Flourishes - April 2002

 

MMO
Spring is almost here -- March certainly came in like a lion -- surely the Lamb bit will be here soon -- while we wait we can doodle/decorate the most beautiful letters, thanks to Helen Rasplicka, and the mini-workshop.
We made an important decision concerning 2006 -- mainly that we, as a guild, would support in every way the International Conference coming to Dallas under the direction of Angie Vangalis -- all other guilds of the Southwest Conference have also voted to do the same.  It will take help from all of us, so please say yes when Angie divides up the tasks ahead of us.  Many of our members will have a rare opportunity to attend such a fabulous event so close to home! Yee Ha!
April is vote month.  We'll vote on the Paul Freeman awards and also on the Saturday Special choices for next year.  And we'll also have Carol Pallesen for our Program.  What a Treat!  The Early Bird displays her work -- wonderful stuff! And sign up for her Modern Book of Hours workshop that next weekend -- it's gonna' be great!  See you there!! Our March Program was just plain awesome -- I came home and actually wrote 2 pages the next day -- what great ideas!  Our manuscript books were so beautiful and so varied -- a super collection -- one visitor was really overwhelmed by them -- we explained that this guild does all the sharing for any member to begin to create such glorious books!  I hope she'll join us!  Mavis Candill displayed another ancient calligraphic art form - carving on store -- for anyone interested, she'll have more info.  and a sign-up sheet next month.  I'm running our of room!  See you there!

Maggie

 

April Activities

Early Bird  

SPRING EXHIBIT

The long awaited Spring Exhibit is only a few weeks away. This year promises to be a wonderful year for our annual calligraphic arts exhibit, filled with beautiful and inspirational art work made by our members.

Here are the dates to remember: Thursday, April 4, between 11:30 and 3:30, Turn in your pieces at Ventana Art Gallery, 8407 Broadway. Judging will be on Friday, April 5, by Carol Pallesen, our visiting artist from Nevada.

Our Opening Reception will be held on Sunday, April 14, from 1:30 until 4:00. The gallery will provide us with some wine and a baked brie. The remaining tidbits will be catered by one of our members with remaining exhibit funds. You need not bring any food—just come and enjoy.

This year all art submitted must be for sale. We ask also that you provide a complete detailed description of the medium/media and process(es) used in your piece. Please have your piece(s) ready to hang according to the exhibit guidelines in your directory, i.e., on wire. And please review the new and revised exhibit guidelines in the November issue of Flourishes.

We’re looking forward to seeing everyone at the gallery.

CAROL PALLESEN

We are pleased to present one of our all time favorite teachers this month. Carol Pallesen is a calligrapher, book artist, card artist, and wonderful teacher. At our regular Thursday night meeting on April 4, she will present our program, entitled Why Artists Create. This presentation isolates and discusses several elements in the creative process. A slide presentation and a handout are included. Carol will also have some of her wonderful cards for sale at the Early Bird table.

Carol will also judge our Spring Exhibit on Friday, April 5. And she will then teach our major workshop, The Modern Day Book of Hours, on April 6 and 7, at Discovery School, from 9-4:30. This promises to be a great workshop, with painted pages in an inspirational leather bound book.

 

Mini-Workshop

The mini workshop on April 18 will be team taught by Sally Gooze and BJ Grant at our usual meeting place. GRID LOCK is a technique of writing letters with a broad nib pen, cutting around each letter, leaving a small amount of white space around the letterforms, creating a grid lock. This cut out is placed on top of a colored, textured background using different techniques. Come and enjoy writing letters and creating backgrounds for this fun process.

Supplies:

X-acto knife with sharp blades, Small cutting mat
Metal ruler with cork backing (small)
Pencil and eraser, Staedtler Calligraph Duo or ZIG calligraphy marker, 3.5, black
Brayers, if you have them, Rainbow ink pad, if you have one
Favorite GEOMETRIC design rubber stamps
Paper towels

 

bulletin board

THANK YOU to Shirley Ginn, Sally Gooze, Maggie Gillikin, and Leslie Winakur for the hospitality spread in March. We all stuffed ourselves!

