NCA Members’ Newsletter, July/August 2020 www.norcalartsinc.org 1

NCA Board Members

President Carol Brewer 1st Vice President – Programs & Workshops Eric McGhie 2nd Vice President – Public Relations & Marketing Ruby Singh Past Presidents Skip Lee and Joan McMurray Secretary Barbara Marshall Artistic Journey Membership Show Chair David Peterson Treasurer Joan Hall Liaison Joan Hall Newsletter Editor Sara Baldwin Internet Technology Stephanie Lindsay Membership Chair Jerry Jaggers Bold Expressions Show Chair Paul Dessau Hospitality Open Aspiring Artist Show Chair 2021 Tanya Jenkins Raffle Marie Crockett Courtesy Bobbie Lou Hunt Website Stephanie Lindsay Featured Artist Coordinator Paul Dessau Historian Marie Dixon Member at Large Diana Holt

NCA Contact Information

Email norcalartinc@gmail.com or call NCA at (916) 750-1968 and leave voicemail.

Of Special Note in this Issue

Page 2 2020 artist demo schedule Page 3 Volunteer opportunities; July Workshop - Sanded Charcoal Technique Page 4 NCA’s Artist Standing program; NCA history story

NCA Members’ Newsletter July/August 2020 A publication of Northern California Arts, Inc. Artists Supporting Artists Since 1939

Letter from Our President

During this time, with COVID keeping us from having group gatherings and meetings at Sac Arts, our Board of Directors are working hard to help our club communicate and gather virtually. I want to thank all the Board members for their devotion to NCA. Despite the challenges of the current circumstances, they are working together to accomplish goals, think of new ideas, and continue their roles with vigor and strength. Our May and June General Meetings on Zoom were wonderful. It was great to see everyone! In May, our demonstrator, sculptor Jim Lee, was brilliant. In addition to his demo, he also took the group on an online tour of his studio. In June, members submitted photos of artwork in advance for Connie Rodriguez, who led a very helpful critique and a lively exchange on submitted works; Connie’s expertise was very evident. Exciting news! We have filled two more positions on our NCA Board. David Peterson has volunteered to be the Artistic Journey Membership Show Chair for 2021. And Diana Holt has volunteered to be Member at Large. Bloom and grow forever,

— Carol Brewer, President

Entries Due August 8 for Bold Expressions 2020, NCA International Open Show

Bold Expressions 2019 Best of Show: Love Protects, by Kathryn Penk (oil on canvas)

Bold Expressions 2020, an NCA International Open Show, will be October 6 through November 1, with the reception and awards on October 10, 5:30pm–8:30pm. Entry deadline is August 8. See the prospectus at the Call to Artists tab on the NCA website: https://norcalartsinc.org/2020/02/10/call-to-artists-bold-expressions-2020-international-open-show/

NCA Members’ Newsletter, July/August 2020 www.norcalartsinc.org 2

2020 Guest Artist Demos at NCA General Meetings

Artist demonstrations, a part of most NCA General Meetings, bring expressive artists and NCA members together for personal creative growth. NOTE: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, please check the NCA website for up-to-date information. Members, also watch your email inbox for notices. Upcoming 2020 demos are: July: No General Meeting – Summer Break August: No General Meeting – Summer Break September 9 (Wed.): Susan Sarback, Impressionist landscapes in oil October 14th (Wed.): Bold Expressions judge’s show critique by John Michael Keating November 11 (Wed.): Gini Crepps, members’ critique December The All-Club Holiday Party that NCA was going to host has been rescheduled for December 2021 because we are only in Stage 3. Once we are in Stage 4 (end of stay at home order), large gatherings will be possible again. NCA event schedule: https://norcalartsinc.org/schedule/

—Eric McGhie, 1st Vice President, Programs and Workshops

First-Ever Virtual General Meeting Held in May; June General Meeting Also Held via Zoom

The May General Meeting was held via Zoom, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Thanks to board member Stephanie Lindsay and a Zoom subscription, members were able to attend remotely. For the critiques at the June meeting, members provided photos and descriptions of their work in advance of the meeting. Many thanks to Paul Dessau for his invaluable email and logistic contributions.

May - Jim Lee

At the May General Meeting, Jim Lee, a portrait and figure sculptor working in water base clay, paint, and metal wax, gave attendees an online virtual tour of his studio, and a livestreamed sculpture demonstration. Jim’s presentation was brilliant.

June - Connie Rodriguez

At the June General meeting, Connie Rodriguez, PhD, an award-winning mixed media artist and instructor, critiqued members’ work submitted in advance by email. During the General Meeting, held via Zoom, attendees enjoyed an entertaining exchange of information and benefitted from Connie’s years of experience as she reviewed the works. It was a wonderful evening.

Sneak Peek -- Sept. and Oct. General Meetings

NCA takes a summer break from General Meetings — so no General Meetings in July and August. We hope to see you at the September and October General Meetings, either virtually via Zoom or in person. More information on these meetings will be in the September/October newsletter and on the NCA website. NOTE: General Meetings may be held virtually via Zoom due to COVID-19. Be sure to check the NCA website to find out whether the meeting is being held virtually via Zoom or at Sac Arts.

