February Early Bird
Thursday, February 2, 2006, 6:30-9 PM

The Lindisfarne Gospels 
Dolores Schultz

The Lindisfarne Gospels are an 8th century Celtic manuscript book which is as lovely to look at as the Book of Kells. Dolores Schultz is a long time member of our guild, a veteran calligrapher, artist, and paper maker from Houston, who has just recently relocated to the San Antonio area. We are thrilled to have her here full time now, and especially fortunate that she is available to present the Lindisfarne Gospels to us. Dolores personally visited and studied this book, and she will be sharing her knowledge and slides with us tonight. 

Mini Workshop
Thursday, February , 2006, 7-9 PM, usual meeting room

Painted Envelopes and Neuland in the Mail
Kaye Yarbrough 

Our very own President Kaye Yarbrough is famous in our guild for her excellent Neuland lettering. Neuland is the hand originally developed in 1923 as type by Rudolph Koch. It has become very well known and popular both as a type face and as a calligraphic hand. It is especially useful for addressing envelopes and for headings. It can be done simply for beginners and with lots of pen manipulation for more advanced calligraphers. So this will be class for everyone.

Kaye asks that we bring a 5.0 mm ZIG or similar felt tip pen. The ones with the 2.0 mm felt tip nib on the other end are especially handy. Any color will be fine. Kaye will have a few extras in case someone can’t find one. And Kaye will furnish the practice paper and guidelines. She will instruct us on how to make the letters of the alphabet, and how to decorate and flourish the letters. 

B U L L E T I N    B O A R D

Our new year started off just right, with good friends and delicious food. Thank you to our January Hospitality folks, Becky Hughes, Lynn Rothe, Angie Chaos-Peters, BJ Grant, and Pam Thomas. We also would like to thank our Greeters for helping everyone to feel welcome when we first walk in the door. Carol Keith, we will miss you for a while, as you assist your sister who is very ill. You both are in our thoughts.

The nomination forms for this year’s Paul Freeman Awards was in the last newsletter. All nominations must reach Pam Thomas by the February meeting, when she will announce the names. We will vote for the winners in April.

We have some extra Directories available. It is very handy to be able to keep an extra copy of either the large one or the mini one near a spare phone, in the car, at the office, etc. They are for sale for $3/large copy and $1/mini directory. Please contact Becky Hughes if you would like to purchase one.

We also have about 100 Calendars left for sale. These are the 18 month calendars that cover August of 2005 through January of 2007 and feature the lettering and artwork of our guild members. Calendars cost $7 each and we will foot the postage if you live out of town. How’s that for a deal?! Please contact Jill Adams for posters and Pam Thomas for calendars. And remember - we have no plans for a future calendar. So be sure you have one of these in your collection. 

We were pleased to have 3 guests at the January meeting. And we were also pleased to hear that they found us via our web site and the local newspaper listing of the meeting. Remember that if you would like to have a web site of your own, Frank Ripple is available to help you get set up. His fee is very reasonable. This is a wonderful way to reach the public and advertise your work.

Our Membership now totals 125! We have been very fortunate to have our membership continue to grow. New members do get a packet of materials and gifts. If you would like to donate anything for the new member packets, please contact Angie Chaos-Peters.

And if you are a new member, we have a Mentorship Program for you. If you like, you will be assigned a mentor who will assist you in “learning the ropes,” choosing new supplies, choosing classes, etc. Please contact Bonnie Houser if you are interested.

Congratulations to our January Door Prize Winners. Daniel Rodgers, Bill Waddington, Joan Cornell, Sally Hoffman, and Dolores Schultz won the prizes that were donated by Mary Bowman, Nancy Meier, Bill Waddington, Anita Hyman, and Sylvia Stanley.

The Spring Exhibit at Los Patios will be here before we know it. Be sure to be working on a piece for he exhibit, and remember to think big, since the spaces there are large and it will not be easy for us to fill the space. The exhibit opening will take place on April 2.

