QUARTERLY QUOTE
Art has a voice—let it speak.
Rochelle Carr

• Spring is here, and a renewed feeling of hopefulness abounds. Let’s celebrate in whatever way we want…including by painting!
  
• Three regional hubs continue to meet regularly, via Zoom, and three others are hoping to meet this way soon.
• Holding an in-person workshop continues to be fraught even as the pandemic winds down, but our VPS artists persevere in planning for 2021.
• Exhibitions for 2021 include two Members’ Exhibitions: one now, and one in the fall.
• Our next board meeting via Zoom is in April.

CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS:

April 3 to June 4, 2021: VPS Members’ Exhibition at the Southern Vermont Arts Center, Manchester, VT

April 20, 2021: VPS Board Meeting, 7-9 p.m. remotely via Zoom

Sep-Oct 2021: VPS Members’ Exhibition at T.W. Wood Gallery, Montpelier, VT

Oct 23-25, 2021: Dawn Emerson workshop in Bennington, VT

VPS REGIONAL HUBS UPDATE

With VPS: SW modeling how to stay connected as a hub during physically distancing times, two other hubs, VPS: SE and MS, are now meeting regularly via Zoom. And VPS: CEN has begun with remote meetings as well. VPS: CHP and UV promise to give things a try soon. The spirit of hubs gathering in-person was inspirational in early 2020, but the pandemic put an abrupt halt to that. With the real possibility that artists can safely start meeting again soon, these remote meetings now offer a transitional bridge to that brighter future ahead. So, thank you, VPS: SW for showing us the way, and thank you to our other hubs for embracing the virtual approach while we dream of the real thing to come.

VPS EXHIBITIONS

Our Board decided, with our VPS Juried Show occurring so late last year, and being displayed on our website from November 2020 through January 31, 2021, that we will not have a Juried Show this year. Added to that, we have been isolated from each other for a year and have been unable to visit galleries and see actual pastel paintings on the wall. So, with venues opening up again, our Board felt it would be better to welcome all our VPS artists to exhibit now, in a Members’ Exhibition, one in the spring, and then later on, in the fall of 2021.

Just to remind those who know, and to inform those who do not, our philosophy as a pastel society has been to have two types of shows. Our Juried Show showcases our most accomplished pastel painters, as judged by a pair of nationally known pastel artists. Our Members’ Exhibition (ME), on the other hand, celebrates our diversity, our varied interests, our courage to take risks, our membership’s depth and breadth. Accordingly, we hang one or two pastels of every artist who submits to the ME, and we ask our judge to pick pieces according to categories of subject matter (landscape, still life, abstract, etc.) and compositional element (line, shape, color, texture, etc.). This offers a chance for everyone to be recognized for their work.

For the April ME, we have 50 paintings to be displayed. They will be judged by Master Pastellist Dave Francis during the opening week. Although there is no opening reception, our pastels will be able to be viewed in person during the show’s two-month run, and there is hope that by the close of our ME, there might be opportunity for larger groups to gather in public.

This ME is notable for another reason. Because we don’t have an Exhibitions Coordinator, we have asked the hosting hub to do all the organizational aspects of putting on a show. VPS: SW has been our first hub to do this, and they’ve done superbly. Please find any opportunity you can to let them know how much you appreciate their efforts. Without them, we would not be having this ME!!

VPS WORKSHOPS

Unfortunately, our Lyn Asselta workshop slotted for April 30 to May 2, 2021 in Bennington, had to be cancelled, but it is being rescheduled for 2022.

With many of Vermonters getting the CoViD vaccine, and, as  venues are slowly opening up in our state, it is likely that our other workshop with Dawn Emerson will take place in Bennington from Oct 23-25, 2021.

VPS BOARD NEWS

We will be holding our next board meeting virtually via Zoom on Tuesday, April 20, 2021 from 7-9p.m. We have a number of interesting subjects to discuss, so please feel free to attend. The link for the meeting is included below

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85244204701?pwd=VEltYm9wSmg4dWlTamJsTlVBVGFIdz09

Remember, as a VPS member, you can show a painting on the VPS website with a link to another image and to a short bio. If you want to do this for the first time, or if you want your image changed in the VPS Website Gallery, please use this link: https://vermontpastelsociety.com/participation-in-the-members-gallery/.

Don’t forget that you can also rent DVDs for free as a member. The information is on our website.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED PARTICIPATION IN VPS!

With two Members’ Exhibitions coming this year, a workshop planned for the fall, and our Hubs rebounding from a pandemic-imposed isolation, there is much to be gained by being a member of the VPS. Thank you to those who have renewed, and, to those who have not, please consider renewing your membership today.  We are who we are because of the undying support for our organization that you all provide. Keep it coming, as you keep on painting in pastel!

