Click to view slideshow.

Photos by FROgard

EBAG Service and Recognition Awards
by Kabir Adejare

For the first time in its history, the Board gave out service and recognition awards to a variety of deserving individuals who have contributed greatly to the development and success of the East Bay Artists Guild. The following awards were presented.

(Note – The following is an abridged version of Kabir’s write up of the event. It has been edited for space reasons.  To read the full, unedited version, click here. – Editor)

Artists Guild Award 2011
Jeannette Fromm

For her significant contributions and support of Arts and Culture through East Bay Artists Guild.

• Member of the Founding Board of Directors
• Membership Director: 2006-2010,
• Vice President:  2010-2011
• She Assisted in the formation of EBAG’s policies, procedures, and Bylaws
• Created EBAG Newsletter, the first draft of EBAG’s Exhibition Policies, marketing materials, and essential membership forms
• Creation and early maintenance of  EBAG website, member recruitment, communication, and membership roster maintenance, membership meeting coordination, special event and exhibition co-coordination, etc.
• Jeanette has done a remarkable job for EBAG for five years straight, our organization would be blessed to have another person like her.

Founding Board Members Plaque

In Recognition of their Exceptional Leadership, Vision and Artistic contributions in support of Arts and Culture.

• President – George Rammell
• Vice President – Stephanie Riechmann
• Treasurer – Joanne Corbaley
• Secretary – Leslie Patterson – Werner
• Exhibition Committee – Bobbi Garrop
• Property Management Committee – Frank Cunningham
• Membership Committee – Jeannette Fromm

Volunteer Recognition Award
Walter Crew

For his commitment to the growth and support of East Bay Artists Guild.

• One of the artists that started EBAG
• Long time board member, Vice President, President, Exhibition Chairman
• He opens and puts up our Crescent drive store front exhibit
• Directs our John Muir Hospital Art Show
• Walter works with Ruth Sison at the DVC library to get our group to exhibits there.
• Tireless volunteer – Over the years he has helped other members with their paintings, moving EBAG panels using his truck.  Hanging art at our exhibits, and taking them down ETC. He is the guy that picks up the key and returns the key for our current meeting room in Pleasant Hill. Walter has done and still doing an amazing job for EBAG.

Certificate of Appreciation
Nina Tyksinski

For her outstanding contributions and commitment to the growth of East Bay Artists Guild

• Exhibitions Director
• EBAG president from 2010 – 2011.
• Newletter Editor.
• Nina’s contribution to EBAG is remarkable. She was one of the few people that worked tirelessly to hold EBAG together for many years. She created all the email address that EBAG currently uses.
• Nina’s contributions to EBAG are outstanding.

Certificate of Appreciation
FROgard Butler

For her outstanding contributions and commitment to the growth of East Bay Artists Guild

• Education Director for three years.
• Organized plein air painting, field trips, and speakers and demo artists for each month.
• Applied for the Pleasant Hill Foundation Grant
• Participated and helped set up Art on the Plaza and did art demo with children
• Her contribution also includes outreach for EBAG, by advertising EBAGs presence through local papers, radio announcements, passing out flyers, etc.

Certificate of Appreciation
Keiko Stong

For her outstanding contributions and commitment to the growth of East Bay Artists Guild

• Keiko is the amazing treasurer that does it right. EBAG was blessed to have Keiko as its Treasurer for more than three years.
• She sends email to all Board members every single time that we have a new member, she prepares treasurer’s report every single month.
• She prepared EBAG budget every year, she deposits checks, among other things that she does for EBAG. Keiko has done/and still doing a great job for EBAG.

The contributions of every single member is very significant. It was really nice to see so many of you at the EBAG annual Party and Award Night. Thank you all again for being a proud member of the East Bay Artists Guild.

Our judge for this event was Pat Stout.  Pat is a long-time art and painting teacher for the Pleasant Hill/Mt. Diablo Adult Education programs.  She had her work cut out for her as she had 51 superb entries to sort through.

First place was awarded to Michael Warwick’s painterly photograph titled “Spanish Mission”. The elegant composition and soft pastel colors are among its strongest points.

"Spanish Mission" by Michael Warwick

Second place went to Bobbi Garrop’s “Chicken Friend”. This portrait manages to be amusing, warm, homey and authentic.

"Chicken Friend" by Bobbi Garrop

Nancy Robinson earned 3^rd place with her “Splash of Teal”. This non-figurative abstract acrylic has a surprisingly soothing effect on the viewer for an abstract painting. Light and dark blend smoothly and there is just enough red accent to spice things up and make it exciting. Nancy, obviously a master of color also took 3^rd place last year with her figurative abstract “Green Stripe”.

"Splash of Teal" by Nancy Robinson

There are many other fine works in this show. One of my favorites is the mystical water color “Desert Mirage at Sunset” by Jan St. Onge. Almost monochromatic, Jan’s work effectively conveys the sense of far off lands.

"Desert Mirage at Sunset" by Jan St. Onge

Please stop by the show and peruse the artwork.  The JMMC Aspen Surgery Center is open Monday through Friday during normal daytime working hours. The show will continue through January 25th.

To volunteer for the Nominating Committee, please contact Glynda Dixon at 945-6073.

Membership Renewal for 2012

Our Membership Director, Lynnett Sweeney, will soon email membership the instructions for renewing your annual membership with EBAG. Yearly dues will remain at $28. Renewal deadline is January 31.

Crescent Drive Catch-up

Our next change date for the Crescent Drive exhibit will not be December 22, but instead will be January 5. We appreciate all the timely communications of your plans to ebag.crescent@yahoo.com. Get on the hanging list one week before the exhibit change. We only need to hear about changes to the current exhibit. Please refer to our Exhibitions Policies which can be found on our Members Only page on the website (password: Renoir). Thank you!

EBAG Welcomes New Member

The Guild welcomes new member Felicia Morris (Light7notes@yahoo.com). She enjoys working in pastels, acrylic and photography.

PLEASANT HILL — Many artists are inspired by a particular subject they intend to capture in a painting or sculpture.

