Tuesday, April 30, 2019

May's Newsletter


May 11th is International Collage Day...How are you celebrating?


REMINDER
Membership Renewals were due April 1st
Send form (attached) and $20 to:  See Here for the forms
Cherie Denton
1789 35th Street, Apt 6313
Oak Brook, IL 60523

MEETINGS
May 5th   noon - 2:30 pm   
Demonstration/Workshop: Gold Leaf for Collage by Denise Laurin Donatelle
Description of Program/Workshop:
This demonstration teaches participants the technique of applying gold leaf to works of art.
Topics include best practices, products and suppliers, and dos and don'ts. Participants will have the opportunity to try the medium for themselves with gold leaf and size provided by the presenter.
List of supplies for participants to bring: Participants should prepare a small collage (up to 11" x 14") on which they want to apply gold leaf, or any other surface they prefer: i.e. canvas, watercolor paper, illustration board.

June 2nd  noon - 2:30 pm  “Pouring Watercolors for synthetic texture” Demonstration by Sandy Newell
July -  NO MEETING
August 4th 9 am - 2:30 pm
 “Things Once Loved” Assemblage and Collage all day workshop with Donna Castellanos
September- NO MEETING
October 6th  noon-2:30 pm  
Creating with “Golden” acrylic mediums and grounds (Golden Samples) Demonstration by Maureen Gasek
November 3rd  noon-2:30 pm  
“The Core Book”    workshop with Adrienne Austin
December 1st  noon-2:30 pm  
MCS HOLIDAY PARTY
 
MCS EXHIBITS  
For artists who entered work for the Downers Grove Library exhibit,
Pick-up of artwork is Saturday, May 4th 10:00 - 11:00.  
Ribbon winners for the exhibit were:
#1—Carol Kazwick— HOMAGE TO KURT II
#2—Kathleen Schonauer—TREE OF LIFE
#3—Cheryl Gnadt—TELLING THE BEES

Reception for the Tall Grass exhibit opening
Saturday, June 15th, 3:00 - 5:00pm
Tall Grass Arts Association is located in Downtown Park Forest
367 Artists Walk
Park Forest, IL 60466
708 748 3377

The Gallery is open to the public, free of charge
Gallery Hours
11am to 4pm
Tuesday through Saturday
Closed Sunday and Monday

MCS RETREAT  
Mark Your Calendars:  Wednesday, Sept 25 through Sunday, Sept 29, 2019
Camp Alexander Mack-Milford, Indiana
Let your imagination run wild at the artist retreat. View spectacular sunrises/sunsets. Creativity abounds! Inspiration is everywhere.  Take advantage of the early bird special. Fill out the registration form (attached) and send it to Margi Hafer.  Save your place now!


Print your forms HERE 

EARLY BIRD FEE: $ 265.00 must be received by August 1, 2019.  Space is limited. 
Margi Hafer will be handling the registrations this year.
Registration Forms will be available from Margi Hafer after April 15 2019.
Other members of the committee are:
Adrienne Austin (Marketing, Recruiting and PR)  rbrbtrfly@aol.com
Nancy Castner (Marketing, Program ideas)  designsbynanc@gmail.com
Joan Lucht (Promotions through Facebook , etc) joan.of.art33@gmail.com
We hope all our members will be helping to promote this excellent opportunity to create art in a beautiful setting.

THE SISTERS PROJECT UPDATE by Margi 
The Sisters Project Book is 147 pages of full color photos of artwork: some finished by my sister, Donna, and the rest by 57 collaborating artists that completed Donna's art to honor her memory and raise money for charitable causes and arts organizations.
I ordered 10 hard copy and 20 soft copy books from Blurb to be able to give a discounted price (30% off retail + tax and shipping) to Sisters Project Collaborating Artists, my extended Family, My Students, and Midwest Collage Society artists who would like a copy of the book. 

