Volume 44 Issue 1

Next Meeting – January 9 At the Gallery – social hour 9:30 a.m., business meeting at 10:00 followed by a presentation by Suzanne Jenne on Chroma Interactive Acrylics (details below) . Refreshments will be furnished by David diLorenzo.

On the Agenda Greeting for the New Year Winter show at TLCA

2008 Winter Show

Our Winter Fine Art Show at Tri Lakes Center for the Arts will run from February 1^st through February 29^th. Delivery of artwork is on February 1^st from noon to 3 p.m.; the show will be hung February 2^nd. The opening reception will be held on February 9. Pick up of artwork at the end of the show is Saturday, March 1^st from 12 noon to 2 p.m. Jana Towery and Sue Jenkins are chairmen. Volunteers for various jobs (sign in, hanging, reception setup and cleanup, sign out) will be needed; Sue and Jana will have details at the January meeting. Entry forms are attached at the end of this newsletter. The deadline for signing up is January 15. Please get your entries in promptly.

Another Enjoyable PLAG Christmas Luncheon

This year’s luncheon, held again at Mosaic December 12, was again a most enjoyable event. The Palmer Divide Inn where Mosaic is located is a wonderful venue for our luncheon and their food is delicious! If you were unable to attend this year, please make a note to try to get to next year’s.

And Welcome Back! to Jan McGrath who was able to attend the luncheon after a lengthy recuperation. We were all very pleased to see her.

Program for the January Meeting

Suzanne Jenne will be presenting an overview of Chroma Atelier Interactive Acrylic paints. Chroma makes artist-quality oil, acrylic and gouache paints and mediums, student quality acrylic paints and mediums, and paints and mediums for decorative arts.

Chroma, headquartered in Australia, is a relative newcomer to the world of acrylic paint. Suzanne, who has been painting in acrylics as well as oils for the past 15 years, is particularly enthusiastic about Chroma Interactive Acrylic paints as they have a revolutionary formula that extends their “open” time. Come try the unique unlocking medium that allows you to completely reconstitute the paint to its original creamy consistency 24 hours after you’ve painted with it!

Please RSVP early to Suzanne Jenne at sjenne@suzannejenne.com or call her (303) 681-0274 so that we can anticipate the correct amount of samples to ship and include any questions about Chroma Atelier Interactive paint you’d like answered at the demo.

zzzzz

J Happy Birthday! ¯¯

Marcie Edwards, January 14

Kathleen Krucoff, January 31

(If your birthday isn’t mentioned, please let Mary Krucoff know and it will be added it to the list.)

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DO YOU HAVE AN ART MENTOR?

By John DeFrancesco

Having a mentor can make you a better artist and advance your career (or hobby).

Artists tend to be independent individuals. But judging the quality of your own work has its drawbacks. How can you be objective? How do you know whether the work is good or not? Actually, a piece may be even better than you think it is, but how can you judge that?

A knowledgeable and experienced individual can help you answer those questions and more. For example, perhaps you need guidance on design, composition, materials, color, framing, displaying, exhibiting, marketing, pricing or business practices such as financing and taxation.

What exactly is a mentor and how can you find one? A dictionary definition serves succinctly: “a trusted counselor or guide.” A mentor is not necessarily a teacher, but certainly might be one. To serve, a mentor must be interested, committed and confident and must have the time to help you.

That person might be right in front of you – a fellow artist whom you admire, respect or has impressed you with her/his experience and knowledge. Possibly the person may not even be an artist, but has related expertise. For example, an architect knows good design principles; a horticulturist knows what comprises a good garden scene; a doctor knows human form; veterinarians and taxidermists know animal form; and so on. A seasoned art collector, gallery owner, friend or spouse may have the skills you need to review and comment on your work

One thought is to team up with another artist and mentor each other (yes, you have the background in art to be a mentor too). The idea is that you each review the other’s work. You’ll be surprised at what you’ll see in another person’s work that you wouldn’t notice looking at your own (and vice-versa).

Whomever you choose as a mentor, the idea is to review the work in progress and at the final stage before it is scheduled for exhibit. This will help ensure it’s better than it would be without evaluation by a second set of eyes.

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è Please make note of Mary Krucoff’s change of email address to emkaymonument@q.com.

Reminder: contributions to the Newsletter are greatly appreciated. Also, please let me know about exhibits, sales, etc. Call or email: Mary Krucoff, (719) 488-8101 or emkaymonument@q.com. Deadline is the 25^th of the month. Also Please Note: if you haven’t received your newsletter by the 5^th of the month, please let me know. If you currently receive your newsletter via postal delivery and would be willing to switch to email delivery it would save us the cost of postage.