Matt Peake, VPS President

QUARTERLY QUOTE

A true artist is not one who is inspired but one who inspires others.
Salvador Dali

Our first VPS Online Juried Show is still available for viewing on our website until January 31, 2021.

• One regional hub continues to meet regularly, via Zoom, and two others have begun to meet this way, too.
• Workshop planning is continuing for 2021.
• Exhibition planning for 2021 continues but needing a new format.

Continue reading below for more details.

CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS:

January 1-31, 2021: Final days of the 2020 VPS Online Juried Show.

April 20, 2021: VPS Board Meeting 7-9 p.m. remotely via Zoom

April 30-May 2, 2021: Lyn Asselta workshop in Bennington, VT

Oct 23-25, 2021: Dawn Emerson workshop in Bennington, VT

Oct-Nov 2021: VPS Members’ Exhibition at T.W. Wood Gallery, Montpelier, VT

VPS REGIONAL HUBS UPDATE

VPS: SouthWest continues to meet monthly via Zoom. VPS: MidState re-united this fall on Zoom, and VPS: SouthEast is meeting remotely as well on Monday, January 4, 2021. We have a new Hubs Coordinator, Cristine Kossow, and you probably recall having received a Hubs Happening Constant Contact message from her.

Of note, when our hubs system was first adopted in 2017, we didn’t intend that hubs isolate themselves, but wanted a hub’s activities, whenever possible, to be open to artists in the other 5 hubs. We realized, however, that some activities a hub did, because of space limitations, could not be opened up to all VPS artists. Also, distance would make it impractical for all VPS members to attend. So, we used the terms “open” and “closed” to characterize the activities that a particular hub was doing. “Open” meant that the hub’s activity was open to attendance by VPS members of any hub. “Closed” signified that the activity was only for artists of that particular hub.

Now, however, because several hubs are using Zoom, space and distance issues are less restrictive—although obviously, too large a zoom meeting can limit an individual artist’s time to show a painting and invite feedback. Accordingly, we have been discussing how to make one hub’s Zoom meeting available to VPS members from other hubs. Mark Grasso and Linda Masten are looking into getting a VPS Zoom account for this purpose, and we will be talking about how to communicate the date, time, and zoom link of a particular hub’s meeting, and to develop a sign-up process so that there will be an optimal number of participants for such a hub meeting.

So, stay tuned—or better yet, get in touch with your hub point person or persons and give them any input you may have.

VPS EXHIBITIONS

Our first ever VPS Online Juried Show is still happening—look at our website to see the exhibition and the award winners, if you haven’t already. But don’t delay, as the show ends January 31, 2021.

With Susannah’s departure as our Exhibitions Coordinator, and with no one willing or able to take her place, in order to continue to have exhibitions, we will have to do some creative thinking. For our first online juried show, for example, four board members worked together, and, in a relatively short amount of time, put together a virtual exhibition. That required partnering with ShowSubmit for the submission process and the jurying and judging; finding jurors and a judge willing to do those tasks; and posting the images and contact information for the selected artists on our website. In some ways, a virtual show is easier to put on.

With a Members’ Exhibition upcoming in the fall, assuming we can all safely gather, we will need to do more than manipulate images on a screen. We will need real people—VPS artists—receiving paintings, hanging the show, hosting the reception, photographing and publicizing the event, and more. Just like before. But we will need someone or some cadre of artists to organize the whole process. Will that be members of the board or will that be members of the hub of the region where the show is going to take place? Your input will be valuable to working through these and other questions, so please communicate with your hub point person or persons!

As for our annual Juried Show for 2021, we are tentatively scheduled to exhibit at the Southern Vermont Arts Center in spring, but there is still a real question as to whether we will be able to gather safely by then. We will keep you posted, as it is only three or four months away!

VPS WORKSHOPS

Let’s keep our hopes high that we will have workshops this year! So far, the following are in the planning stages:

Lyn Asselta workshop will be Apr 30, May 1 and May 2, 2021 in Bennington.

Dawn Emerson workshop is planned for Oct 23-25, 2021 in Bennington.

BOARD NEWS

At our 2020 Annual Membership Meeting, held via Zoom on November 9, 2020, we elected one new board member, Cristine Kossow, as Hubs Coordinator, but we are down a board member, with no Exhibitions Coordinator. Please visit our website to see who is on the board, and please don’t hesitate to volunteer to serve on the board, especially if you are interested in exhibitions.

We will be holding our next board meeting virtually via Zoom on Tuesday, April 20, 2021 from 7-9p.m. The link for the meeting will be sent out closer to the date.

Remember, as a VPS member, you can show a painting on the VPS website with a link to another image and a short bio. If you want to do this for the first time, or if you want your image changed in the VPS Website Gallery, please use this link: https://vermontpastelsociety.com/participation-in-the-members-gallery/.