Please remember the Battered Women’s Shelter when you shop for Valentine items. We will be having our annual Valentine Card Exchange at the February meeting. Please bring a card or bookmark to exchange with a member, and also something for the women and children at the shelter. They are always so grateful for everything we donate.

Sylvia Stanley has a new e-mail address. You can now reach her at: esstanley@peoplepc.com.

Don’t forget our XXVI Letters !
These posters are still for sale at $5 each. They are two sided and make great gifts, not to mention great two sided placemats when laminated.

MAJOR WORKSHOP

A FABRIC-GANZA INTENSIVE

WITH LISA ENGELBRECHT 

JUNE 5-9, 2006

MONDAY-FRIDAY, 9:00 - 4:30

AT DISCOVERY SCHOOL 

It’s not often that we get a chance to spend 5 full days enjoying an artist and exploring a single subject.  We have waited a long time for this enticing class with Lisa Engelbrecht.  And the time is finally here! 

Lisa is a lettering artist and a calligraphy instructor who comes to us from California, where she has taught at Cerritos College, in the program created by Marsha and Larry Brady.  She has also taught at numerous International Calligraphy Conferences, the Art & Soul and Artfest collage conferences, and was a featured lecturer at Discoveries in 1998 and at Focus, the Oregon Book Arts conference, in 2005.  Lisa was named one of the “Women of Somerset” by Somerset Studio in the Spring of 2002, and her work has been featured in Letter Arts Review, the Calligrapher’s Engagement Calendar, Legacy magazine, Artist’s Journals and Sketchbooks, by Lynn Perella, The Art and Craft of Hand Lettering, by Annie Cicale, and  Quilted Memories, by Leslie Riley.  Lisa is also a freelance artist for American Greetings.  You may have seen her popular calendar, Prayers, for 2004 and 2005.  You will find a feast for your eyes if you visit Lisa’s web site. 

Lisa says that in this class we will combine lettering and surface design techniques, and will arrange words and images to tell a story on fabric, using unique clarity and drama.  We will begin with wash and mark making using acrylic media.  Lettering on various types of fabric and alternative surfaces will be introduced, and we will use both traditional and found tools.  Stencil, stamping, shibori, and tie-dye techniques will be demonstrated and layering techniques will be discussed.  There will be constant emphasis on creative thinking, personal exploration, and free play.  Embellishment, beading, foiling, trapunto, fabric collage, embroidery, and quilting will be included, and there will be many samples presented to spark the imagination. 

Class fee:  $200.  This includes your $10. supply fee.

Sign-up begins February 2, 2006, at the General Meeting. 

Supply List for Fabric-Ganza Intensive:
Welcome to this Artistic Adventure!

One yard of smooth unprimed unbleached canvas—7 ounce or what you can find. Available from Daniel Smith or your local art store
One yard of 100% cotton muslin
Papers and fabrics with various surfaces, textures, different colors - old torn quilts, clothing, crushed velvet, etc. Try the $1. rack at Goodwill!
FW Liquid Acrylic Ink and Pearlescent Ink, usually found in the airbrush section, a couple of colors
Disappearing ink fabric marker, from fabric stores like JoAnn, or WalMart
Any fabric paints you already may have. Lisa will provide a lot of paints to try
Old brushes - hairy, flay, pointed, watercolor, etc.
Eye dropper or pipette
Micron markers, Pitt pens, Sharpies, gel pens
Pencils, regular and color
Toothbrush
Small container of PVA or YES glue
Any calligraphy dip pens you have, various sizes
Zig markers, optional
Cardboard tube from paper towels or a piece of PVC the same size
Plastic palette with 6 wells
Fabric scissors
Large chunky stamps that you already have
Trim, and miscellaneous - different textures
Please bring what you have on hand - don’t buy anything special
Photos, mementos, symbols, charms, beads, quotes and words, amulets that speak to your secret art self
Iron, hair dryer, and towel for press cloth
Think about what you would like this piece to be about. This helps choose colors and textures.

