Elections Postponed
As you all know, 2020 has been a stressful and unusual year. We intended to have elections at the end of the year, but circumstances with COVID-19 will not permit a traditional meeting. The Board has reviewed the Bylaws. In Section 6.7.2 (Annual Business Meeting), the Bylaws provide that "[a]n annual business meeting for the election of officers and for the transaction of other official business shall be held at the discretion of the Board of Directors. Elections are to be held when a Board member's term of office is at or near its end."
The terms of office of Board members are coming to their end, but it is not feasible to conduct the annual business meeting. The Board has decided to postpone it.
That said, nominations of persons within PSA have been received, and contact continues to be made to individuals who have stood out as excellent candidates for Board and committee positions. I am also still seeking nominations of persons who would be interested in taking on a greater role with PSA in 2021 and beyond.
Please contact me at (626) 840-3949 or by email at facejug@hotmail.com if you, or someone you know, would like to be considered for such a position.
Robert Crook
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Exhibition News
Here’s the latest from the Exhibition Committee:
PSA is ending 2020 with a flurry of exhibition activity, both online and a traditional gallery installation.
The 95th Annual Juried Exhibition is both live online and installed at Whites Fine Art Gallery in Montrose. Thanks to the many PSA volunteers, all of this has happened in the last few weeks. A very special THANK YOU to Leah Knecht for demonstrating her superb design abilities with the 95th Annual postcard and catalog cover. Also a very special THANK YOU to Alison Davies for her editing and proofreading skills. Rhonda Raulston provided lots of tech support and help with the online exhibition posted at ISSUU. Thank you Rhonda. These volunteers, along with Debbi Swanson Patrick, made producing the 95th Annual online catalog and the printed catalog an enjoyable experience. The printed catalog will be available for purchase in the next few weeks. Additional information will be forthcoming. Visit the online exhibition at https://issuu.com/pasadenasocietyofartists/docs/binder_205_2008nov2020
Please stop by Whites Fine Art Gallery between Saturday, November 7 and Thursday, December 24 to see the new and exciting artwork selected by juror Kim Abeles for the 95th Annual. Thirty-six members have 71 artworks for you to enjoy. Invite your friends, business associates and family to enjoy an afternoon in Montrose. Visit the gallery and then walk down Honolulu Avenue to enjoy a good meal or snacks at one of the many fine eating establishments. The volunteers that helped install at Whites include Martin Ehrlich, Nora Koerber, Mariko Bird, Nancy Wood Pink, Steve Smith, Brian Mark and Janet Manalo.
I hope all members are busy experimenting with watercolors or gouache and creating new works of art for the upcoming Watercolor/Gouache exhibition. This is a FREE online exhibition. Artworks can be submitted from November 15 through November 21. The Call For Entries was sent out over the email wire on October 24. Check your email inbox for particulars.
Looking ahead to 2021, the New Members Showcase will be presented in the spring. The 96th Annual wil be happening during late spring and a few other interesting exhibitions are in the planning stages, some online and some online with a traditional gallery installation happening concurrently. The Exhibition Committee is not letting the current pandemic curtail activities. Creating art during these intersting times is truly beneficial for both the artist (you and me) and the public. So keep on working in your studio and let your artistic spirit soar as you express yourself using your favorite medium.
Thanks again to all of the volunteers that stepped up and out to bring PSA art exhibitions to life. The Exhibition Committee could not do it without you!
Enjoy the upcoming holiday season.
The Exhibition Committee
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Membership Dues
If you have already paid for this year, thank you!
Membership dues for
January 1 - December 31, 2020 are $75.00.
You can pay online on the "Members Only" page of the PSA website,
OR
you can send a check, payable to PSA, and mail it to:
P.O. Box 90074
Pasadena, CA 91109.
Remember that you must be current with your dues in order to participate in exhibitions.
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New Member Screening
PSA will have our 2020 New Member Screening the second week of November. This will be the only screening for the year, as our normal in-person screening had to be canceled due to COVID-19 restrictions.
For anyone interested, you will have from Sunday, November 8, to Friday, November 13, to submit your work. There is a $15 fee to submit.
Entry Procedure: Visit PSA website
https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/5983509b8fd04a41b662efb1dafb93bd
Please have the following files and information available when you are ready to fill out the online entry form:
* Artist’s Biography
* Artwork Statement reflecting the body of work submitted (400 words maximum)
* Digital images of four artworks completed within the last three years (name each file with the actual title of the artwork)
* Titles, media information and overall size dimensions of each.
Follow instructions and submit.
Digital images: Digital images must be in high-resolution JPG format, minimum of 1000 pixels or 7 inches on longest side. Good lighting, cropped to the artwork, or if sculpture, plain backgrounds are important. All submitted images need to be in focus, no reflections on glass, and without picture frame if possible. Image of artwork should fill frame as much as possible, without distortion.
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PresBuzz
Message from Victor Picou
Dear PSA Members,
I do hope my “buzz” finds you in good spirits and in good health. With our nation struggling with the pandemic, the election uncertainties, and other challenges, we artists have the ability to stay the course and remain creative. It might be of interest to members to have a member publication that would reveal the impact of 2020 on our art. For example, this year I have done very little work in stone, which has been my primary medium for 45 years. There has been such “noise and uproar " in the news, I decided to remain quieter in my studio, without noisy power tools and clouds of dust. Instead, I’ve been painting and drawing, and having fun revisiting my styles from the '70s and '80s. I’ve had Eve Kessler frame artwork, large and small, including a 1984 collage that was never framed. With more time at home, I've had time for reflection, more time to stay in touch with others, and wanting to look ahead with confidence.