Don’t forget that you can also rent DVDs for free as a member. The information is on our website.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED PARTICIPATION IN VPS!

With a vaccine now being distributed, we seem tantalizingly close to being able to meet again in person. But even if that doesn’t happen right away, there is still much to be gained by remaining a member of the VPS, so please renew your membership today.  We are who we are because of the undying support for our organization that you all provide. Keep it coming, as you keep on painting in pastel!

Matt Peake, VPS President

QUARTERLY QUOTE

An empty canvas is the safest addiction in the world; art is the only drug that won’t kill you, instead it’ll save your life.

Nikki Rowe

 Our first Online Juried Show will be accepting submissions October 1-31, 2020.

• Regional hubs are still in need of innovation for activities.
• Workshop planning is continuing for 2021.
• Our upcoming Board Meeting will be on Zoom on Wednesday, October 7, 2020, and our Annual Members’ Meeting is scheduled for Saturday, October 17, 2020, also remotely.

 Continue reading below for more details.

CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS:

October 1-31, 2020: Entry into the Online Juried Show via ShowSubmit.

October 7, 2020: VPS Board Meeting 7- 9pm via Zoom

October 17, 2020: VPS Annual Members’ Meeting 1- 4pm via Zoom

VPS REGIONAL HUBS UPDATE

It’s not surprising, with continued physical distancing and many of us not comfortable being inside closed spaces, that most in-person hub activities have not been happening since February or March. VPS SouthWest continues to meet via the Zoom app. VPS Midstate got together again this fall, but we haven’t heard from the other hubs. With summer coming to a close and fall arriving, there may be time to get together for outdoor events, which are safer. Please let Judy Albright know of your activities as we want to continue the connection with our artistic communities, especially during these isolating times.

VPS EXHIBITIONS

Our first ever Online Juried Show is happening—entries are being received through the ShowSubmit app from October 1-31, 2020. The entries will be looked at by two jurors—Lyn Asselta and Jeanne Rosier Smith—much like our live shows were juried. They will score the pastels we submit, and from their scores, 30-40 pastels will be chosen to be in the show. Then our judge, Alain Picard, will look at those paintings to pick winners in first, second, third places with three runners-up. All that will happen in mid November, right before the show goes online for the public from November 24, 2020, through January 31, 2021. We hope that everyone will enter one or two pastels. There is an entry fee to cover the costs of ShowSubmit and the jurors and judge, but the commission originally listed in the prospectus has been removed. You receive full price if your painting sells. We hope to promote the show to the other IAPS member societies to get a wider viewing audience.

VPS WORKSHOPS

Let’s keep our hopes high that we will have workshops this year! So far, the following are in the planning stages:

Lyn Asselta workshop will be Apr 30, May 1 and May 2, 2021 in Bennington.

Dawn Emerson workshop is planned for Oct 23-25, 2021 in Bennington.

BOARD NEWS

We had a vote recently on bylaws changes allowing us to hold remote meetings via apps like Zoom, which means we can have board meetings and our annual members’ meeting online. We are having our next board meeting Thursday, October 7 from 7- 9pm. Here is the zoom link Please join us if you can.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88516259072?pwd=cnFVWEd1Q1VkdFA2RmNzU1h0WU53Zz09

Our annual members’ meeting will be October 17, 2020 from 1- 4pm via Zoom. We will be electing new board members, as each year 5 of the 10 members’ 2-year terms are up, so we need your votes! We will be sending an agenda and Zoom link closer to the date.

Remember, as a VPS member, you can show a painting on the VPS website with a link to another image and a short bio. If you want to do this for the first time, or if you want your image changed in the VPS Website Gallery, please use this link: https://vermontpastelsociety.com/participation-in-the-members-gallery/.

Don’t forget that you can also rent DVDs for free as a member. The information is on our website.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED PARTICIPATION IN VPS!

Even with our world being turned upside down, we are who we are because of the undying support for our organization that you all provide. Keep it coming, as you keep on painting in pastel!

Matt Peake, VPS President

QUARTERLY QUOTE

Art is a step in the known toward the unknown.

Kahlil Gibran

•  Our Members Exhibition finally came down.
• Regional hubs are in need of innovation for remote activities, using platforms like zoom.
• Workshop planning is continuing for 2021, as our workshops this year have been cancelled.
• Our Juried Show for November/December is being changed to an Online Show.

Continue reading below for more details.

CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS:

August 17-21, 2020:  Alain Picard workshops “The Painterly Landscape” and “The Painterly Portrait,” East Montpelier, both canceled, rescheduled date is pending.

