notecards.

Until next Wednesday, happy painting!

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President's Newsletter March 3, 2011

Hello All

Are you in the winter doldrums, like me.  Does the gray sky give you pause as to where the color went?  Cheer up, winter is almost over, yeah, yeah!    Spring will be upon us before we know it.  I know that March came in like a Lamb, such is life, Spring is coming.  Yes, can you tell I am in a funk.  I am very tired of winter, but, it’s almost over, yes it is.

Speaking of Spring, I understand that Debbie Callahan is receiving registrations for the “Spring Serenade” exhibit at the Schauer Center.  So, I know that many of you are working on your pictures, or getting ready to.  I can’t wait to see the show, when it opens in April.  Don’t forget the drop off of your paintings is April 20^th and the reception is April 29^th.

Have you paid your dues? If not, please do so, we count on these all important funds to help keep this organization running.

Do any of you have notecards printed of your pastels, if so, could you please consider donating them to our organization.  The board would love to use them for our correspondence.  Just another way to get our artwork noticed.  Please bring some to the meeting.

Our March meeting is coming next Wednesday, March 9^th, at Artist and Display.  Marcia sent out a reminder a few weeks ago, but just in case, don’t forget Lorin Wiley is our featured speaker.  He was kind enough to join us for a critique session last year and we are definitely looking forward to him returning to us.  Please remember to bring in your artwork.  Lorin can definitely help fine tune your work or keep you on the right track.  So, please bring something to share.  Looking forward to seeing what you all have in the works.

Until Wednesday, happy painting!

Debra Patterson, President

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President's Newsletter December 30, 2011

Hello All,


Big News – Our January meeting location is changing.  We will be meeting in the same building where the A/C Art Group meets.  The rest of the year the meetings will be held at Artist and Display.

Location:          West Allis City Hall. Room G-14
                 South 76th and Greenfield Avenue
                West Allis, WI

To find the room, park in the rear of the building and go down the stairs on the right.   Once down the stairs take a left and then a right.

Date:  Wednesday January 12th

Time:  6:30 pm

Well, here it is the day before New Year’s Eve.  I hope all of you are enjoying the season and that you had much to celebrate with family and friends.  I know that David and I did.  Now that 2011 is almost here and 2010 almost a memory, I hope that you are taking that much needed time to paint, relax, and repeat.

Remember annual membership dues are due in January.  If you are attending the meeting, please remember your check so that you can give it to Debbie Callahan or you can mail it to her.  

I am so excited because we will be handing out new membership and business cards.  

I am also very excited because at the January meeting Carol Chapman is going to be demonstrating her pastel painting techniques.  I encourage all of you to attend, because I have heard wonderful things about her demos!

Also, there is still time to get your Schauer Center registration form to Debbie Callahan.  It is due March 24th for the Springtime Serenade exhibit.  As always, the Exhibit Committee is counting on all of our membership to get a great response.  Remember, that without you, we won’t have a show.  We have a very huge space to fill, so bigger is better, as is the more the merrier.  I am looking forward to seeing all the great pieces that you have been working on.

The IAPS Convention is this year.  You can link to their website from ours or you can get there directly using this web address www.pastelinternational.com/.  

I will let all of you know now but I will formally introduce Alecia Schmitz as our new treasurer.  She has graciously agreed to step into this position and I really appreciate her coming forward to replace Donna, who will be leaving us for her Peace Corps assignment.

Continuing reminders.  
Again, please remember that we need digital images of your works, even those that you are not exhibiting, before you frame them.  Please forward those images to Marcia Hero at marciasartwork@yahoo.com.  These images just add to our body of work for any presentation CDs that we do.
We are still hoping that you put together, if you haven’t already done so, your Artist Statement and/or Artist Biography for our portfolio booklet.  Please send them to Debbie Callahan at callahandebbie@hotmail.com.
Please make sure that if you have any information, you would like to share with the group please forward it onto Kathy and she can post it on our website.
I look forward to seeing all of you at the next member meeting at West Allis City Hall on January 12th.

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Letter from the President, Thursday November 4, 2010

We had our meeting last night and the elections were pretty much a done deal.  The board is remaining the almost the same and we are happy, proud, and looking forward to serving you for another 2 years.

We had 3 new members at the meeting and a great show and tell session.

The new registration form for our Spring Exhibition at the Schauer Center was passed out at the meeting and should be available on our website soon, if not already.

As Debbie Callahan informed the exhibitors, our One Way Cafe Show is coming to an end and they will be picking up their pieces this Saturday from 2 to 3:45 pm.  So there is still a little time to see it one more time.

Our show at the Griffin will be closing the end of this month.  Debbie Callahan will be sending out an e-mail with specific times for the exhibitors to pick up their pieces.  So please, if you are an exhibitor, keep a look out for that e-mail.  If you have not seen the show, you really should get there.