September General Meeting - Susan Sarback, Impressionist Landscapes in Oil

The September General Meeting will feature an artist demonstration by master painter Susan Sarback. Susan is an author, instructor, and was founder of The School of Light & Color in Fair Oaks. Now Susan teaches at Sac Arts. Learn more at www.susansarback.com.

October General Meeting - Bold Expressions Judge’s Show Critique

The 2020 Bold Expressions Show judge, John Michael Keating, will speak about his life and share his criteria for judging the show. He will also share his thoughts on the award-winning pieces along with a slide presentation of the artwork. Read more about John Michael in the show prospectus; see the NCA website.

NCA Members’ Newsletter, July/August 2020 www.norcalartsinc.org 3

Volunteer Opportunities

The Hospitality board position is open for 2021. There are many other ways you can volunteer to help. Some examples: You can be a show co-chair to learn how a show gets started and is run. You can find artists to demonstrate or lecture at our monthly meetings. You can do hospitality for our monthly meetings or even share with another member. Technology people are always needed for data input, the website, facebook and publicity. Or you can just be a member at large by attending board meetings to see how we work and what we are planning for the future. For more information on volunteering, contact Joan McMurray. joanmcmurray2470@att.net, 916-966-8910 —Joan McMurray, Past President

Volunteers make NCA possible! Shown here: Board members Skip Lee and Paul Dessau confer before the February General Meeting.

Only a Few Seats Left in Sanded Charcoal Technique Workshop, July 25-27 at Sac Arts

NCA is hosting Anne Murphy Robinson for her 3-day workshop on sanded charcoal techniques at Sac Arts. The workshop is now scheduled for July 25-27, 2020. See more about Anne Murphy Robinson and the workshop on the NCA website, www.norcalartsinc.org. Goals for students include:

To develop a greater use of value and an increased understanding of light sources and their effects,

To work on drawing from a plaster casts using the sanding method, working from photographic reference as well as from life, and

To learn techniques to create beautiful, rich black and white artworks.

Cost for the three-day workshop is $650. Sign up by July 18 by check or online at the NCA website. Questions? Email NCA’s 1st Vice President, Programs and Workshops, Eric McGhie, at norcalarts1stvp@gmail.com.

Featured Artists, May and June General Meetings

May - Peggy Colombo and Linda Nunes

The collaborative encaustic mixed media work "Bunny Dreams" won the vote at NCA's first-ever virtual General Meeting in May. This makes Peggy

Colombo and Linda Nunes our first joint Featured Artists as well. Congratulations! See more photos on the NCA website. Peggy Colombo and Linda Nunes, Bunny Dreams (encaustic mixed media)

About Peggy Colombo Peggy Colombo is the First Vice President on the Sac Arts Board of Directors, and heads up The Mix, a mixed media special interest group that meets there. About Linda Nunes Linda Nunes is an encaustic and mixed media artist with works in many private and public collections. Learn more about Linda Nunes’ work and classes on her website, www.lnunesart.com. (Continued on next page)

NCA Members’ Newsletter, July/August 2020 www.norcalartsinc.org 4

Message from the Editor

We’ve got our Zoom on! Until we move into Stage 4 (end of stay at home order), we cannot have General Meetings in person. Please download the Zoom application and look for the email invite to NCA General meetings so you can attend via Zoom.

—Sara Baldwin, Newsletter Editor

Join Us!

NCA membership is open to anyone interested and engaging in the arts. To become an NCA member, join Sac Arts and select NCA membership for an additional $25. See https://norcalartsinc.org/get-involved/membership/ for more information.

Donate to NCA and Support Our Club

Northern California Arts, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and is funded through shows, fundraisers, and donations from the community. If you appreciate NCA’s mission and want to support our club, you may donate online at https://norcalartsinc.org/get-involved/donate/.

Northern California Arts, Inc., is a nonprofit arts organization founded in 1939 by a group of fine artists to promote the appreciation of and the participation in the visual arts and to spearhead art education in our community.

(Featured Artists, May and June General Meetings, continued)

June - Tamsen Armstrong Tamsen Armstrong, The Sneaker Wave (oil on linen)

Tamsen Armstrong’s oil painting, “The Sneaker Wave,” won the vote for June Featured Artist. From Tamsen’s artist statement: "My goal as a painter is to find man-made and natural creations, see them intimately, paint them honestly and hope the resulting paintings will touch people’s hearts.” See the complete artist statement

on the NCA website. Congratulations, Tamsen!

New Achievements, Artist Standing Program

NCA offers a four-level Artist Standing certificate program to recognize and encourage excellence within the membership. In recent program news, Diana Blasingame and Randy Honerlah have attained the first rank of Artist (A). Congratulations! Learn about the Artist Standing certificate program at https://norcalartsinc.org/get-involved/artist-standing/.

Randy Honerlah

Diana Blasingame

NCA History Stories -- Harold Ward

In each newsletter we will introduce a short story about our founders, leaders, and members who are part of NCA art history. We start with Harold Ward, who was the president of NCA and one of the founding members in the 1930s. Harold was also a professor at Sacramento City College. One of his students was Wayne Thiebaud, who went on to take Harold’s job as a professor in the 1950s. For more on Harold Ward, see the one-page history story on our NCA website, under the About tab: https://norcalartsinc.org/about/nca-history-stories/.

— Marie Dixon, Historian