If you haven't already requested a book but would like to order one you can email me and I will bring the books to our May meeting.  You can pay me for your copy of the book at the meeting.

Hard Copy Book (Retail:  $90.79 + tax and shipping)
Your cost:
$73.55 + 5.12  sales tax and shipping
$78.67
Soft Copy Book (Retail: $74.79 + tax and shipping)
Your Cost:
$52.35 +  5,12   sales tax and shipping
$57.47
E Book only available through www.Blurb.com remains $5.99

The Sisters Project Exhibit will take place July 1-27 at The Vogt Arts Center, 17420 67th Court, Tinley Park, IL

Reception July 12th 7-9 pm  
There will be wine, punch and refreshments in the gallery and a Jazz Band concert in the Gazebo adjacent to the historic building that houses the art gallery. It should be a lovely evening to honor my sister, Donna, and the work of all the collaborating artists, I truly hope that all of you will be able to join me at the reception. Plan to make it a special evening, there are several restaurants in the area and it will be a nice opportunity to meet the collaborating artists. I will also be doing a book signing during the reception.  Please be sure to tell your friends and invite them to the exhibit. I have attached a flyer that you can attach to your personal email to your friends.



MEMBERS 
Laura Lein -Svencner will present a selection of her work "Composition Study" at Lemont Center for theArts 1243 State St., Suite 101, Lemont, Illinois 60439. Exhibit May 3rd to June 30th.  Demonstration will be June 8th from 1-3pm.

Laura Lein-Svencner
 was invited to be part of this amazing group of Collage Artists at the David Adler Music andArt Center, "Collage & Effect" Opening Reception
May 3rd 6-8pm, Gallery Night May 15th 6-8pm 1700 N. Milwaukee Ave Libertyville IL. Please see the attached information for more details. 

Laura will be offering 4 week Basic Design Collage Sketchbook classes at LaGrange Art League this Summer


MCS BOARD
President--Nancy Castner  designsbynanc@gmail.com
Vice President--Tania Blanco   taniablanc@aol.com
Treasurer--Andrea Fox  artfox48@yahoo.com
Communications--Joan Lucht  joan.of.art33@gmail.com  
Membership--Cherie Denton  cherayden@yahoo.com
Exhibits--Jocelyne Roy  Jocelyne.roy@comcast.net
Education--Margi Hafer  margihafer@yahoo.com 
Blog, NCS Delegate-lonecrow4@gmail.com 
___________________________________________________
All members may submit news up to one week before each meeting. Send to Joan Lucht, joan.of.art33@gmail.com


Saturday, April 6, 2019

Downers Grove Public Library Annual Exhibit-MCS members



Theme - Outside the Ordinary









Unbelieve amount of wonderful collage and assemblage works on exhibit through the month of April at Downers Grove Public Library, 1050 Curtiss Street Downers Grove IL 60515
This Exhibit was an Judged and here are the winners


#1—Carol Kazwick— HOMAGE TO KURT II
        This was a beautifully executed collage, mounted on hand made paper, presented and framed like a museum piece. The context of the collage was designed in a very balanced way, with text and cut pieces layered to enhance the depth of the HOMAGE…..the stamping and images all telling a story stopped in time, yet it was not nostalgic, as so many period pieces are. It told a story yet remained mysterious enough to engage the viewer for a while, wondering who KURT might be.

#2—Kathleen Schonauer—TREE OF LIFE
        While this piece was yet another memorial to the Holocaust, it had a power within that not only honored the dead, but saluted their strength—in their lives and in the lives that followed them. The candles burning in the gun shells was such a powerful image—yet did not overpower the message. One need only to see that eye of the bird above to feel the souls that have left yet are still with us. The box was a good idea too as it served as a portable altar to take with and position it anywhere, anytime one needed to remember…to honor.