October 2-4, 2020: Lyn Asselta workshop, North Bennington canceled, rescheduled for April 30-May 2, 2021

November-December 2020: VPS Juried Show will be Online

 VPS REGIONAL HUBS UPDATE

It’s not surprising, with physical distancing, that most in-person hub activities have not been happening since February or March. VPS SouthWest, which has been meeting regularly via zoom during the winter months, when many of their members are not in Vermont, continues to meet via this platform. VPS Midstate is planning to start up again in the fall, but I haven’t heard from the other hubs as to what they are planning for their activities, given the restrictions of physical distancing. Please let Judy Albright know of your activities as we want to continue the connection with our artistic communities especially during these isolating times.

VPS EXHIBITIONS

The coronavirus has really been a log jam in the river of VPS exhibitions this year and may continue to be so in the coming years. Our Members Exhibition was interrupted by the shutdown back in March, and although the exhibition remained in place for several more months, the takedown was complicated.

Some galleries and museums are now opening up, including SVAC, where we were going to have our juried show this November/December. But with the uncertainty of the times, the possibility for another wave of CoViD-19 coming, and the prospect of a complicated hanging and take down process, not to mention a limited reception, the board decided to make it an online show this year. Interestingly, other pastel societies are doing the same. Right now, Susannah is laying the groundwork for the 2020 VPS Juried Show to be online Nov/Dec 2020, our first—and maybe–first annual. Details will be coming soon and we hope to get many of your entries.

Susannah‘s grand plan for ongoing exhibitions is still in the works.  Depending on the coronavirus trajectory, however, it may not be able to be implemented in the coming year. The hope is that every year there will be two VPS shows–one, a Members Exhibition, and the other, a Juried Show. As we have six hub regions, that means that a hub will host one or the other of those exhibitions every three years. Further, we hope that each region would have a venue that could be depended upon every three years for that exhibition. Susannah has secured venues in some of the regions so far, but not in all. She does have SVAC committed to showing our work in May/June of 2021 if the situation is positive. Needless to say, we all need to stay tuned. For now, however, set your sights on the first VPS Online Juried Show this fall.

VPS WORKSHOPS

Unfortunately, the workshops that were planned this summer had to be canceled. The participants were divided as to wanting an online course versus an in-person one, and there was not a critical mass for either option to make it financially feasible to hold either of our two workshops. It is disappointing to have a workshop cancelled, especially to those who have been working so hard on plans so far in advance. This is one of those painful lessons of impermanence, but with the indefatigability of our VPS members, they assure me the workshops will happen again.

BOARD NEWS

Because we have an occasion for email meetings from time to time—and now even more of a need for remote meetings–we are working on a process to allow more streamlined voting for our members. Because this requires bylaw changes, we will need to put these changes to a vote of our membership, information for which I will be sending out soon. Given that we will most likely not be having an in-person membership meeting this year–and may have to do it via a zoom platform–these bylaw changes will be important to implement ahead of time. Please stay alert for Constant Contact mailings with regard to these bylaw changes.

The job of putting on two exhibitions per year has become less complicated, but it would be even easier if there were two or more people collaborating with Susannah on the many little jobs that need to be done. Most hubs have agreed to provide this assistance when a Juried Show or Members’ Exhibition comes to their area, which will happen every 3 years. The board thanks you!!

As a reminder, as a VPS member, you can show a painting on the VPS website and have it linked to another image and a short bio. So if you want to do this for the first time, or if you want your image changed in the VPS Website Gallery, please use this link: https://vermontpastelsociety.com/participation-in-the-members-gallery/.

Don’t forget that you can also rent DVDs for free as a member. The information is on our website.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED PARTICIPATION IN VPS!

Even during pandemic times, we are who we are because of the undying belief in our organization that you all provide. Keep it coming, as you keep on making pastel art!

Matt Peake, VPS President

QUARTERLY QUOTE
“The memories of influenza, it seems, are surreal, and to write them is seemingly to write nonsense or dreams or poetry. Perhaps this meant that even those who might vividly describe injuries to the body (like those caused by the war) would have found themselves incapable of representing to others the experience of having the flu.”

Catherine Belling, from The Spanish Influenza Pandemic of 1918-1919: Perspectives from the Iberian Peninsula and the Americas (2014)

In the age of CoViD-19, the time of our pandemic, we have perhaps the same difficulty describing how it is affecting us, as people, let alone as artists. For us pastel painters, and our VPS, things have changed for now, and for the foreseeable future. For that reason, we can only hope for a resolution in the next several months, but until we know for sure, we must follow the guidance of those we trust, keeping ourselves, our families, and our friends and neighbors safe from the infection. And we must keep painting, if we can.

• Our Members Exhibition is still up until the pandemic is over.
• Regional hubs are in need of innovation for remote activities.
• Workshop planning continues, although we can’t be sure they will be held.
• We need an Exhibitions Co-Chair and …
• We have a new Secretary, Anne Taylor!

Continue reading below for more details.

CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS:
Thursday, January 16 to date uncertain, 2020: Members’ Exhibition, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, 4th floor

August 17-21, 2020: Alain Picard workshops “The Painterly Landscape” and “The Painterly Portrait,” East Montpelier

October 2-4, 2020: Lyn Asselta workshop, North Bennington

November-December 2020: VPS Juried Show, Southern Vermont Arts Center, Manchester, VT

VPS REGIONAL HUBS UPDATE
In the last quarter, just before the pandemic hit us, 5 of 6 hubs met once. One of those hubs, VPS: SouthWest, did it remotely via Zoom. VPS: Upper Valley hosted the monumental Joint Members Exhibition at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center. With the recommendation to limit our contacts and stay in place, we will need innovative solutions to help us continue hub activities within the parameters of social distancing and restricting our travel to essential needs.

VPS EXHIBITIONS
Our Members Exhibition for 2020 featured a coordinated show of the Vermont Pastel Society with the Pastel Society of New Hampshire. Nearly 120 works from 60 artists lined the expansive medical center hallway where hundreds of people walked through to view them every month. Or did so until recently, when the corona virus pandemic struck New England. Now the show still hangs, and fewer viewers will be seeing it per month, but it remains in place indefinitely until the threat of infection is gone. Still, for those who helped receive the paintings, hang them, and attend the reception, this was an exhibition to remember—not only in scope and scale, but in the quality of the works on display. Thank you to VPS Upper Valley for making it happen, and thank you to Susannah Gravel for the fabulous idea of a combined show!

Our Juried Show will be in November 2020 at the Southern Vermont Arts Center, enough months away to be optimistic about it happening. We will be using a new on-line submission platform this year, ShowSubmit, which has a great reputation among many pastel societies in the US.

VPS WORKSHOPS
Alain Picard will offer a combination of workshops in East Montpelier, VT: The Painterly Landscape, August 17-19, 2020 and The Painterly Portrait, August 20-21, 2020. Artists can sign up for one or both. Details will follow. Given the late summer dates it is scheduled for, this workshop may still happen!

Lyn Asselta will offer a workshop October 2-4, 2020, at the Taraden Art Barn in North Bennington. Stay alert for details coming to you, and again, given the autumn dates that it is scheduled for, this workshop may also still happen!

BOARD NEWS
As you may recall, in December, we elected Mark Grasso, VPS: SouthWest, as our Vice President, and in January, we elected a new Secretary, Anne Taylor, from VPS: MidState. Thanks to the two of them for offering to serve on our VPS board, and to everyone who voted. Our board is once more complete!

But, before celebrating too soon, we need someone to volunteer to join Susannah Gravel as Exhibitions Co-Chair. The job of putting on two exhibitions per year has become less complicated, but it would be even easier if there were two people collaborating on the many little jobs that need to be done. Please contact your hub point person(s) if you are interested, and please consider it, as exhibitions are one of the offerings that encourage pastel artists to become members of VPS.

The Board will be holding its meeting on April 18, 2020, from 11a.m. to 1 p.m. via Zoom. Anyone may attend, so if you would like to do so remotely, contact Mark Grasso ([email protected]) who will be the Zoom host and can give you the link to join the meeting.

As a reminder, as a VPS member, you can show a painting on the VPS website and have it linked to another image and a short bio. So if you want to do this for the first time, or if you want your image changed in the VPS Website Gallery, please use this link: https://vermontpastelsociety.com/policies-procedures/.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED PARTICIPATION IN VPS!
We are who we are because of the passionate participation in our organization that you all provide. Keep it coming, as you keep on making pastel art!

Matt Peake, VPS President

QUARTERLY QUOTE
Why not spend time on art: painting, sculpting, charcoal, pastel, oils? Are words or numbers more important than images? Who decides this? Does algebra move you to tears? Can plural possessives express the feelings in your heart? If you don’t learn art now, you will never learn to breathe!
Laurie Halse Anderson

The Winter Solstice has signaled a return to longer days, with more hours of light for painting;
We have our Members’ Exhibition opening in a matter of days,
Regional hubs are continuing to thrive;
And we have a new Vice President.
Continue reading below for more details.

CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS:
Thursday, January 16, 2020, 5-6:30pm: Reception for the Members’ Exhibition of the VPS with the Pastel Society of NH, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, 4th floor main hallway.

VPS REGIONAL HUBS UPDATE
In the last quarter, 4 of 6 hubs have met once, and one hub has met twice. Many hubs are using a challenge-prompt, asking members to do, in the intervening time, an abstract painting, or painting a bold landscape on a black surface, or painting in color from a black and white reference. Many hubs are taking advantage of local venues to exhibit their pastels. As for using hub money, one hub paid a workshop presenter to come to them, and another hub used their money for purchasing tickets to MASSMoCA and The Clark, for a visit in early January.

