VERMONT PASTEL SOCIETY NEWSLETTER—April 2017

If I could say it in words, there would be no reason to paint.

Edward Hopper

IT’S SPRING AND VPS HAS NEW BUDS AND SHOOTS OF PROMISE

We have begun the process of regional hub-ridizing—three  hubs have been formed and 4 more will follow in the coming months.

We are unveiling a new feature on our Facebook page, which will offer artists a chance to see the painting processes that a variety of our member artists use. 

Continue reading below for more details.

CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS:

We have two great workshops this summer:

Desmond O’Hagan June 28-30, 2017 in North Bennington, VT

Doug Dawson September 15-17, 2017 in Newfane, VT

Sign up is underway and the deadline to register is fast approaching. These are great artists and great teachers, so sign up today!

We will be having two VPS shows this year:

Members’ Exhibition May 27-July 8, 2017 in Manchester, VT

Juried Show September 14-December 27, 2017 in WRJ, VT

Susannah Colby has already sent out the invitation for the Members’ Exhibition. Remember last year’s Members’ Exhibition in Burlington? This year’s show will also feature prizes awarded for 9 different categories of pastel painting, so get your information to her now.

VPS REGIONAL HUBS UPDATE

Over the last two months, I have had the opportunity to meet with three groups of VPS artists in three different parts of our state, as we begin the process of forming regional hubs according to the proposal made at the end of last year. Not only did this provide me with the opportunity to newly meet many VPS members, but it showed me that the pastel art spirit is alive and thriving in Vermont.

Three regions have had their first meeting, have adopted a name, and have chosen a point person or co-point people to facilitate their hub activities. They are VPS SouthEast in the Brattleboro area; VPS Central centered around Montpelier; and VPS MidState uniting the Middlebury/Rutland regions. Activities that their hubs want to engage in have been brainstormed, and interestingly, many are similar from hub to hub, but some are unique. Overwhelmingly, the response has been enthusiastic for regional hubs to allow members to gain that sense of community that comes with becoming part of the VPS.

Next up will be the regions around WRJ, Bennington/Manchester, Burlington, and St. J., not in any particular order. If you have any questions as we continue this process, and especially if you would like to help with the development of this exciting proposal, please get in touch with Matt Peake at[email protected]

NEW VPS FACEBOOK FEATURE

Carol Corliss, our Facebook editor, is going to be unveiling a new centerpiece for our FB page. Each month, she will feature an artist who is willing to take pictures of her/his work during the painting process and supply an observation about each of 4-6 images. That way, we can all get an idea of a member artist’s approach, mistakes that were made and corrected, or serendipities that occurred that changed the course of the painting for the better. After all, it’s all about the process, right? So please email her at [email protected] with your interest, and/or send her 4-6 photos of a painting from start to finish, each image with one or two sentences explaining something special about that step in your creative process.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED PARTICIPATION IN THE VPS! These are exciting times for all of us.

Matt Peake

We spend our lives in the love and cultivation of sensations, relishing our emotions, searching for their clearest expression, and taking pleasure in exclaiming them to others.  Robert Henri

IT’S A NEW YEAR AND THERE ARE NEW LOOKS FOR OUR VPS

We are starting out 2017 with a couple of brand new features for the VPS: one you can see right now—the new VPS website—and the other will be appearing as the year unfolds—VPS Regional Hubs.

Many of you at the annual meeting were introduced to our new website by Cindy Griffiths, our new Webmaster, and some of you have been there to check it out and/or have already sent in digital images of paintings for the site. Please frequent it often, as it will serve as one source of

communication. And if you haven’t sent in an image or two, please do so by going to the site, clicking on the “About” menu across the top in the purple, then clicking on the drop down entry “Policies and Procedures.”

As for the Regional Hubs proposal, keep reading!

CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS:

We have two great workshops upcoming:

Desmond O’Hagan June 28-30, 2017 in North Bennington, VT

Doug Dawson September 15-17, 2017 in Newfane, VT

Stay tuned for details from Grace Cothalis and/or Maggie Smith as the time approaches.

We will be having two VPS exhibits this year:

Members’ Exhibition May 27-June 8, 2017 in Manchester, VT

Juried Show September 14-December 27, 2017 in WRJ, VT

Our new Exhibitions chair, Susannah Colby, will be sending out notices so pay attention both to emails from our new Membership chair, Maggie Smith, and to the VPS website.

VPS REGIONAL HUBS PROPOSAL

We all have joined the VPS for one or more reasons. It may have been for access to workshops, opportunities to exhibit our work, having a web presence, etc. but right up there with any or all of those reasons is the opportunity to associate with other artists who share a love of pastels and to provide us with the opportunity to learn from each other—and teach each other—as we enjoy each other’s work.

As artists, we, by and large, work alone. The times we can get together, during workshops or shows, for example, are few and far between. Geography and the relatively low density of artists limits our ability to associate with each other, and to achieve that sense of community that comes with becoming part of a society.

Using the experience of the Vermont Watercolor Association, we have developed a proposal for regional hubs for our own VPS. The Vermont Pastel Society mission statement calls for us to build and strengthen connections among pastelists, to foster artistic development, and to promote public appreciation of pastels as a fine art medium. With those goals in mind, we have taken the membership roster, divided it up by ZIP Code, and assigned each member one of eight regions in which to belong. Our hope is that, by having a cadre of local artists congregating periodically, the feeling of being part of a pastel society will be realized.

Over the coming year, we will introduce different portions of our proposal, lay out the regions, and meet with regional hub members to help begin the process of activating their regional hub.

If you have any questions as we begin this process, and especially if you would like to help with the development of this exciting proposal, please get in touch with Matt Peake at [email protected]

VPS ANNUAL MEETING NOVEMBER 6, 2016 IN WRJ, VT

We had a wonderful meeting a couple months ago at the Center for Cartoon Studies in WRJ, highlighted by a presentation by photographer, Kent Scrivener, and a pastel painting of the figure demo by Aline Ordman. Please go to the website, search (upper right) for “Minutes” or go to the the About tab, then down to VPS Meeting Minutes to read it.

 THANK YOU FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION IN THE VPS!

We’re looking forward to a thrilling ride this new year, so hang on to your easels, papers, and pastels!

Matt Peake,

VPS President

Back by popular demand—with a very special addition! Please join us for our 3rd Artists’ Conversation—not a workshop or seminar, but a real conversation about issues of mutual interest.

Since pricing and marketing our work continue to be major topics of concern, these will be subjects of the discussion. And we’re excited to announce that two attorneys from one of the nation’s leading intellectual property and copyright firms will be joining us to talk about the basics of intellectual property and copyright law, in light of both the exponential growth of internet marketing and exposure, and also in terms of how and where artists find and use subject matter for our work. 

Date:    Sunday, January 15, 2017

Time:   1:00 pm to 4:00 pm

Place:   Emile A. Gruppe Gallery;  22 Barber Farm Road, Jericho Center, VT

There’s no admission fee and light refreshments will be served.

RSVP to Barbara Greene at (802) 878-8887 or [email protected] by no later than Wednesday, January 11. (Space is limited and it’s on a first come-served basis, so we encourage you to sign up soon!)

We look forward to seeing you.

Barbara, Emilie and Jane (the Plein Air Festival folks)