Kabir Adejare - Photo by Janice De Jesus

But Kabir Adejare said he creates art specifically to tell stories — historical events, current affairs and folk tales.

Upon entering the Diablo Valley College Library, one can view “Imura,” Adejare’s pen and ink on canvas and wonder, “What’s the story behind it?”

The artist will tell you that “Imura” represents a young woman’s preparation for a coming-of-age ceremony back in his native Nigeria.

“I paint when I have something to say,” said Adejare. “I’m not a writer. I’m an artist who has something to communicate to the world, and my paintings describe what I’m thinking.”

While he claims he’s not a writer, a visit to Adejare’s website indicates otherwise. Not only does Adejare post his paintings on his Web site, but he also writes a whole story behind the painting, indicating an exact event or situation that inspired him to create art. He also adds an extensive explanation of the techniques and creative process behind his designs.

Adejare, a Concord resident, finds just the right medium to tell his stories. He has a wide range to choose from — acrylic and oil paint, pen and ink, plywood cut, batik, appliqué and embroidery.

“I consistently explore new contexts in which to promote very familiar, but valuable life lessons,” he said.

For instance, his pen and ink on canvas that shows a woman

holding the world’s burdens on her shoulders, titled “Global Burdens,” boldly addresses social justice and current affairs, he said.

“With the problem in Sudan, and men going to war, women end up building the nation and putting pieces back together,” he said. “She carries the nation on her shoulders gracefully. Women have a voice, but no one’s listening.”

As president of the East Bay Artists Guild, Adejare wants artists to know the group he joined in 2007 is still as warm and welcoming as ever. The group, which currently has shows at a storefront along Crescent Plaza in downtown Pleasant Hill and one at the Diablo Valley College library gallery, consists of professional artists as well as newly-exhibited artists.

His woodburning piece hanging at the DVC library pays homage to mathematician Thomas Fuller.

Adejare first explored the world of art drawing on the outside walls of a house as a kid growing up in Nigeria. The first artist in his family was his great-great grandfather, who created colorful beaded crowns with African images.

He later worked as an apprentice to some of the country’s most notable artists. He often conducts workshops in the local area using batik. .

One of the main reasons Adejare — who works as a phlebotomist for the American Red Cross — creates art is to share the richness of his Nigerian culture to the rest of the world. His website, www.jareking.com, provides a window to his African culture.

Adejare, who will also show his artwork at the John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek from Dec. 3 until Jan. 26, is honored to display work among his artist guild peers at DVC.

For Walter Crew of Pleasant Hill, exhibiting at the DVC library is a lot like coming home. Crew, president of Pleasant Hill-based Las Juntas Artists, took painting classes at DVC, and said his subjects include animals and local hiking trails.

“I think our show is a must-see for local artists and art enthusiasts,” Crew said.

The DVC art show also includes the work of East Bay Artists Guild photographers Michael Warwick of Walnut Creek and Lafayette resident Dave Dondero.

East Bay Artists Guild Show
WHEN: Through Dec. 10
WHERE: Diablo Valley College Library, Pleasant Hill
INFORMATION: http://ebag.wordpress.com/

The show will remain on display at the City Hall, 100 Gregory Lane,   during normal working hours through December 1^st.

1st Place - Photo by Mark Pemberton - A Day in the Life of Pleasant Hill.

Kabir, with support from Walter Crew, pointed out that we still potentially have two shows for this year.  In November, we are slated to hang a show at the Diablo Valley College Library.  This would be followed by our annual show at the Aspen Surgery Center in John Muir Hospital.

FROgard Butler asked why our newsletter is published in the Members Only section of the website, and is not available public viewing.  Mark Pemberton followed up by asking what had happened to his proposal of July 14 to eliminate the newsletter and to use the website blog to replace it.  In general, the Board and attendees were favorably inclined to the two proposals and Kabir stated that it would be taken up at the next Board meeting.

Kabir then asked for a volunteer to take the open Vice President position that was created when he assumed the role of President.  Glynda Dixon volunteered to fill that role.

Roz Zinns asked if it would be possible to increase the Crescent Street display period to 8 weeks, up from the current 5 weeks.

Kabir then brought forth the idea of EBAG sponsoring an Open Studios event.  The idea was to have a coordinated event on one weekend when EBAG artists would open their studios to the public.  This type of event has been used successfully by other artist organizations as a way to network and increase sales.  It was acknowledged that it would take a lot of work and perhaps could be considered for next year.  Kurt Vorheis and FRO volunteered to prepare an initial outline for the next meeting.

With business completed the Artist Critique was begun.  FRO was the first artist to present.  She showed a multi-colored, monoprint of a Greek windmill.  This monoprint required 5 passes through the press, with a different color each time.  Fro explained the alignment difficulties associated with doing 5 passes.

Martin Biro presented his “Chaco Canyon” oil painting, one of his Native American themed series.  Martin was succeeded by Walter Crew who brought one of his nature paintings that he started 8 years ago and claims it is “still in process”.

Mark Pemberton presented one of his digital abstracts, titled “Political Landscape”.  If you look at it closely you can find all sorts of political messages hidden in the curves of the abstract print.  Suzanne Cerny followed with an interesting oil painting of a beach scene.

"Political Landscape" by Mark Pemberton - All Rights Reserved

Lila Strong presented a wonderful collage dedicated to Native North American art.  Leslie Norgren showed off a necklace that she created.  Roz Zinns then presented her painting of a person sitting in front of a building.  Created using water soluble oils, the painting was based upon a photo taken in Portugal.

Kabir A. Adejare - All Rights Reserved

Kabir presented a 4’ x 3’ pen and ink creation showing 3 women and 1 man, in his usual, highly stylized, form.  Although not yet finished, it was stunning, none-the-less.

"Family" by Kurt Vorheis - All Rights Reserved

Kurt Vorheis, who had been moderating the evenings presentation, was the last artist to present.  His stainless steel “Family” abstract was quite interesting.  I understand that he is now working of a 5 foot tall version of the Family.

It was a very full evening with lots of wonderful commentary associated with the artworks.

FRO shows one of her "dog" watercolors.

