QUARTERLY QUOTE 

Art is a line around your thoughts.    Gustav Klimt

• CoViD cases continue to decline, so some of us are feeling safer about meeting indoors, and with summer weather here and outdoor meeting possible, there is ample time and space to get together to make art, view art, and talk art.
• Hub activities are returning to the frequency of pre-CoViD days.
• Two more VPS-Sponsored Workshops are coming up.
• We have a Members’ Exhibition hanging now and a Juried Show planned for October.

 

Continue reading below for more details.

CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS:

Jun 10-Jul 22, 2022: VPS Members’ Exhibition at Chaffee Art Center, Rutland, VT

Aug 8-12, 2022: Alain Picard workshop in East Montpelier, VT

Oct 21-23, 2022: Dawn Emerson workshop in Bennington, VT

Oct 7-Nov 18, 2022: VPS Juried Show at Vermont Artisans Design, Brattleboro, VT

VPS REGIONAL HUBS UPDATE 

VPS: MidState met in April for an Aline Ordman workshop, and they spent the next two months coordinating the Members’ Exhibition that their hub was hosting.

VPS: SouthEast got together again after a long hiatus, and elected a new point person, then began planning for the VPS Juried Show they will be hosting in the fall. An art critique followed.

VPS: SouthWest met in April to plan for the two local exhibitions they were arranging and to coordinate transport of paintings to the Members’ Exhibition. They had a Zoom meeting in May to discuss postcards and signage to advertise for their local shows.

VPS: Champlain got together twice in the last three months for a plein air painting activity, and to have breakfast at a restaurant where their paintings were hanging.

VPS: Central put on a hub exhibition at the T.W. Wood Gallery in June and July with the theme, Local Perspective. They invited a judge to view the work and award prizes. A paint-out at one of the hub member’s homes was planned for mid-summer.

VPS EXHIBITIONS

Our Members’ Exhibition (ME) reception took place on Saturday, June 11 at the Chaffee Art Center in Rutland, wholly-hosted by VPS: MidState. This ME process went smoothly until the eleventh hour when the judge had a family emergency and could not be present. Fortunately, VPS: MS was able to secure another judge, Kate Gridley, a nationally recognized Middlebury artist, who came to not only judge the show, but attend the reception and present the awards in person. Thirty to forty people were in attendance, and those who were there were quite pleased with the judge and the venue. Big thanks to VPS: MidState!!

A Save-the-Date announcement has already been sent for the Juried Show in Oct/Nov 2022 at Vermont Artisans Design in Brattleboro, wholly-hosted by VPS: SouthEast. Stay alert for more announcements and please submit your pastels to this show. We have two nationally recognized jurors to select images on line, and a judge who will see the show in person. Moreover, the venue is open 7 days a week, they really promote the artists who show there, and even if you are far away, we can arrange a hub-to-hub transfer to get your artwork there!

VPS WORKSHOPS 

Alain Picard: “The Painterly Landscape,” Aug 8-10; “The Painterly Portrait,” Aug 11-12, 2022, East Montpelier, VT.

Dawn Emerson: “Pastel Innovations,” Oct 21-23, 2022, Bennington, VT.

VPS BOARD NEWS 

As a VPS member, you are permitted to post two pastels on the website gallery. Remember to check what is up there now and update your images as you make new work. We get over 5000 visits a year, and the Gallery of Member Art gets the most traffic, so take advantage of the exposure:

https://vermontpastelsociety.com/participation-in-the-members-gallery/

Also, you can share noteworthy news about your artwork, about prizes you were awarded, about your upcoming shows, about your hub, or about other pastel items of personal interest. Check it out by going to the VPS website and clicking Member News on the drop-down menu or click on this link for submission instructions:

https://vermontpastelsociety.com/vps-member-noteworthy-news/

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 Juried Show still coming this year, two more workshops planned for summer and fall, and our Hubs resuming their more normal activities, there is great value in being a member of the VPS. We are who we are because of the support for our organization that each of you provides. Thank you all. You’re the Best!

Matt Peake, VPS President