VPS EXHIBITIONS
Our Members’ Exhibition (ME) for 2020 features something new: Susannah Colby, our Exhibitions Co-Chair, has coordinated this year’s exhibition with the Pastel Society of New Hampshire to make a really big show. We will be having about 120 works from 60 artists lining the expansive hallway in a large institution where hundreds of people will walk through to view them every month. As in our last ME, we will be awarding prizes in five genres (landscape, waterscape, still life, figurative, and abstract) and in five elements of composition (color, value, line, shape, and texture). Plus, the same two new categories will be kept: a Judge’s Choice and the People’s Choice. The judge this year, recommended by PSNH, will be Mary Eselin, a professional artist with gallery representation in several VT and NH galleries. Our goal for the ME has been to showcase the range of experience and diversity of pastel painting in our VPS, so the awards have tried to reflect that. Come see our VPS members’ works along with our neighbor pastel society’s paintings. You won’t be disappointed.

Our Juried Show will be in November 2020 at the Southern Vermont Arts Center.

VPS WORKSHOPS
Alain Picard will offer a combination of workshops in East Montpelier, VT: The Painterly Landscape, August 17-19, 2020 and The Painterly Portrait, August 20-21, 2020. Artists can sign up for one or both. Details will follow in February.

Lyn Asselta will offer a workshop October 2-4, 2020, at the Taraden Art Barn in North Bennington. Stay alert for details coming to you near the end of March.

BOARD NEWS
As you may recall, our board has 10 members who serve 2 year staggered terms. Every year, therefore, 5 members’ terms are up, and we hold elections, usually at the Annual Membership Meeting. This past November, at that meeting, Grace Cothalis, her Vice Presidential term up, wanted to step down, and she ran for one of the Member-at-Large positions, leaving the VP spot vacant. As we had no candidates to fill that position, we asked our hubs for volunteers. Mark Grasso, of VPS: SouthWest offered his candidacy, and he was elected in an e-mail meeting vote on December 19, 2019.
We still need a Secretary to record the minutes of the two board meetings and one annual membership meeting that occur every year. Please let us know if you want to serve the VPS by being on the board as our Secretary.

Members Gallery
As a reminder, if you want your image changed in the VPS Website Gallery, please use this link.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED PARTICIPATION IN THE VPS!
We are who we are from the devoted support that you all give to our organization. Keep it coming, as you keep on mark-making in pastel!

Matt Peake
VPS President

Welcome to the new VPS Website.  It is an evolving site, so please have patience as it settles into what you, our members, would like to see.  We hope to provide a site where our membership can find most of what they need to maneuver around in Vermont’s VPS world and a location for art information and opportunities.

This new site has a BLOG feature included so as of now, our old VPS BLOG site is obsolete and our old VPS website has been taken off line.  You may need to clear out your browser to start seeing the new site.

The Home page will have a scrolling Art Show which consists of one art image from each artist who submits images for the Member Gallery.  The Home page Art Show will show the artist’s name and art title when you hover over the top with your mouse.  In the Member Gallery, under the Members menu, one art image appears for each member who submits to the Member Gallery.  Again, if you hover over the image with your mouse, a small menu bar (in blue letters) appears with the artist’s name.   If you then click on the artist’s name menu, you will be taken to an individual art page for the artist which contains art information provided by the artist and images the artist has submitted for inclusion in the VPS Member Gallery.

Note: These functions may perform differently depending on the mobile devices you use.  This new website should display in the mobile app format, but touch-screen functions may act differently across devices.   With a touch screen, you don’t “hover”, but you may just need to touch the area verses “hover.”

Eventually, we will adding functions allowing you to pay your annual membership right on line using PayPal (you will have to have a PayPal Account for this function).  Also, you will be able to enter your own application information and submit it directly rather than having to print the form from the website and sending it in.

For now, to print any portion of a page, simply click on the little print icon in the lower right-hand corner of each page.  Pick what you want printed, then print.  You may now print off information you find on any page on the site.

As a VPS member, you may have two image and your own page on the VPS website.  If you would like your images and bio/statement included on the VPS site, feel free to send along the items need by following the guidelines found under the About menu, and Policies and Procedures.

If you have thoughts or suggestions, please pass them along to the webmaster ([email protected]).

Once again, welcome to the new site and take a tour around.

Regards,

Cindy Griffith,

Webmaster

Dear VPS Members,

The beautiful fall weather has been a special treat this year for those of you who love to paint en plein air.  Or, maybe you like to just paint on your porch!  Wherever you paint, I hope you have enjoyed the beauty around us.