On Sunday, August 14, FROgard Butler taught the 20 attendees to the East Bay Artists Guild meeting the difference between a tight and a loose painting. FRO is a local artist, member of EBAG and Outreach Coordinator for the California Watercolor Association. Brushes, watercolor paints, watercolor paper and all required supplies were provided.  Hands-on techniques were taught to the other artists through the medium of watercolor. Painting along with FRO, members of the guild and guests learned 8 ways of using watercolor to get different results.

Fun was had by all 20 in attendence - no one was afraid to experiment.

The eight techniques included

Graduated Wash
Salt
Lifting
Bubble Wrap
Sponge
Splatter
Dry Brush
Wet into Wet

Not only was the presentation informative, especially to those artists present that are not painters, but it was also a lot of fun.   FRO is a highly energetic and skilled instructor.  Even more impressive was the creativity show by the other artists in doing this series of simple exercises.

Zebra and Giraffe by Walter Crew

At our July 10 meeting, EBAG member Walter Crew presented an overview of his recent work that has made use of Scratchboard technique.  Walter is known for his magnificent animal paintings and beautiful backgrounds.  These characteristics have carried over into his work using scratchboard.

If you are not familiar with scratchboard it is similar to etching.  As described by Beth Edwards¹:

“So what exactly is scratchboard?  Simply stated, it’s a thin layer of a white clay material adhered to either a cardboard or a wood hardboard backing, with a top layer of permanent ink, generally black.  A sharp implement is used to literally scratch the ink off, down to the clay surface, without gouging through to the backing.  In involves techniques similar to etching and carving.”

Tiger by Walter Crew

Despite have only begun working with scratchboard in early June, Walter showed close to a dozen works that he has created.  He typically works from a photograph that he has taken himself and then begins, as he says, “to just play around”.  With his talented touch the animals come to life, with the etched surface providing wonderful texture and detail.

Well done Walter!

¹ Wildlife Art Magazine Nov/Dec 2007

The meeting was kicked off by visitor Kurt Vorheis who presented a work of stainless steel sculpture.  Kurt explained the intricacies of working with stainless steel as a medium and his inspiration for the piece.

Following Kurt was Roz Zinns who presented an elaborate abstract quilt which she titled “Rainforest”.  What was unique about this quilt, aside from the abstract design of the patterns was that the overall shape was not the usual rectangle but irregular, continuing the abstract theme.

Questions from the audience came quickly for each artist as to their inspiration, thought processes and techniques. Martin Biro guided the discussion of each piece where necessary to further elucidate what each piece fit into the abstract category.

Other highlights of the evening included Martin Biro’s “Mad Men”, Rana Miller-Owen’s “My Grief” and “Broken Heart”, Kabir’s “Floating Masks”, and Mark Pemberton’s “Reclining Figure”.  Visitor Mary Boyce showed two very intriguing acrylic paintings, one of which was a colorful “gate” that she was convinced was derived from a dream.  Jan St Onge presented two of her watercolors.  Her abstract Middle Eastern piece projected a very mysterious mood and also showed her passion about current events.

After the show was hung, Marcy Wheeler arrived to perform the judging. Her judging process was thorough and methodical as she moved up and down the corridor, taking notes as she studied each piece. She paid close attention to formal aspects such as composition as well as the finer techniques artists use to communicate their personal vision.

After many passes up and down the corridor, Marcy made her decisions.

First Place was awarded to Beach Ladies by Christopher Georgeovich.  Marcy stated she was pulled in by its evocative nature. While enjoying the subtle repetition of colors and the balanced vertical and horizontal forms, she came to appreciate most the way the composition leaves a lot of space for us to use as we remember our own seashore images. It’s remarkable when a piece of art can evoke such an illusory response.

1st Place - Beach Ladies by Christopher Georgeovich

2nd Place - Sugar Pine Tree at Pinecrest by Colin Hall

Second Place went to Colin Hall’s Sugar Pine Tree at Pinecrest, California. The judge marveled at the controlled use of desaturated color for the forest along with the beautiful negative shapes produced by the treetops against the sky–and then the appearance of a sudden yet subtle pale trunk of another color.

Third Place was given to a colorful figurative painting called The Green Strip by Nancy Robinson. Marcy applauded how the artist caught the figure in so few strokes. She also gave a thumbs up to the fun color changes dancing across the canvas, not only the bit of red here and the stroke of blue there, but how each of the reds were varied–the mark of a master.  She described how the green strip along the right side creates a necessary tension that makes the painting work. She was impressed at how the artist was able to add this accent deliberately.

3rd Place - The Green Strip by Nancy Robinson

Honorable Mentions were awarded to Walter Crew’s Africa, Wendy Oliver’s Reflections on Lace, Cheryl Crews’ Vineyard Glow, Christopher Georgeovich’s Chapel, Kabir Adejare’s The King, and the handling of texture in George Rammell’s Not so Still Life’s 1 and 2.

Finally, the judge paused at Wenda Pyman’s Lost Summer and described how it managed to create the very  feeling of memory in its unusual composition, and she was thankful that Wenda had paused to capture this image rather than passing it by as many people might in their hurry to get from one place to another.

We hope everyone will find the time to view the exhibit during the Aspen Surgery Center’s normal working hours M-F until 5pm.

John Muir Aspen Surgery Center
133 La Casa Via, Walnut Creek
M-F, 9 am to 5 pm

Photo by Cheryl Reynolds

From the Martinez News-Gazette:

“At the recent Third Annual Beaver Festival, kids from all over the Bay Area participated in the creation of a mural depicting Alhambra Creek and its denizens.

Festival sponsor Worth A Dam is now offering the mural for loaned display. ”FROgard Butler of the East Bay Artists Guild painted the background based on graphic artist Libby Corliss’ creek map for the area,” said Worth A Dam founder Heidi Perryman on Wednesday. ”Butler provided guidance, instruction and a little judicious editing to help the mural come to life.”

“Each segment is 36″X 48″ and the pair is intended to be hung in tandem.”

