Our Spring Has Sprung!

The VAA is on a spring surge! March program, April youth show, Water Media workshop, upcoming May meeting (annual business and Art Park Kids program), and Spring Show. I won't bore you with the year-almost-over stuff, but the VAA has done a lot in the last 9 months. Hope you can come to the May meeting - we'll have an accounting of our activities.

Cathy Hegman did a very nice workshop this last weekend. She is very skilled and innovative, and the amount of practice that she does really shows. A couple of times her eyes were on her pallet while her hand was still working the piece under construction. This is my fourth workshop (I snuck one in on you in Virginia the last of March) and I have enjoyed them all. I'm the new owner of a sketch pad, some paper, a pallet, and 14 tubes of watercolor pigment (still the borrower of my husband's brushes).

When in Virginia I saw the DC cherry blossoms in full bloom blue sky mode (before they got snowed on) and saw many opportunities for painting. If I never lift another brush, all these workshop will have been worth it if only to increase my ability in observation. Growth - a good thing. Sort of like what happens when spring has sprung!

Yeah for Spring,
Jean

Small World Watercolors

I just came back from visiting in the DC area and attended a 2-day watercolor workshop with my friend, making this my THIRD workshop to learn some art techniques. Am I on a roll, or what??? It was a good two days, enjoyable and productive, since I didn't even know how to use a pallet when I started. The rewards from being low on the learning curve are indeed great.

The Small World aspect is that the instructor, Jane Andrele Gillette, grew up in my hometown and graduated two years ahead of me in high school in the small town of Algona, Iowa. Though we didn't remember each other, we knew many of the same people and had a great time calling some of them to mind.

As recommended in my drawing workshop, I bought a sketchpad and have started sketching a little. Results are not as horrific as I thought they would be, so more will surely follow.

This non-artist president of the Vicksburg Art Association has definitely expanded horizons this year, even reducing them to home town memories.

Cool.
Jean

Coffee, anyone?

Hi all,

Haven't written for awhile because I have received no feedback that anyone is reading! BUT, just in case... My offer to buy a reader a coffee at Highway 61 still stands.

We had a great program with Dr Dirt and Felder Rushing on Yard Art. They look and sound in person just like they sound on the radio, right down to the laugh. They showed some amazing photos and commented, with the basic message being Do What You Want To Do. There were some hints thrown in on focal points, themes, color and form, etc., but Yard Art is for anyone with even a small flair for being expressive. One I liked was a message for tolerance even if we can't see Why for the Love of... An example was a concrete painted chicken that Felder's grandmother had surrounded by zinnias. When Felder sees that chicken, he remembers her and her garden. Sounds a little like the very small elephant planter that sits on our counter top with it's one broken leg. It lived in the kitchen window and belonged to my Grandpa Jim.

Our audience outnumbered the chairs owned by the VAA. One count was 120 folks, over half had to stand. I'm sorry about that, but it was a very good evening - hope you were there.

Expressively,
Jean

Workshop Two, Too

Raise your hand if you've ever said "I can't draw!" and notice that mine is up as well. Lisa Grant is going to fix all that this upcoming weekend, thanks to a workshop that Leslie Horton has arranged for the VAA. Saturday and Sunday (yes, stopping before the SB), we will develop some drawing skills. I had fun with the monoprint workshop so assume this will be a good time as well. Hope to see you there!

And the upcoming Art Swap on the 13th should be REALLY interesting. See Daniel's web posting for details. Get your art for exchange, Mardi Gras beads, and a potluck supper dish like an appetizer, and come to the Firehouse about 6.

HEY!!! Who Said we don't know how to have any fun! Not the VAA, by golly.

Cheers,
Jean

A Prince of a Prints collection

Our current show, the Southern Graphics Council Traveling Print Exhibition, is a really good opportunity to expand your visual art horizons. Prints are a very complex art form because of the variety of techniques available to create them. And remember this is Jean writing - not a print-maker. But if you look at what is at the Firehouse now, you'll see what I mean. This is a really cool collection of art.

We can see a SGC show only once every three years and were happy to pay the fee to have it come to us. Please find time in your schedule to stop by, or call me at 638-0576 if you need another viewing time. I'll be happy to let you in. Set hours are Wednesday the 17th from 4 to 6 pm, and Saturday and Sunday the 20th and 21st from 1 to 5 pm.

Admiringly,
Jean

Good to remember

Not sure where the month went since I last put up a blog, but I trust readers will have some empathy for how fast time goes over the holidays! Now that we are all writing 200SEVEN on our checks without fail, I ask that we turn our brains to some memories. I lost a good friend on New Year's Day and am (1) still processing that shock and (2) remembering lots of good things about him.

At the same time, I am often reminded about David Leenknecht who died in April of 1997. David was a very good engineer by vocation and a fine photographer by avocation. Several of us are lucky enough to have an image he produced. To help ensure David's memory in Vicksburg art circles, I asked for and received permission from the VAA Board to offer a photography award in David's name, starting with the spring 2007 show. Ed and I will be starting the fund and I will be sending out a request for contributions. We hope to raise enough money to have the interest pay $200 each year.

So here's to John, and David, and Others Of Importance who are now gone in body but still here in memory. Our souls are better for having known them.

Yours,
Jean

Pirates Past

Sad to say our Pirates are put to rest, after a wonderful night of carousing and buying booty. The party last Friday night to raise funds to maintain the Old Constitution Firehouse was great fun and quite successful. Our major sponsors, Rainbow Casino of Vicksburg and Mad Genius of Jackson, plus other area businesses, plus all the VAA members and supporters, really did it up right. The Pirate theme was fun with a pirate ship built with an elevated pilot house right in the middle of the floor. The dungeon, complete with rough straw bed and shackled skeleton, was added to the Silent Auction (Yes, we'll sell anything that doesn't move too fast) and will find a new home as a greenhouse! Our members are quite creative. This year the party went upstairs as well to the Tortugas, with island flavor and foods and beverages.

The food, always a big hit at the VAA party, was heavy fare complete with suckling pig. It was set out mostly in Mick's Tavern (ummm, the back room) and on authentic barrels and crates in the front room. Great atmosphere!

Many thanks to all who worked to put on the party and all who came and enjoyed. Experiences like this make me very happy I agreed to be president for the year!

Cap'n Jeanne, retired