CONGRATULATIONS to the March door prize winners. Sandra Reyna won Calligraphy for the Beginner donated by the Guild Library. Nancy McHugh won the heart box and stamps donated by Bonnie Houser. Pat Price won Pauline Sager’s Save for a Rainy Day card. Bill Gifford won the Hebrew Alphabet Book donated by the Guild Library. And Juliet Bickley was the lucky recipient of the mini journal donated by Jo Pacelli.

WELCOME to our new members: Gigi Starnes and Bill Bristow, Wilanna’s husband. We’re so happy to have you.

D U E S A R E D U E even as we speak. Please be sure to complete the membership form enclosed in this newsletter. All information in the 2002-2003 directory will come from this form. It is essential that you complete it in full even if there are no changes. Annual dues are $24. Details regarding dues are in your directory. Pam Thomas is our Membership Chairperson and will be happy to collect your money and form by mail or at the next meeting. Mail to her at 2810 Barrel Oak, SAT, 78231. If your dues are not paid by the time the directory goes to print this summer, you will not be listed!

And speaking of new members…

We have instituted a MENTOR PROGRAM whereby a new or inexperienced member can be paired with a more experienced member. This will provide the newer person with some orientation regarding guild activities, workshops, mini-workshops, committee jobs, etc. Our hope is that new or shy members will feel more welcome and more a part of our great big family, and that new and lasting friendships will be cemented. If you are interested in being a part of this new and exciting program, please sign up with Pam Thomas and she will match up those who are willing to mentor with those who wish to be adopted by one.

Be sure to spend some time browsing the LIBRARY. There are some new additions, including one from former deceased member Kit Nelson’s library, Decoration and Its Uses, by Edward Johnston. This is a particularly special volume, since it belonged to Kit, and because Rudy Gonzales found it on sale, bought it, and was generous enough to donate it to our library. Thanks, Rudy! The more we check out, the less Maggie hauls to and from the meetings! In order to help you with your choices, a printed list of the library inventory will be included with your directory in the fall.

CONDOLENCES are extended to Dixie Rodkey on the loss of her father.

THIS IS NO SECRET -- DEADLINE IS MARCH 30

The deadline for submitting your name for participation in the 2002 Secret Pal Program is March 30. Please e-mail Sally Gooze at sallygo@swbell.net  or call her at home at 684-6262 and leave a message on her machine, or call her at work at 678-2130. Thirty-nine members have already signed up! Secret Pals enjoy the GIFT OF GIVING at least three beautiful handmade items during the summer. The Secret Pal items are displayed in September at the meeting. This is a program we don’t want to miss.

PAUL FREEMAN AWARD votes will be cast at the next meeting. So please come prepared to make your choice. The nominees are: Janice Anabtawi, Jo Pacelli, Pauline Sager, Joan Schmitz, Francene Smith, Pam Thomas, Kaye Yarbrough, and Shirley Ginn. What a wonderful group to choose from. It’s not easy!

The HOUSE OF CARDS fund raiser will be pre-sold at the April meeting. You will remember that this is an art deck made from the 26 Letter poster. Each letter will be a card, in a beautiful little hand made box, covered with book cloth and with an adorable little Friendly Plastic™ house closure. The price is $25 and this will again be a limited edition of 100.

 

Saturday Specials

Since Saturday Specials were recently revived, the Board and the Saturday Specials Committee felt the necessity to delineate guidelines for this activity in order to avoid any confusion. So, here they are: This one day workshop is designed to provide fundamental calligraphy courses by local teachers at a reasonable cost of $20/class. The class will be offered up to four times per guild year, depending on available space and the guild’s schedule of activities. Classes will be held in the usual meeting room at Christ Episcopal Church from 9:30-4:30 PM unless otherwise announced. A minimum of 10 students is required, by 2 weeks prior to the scheduled class date, or the class will be cancelled. If there are more than 10 signed up, registration may continue for up to one week prior to class date. Later registration than that will be only by permission of the instructor. The maximum number of class participants will be 30, with the permission of the instructor, due to space limitations. The fee is to be paid at the time of registration and is not refundable unless you arrange for someone to take your place. Pauline Sager and Shirley Ginn are the current co-chairs of this committee.