#3—Cheryl Gnadt—TELLING THE BEES
       This piece was a beautiful mixture of assemblage material, giving depth to the honey comb of life. The torn book, the pages forming one layer of the honey comb, the bees beginning to fill up the comb with themselves, words, honey?  and all masterfully layered behind a metal grid which either could suggest a prison—or a very safe place. Literature has always been part of the collage/assemblage/mixed media material……but it is done very well here, engaging the observer to look inside, go deeper within the layers and enter along with the bees……to tell the bees.

Congratulations to all---
Andrea

Judge of the MCS Award winners 

Andrea Reynders
Designer/Consultant



Tuesday, April 2, 2019

April's Newsletter Chalk Full of great things going.


Reminder - If you have not yet renewed your membership a form is attached. 

MEETINGS
April 7th   noon - 2:30 pm 
“Oil and Cold Wax”   Demonstration by  Charlotte Cziperle
Charlotte is an award winning professional artist and has been painting with oil & cold wax since 2012.  She has a BSN from Loyola University and a Certificate of Painting from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Her paintings have appeared in national magazines, been exhibited in galleries and several art museums, and are part of private and corporate collections.She enjoys teaching adult oil & cold wax classes, workshops, and giving talks to art organizations in the Chicago and Midwest area. She is currently Vice – Director of the Alliance of Fine Art and has served on several local art boards.

During Charlotte's demonstration you will learn about the versatility of cold wax medium with an introduction to the materials and methods used in the oil & cold wax process. Charlotte will demonstrate how to create texture, atmospheric depth, and interesting surfaces using oil & cold wax with both conventional and unconventional tools. Collage techniques using cold wax will also be explored.
  
May 5th  noon - 2:30 pm 
“Gold Leaf for Collage”  Demonstration by Denise Lauin Donatelle
June 2nd  noon - 2:30 pm  “Pouring Watercolors for synthetic texture”  Demonstration by Sandy Newell
July -  NO MEETING
August 4th 9 am - 2:30 pm
 “Things Once Loved” Assemblage and Collage all day workshop with Donna Castellanos
September- NO MEETING
October 6th  noon-2:30 pm  
Creating with “Golden” acrylic mediums and grounds (Golden Samples) Demonstration by Maureen Gazek
November 3rd  noon-2:30 pm  
“The Core Book”    workshop with Adrienne Austin
December 1st  noon-2:30 pm  
MCS HOLIDAY PARTY
 
MCS RETREAT  
Mark Your Calendars:  Wednesday, Sept 25 through Sunday, Sept 29, 2019
Camp Alexander Mack-Milford, Indiana
Let this view of Lake Waubee inspire your artwork at the artist retreat. Registration form attached. Remember space is limited so take advantage of the early bird special $265.00. Includes 11 meals, four nights accommodations.



EARLY BIRD FEE: $ 265.00
 must be received by August 1, 2019.  Space is limited. 
Margi Hafer will be handling the registrations this year.
Registration Forms will be available from Margi Hafer after April 15 2019.
Other members of the committee are:
Adrienne Austin (Marketing, Recruiting and PR)  rbrbtrfly@aol.com
Nancy Castner (Marketing, Program ideas)  designsbynanc@gmail.com
Joan Lucht (Promotions through Facebook , etc) joan.of.art33@gmail.com
We hope all our members will be helping to promote this excellent opportunity to create art in a beautiful setting.

MCS EXHIBITS  
Message from Jocelyne Roy:
For all members exhibiting at the Tall Grass Gallery in June, it is imperative you forward the information requested by the date requested.  It has come to my attention that Claudia Craemer, who is managing our exhibit is becoming increasing annoyed as she has to send out multiple reminders for items needed.  I too was late in getting her our participant list, she wanted it by the end of December and I sent it mid-January.  I am not participating in the show but my understanding is Claudia needs photos of work being exhibited; please forward whatever she is requesting so we can remain in her good books and reduce her exasperation with us.

