WISCONSIN VISUAL ARTIST’S GUILD
March 18h, 2010 Conference Room
Marshfield Clinic, Weston
Attendance: Sharon Dowis, Bonnie Kostrzak, Chandra Witter, H. Barbara, Rick Eyre
Pat Plunket, Sandy Krumpas
Welcome and Congratulations to all those competing at any level!
We had another light group tonight. I know everyone is busy but the best way to be informed is to stay informed. The really nice thing about this guild is its informal atmosphere! We can all get together and talk about what we are doing, what we’ve accomplished, what areas we would like to explore, and what opportunities have come our way! So, lets make our monthly meetings (third Thursday of the month) a priority. We have sooo much to gain from each other!!!!!
What’s goin’ on?
H. Barbara – has sooo much art. She is spending time building up the canvasses
and… she has a secret recipe!! H. Barbara has also learned the hard
way, that cats like to sit on wet paint! 
Sandy Krumpas - a watercolorist, mostly landscapes. Had started pieces previously for Lighter Than Air, then set them aside but now have them out and almost ready for our next show.
Rick Eyre - visual artist. Sunburned from his time on an island off Venezuela. Awwwwww. Spent time on Bar W ranch in Montana photographing cowboys. Thought he’d get some nice photos with mountains in the background but it was rainy and foggy. Was up at the Canadian border, at the Eagle Capital of the north. Not an eagle in sight, unless you consider the metal sculpture in town! Told us the Eagle lady of Alaska, Jean Keene, died recently. Went to New Mexico to photograph sand hill cranes. Started a newsletter to reach the masses and wants to stay in contact so that they remember him when they want to buy artwork. The site has a counter for which he is able to see what people choose to click on. Cool! You can easily opt out of it. Waiting to hear about being at the CVA (good luck).
ChandraLyn – glass artist and photographer wannabe. Attending NTC for the Dairy Science Program so not a lot of time for the studio. Trying to keep a toe in the water and compete in an art show here and there. Contacted by the Riverfront Arts Center in Steven’s Point to show with an under water photographer for April.
Sharon Dowis – Was just in Washington DC and Virginia for an opening in Bethesda. where she is hung. Said she gained about ten pounds (yeah, right)! Rented car and visited the Antietam National Battlefield. She loves the civil war. She said it makes you think about the price of freedom.. Wants to compete in this area again so that she can go to Gettysburg. She is at Oklahoma Friendly with two pieces. This is the third year. Waiting to here about the women’s photography competition. Saw Nature’s Best exhibit at the Natural History Museum at the Smithsonian. Said it was incredible!
Bonnie Kostrzak - Working, working with acrylic. Using a little sand for textures. Finds she can’t blend colors like she can oils but acrylics have some nice things about them. She finds them interesting to work with. They are fast to dry, unlike oils.
Pat Plunket - metal sculptures. Working on his second commission piece. A curator in L.A. sent picture of a piece they bought from Pat displayed in their livingroom. That is sooo cool! Working on an oil. Working on pedestals, folding maybe? You can take the man out of engineering but you can’t take the engineer out of the man!!!! Not a lot of time for art. Portal Wisconsin (portalwisconsin.org/) has calls for artists. Pat has had invites for the glass dome show, Charles Allis Museum, and the Monestary in Marathon (more on this to come)
Awards for Cattails and Flowers Congratulations!!!!!!
Best of Show Karen Aulik-now, Alberta Flowers, mixed media collage
Runner up Best of Show ChandraLyn, “Centered”, digital photography
Honorable Mention - Betsy Popp, “Marsh Morning Blues”, oil
Honorable Mention - Mary Murphy, “Greet the Day”, silk fusion
Award of Excellence - Pat Gaska, “Orange Blossoms”, fiber
Award of Excellence - Betsy Popp, “Meandering Times”
Embodiment of Spirit - Pat Plunket, “Alberto’s Cattail”, metal sculpture
Check out Xanadugallery.com ! Rick says Jason Horejs, the owner, is terrific. Jason helps artists market and sell their art! Many of us have been getting emails from this gallery for a long time and we’ve been throwing them into the trash (or maybe it’s just me!)
Visit the blog! Rick is relentlessly maintaining our blogspot!! This is no easy feat! Visit the blog for all of the latest and greatest news about the guild. Pass it along to your friends and coworkers!
Upcoming shows:
Riverfront Arts Center, Stevens Point
Peeps Art March 21 – April 3
Visions XII, Deliver May 25th, Show June 10th – July 31st
Places – Wisconsin, Deliver July 15th, Show August 12th – September 19th
New Visions
Culture & Agriculture, Entry April 23rd, Show July 11th – September 3
Waupaca Art Fair
And now, completely out of context! (Some funny things overheard at the meeting)
“Does this look infected?”
“I manage to entertain myself.”
“They weren’t just Kmart cowboys. “
“For an old lady, it’s fun!”
What are you doing reading this?!! Go make some art!!
Respectfully submitted by ChandraLyn, 297-0858