Mark your Calendar for the November 2016 Annual Meeting:

November 6, 2016; 1PM – 4PM –

Location: The Center for Cartoon Studies,

94 S. Main Street, WRJ, VT 05001.

Our meeting will be approximately an hour and we have additional FREE presentations that may interest you:

1. Kent Scrivener, Photographer: We have a photographer, Kent Scrivener, coming to present how to photograph your art.  He also provides professional art photography services which he will briefly discuss, as well.  His business is com.
2. Aline Ordman, Artist, is back this year for a demonstration. With so much positive feedback from the last time Aline came to provide VPS with still life demonstration, we have asked her back for another.  Working from a clothed model, Aline Ordman will do several poses ranging from 5 minutes to 20 minutes showing how to build a figure pastel from just a quick gesture painting to a longer, more layered painting.

About Aline:  Aline received her BFA at Cornell University, and continued her training at the Academy of Art College in San Francisco, earning a degree in Illustration.  Aline is a Master Pastelist with the Pastel Society of America and a Signature Member of the American Impressionist Society and a Master Circle Pastelist with the International Association of Pastel Societies. She was been featured in The Pastel Journal, has been honored with awards at the 33rd, 34th  and 38th Annual Juried Shows of the Pastel Society of America in New York City  and juried the 2014 Pastel Society of America’s National Juried Show.  In 2016 she was a Faculty Pastel Demonstrator for the National Plein Air Convention and in 2017 will do a Pastel presentation at the National Plein Air Convention.   Her work has been accepted in national juried shows of the American Impressionist Society, The Pastel Society of America and the Oil Painters of America.   Aline teaches workshops throughout the country and in Europe.  Her website is www.alineordman.com and she maintains a blog at http://alineordmanartwork.blogspot.com/

Last year a number of us paid our upcoming dues at the Annual Meeting.  It was painless, saved a stamp, and we didn’t have to worry about!  So, we encourage you to bring your annual $30 membership check with you (made out to VPS) to the Annual Meeting and hand it over to our new Membership Secretary  (after one is voted on!).

Board Planning Meeting:

 VPS Board met September 30, 2016 to discuss the past year, as well as the upcoming year.  The meeting minutes are at the end of this newsletter.

We discussed the vacancies coming up in 2017, and thankfully, a number of VPS members have stepped up to volunteer to fill the vacancies for 2017.  We will vote on the positions at the annual meeting.  Please refer to the minutes for the list of our 2016 Board members and 2017 volunteers, along with the position they seek.

My thanks go out to those who have stepped forward to volunteer.  And, special thanks go out to those leaving the VPS Board who served so faithfully over the years:  Anne Unangst has served as our Secretary and as our Exhibitions Board member and has organized several workshops for VPS. Debra Kraemer has served as our Membership Board member over the past two years and has been so helpful in getting demonstrations for us at VPS events.  Both have provided tremendous insight into improvements to VPS and have put countless hours in to helping VPS move forward.  It takes a strong group of volunteers to keep VPS going.  Without Anne’s and Debra’s support, we could not have continued over the years!  Thank you very much.

VPS Website:

We have started adding new VPS member art and bios to the new website.  The new site is still not open to the public, but we anticipate it will be by our Annual Meeting.

IMPORTANT!!! – The existing VPS website will be taken down soon and none of the information on the site will be available. 

Anyone now, who wants their art and bio added to the new VPS website, please submit it to me.  It is important you follow the instructions at the end of this newsletter: Instructions to be Included in the Gallery.  Please follow it carefully in order to help this process proceed gracefully.

The new website will still have the same name as the old:  https://vermontpastelsociety.com/

The new website has a BLOG feature within the site, so our old BLOG will be going away at the same time the old website goes away.  One efficient location for VPS information!

Also remember we have a Facebook page!

https://www.facebook.com/Vermont-Pastel- Society-1526769437591380/?fref=ts

I hope to see you at the Annual Meeting on November 6, 2016!  It should be a great opportunity to get to know your new Board Members and to receive information from two presenters.

Cindy Griffith, VPS President

(Attachment 1 to Newsletter)

Vermont Pastel Society Board Meeting at the T.W. Wood Gallery

September 30, 2016

Present: Cindy Griffin, Norma Jean Rollet, Debra Kraemer, Wendy Soliday, Grace Cothalis, Grace Greene, Susannah Colby and Matthew Peake

1. Cindy began the meeting by reviewing the Board lineup for next year considering upcoming vacancies:

President                          Vacant
Vice President                   Grace Cothalis
Secretary                           Grace Greene
Treasurer                           Norma Jean Rollet
Exhibitions                          Vacant
Membership                        Vacant
Member at large                 Wendy Soliday
Member at large                 Joyce Kahn
Webmaster                        Vacant

The following people have voiced interest in the respective positions:

Matthew Peake – President

Susannah Colby – Exhibitions

Maggie Smith – Membership

Cindy Griffith – Webmaster

This lineup needs to be voted on at the annual meeting in November, along with other members who may step up before the meeting showing interest.   Cindy said she will stay a couple of years as webmaster, and will train others to take over.