Lisa will provide: inks, acrylic inks, metallic powders, gesso, YES glue, pen nibs, walnut ink, and play fabric.

    Saturday Special
March 4, 2006

        A Window on Art: 
The McNay Museum and the Bristow Studio

          With our Host and Guide, Bill Bristow

Go on the road to the McNay Art Museum (6000 N. New Braunfels Ave.) 
and have a look at the collection through the eyes of artist Bill Bristow, 
with a Dutch treat lunch at La Fonda, Alamo Heights, in the nearby 
Sunset Ridge Shopping Center, followed by a visit to the studio 
of our members, Bill and Wilanna Bristow.

Bill grew up in art with the McNay Collection, and he and Wilanna settled
"across the alley from the McNay" in a house and studio they first rented 
and then purchased from the Museum, which Marion McNay owned as rental property for families of World War II military stationed in San Antonio.  
Come and see how a couple have lived a life in art 
with the McNay Museum out their window.

A maximum of 25 people would be comfortable, arriving at the Museum on 
their own, assembling in the front entry and then, afterwards, car 
pooling from the Museum parking lot to go the one long block to Sunset 
Ridge, La Fonda, for our Dutch Treat lunch; and then a jaunt back the 
same distance to the Bristow's at 344 Wildrose Avenue (826-8174).  Bill 
reports that the home and studio are not wheel chair accessible but 
most steps have rails and Wilanna has used a walker and a cane living there.

Class fee is $25. Contact Betty Lou Jordan for further information.

A REMINDER

In preparing for our annual Spring Show which will open April 2, 2006, at Los Patios, we are collecting our 26 individual framed letters  for hanging in the exhibit.  If you have one please bring it to the March Meeting.  

If yours is one that was stolen and you were reimbursed from the insurance claim, please bring a completed letter to the March Meeting and hand it to Leslie or Maggie and they will see that they are framed and ready to hang at the show.

Class Notes

Several of our members are offering classes in the next few months. 
Here is some information about them. 
Please contact the individual instructor(s) for further information.

CONTEMPORARY UNCIAL 
Mondays, Feb. 20 - March 27, 10:30 am - 12 noon, Fee: $32
Instructor: Pauline Sager, 494-1881
Location: OASIS* (Foley's Furniture Galleries-next to Ingram Mall), 647-2546
* OASIS is open to all people 50 years of age and over. No membership fee.

COPPERPLATE
Monday, January 23 and Monday, January 30, 6:30-8:30 PM, Fee: $12/class
Instructor: Joan Schmitz, 344-7675
Location: Michaels on NW Military

CALLIGRAPHIC EXPLORATIONS
Saturday, January 28, 1:30-5:30 PM, Fee $25
Instructors: Maggie Gillikin and Leslie Winakur, 494-4613, 545-9492
Location: Discovery School
An ongoing calligraphy class which meets once a month on a Saturday afternoon. 

February Birthdays

1  Bill Bristow

3  Wendy Hale Davis

11 Alison Hanks

12 Mary Burnstead

21 JanRobin Green

The Texas Letter Arts Council has offered a number of classes following the Legacies last July in Dallas. If anyone is interested in these I do have one gift certificate that was sent to the guild as appreciation of our sponsorship.  The certificate covers the cost of the workshop but not the cost of supplies unless specifically stated in the workshop flyer.  First come first serve on the certificate;  call Kaye Yarbrough.

For complete information go to the website  at:

 WWW. TXLAC.org /classes. 

March 4, 2005
Alphabets & Envelopes
Angie Vangalis
9:30 am - 4:00 pm
$65 - supplies included for use in workshop.
The first half of the day will teach monoline alphabet letterforms and styles. The second half of the day will allow our students to explore a myriad of decorated envelope styles utilizing monoline and broad-edge letter styles. Students will take home their beautifully decorated envelopes and lots of ideas to produce from home or work. Students should bring addresses to customize their envelopes.