“Imaginations were allowed to flourish letting each child share his or her own vision for the beaver habitat…in addition to the green heron, baby ducks and beaver family, there is even a pirate beaver with a hook claw,” said Perryman. ”One pragmatic child painted a golf bag with a ‘hole in one’ just in case dad would like to play a few rounds at the Beaver Park.”

The Worth A Dam Mural is now hanging in the Martinez Unified School District Board Room. It will be a traveling mural to public buildings throughout the city of Martinez. If you know a group or organization that is interested in hanging this mural for the purpose of educating the general public about what the Beavers of Martinez have done for the environment – please call me at 925 934-5957 or 925 381-9584.

FROgard Butler

Photo by Cheryl Reynolds

Several guild members and enthusiasts gathered to celebrate the show which highlights the work of 28 members and exhibits over 90 pieces of art.  The show was well received, and artist and guests enjoyed great conversation, camaraderie, and art.

Ruth Sison, DVC’s Instructional Services & Exhibits Librarian, was pleased with the Guild’s exhibit and participation.  Special thanks to Ruth and DVC for hosting EBAG’s Summer show!

Photo by Jeannette Fromm

The East Bay Artists Guild’s 2010 Summer Show ends July 19.

Diablo Valley College Library

321 Golf Club Road

Pleasant Hill, CA 94523\925-685-1230

(DVC Library’s Summer hours:  Mon, Tues, Wed, Thurs, 8am-6pm)

Photo taken by Jeannette Fromm

At our May 18 meeting EBAG sponsored a photography contest and invited Bay Area photographer Dick Stahlke to judge the submissions.   Mr.  Stahlke offered many masterful and thoughtful critiques of our five tables full of artistic photographs. While we asked him to ultimately identify his choices for the top three prints  (Mark Pemberton’s Icelandic geothermal features, Egmont van Dyck’s black and white mechanicals, Barbara Rockhold’s garden splendor soaked in late afternoon sun), he thoroughly analyzed and described the compositional, technical, and artistic achievements and possibilities of the many pieces. We learned not only that our own Wenda Pyman had the honor of taking a workshop from Ansel Adams back in 1978, but that we have many talented photographers in our guild—so many that we dispensed with the amateur/professional categories and instead viewed the collection as accomplished, intriguing photography.

EBAG members Suzanne Cerny,Roz Zinns, Elizabeth Kennen and Carol Jurasin mentored their young artist protégés in the creation of a fabric banner with pictures of creek wildlife, especially the much loved beaver family of Martinez. The children had a wonderful time and gained an appreciation for the connection between art and the natural world.

As Education Director, I would like to thank all of the EBAG members who participated in this event.

FROgard Butler
Education Director.

All Photos by Cheryl Reynolds

FROgard Butler was a representative from EBAG who worked with over 40 children to make a banner for the Martinez Beaver group Worth a Dam.  This group is a non profit organization under the auspices of Land for Urban Wildlife. The Martinez Beavers have been on the local news as well as CNN in the past. Children have become interested in them and had a chance to express themselves artistically on the banner. The young artists who worked on this banner ranged in age from 3 to teens. Watch out all you EBAGers here come some great future artists. They already know about color and composition. Upon completion, the banner will be displayed at the Spring Earth Day/John Muir Birthday Festival in Martinez at the National Muir House. It will also go on display later in the summer during the Beaver Festival in downtown Martinez.

Look for us there.
FROgard Butler
Education Outreach Chair

Photo by Cheryl Reynolds

]]> http://ebag.wordpress.com/2010/02/15/annual-san-francisco-flyway-festival/feed/ 0 Mark Beaver Banner http://ebag.wordpress.com/2010/02/09/ebag-annual-election-results/ http://ebag.wordpress.com/2010/02/09/ebag-annual-election-results/#comments Tue, 09 Feb 2010 15:55:18 +0000 Nina Tyksinski http://ebag.wordpress.com/?p=1153 ]]> EBAG is grateful to all 17 members who attended the January meeting and unanimously voted in the 2010 Executive Board of:

• Nina Tyksinski, President
• Jeannette Fromm, Vice President
• Keiko Stong, Treasurer
• Joan Alexander, Secretary

We thank the previous Board for their work in 2009.

EBAG is a member-run, volunteer organization. While the Executive Board is elected by the membership, Committee Directors are appointed by the Executive Board. Please let any Board member know if you would like to serve on a committee in any capacity. Directors become part of the Board, with voting privileges on Board actions. Applicable Board actions are brought to the general membership for a vote.

Aspen Surgery Center, John Muir Medical Center, 133 La Casa Via, Walnut Creek

Monday-Friday December 7-January 15

Juried by Arthur Scott King, Diablo Valley College Art Department

Best in Show              Keiko Stong                    Morning Ice

Acrylic/Oil—37 entries

1^st place            Korianna Kisielprice                Chip in the Surface

2^nd place            Joanne Corbaley                      Kansas Harvest

3^rd place            Joanne Corbaley                       String of Pearls

Watercolor—15 entries

1^st place            Keiko Stong                             Morning Ice

2^nd place            George Ehrenhaft                      City Rain

3^rd place            Wendy Oliver                           Peace Rose

Photography—13 entries

1^st place            Mark Pemberton                    Namafjall Hverir

2^nd place            Katrina Martin Davenport            Magnolias

3^rd place            Katrina Martin Davenport                 Lily

Mixed Media/Other—5 entries

1^st place            Yvonne Browne                 Gossiping Bridesmaids

2^nd place            Wendy Oliver                           Sunny Day

JMMC has space for a maximum of 70 pieces of wall art. We started with 31 entrants and 79 entries. JMMC dismissed three quilts that the EBAG show coordinator tried to include as wall art, leaving us with 30 entrants and 76 entries. One entry was dismissed due to lack of wiring, leaving us with 75 entries. With five too many, our juror, Arthur Scott King, looked over all the entries to determine the “bottom” five.