The following subjects are being considered for our future Saturday Specials. At the April meeting you will be asked if you have any other suggestions to add to this list before we take a vote to learn in what sequence you like these workshops to occur.

Acrylic Leaf Painting -- Rose Marie Siebenhausen

How to Develop Your Own Alphabet and Put it in a Book -- Sharon Zeugin and Maggie Gillikin

Writing in a Circle with Gothic Letters -- Bill Waddington

Polymer Clay -- Karen Veni

Variations on the Foundational Alphabet, in a Book -- Leslie Winakur and Maggie Gillikin

Matting and Framing  -- Keith Cheshire

Surface Design -- Bonnie Houser and Friends

Stone Carving

Everyone who was present at the meeting in March was so impressed by Mavis Caudill’s letters carved in stone. There was so much interest in these incredible letters that Mavis has offered to get us in touch with her instructor. If you would like more information on carving letters in stone, please contact Mavis for further details, at 694-0014. The classes will take place in April or June.

 

April Birthdays

 

01 Jane Fair

02 Jo Bradley

07 Leonora Martin

21 John Muir

22 Pam Thomas

23 William Shakespeare

   

UPCOMING CONFERENCES

During the last weekend of January, 2003, our guild will have the privilege of hosting the 20 representatives of the South West Calligraphy Conference. This will be the 21st annual meeting of the guilds from Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas. A group of sub-committees will begin forming very soon. Maggie Gillikin has volunteered to spearhead our efforts to entertain our colleagues when they meet here. If you are interested in assisting with food, transportation, housing, goody bags, etc., please contact Maggie.

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In 2006 - yes, it’s a long way off, but coming up much faster than we think - the South West Calligraphy Conference will hopefully be hosting the International Calligraphy Conference, which is the annual summer conference that we all wish we could attend every year. Hopefully, all 10 guilds will be involved in the work of preparing for approximately 400 guests. But when the time comes, we are assured that we will be able to take part in all conference activities and will not be “manning a booth.” We’re all very excited to be a part of something so special.

 

UPCOMING MINI WORKSHOPS

On June 13, Maggie Gillikin will present the make-up mini workshop—note that this is the second Thursday in June, rather than the third—to make up for the November mini that was cancelled due to the annual monsoon season. Maggie will teach a flag book with a piano hinge. She assures us we can all do this in two hours. If you’ve already signed up and paid for the November mini you are already scheduled for this class.

On May 16, Karen Veni will present the mini workshop on Polymer Clay. You will need a $2 blade for cutting the clay, and you will need five $1.50 packages of Preemo clay (black, white, red, yellow, and blue). Sometimes you can get this on sale locally. But Karen is willing ot order the supplies for us and get us a volume discount. So please complete the form below and get it to Karen Veni by mail or in person, to let her know what to order in the way of supplies.

 

Calling All Artists

Our annual Spring Exhibit, entitled “Arts & Letters,” will open on Sunday, April 14, from 1-4 PM, at the Ventana Gallery on Broadway. The lovely invitation was created by Jo Pacelli, Exhibit Committee chairperson. Turn in date for entries is Thursday, April 4. The show will be judged by visiting artist and workshop instructor Carol Pallesen on April 5. We have had a very busy calligraphic year. This would be a wonderful time to share our work and creative output with others. So, please make every effort to complete a piece to put in the show. You may choose not to have your work judged, but remember that we ask for a judge in order to learn, and this is an opportunity to invite constructive critique from a respected artist whose insight is not often available to us. Please keep in mind that all work submitted must conform to the guidelines published in the November issue of Flourishes, and all work must be for sale.

Photos on the Web

www.axs4u.net/home/inksmith/pp.htm 

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April 2002 Flourishes' Web Page is proudly sponsored by
Sandee's Sewing Shop in Seguin, TX USA - whose web site is:

www.axs4u.net/home/riptron
  

Web design by RIPTRON

 

© 2002 San Antonio Calligraphy Guild (SACG)