I am very excited about some things that occurred last night.  First, our members will be placing our Brochures at locations through out Greater Milwaukee, Waukesha and Appleton area with a list of current events and rotating them through out the year so that anyone will always know what is going on and get introduced to our website.  We can only hope that this will attract new members to our great group of artists.  Secondly, Darron brought up a Plein Aire event for our group during the summer months.  The Board has been discussing such an event and we will be working on planning something in the future.  

Check out the minutes once they are posted for more information about member shows and other things that we covered. 

Wednesday, September 22, 2010 Letter from the President

Hello All,

Here it is the first day of Fall and Summer is once again behind us.  There is still a lot of time to get out there and do some plein aire painting.  If you are interested, Kathy Welsch sends out an e-mail regarding weekly plein aire events.  If you need her e-mail, please contact me.

Current Events

One Way Café Exhibit - Our dual show with the Underwood Photography Group at the One Way which is running until November 6, 2010.  The reception on September 16^th was wonderful.   The works were spectacular.  I loved them all.  

The winning pieces chosen by our judge, Don Krause from the Art Bar, were
        Best of Show – Chris Behrs, Baileys Harbor Sunrise
        1^st Place – Rhoda Tews, Autumn Too Soon
        2^nd Place – Susan Willets, Glorious
        3^rd Place – Donna Staats, Polar Bear Illusion II
        Honorable Mentions:        Loretta Ellery, Eroded Rock II
                                Roxanne Hanney, Damned Reflections
                                Suzanne Manthe, Two Pools Revisited II
                                Janet Merkel, The Grand Tetons

You will be able to pick up your paintings on Saturday, November 6^th between 2 and 4 pm.  

Griffin Gallery – Remember that all the pieces must be dropped off at the Griffin Gallery by Sunday, September 26^th.  They will be judged and prizes will be awarded at our reception on October 1^st from 5 pm to 9 pm.  You can drop off your pieces this week during the gallery hours.  Remember that the Griffin’s gallery night is October 1^st which coincides with our show. Again, I want to thank all of you for submitting your pieces for the jurying process.  

Workshop opportunity with Jim Hempel. - The workshop will be help on October 15^th at Lake Park.  There is still room for some more artists.  So, if you would like to participate with Jim, this is a wonderful opportunity, just let me know.  I will be passing along the participants to Jim and he will contact you directly.  The charge is $50 and is payable directly to Jim.

Past Events

Lorin Wiley was our guest at the September 1^st meeting and gave his critique of any pieces that you brought in to share.  It was very insightful and lots of fun.  

Upcoming Events

Our next meeting is November 3^rd at Artist and Display.  We will be having elections and a show and tell.  Please bring any works or works in progress to share.

In April and May of 2011 we will be returning to the Schauer Center in Hartford again for our spring show.

Continuing reminders.  

Again, please remember that we need digital images of your works, even those that you are not exhibiting, before you frame them.  Please forward those images to Marcia Hero at marciasartwork@yahoo.com.  These images will be used for our promotional CDs and website.

We are still hoping that you put together, if you haven’t already done so, your Artist Statement and/or Artist Biography for our portfolio booklet.  Please be sure and include some images of your work.  Please send them to Debbie Callahan at callahandebbie@hotmail.com.

Please make sure that if you have any information, you would like to share with the group please forward it onto Kathy Welsch and she can post it on our website.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010 Letter from the President

Hello All,

Here it is August already.  

Just think, our membership meeting is rapidly approaching, September 1st at 6:30 pm at Artist and Display.  Lorin Wiley will be on hand to critique our paintings.  So, please bring your pieces along.  It should be an interesting and informative evening.

Dual Photo and Painting Show - The One Way Cafe exhibit with the Photography Group is fast approaching.  I have received some information from some of you that are exhibiting regarding your piece.  

For those of you exhibiting that have not gotten me the info, I still need the name of the piece, the size, and the price so that I can do the labels.

Griffin Gallery - This juried show is fast approaching also.  So many of you were excited when we announced the opportunity, I sure hope that you are just as excited now.  So far, the exhibit committee only knows about 6 pieces.  As I mentioned in my last e-mail we would like around 40 pieces for the jury submission but as it stand, we expect to only have 20 hung.  So please get that information to us or if nothing else, please supply us with a count of how many pieces you will be submitting.  Remember that the Griffin needs to either receive these images digitally or you can drop them off for the jurying process.

The Griffin is located at 133 E. Wisconsin Ave. Oconomowoc, WI and our contact person at the gallery is Paul Schultz.

• Submission and/or drop-off dates for digital images to the Griffin Gallery is between August 16th through August 30th.  
• All digital images should include this information:  for the Wisconsin Pastel Artist Exhibit
• They should be sent to paul@griffingalleryfinellc.com.  Any problems with the web address, please contact Debbie Callahan.
• If dropping off your painting, you will need to contact Paul at the Griffin 262-567-1826 to set up an appointment.