His criteria for dismissal were that these five were not well enough thought out/not fully developed/not fully “cooked.” Conversely, his criteria for awarding the prizes were that the work show evidence of being well thought out/fully developed/fully “cooked.” For example, in one category he went back and forth with the 1^st and 2^nd places several times. Finally, he became sensitive to one of them having a small under developed area, so back it went from 1^st to 2^nd because he could find no such area in the other. When he explained his places, he backed up each decision with well thought out and extremely detailed critiques. He also gave similar critiques to several other pieces. He offered to come to one of our meetings to critique a limited number of pieces from the show, including not only the prize winners but others as well. He suggested we find a way to limit the critique session to about 20 pieces. More about this later.

Acylic/Oil was by far our largest category with 37 entries. The juror included all acrylics in this category, even if they were painted on paper, because he said it’s the handling of the medium that is important, and acrylic handles as acrylic no matter the support. He studied each and every painting in this category, looking for things like consistency, variety of passages, variety of techniques, complexity, composition, color balance, follow-through with shadows, among others.  He complimented two non-awarding-winning paintings, saying that even though they had weak areas, they showed remarkable creative bravery.

The Watercolor category had 15 entries. He looked for things like a combination of techniques in a given painting, such as both wet in wet and wet on dry. Any evidence of an under developed area in a painting was bad news. He explained how an under developed area has an unfinished look to it—as if the artist didn’t know what to do there/didn’t pay an even amount of attention to every square inch of the painting.

He was similarly demanding of the 13 entries in the Photography category. While appreciating a beautiful and inspiring view, he wanted to see more. He wanted the photograph to reinterpret the world with a unique viewpoint. He also wanted to be able to read the photograph as he would a painting, with an eye for repetition of patterns, interesting tonal variations, among other criteria. He appreciated the way his eye was led through the 1^st place photograph and how he kept discovering new nuances. He described the 2^nd and 3^rd place photographs as wonderful examples of the “momentary” viewpoint.

He had the hardest time with the smallest category: Mixed Media/Other. Only five works lined that area of the wall. After much thought, he chose to award only two places, not wanting to “place” a work that fell short of a certain degree of complexity and “finish.”

When he asked if we had a “Best in Show” award, he was answered by a few shoulder shrugs. It was decided that if he felt one piece was head and shoulders above the rest, we’d be happy to add this award. He chose Keiko Stong’s watercolor entitled “Morning Ice,” and gave a glowing and enthusiastic critique of that sophisticated, complex and delicately detailed work of art.

In addition to the few intense hours put in by the juror, EBAG owes a round of applause to the two show coordinators who each spent more than 8 hours at JMMC handling the show, in addition to many additional hours spent preparing for the show. We’d also like to thank Joan Alexander for donating about four hours helping with drop-off and set-up. It takes more than 40 hours of manpower to put on a show like this.

From the November 19 Contra Costa Times
Martinez Beavers May Get Mural
By Lisa P. White

” MARTINEZ — If the beavers living in downtown Martinez decide one day to pack up and leave, a permanent reminder of their tenure in Alhambra Creek may remain.

Worth A Dam, the group devoted to protecting and promoting the beavers, has created a public art project to memorialize the toothy, dam-building creatures and the other wildlife living in the creek.

The City Council endorsed the project — a mural of 81 ceramic tiles featuring drawings of beavers, fish, turtles and frogs. The mural will be attached to the concrete wall of the Escobar Street bridge.

In August, children painted more than 100 tiles during the second annual Beaver Festival and the John Muir Mountain Days day camp. Safari West, a wildlife preserve park located in Santa Rosa, donated $200, which covered the cost of the tiles and markers.”

EBAG artists  FROgard Butler, Cheryl Reynolds and Keiko Stong worked with the children to create the tiles and panels that will make up the mural. Many thanks to the artists and to the Organization Worth-A-Dam for their community involvment in this project and in teaching the children about environmental awareness and art.

Photograph by FROgard Butler

On October 17th at the Oktoberfest in Todos Santos Park in Concord EBAG participated in a community outreach program to teach children about art and painting.  Children learned how to use water colors.  They experienced many different types of brushes and chose to make lovely paintings ranging from dry brush style to wet on wet.  It was truly surprising to see the concentration on their faces and the joy with which they painted.

Keiko Stong and FROgard Butler were there to help, along with the California Watercolor Association.  Both Keiko and FRO are members of the CWA as well as the EBAG.  It was a pleasure to be there and participate with our youngest community artists.  It was a wonderful opportunity to serve these young artists.

On the same day EBAG participated in the Girl Scout Fly Away Fiesta at Sugarloaf Open Space in Walnut Creek.  The event was well attended by over 150 brownies and girl scouts.  The children moved from booth to booth participating in Environmental Activities.  They included representation from the Audubon Society, Save Mt. Diablo, Worth A Dam (save the beavers), and many others.  Each booth had an activity for the girls to participate in.  FROgard Butler was there to represent EBAG and help the girls with their art work as they decorated draw string back packs and Cheryl Reynolds was there taking lots of photos.  The event was fun, well attended, and in a beautiful location.  The girls and parents appreciated EBAG’s help.

On the following Wednesday I received the following email from Meredith Davis of the Girl Scouts:

From: Meredith Davis

Subject: MANY THANKS!!

Date: Wednesday, October 21, 2009, 2:37 PM

I can’t thank all of you enough for making the Girl Scouts Flyway Fiesta at Sugarloaf Open Space last Saturday a truly awesome event!  We hosted more than 200 Girl Scouts of all ages – from Daisy Girl Scouts in Kindergarten to 11th and 12th grade Ambassador Girl Scouts.  I was walking around all day, and everyone – including the parents – was having a blast.  All of you are to be commended for bringing wonderfully fun activities that captured their interest while they learned a great deal.

On behalf of the Girl Scout Council of Northern California, I extend our appreciation of all your efforts.  We look forward to working with all of you again to bring exciting opportunities to our girls as part of our Green By Nature initiative.

Best regards,

Meredith

Report Prepared By:

FROgard Butler

Education Director

Photographs by FROgard Butler

(Photographs by Wenda Pyman and Nina Tyksinski)

Crescent Drive and the plaza were indeed overtaken by the Pleasant Hill Art, Jazz & Wine Festival on the mild-weather weekend of October 10 and 11. EBAG successfully staged two days of working artists, as requested by the realty development company that allows us to use the empty storefront at 105 Crescent Drive.