May 21 & 22, 2006
Painting Along the Garden Path
Connie Furgason - from Canada
9:00 am - 4:30 pm both days
$125 both days - $70 one day
This class will focus on simple techniques to create beautiful flowers and greenery to use for broadside, stationery, greeting cards or even on walls! No previous art experience is required, yet, "water-color knowledged" individuals will benefit from this very "free-form" technique. The student will capture the "essence" of nature's beauty. Supply List: Sketch paper 11" x 17" pad heavy enough for hold watercolor or 2 sheets arches text wove 1/2 " edged brush Watercolours or gouache Water container Palette Pencil Fine black waterproof pen.

Supply Fee: $5 for exercise book and supplies. Limited to 15 students.

SACG Web Site Report

I have purchased 2 years of web space.  We have tons of room for anyone who would like a web page.  I have moved the thousands of files over to the new space at Godaddy.  It is very fast and the reliability is 100 percent, they back up and are never down.  The first person to take advantage of the new home was Karen Veni.  She owns the name http://www.karenveni.com  and I moved her site over to the new space at Godaddy.  Shawn Behrens (sbcalligrapher@hotmail.com) has a space and is getting his new name.
Please let me know if any others are interested.

Thanks,

Frank Rippel
riptron@gmail.com 

How to Get Things Ready For a Show Without Going Broke

By Pauline Sager 

It is our wish to have our newer members enter our anniversary exhibit in April.  Hoping the following information would be an incentive, I was moved to write this, after reading an article on the subject written by Caryl McHarney, in Escribiente, the Albuquerque Guild's newsletter.  Ms. McHarney granted me permission for the use of some her article.  

Getting ready for an exhibit we all know can take time, but should it be the cost of framing that hinders you from entering, I offer you these tips. 

STICK TO STANDARD SIZES

Ready made frame and mats come in standard sizes (see chart).  Keeping your work to a standard size can restrict you freedom with design, but it does eliminate the need and expense for custom framing. 

The are and hobby stores have ready made frames in many standard sizes and styles that include the glass and frequently with a good mat as a bonus.  Before you buy, consider choosing a frame that agrees with your style and complements the colors and design you have in mind.  This also will guide you as to how much space you have available for your artwork.  (You need to allow no less than 1 ¼" margin all around your artwork; more is preferable.)  Check the construction of the frame carefully.  Be sure it will come apart and go back together easily.  If you get a frame with a little toothed piece of metal on the back for hanging, you will need to add screw eyes and a wire for hanging, as required for our guild shows. 

OTHER CHOICES

Usually called “Neilsen” frames, these metal frames are sold in pairs and can be found in hobby supply stores.  Buy two pairs, one dimension for each side.  You can customize the size to fit your need, and need only a screwdriver to assemble.  These frames are reusable, easy to take apart, and put in new work.  You can have glass cut to fit for a reasonable price at such places as Samuels or Alamo Glass.  If you feel confident using a utility knife, you can custom cut your own mats.  A full sheet of mat board costs less than one custom ordered 11" x 14" and will yield you four 16" x 20", or six 11" x 14" . 

YARD SALES

Wooden frames that are a bit nicked and/or scuffed can be refreshed.  There are crayons made especially to fill blemishes, and spray paint can do wonders.  Framers use spray paint whenever they need custom color molding.  Sometimes it’s possible to come upon really fine frames holding prints that you would have no qualms about tossing.  I have come upon some very nice gold leaf frames.

FIGURING PROPORTIONS
All dimensions are in inches

Image Size Outside Mat Window Opening
5 x 7 8 x 10 4 ½ x 6 ½
8 x 10 11 x 14 7 ½ x 9 ½ 
11 x 14 16 x 20 10 ½ x 13 ½
16 x 20 20 x 24 15 ½ x 19 ½