I certainly miss seeing all of you. If you’ve kept up with the monthly newsletter and emails, you can see that PSA remains alive as best we can. Thanks to the dedicated work of Larry Rodgers, (VP/Director of Exhibitions) Debbi Swanson Patrick (Director of Communications), Leah Knecht (Graphics/Smartsheets), Alison Davies (Editor/Proofreader), Rhonda Raulston (Secretary/Website Designer/Technical Advisor), we have greater access to and visibility via online exhibitions.
* Larry has been burning midnight oil designing the catalog for our 95th Annual Juried Exhibition. Thanks also to Leah for designing the cover art. This exhibition of 36 members will be online and at Whites Fine Art Gallery in Montrose. The gallery has regular business hours, so please visit the exhibition and promote this as much as possible. The gallery is committed to social distancing and face protection.
* Kruti Shah (PSA Grants) worked hard to create a grant application to the Jeanne Ward Foundation. Thanks to Rhonda and Darien for helping Kruti.
* Leah and Marion Dies (Director of Membership) have created our first online New Member Screening, which is taking place in early November. See accompanying notice from Marion.
* Debbi has been doing a great job developing our Communications Committee, which includes work in defining the role for a PSA Art Director. We still need 1-2 volunteers to help with ISSUU projects.
* The Board has addressed the need to have a Co-Director of Exhibitions, plus the need for more volunteers to be a part of the Exhibitions Committee.
Whenever city and county officials allow us to have meetings, salons and parties, we will resume everything we love to do. Please stay in touch with your fellow members. If you don’t have a membership directory, contact Larry Rodgers.
BE WELL and ENJOY YOUR STUDIO,
Victor Picou
PSA President
email president@pasaadenasocietyofartistis.org
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I would like to invite all members to share their own experience and join Victor Picou's "member publication that would reveal the impact of 2020 on our art."
If you have stories to share, please send them to dariendonner@gmail.com and we will (with your consent) include your experience in the next newsletter.
Thank you,
Darien
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LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEERS, IDEAS & CONTENT FOR PSA VIDEOS
Faced with the unparalleled challenges of hosting exhibitions during the pandemic, PSA embraced the 21st century with our inaugural digital exhibition “PSA Virtual Version 7.20.20” and its companion Exhibition Catalog.
We all miss our meetings and the inspiring and educational programs. So, let’s continue our adventure into the 21st Century and create and post short art-technique and how-to videos on our website.
Do you already have an art-technique video you’d like to share?
Do you have an idea for a video you would like to create, but don’t have the technical skills to shoot and edit?
Do you have experience shooting and editing short videos?
We are all talented artists and have a lot to share.
For example, how does Vic chisel and grind the stone to make his beautiful sculptures?
How do I work in hot, melted encaustic (wax)?
How does Rebecca create her prints?
What is Debbi’s technique for creating her layered photography and scanography?
How does Larry arrange a lighting set-up for photographing art works?
What would YOU like to share with the group?
What would YOU like to see?
If we have enough interest, ideas and volunteers, we will start a new committee to create these videos to share with the PSA community.
I’m looking forward to hearing from you.
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Holiday Campaign
Art Supplies for Kids
Hi everyone,
It’s time to start thinking about your all-important donations to Art Supplies for Kids for the holidays. Again this year PSA is asking for donations of new art supplies for children of all ages. We are talking about the foster children in the care of Homes of Hope Foster Care Agency in West Covina. The children need coloring books, crayons, watercolor sets, sketch books, acrylic paint sets, colored pencils, and any other art supplies. All art supplies will be distributed by Homes of Hope directly to the children.
You can help out by purchasing and donating art supplies or sending a donation to PSA. Your donation can be a check, a gift certificate from an art store, or made via the PayPal button on the "Get Involved" page at the PSA website, PasadenaSocietyofArtists.org. All proceeds will be used to purchase art supplies. If sending a check, please indicate it is a donation to Art Supplies for Kids.
Checks can mailed to:
Pasadena Society of Artists
P. O. Box 90074
Pasadena, California 91109
PSA hopes to raise around $1,000 between now and the end of November. Please be part of this important project and give a child a holiday to remember.
Thank you.
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November 2020 Member News
I know you've got art at home that you'd like fellow members and the general public (the PSA non-member email list) to see! Please send it to me so I can put it out there using the PSA Member News, now a weekly publication! Remember, this is a FREE opportunity.
I will post up to four artists every week, first come first served. Using the form on the PSA website, located in the “Members Only” section, send a photo of your artwork, its title, dimensions and artist contact info. (Use any of the required fields for this.) If you want to include some very brief thoughts (like two sentences) in one of the fields about the piece of art, I can include that too. All the fields need to be filled for the form to send, so just type a few nonsense letters in those.
The email will go out once a week to all PSA Members and the non-members list.
So simple, so easy, so take advantage of this ongoing opportunity today!
I expect to see your artwork real soon!
Mims Ellis and the Exhibition Committee
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