Thank you’s are in order for our set-up and take-down crews of Walter Crew, Nina Tyksinski, Joan Alexander, Cynthia Tubbs, FROgard Butler, Kori Kisielprice, and Keiko and Bill Stong who worked together handling our display panels and patio umbrellas. We were represented by jeweler (and painter) Rana Miller-Owen and photographers Mark Pemberton, Wenda Pyman, and Kasia Kessler (whose large format camera on tripod, complete with the black shadow cloth drew plenty of interest). One of our colored pencil artists, Glynda Dixon, particularly enjoyed interacting with several family groups, letting the children experiment with her impressively organized colored pencil collection. Participating painters included Walter Crew, Lorraine Botsford, Roz Zinns, FROgard Butler, Kori Kisielprice, Sandy Cornelius, Christopher Georgeovich, Wendy Oliver, Elizabeth Kennen, Nina Tyksinski, Joan Alexander, and Keiko Stong. Painter Sandy Cornelius expressed how beautiful the afternoon (Saturday) was on the plaza, and how she may have found a new member for EBAG, a woman who became very excited at the thought of joining an active and supportive group such as EBAG. As always, our guild benefits when any of us can spread the word about all the positives EBAG offers, such as our monthly membership meetings (with either speakers, demos or critiques), website exposure, exhibit opportunities, and fun outreach events.

Kasia was great in bringing her 6×7 film camera as well as her monster 4×5.  People were fascinated with the equipment, especially the younger ones who only know digital cameras. We distributed a lot of EBAG info.  There were a lot of positive comments with our photography and art work.  People like to see the artists in action.  The location was great, lots of people that filtered through there and enjoying the music.

We thank everyone for their involvement, even if any names were inadvertently omitted.

Photo by Mark Pemberton

Egmont uses his career experience in graphic design and professional photography to create his current works of fine art. Applying torn scraps and staples he collects from billboards, particularly Berkeley telephone poles, to either canvas or recycled wood pallets, Egmont creates thoughtful collages that not only follow the basic principles of design, but also document sociological events. He showed us a painting he developed based on an actual section of the Berlin Wall to commemorate the end to that era. His works are reminiscent of the abstract collages of  Rauschenberg, but are actually realistic renditions of sections of industrial walls and cluttered billboards he has observed with his keen artist’s eye, hence his term: Abstract Realism.

Photo by Erika Goldstein

Three EBAG members helped at the Second Annual Beaver Festival on Saturday August 1st in downtown Martinez.  FROgard Butler, Keiko Stong, and Cheryl Reynolds helped the children create beaver tiles for a future wall display near the Alhambra Creek in downtown Martinez.  Sponsored by the group Worth a Dam, the festival had good weather, good turnout, and many environmental booths, as well as many children activities.

Children and Art go hand in hand and we love to help encourage them to create.  The event was lively with tours of the creek and four different bands playing throughout the day.  It was a perfect opportunity to share both an appreciation of art and environmental responsibility.  We hope to be there again next year and see even more EBAGers participate.  Perhaps a booth with EBAG artists doing pleine aire painting would be a good public educational opportunity.  See you then!

Thank you to Keiko, Cheryl, and FRO for encouraging and helping the children create the tiles.  We look forward to seeing them on display in the future.

Arthur Scott King explaining proper framing and matting. (Photo by Egmont van Dyck)

On July 21, Arthur Scott King, curator of the art gallery at Diablo Valley College gave a wonderful presentation about the operations of art galleries.  He presented a wide-ranging discussion about many topics that are of great concern to artists seeking to display their work in the most effective manner and what art directors expect to see.  There was an extended discussion on proper framing and matting of artwork.  This included an excellent presentation on color theory and colors effect on the perception of artworks.  Scott also explained what art directors and curators expect to see in the way of proposals for an exhibit.  Most proposals and portfolios today are presented on CD or DVD, something I didn’t realize.  The meeting ended with a lively Q&A period.  It was a highly entertaining and educational experience.

Guest's Choice Winning Photograph by Egmont van Dyck

We also had our final Meeting Art Contest. The Guest’s Choice went to a black and white photograph by Egmont van Dyck. Congratulations! First place went to Nancy Robinson’s figurative acrylic, second place to FROgard’s van Gogh ceramic, and a tie for third place to Nina Tyksinski’s abstract acrylic and new member Mark Sloane’s color photograph. Thank you to all artists who have participated in these contests.  In the future we will focus on quarterly salon-style group critiques as a way to benefit from sharing our art, the next being the subject of our September meeting.

Join us in July to listen to DVC’s art gallery curator Arthur Scott King talk about the ins and outs of the gallery business.

Photo by Egmont van Dyck

]]> http://ebag.wordpress.com/2009/06/18/watercolor-maestro/feed/ 0 Nina Christine http://ebag.wordpress.com/2009/06/16/check-out-my-slide-show/ http://ebag.wordpress.com/2009/06/16/check-out-my-slide-show/#comments Tue, 16 Jun 2009 17:38:14 +0000 Nina Tyksinski http://ebag.wordpress.com/2009/06/16/check-out-my-slide-show/ ]]> EBAG’s Third Annual Art on the Plaza

Graphite drawing of FROgard Butler by Mark Roberts

Our April Art Contest winners are: 1st place Mark Pemberton, 2nd place Cheryl Crews, a three-way tie for 3rd place Egmont Van Dyck, Barbara Rockhold, and George Rammell. Our guest artist’s choice was Mark Pemberton’s “Urban Homestead” print. Congratulations! Thank you to all seven members who brought in work.

FROgard Butler coaching a young artist on the sculpting of a clay beaver. (Photo by Cheryl Reynolds)

On Saturday April 18th, the John Muir Association of Martinez, California celebrated John Muir’s birthday and Earth Day with an all day festival at the John Muir National Historic Site. Activities included exhibits for children and adults, live entertainment, self-guided tours of the historic Muir Home and the California Native Plant Garden, and much more. Michael Muir (John Muir’s great grandson) was also present.