2.Reports

Workshops:  Discussion about what more needs to be done to have full workshop proposals for a Desmond O’Hagan workshop and a Doug Dawson one. Grace C. will follow up on this with the proposers, using the form on the blog that specifies everything to consider. The Dawson one is almost complete, but the O’Hagan one is lacking several details.

Exhibitions during the past year:  Everyone agreed that the Arts Alive venue worked well for an opening, but not well at all for an ongoing exhibit. There was no one in charge, no way to buy a painting, and the exhibit was not well attended. Only one of our members sold a piece. The art awards that Mickey Myers gave out were creative and fun.

Exhibitions for 2017: Looking at the Hotel Coolidge, WRJ, VT for the fall. Someone is there 24/7, so there is no worry about theft, and the person can answer questions and handle sales.  They generally sell several pieces when they have shows.

VPS Exhibitions are looking at SVAC for a members’ show in 2017, and have tentative approval, but need to contact and work with the new staff at SVAC to make arrangements. They have three times we could use in May and June. The same VPS members have said they will get prizes for the show. The Board agreed that it would be up to the judge to decide what titles to use for awards. Everyone liked the commentary that Mickey made on why she chose the pieces she did, so hope to have that again. We pay $100 to jurors (their work is done online only) and $300 plus mileage to the judge. Matt has a list of potential jurors and judges.

Membership report:  Debra reported that we currently have 99 members, of whom 13 are from out of state. Debra proposed changing the timing of the membership appeal to the beginning of December so as not to conflict with Christmas. People will be encouraged to bring their dues to the annual meeting in November.

Treasurer‘s report: Norma Jean Rollet pointed out some of the important information, such as the fact that we have $15, 3438.11 total. Discussion ensued about non-VPS awards and how organizations give each other the same amount of money to fund an extra award (e.g. the Cape Cod Pastel Society gives us $100 for an award for exhibitions, and we do the same for them). This arrangement was missed this year and we did not do it but will remember this next year.   It’s an easy way to promote one another.   As a rule, VPS tries to make money through workshops, while keeping the cost to members down.  We did make more money this year from the Richard McKinley workshop than anticipated, which helped to feed our reserve.  This money will now go toward other FREE events for VPS members in the future.

There is no line item for marketing, so we discussed whether there should be one, and what to do with one if it existed. Three hundred dollars will be designated for marketing. Grace G. will compile a list of places to send out information.

Grace G. moved and Debra seconded to accept the budget as presented.

3.Annual meeting plans: 

The meeting will be held on November 6, 2016 at the Center for Cartoon Studies in White River Junction. Kent Scrivener will give a short presentation on how to photograph your art, and will also tell about his services.

We discussed several other possibilities for a presentation, and ended up with figure drawing demonstration by Aline Ordman. Aline will find a model. We will pay Aline $200, and the model $25.

Board members will supply snacks for the annual meeting. Items to discuss at the annual meeting:

• IAPS – Wendy Soliday
• Approval of annual meeting minutes for last year
• Election of 2017 Board members
• New VPS Website

After the formal adjournment of the meeting, Cindy showed the new VPS website and its features. She needs us to send in our art and statements. Everyone agreed that it looks great and that she has done a fabulous job. It will be formally debuted at the annual membership meeting.

Respectfully submitted,

Grace Worcester Greene

(Attachment 2 to Newsletter)

Instruction to be Included in the Gallery:

Instructions for Member Gallery Submissions

Dear VPS Membership,

Summer days are soon coming to a close and the beauty of fall will be upon us.  Enjoy the remaining warm weather as we’ll soon be layering up for the cooler month.

A couple of things coming up:

1. September 30, 2016 will be a VPS Board Meeting. As always, these meetings are open to VPS members so I wanted to pass this along.  For the most part, we will be discussing what 2017 will look like for VPS.  The meeting will be at the T.W.Wood Art Gallery, 46 Barre Street, Montpelier, VT from 1 PM – 3PM.  Please feel free to come.  Or, if there are items you want the VPS Board to discuss, let me know.

• The Annual VPS Meeting will be November 6^th, 2016 – The Center for Cartoon Studies, 94 S. Main Street, WRJ, VT 05001 – 1PM – 4PM.  VPS will have afternoon snacks.  We have a photographer, Kent Scrivener, coming to present how to photograph your art.  He also provides professional art photography services which he will discuss, as well.  His business is noumenadesigns.com.  At the meeting, we will give a summary of the functions from 2016 and the plans for 2017.  This year, there will be a change of several Board Members and we will be voting on new members.  As always, we look for member’s feedback and suggestions at the meeting, as well.  Please try to make this very important meeting.

3. VPS Website – It’s time to start populating the new website with your new images and professional art information.  Follow the instructions on the new VPS website at ABOUT, Policy and Procedures for the way to submit images for inclusion on the VPS Gallery.

Cindy Griffith