From Claudia Craemer, Tallgrass:
Please have your completed info on your works for the Woven Thoughts show to me by Saturday, April 6.  
You can add whatever is still needed to the attached list I sent you earlier, or simply send the information to me in an email and I'll add it into the list page.
Remember I need the title, medium, size and price for each piece you are planning to exhibit.     (Size: HxW)
Until we have all the sizes from everyone, we can't know for sure how many of the works we can actually accept and hang, so the sizes are definitely an important priority now.
The gallery keeps 30% of any sales made from a show during its run, so that might be a part of your considerations for what prices you assign to your works.
Once we have all the info from everyone, I'll send you your Loan Forms and Consignment Sheets, a requirement of the gallery to collect for insurance purposes.
Lastly, please do keep sending  any supplemental statements/bios/resumes you would like to include in our information book for the show.
Let me know if you have any questions or concerns, and thanks very much for all you're working on and sending me!

Guidelines for Exhibiting in Judged Shows.
 Recently there have been questions about submitting collage art for  MCS exhibitions. The following are the guidelines we have tried to follow:
(1)  Art submitted should have been created within the last 3 years.  We encourage artists to submit freshly created work.
(2)   Art that received an award at a judged exhibit, are not eligible to be exhibited in another judged exhibit.
(3)  Art that appeared in a venue (such as Downers Grove Library) where we have an annual exhibit, should not be exhibited a second time.
(4)  When there is a low turnout of art in a non-judged show, there may be more flexibility and it would be at the discretion of the Exhibit Chair and the committee to decline work.

AFA BEST OF THE BEST SHOW
Exhibition will be held through April 29 at the
Mayslake Peabody Estate
1717 31st St., Oak Brook, IL 60523
Gallery hours are M-F 9:00am-3:00pm and Sat 9:00am-1:00pm

Reception and awards presentation
Thursday, April 4, from 6:00pm through 8:00pm
Judge’s presentation and critique will begin at 7:15pm.

THE SISTERS PROJECT UPDATE by Margi 
If you click on the links below the photo you can preview a part of The Sisters Project book. It is available in Hard Cover ($89.39), Soft Cover ($73.39), and Ebook ($5.99) editions. The Ebook edition is not printable but can be on Kindle, iPad and computer. Hope you like it! 
Thank you to all of my MCS friends that that helped make this possible. I'm looking forward to the exhibit in July!
I am now working on updating my Sisters Project information on my website and Facebook. I will also be contacting some charities and working on promotional ideas for the exhibit and the fund-raising sale of artwork.
I also still have some of Donna's pieces to finish...I brought some with me to Florida.

Please promote The Sisters Project and the exhibit to your families and friends
Exhibit in July at Vogt Fine Arts Center, Tinley Park
Reception July 12th 7-9 pm  




MEMBERS 

Nancy Staszak and Eva Holy have work in the Nature Artists' Guild exhibit of natural history art at the Morton Arboretum. Reception is April 5, 4:30 to 8:30pm. See attachment.

Andrea Fox has a beautiful collage piece being shown at Union Street Gallery, Chicago Heights. The Intersection of Art and Music - A juried exhibit, runs through May 3rd. 
Reception is April 6th, 1 to 3 PM.

MCS BOARD
All current members of the Midwest Collage Society Board have agreed to serve again for the coming year.  We will vote on this slate at the April meeting. 
President--Nancy Castner  designsbynanc@gmail.com
Vice President--Tania Blanco   taniablanc@aol.com
Treasurer--Andrea Fox  artfox48@yahoo.com
Communications--Joan Lucht  joan.of.art33@gmail.com  
Membership--Cherie Denton  cherayden@yahoo.com
Exhibits--Jocelyne Roy  Jocelyne.roy@comcast.net
Education--Margi Hafer  margihafer@yahoo.com 
___________________________________________________
All members may submit news up to one week before each meeting. Send to Joan Lucht, joan.of.art33@gmail.com