As part of the activities, our Education Director, FROgard Butler was there to represent EBAG. FRO shared a booth with Cheryl Reynolds from the local group Worth a Dam, dedicated to protecting the beavers that have taken up residence in Alhambra Creek, downtown Martinez. Cheryl is also a member of EBAG. Working with a group of about 200 children they sculpted clay beavers and placed them in a diorama of the beavers home in Martinez. Activities began at 10 am and continued throughout the day until about 4 pm. Congratulations to FRO, Cheryl, Worth a Dam and EBAG for their efforts to build awareness about the environment and the arts.

Tesia Blackburn showing examples of Golden Paint's line of modern pigments.

Last month’s meeting with Golden Paint’s rep Tesia Blackburn was packed with info. Tesia’s website is blackburnfineart.com if you’d like to visit her blog, learn about her classes, etc.

In addition, at the meeting we tried something new: an art contest. First place went to Yvonne Brown’s mattboard etching, second went to Keiko Stong’s patterned landscape, and third went to Cheryl Crews’ landscape painting. Guest artist’s choice went to new member Egmont Van Dyck. Thank you to everyone for the overwhelming participation! We’ll work out the kinks so things can proceed more smoothly next time. The running tally of points won for each place indicates Yvonne Brown in the lead as EBAG’s Guild Artist of the Year, to be awarded in December 2009.

In addition to the above activities, the Festival hosted a juried art contest. The theme was “Cultural Legacies…Reflections of our Past”. Thirteen artists entered the contest and submitted 38 pieces of art. Among the entrants were EBAG members Brian Condran, Carol Jurasin, and Mark Pemberton. The entries represented the diversity of artists in EBAG with Brian submitting two oak cabinets, Carol entered three watercolor paintings, and Mark, three photographs.

Awards for the juried competition were handed out in a special presentation Friday evening. One of the big winners was EBAG member Brian Condran who took home 5 awards. For his work “Master Watching” he won Best Technique and 2nd Place Non-Photography. His “Heritage Oak Cabinet” won the Judges Choice award, Best Theme and 1st Place Non-Photography.

In the Photography category, Mark Pemberton took 2nd and 3rd Place ribbons for his works “Reflections on Lincoln” and “Ghosts of Bodie”. First place in the Photography category went to Tom O’Connor for his visually impressive photograph of petroglyphs in Canyon de Chelly, NM.

We brought an extensive and well rounded collection of art samples, as well as many “tools of the trade”.  These included brushes, palette knives and paints. and encouraged the students to get up and examine everything.  We also challenged the students with a number of questions, such as:   In what ways do you think art has been beneficial to humanity?  How many of you know someone who is in a similar field? What have you learned which now interests you?  Worries or concerns you?

As representatives for the East Bay Artists Guild we explained to the students that there are many such groups in the Bay Area with which they could get involved.  Web site information was handed out and questions were answered.  One girl in particular was very excited. She drew sketches the whole time.    It was education in action and a wonderful experience.

I want to thank Suzanne for graciously volunteering to assist me with this presentation.

FROgard Butler – Education Director

Artists Submit Work for Anonymous Critique

At the February 17 meeting EBAG members brought a variety of art works and submitted them to the membership for anonymous, written critique.  This was a wonderful opportunity to obtain valuable feedback about the artistic and technical merits of our work.  Each artist received multiple written critiques that they could take home and evaluate.  When the evaluation period was over, representative comments for each work were read out loud.  Participation in the process was very enthusiastic and the results very constructive.  Thanks to our president, Walter Krane for suggesting this format and to FROgard Butler and Glynda Dixon for organizing the meeting.

The newly elected Board of Directors consists of:

President, Walter Krane
Vice President, Walter Crew
Secretary, Glynda Dixon
Treasurer, Keiko Stong

An active discussion followed the election in which Walter Krane elucidated his vision for EBAG in the comming year. Discussion focused on two areas: A “signature event” for EBAG and how to enhance membership participation. Based upon the conversations in the meeting it should be another interesting year for EBAG.

From L to R: Glynda Dixon, Keiko Stong, Walter Krane, Walter Crew

EBAG’s December 2008 Show, “The Gift of Color” – A Rousing Success!

The East Bay Artists Guild show “The Gift of Color” at the Lindsay Dirkx Brown Art Gallery in San Ramon was a huge success in promoting the Guild and raising the awareness of the importance of art in the community. The exhibit was capped by a well attended artist’s reception on Saturday, December 20 that will go down in EBAG history as one of our best events ever.

Thirty two of EBAG’s 75 members exhibited a total of 69 pieces of wall art, plus two glass cases of ceramics and jewelry. Works exhibited ranged from oils and acrylics, to colored pencil drawings, abstracts, photographs and much more. Sixteen of the artists also brought in items for the reception’s small sales table.

The vibe at the reception was positive and the refreshments yummy. Many positive comments were overheard from the public in attendance.

Plans for EBAG’s December show, The Gift of Color, are ramping up.  The call for art has been emailed to membership. Signup deadline is November 16. If you failed to receive the call for art email, please contact ebag.exhibits@yahoo.com.

In addition to the usual exhibition of artwork this show will be unique.  EBAG will have a table set up for the artist to sell smaller items to the visitors.  The sale of these smaller pieces of artwork should significantly enhance the excitement of the attending public.

We will be hosting an Artists Reception on December 13 from 11:30am to 3:30pm. The reception will also serve as our December general meeting/year-end social gathering. Excitement plus! Come and enjoy to art and the atmosphere.

Member News

EBAG artist Bob Wahrhaftig will present an interactive demonstration of his figurative painting method at the Moraga Art Gallery, 570 Center Street, Moraga on Friday, November 7 from 7 to 9 PM. He has titled his demo, “Masterpiece or Mess?” He will set up a canvas and invite members of the audience to apply splashes of color, after which he will transform the piece before our very eyes into one of his colorful figuratives. One lucky member of the audience will get to take the artwork home. This will be an exciting project-come and support EBAG’s most colorful artist!!

Five members of EBAG are also currently members of the Moraga Art Gallery, while at least two others are past members. Come visit! The Moraga Art Gallery is in the Rheem Valley Shopping Center, tucked in between Long’s Drugs and Loard’s Ice Cream.