 Debra, President

 August 28, 2010
To IAPS Member Societies:

Please share this information with your members.


The deadline for the IAPS 2010 Web Show is fast approaching! Entries must be received by the show coordinator no later than September 15, 2010.
This is a great show to enter for many reasons: wonderful prizes, Master Circle points and possibly best of all, you don't have to ship a painting! There is no image size limitation and it is not required that the painting be for sale. However, there are a few other entry criteria, so please read the prospectus carefully. Also outlined in the prospectus are special procedures for members of societies outside the U.S.; please note this if applicable. Download the prospectus here.

There's more exciting IAPS news coming your way. On Wednesday, September 1, the IAPS web site will feature complete information about the Ninth Biennial Convention, which will be held in Albuquerque, New Mexico, June 2-5, 2011. Pre- and post-convention workshops and other events such as the opening exhibitions of the IAPS 18th Juried Exhibition and first Master Circle Exhibition will make this a wonderful week for pastelists.

We're premiering online registration for the convention--when you register online, you'll know immediately that you were able to get into the classes you want. Comprehensive information about the convention will be at your fingertips on September 1, beginning at 9 a.m. Eastern time. If you've attended previous conventions, you know that classes and the hotel fill quickly, so sign up early!

For those people who don't like to use a credit card online, you will be able to download a printable registration form. If you can't download a form, you can request one to be emailed to you (email Susan Webster, susanwebster@verizon.net and put "IAPS" in the subject line). Or, you can send a SASE (with two first-class stamps) to Maggie Price/IAPS, P.O. Box 46107, Rio Rancho, NM 87174-6107 to have a printed form mailed to you.

We have a fantastic line-up of instructors, and a lot of new or improved events. Along with several other people, I've been working on the web pages for weeks now, and we're all very excited about the 2011 convention. I've been to every one of the IAPS conventions and believe they have gotten better every time, and I think the next one will be the best ever.

I hope to see you there!

Best regards,


Maggie Price
President, IAPS
www.pastelinternational.com

Hello All,

Hope your Fourth of July was sparkling and colorful.  

This year has proven to be excellent so far for Plein air painting.  I know that many of you are and have been participating in the Plein air events like Cedarburg and Wauwatosa that are offered this summer.  

Upcoming Events

One Way Café Exhibit - Remember that our dual show with the Underwood Photography Group at the One Way will run from September 12, 2010 to November 6, 2010.  The set up is Sept. 12th, with the drop-off  time between 2 to 4 pm.  The reception will be September 16th, from 6 to 8 pm.  You will be able to pick up your paintings on November 6th.  

Griffin Gallery - I know that with all the joy of summer painting that many of you are just waiting to participate in our Griffin Gallery Show, The Times they are a Changin’!    I am attaching the registration form for this show.  This show runs from October 1st through the end of November.  The Griffin’s gallery night is October 1st which coincides with our show.  Even though we need 20 pieces for the show, because the show is juried, the number of pieces submitted for the show should be around 40, so that the jurors can have a selection to choose from.  I hope that all of you will participate in this show.  It is our last one for 2010. Griffin_Gallery_2010_reg_form.pdf

Some items to remember on the Griffin are
·        Each artist may submit between 2 to 4 images
·        Pieces should be no larger than 16 x 20
·        Registration deadline is August 16th
·        The Jurors will be using digital images to jury in the pieces.  However, you can drop off your finished pieces at the Griffin for the jury process.  
·        The digital images and finished pieces need to be submitted for jurying by no later than September 7th.  
·        All pieces submitted digitally to the Griffin Gallery go to the attention of:  info@griffingalleryfinellc.com.  In the subject line please include Attn:  Paul Schultz – WPA Exhibit. Each digital image is to be labeled in this manner:  (i.e. debrapatterson_Roses_9x12_250).
·        The Griffin Gallery will charge a 40% commission on all art sold, and will handle all sales transactions.  

Lorin Wiley will be our guest at the September 1st meeting and giving his critique of any pieces that you bring in to share.  Perhaps you would like to bring in a piece

In April and May of 2011 we will be returning to the Schauer Center in Hartford again for our spring show.

Continuing reminders.  

Again, please remember that we need digital images of your works, even those that you are not exhibiting, before you frame them.  Please forward those images to Marcia Hero at marciasartwork@yahoo.com.  These images will be used for our promotional CDs and website.

We are still hoping that you put together, if you haven’t already done so, your Artist Statement and/or Artist Biography for our portfolio booklet.  Please be sure and include some images of your work.  Please send them to Debbie Callahan at callahandebbie@hotmail.com.

Please make sure that if you have any information, you would like to share with the group please forward it onto Kathy Welsch and she can post it on our website.

See you all soon.