Our December 2008 show at the Lindsay Dirkx-Brown Gallery in San Ramon, The Gift of Color! , will be a show you won’t want to miss! Not only will it be EBAG’s most ambitious show to date, but it will be a show with a twist. One of the aspects that will make it our most ambitious show will be the “small sales table” coordinated by member Carol Jurasin. More details are forthcoming. The twist is that each participant will participate with a capital P; meaning, not only will you show art, but you will be part of the production team. The different jobs are being broken down into small tasks: many hands make light the work. The Initial Call for Art email will be sent out soon, and will include the list of volunteer jobs. The Gift of Color! is going to be a blast–an extravaganza! The Artists Reception will double as EBAG’s December General Meeting, but bigger and better than ever!

Innovative ways to reproduce your original art

Several EBAG members will share ways they have found successful to turn their original art into smaller, more “immediately saleable” products. Please contact ninawm@comcast.net if you’d like to participate in these small demonstrations. Possible products include turning two-dimensional art into greeting cards, jewelry, coasters, matted prints, T-shirts, and calendars. Contact Nina with more ideas. This topic should be of particular interest to EBAG members who would like to participate in the December show’s “small sales table.”

Welcome New Members

The Guild welcomes new members Jane Connelley, Katrina Martin Davenport, Margaret Kus, and Mika Phinney. Our membership is up to 71.

Open Studio Workshop

There are still plenty of openings in the Pleasant Hill open studio workshop. Contact EBAG member Walter Crew for more information (phcrew@juno.com). Since it’s a new deal, we can only hope that the idea will catch on-if not this session, then the session beginning November 5.

The sign-up information, as shown in the Pleasant Hill Spotlight, is repeated below:

Painting Open Studio (6 meetings per class session) Come paint with us. Open to both experienced painters and current painting students. Work on your own in a relaxed group setting. No instructor. Artists provide their own materials and are responsible for their own clean-up. No storage.

Monitor: Juli Gianti.

4559.401 Sept 17 – Oct 22; 4559.402 Nov 5 – Dec 17 (no meeting Nov 26, Dec 10).

Wednedays, 12:30pm-3pm. Fee: $22. Location: Art Studio, Pleasant Hill Community Center, 320 Civic Drive (off Taylor, PH). Register online now at www.pleasanthillrec.com or by phone (925) 682-0896 or by FAX (925) 682-1633, or by mail PHR&PD 320 Civic Drive, PH 94523. Online registration offers a $5 discount!

EBAG member Chris Garthwaite is trying to collect donations of art supplies to send to his daughter who is in Chile doing volunteer art therapy work. Please contact Chris directly if you’d like to learn more about his daughter’s group or if you’d like to donate supplies or money (cathectio@sbcglobal.net).

The East Bay Artist Guild continues its strong community involvement. In cooperation with local artist and Pleasant Hill arts representative, Juli Gianti, an open studio has been organized through the Pleasant Hill Recreation & Park District, modeling it after a similar program offered by Walnut Creek.

The following announcement was published in the Pleasant Hill Spare Time Spotlight:

Painting Open Studio. Calling all artists! Come paint with us. Open to both experienced painters and current painting students. Work on your own in a relaxed group setting. No instructor. Artists provide their own materials and are responsible for their own clean-up. No storage.

Monitor: Juli Gianti. Sept 17 – Oct 22, Oct 29 – Dec 17 (no meeting Nov 26 & Dec 10).

Wednedays, 12:30pm-3pm. Fee: $22. (6 meetings) Location: Art Studio, Pleasant Hill Community Center, 320 Civic Drive (off Taylor, PH).

You may register online at

http://www.pleasanthillrec.com/Registration.htm

Member News

The East Bay Artist Guild continues its strong growth. This month we welcome three new members: Keiko Stong, Claudia Harper, and Jan St. Onge. Membership is up to 68.

FRO Butler reports that she sold one of her sculptures during The Kiss of Color: “Before the Kiss.” Congratulations, FRO!! She also writes that she will have about 3 pieces on exhibit at St. Matthew Lutheran Church on Wiget Lane on Aug. 3 at their 20^th annual Artist’s Showcase. And finally, FRO would like to advertise an opportunity for plein air painting for EBAG, as shown on the following page.

On April 17, 2008, the East Bay Artists Guild held a membership meeting where member artists were encouraged to bring in their most controversial artwork for display and discussion. Chipotle Restaurant provided burritos and chips for everyone as part of their community outreach. The hot salsa was the perfect complement to the hot topic. Artwork ranged from sensitive anti-war pieces to equally sensitive nude studies.

Thank you Chipotle Restaurant for sharing your awesome food!!

East Bay Artists Guild is a local non-profit art group that shows member art at two locations on Crescent Drive in Pleasant Hill and currently has an art show in the Diablo Valley College Library, Pleasant Hill Campus, until May 10. Find out more about EBAG on the web at ebag.wordpress.com.

Guest Speaker Dick Reeves

Plein Aire painter Dick Reeves shared his outdoor painting process and his beautiful art at EBAG’s November 20, 2007 meeting. 

Dick Reeves is an award-winning photographer who has chosen to be a Plein aire painter. He has painted for the last ten years, almost daily for 2-3 hours, and works exclusively on site. The tools he uses to work outside are an old Jullian Easel (http://www.jullian.co.uk/plein-air.asp), a large white Utrecht Umbrella, 9”x12” Fredrick gesso panels, French Ultramarine Blue, Cad red light, Cad yellow light and white oil paint. Dick shared helpful hints such as using bungee chords to stabilize the easel, and attaching the necessary brushes, paper towels, trash bags, etc., to have right at hand.  

The works he showed were his paintings of historical homes in the Bay Area.  He called these paintings “portraits” of houses. He said that lighting and values play an important role in capturing the realism and character of the homes. Dick has a real passion for historical architecture, and these “portraits” celebrate the uniqueness of each structure -his work is wonderful! 

Dick often sells his paintings on the spot to home owners, and works on commission. 

Thank you Dick, for a great presentation!!