University Art - Newsletter

The Community Artist

University Art Newsletter Vol. 2 Issue 6, June 2003

ART ORGANIZATIONS SPOTLIGHT

There are a great many art organizations in the Bay Area and I have been featuring one a month for exactly one year now. In fact, every time I write about one organization, I learn about three others I did not know about. There are also new art joint-ventures that are happening all the time (known locally as P.A.C. and P.A.N. sessions) combining art groups, artists, musicians, actors and poets. We will feature P.A.C & P.A.N. in future columns. Something else that is beginning to happen are large meetings or "summits" involving as many as twenty or thirty art organizations. These groups get together to share information on club infrastructures, shows, volunteerism, and community outreach. The first such summit was held earlier this year and was the brainchild of Cindy Blain of the Santa Clara Valley Watercolor Society.

What is the point of all this? The Bay Area in general and the South Bay specifically gets a bad rap as being unfriendly to artists, an artists "no man's land." As you can tell, nothing could be further from the truth. The Bay Area is more than a tech capitol; it is a vibrant center for the arts!

COMING SOON

Vintner's Festival, Santa Cruz
Self- guided tour
11a.m.-5p.m. 6/7 & 6/8
for more info call (831) 479-9463
www.scmwa.com
www.pacificfinearts.com

Sunnyvale Art and Wine Festival
6/7 & 6/8, 10 a.m.-6.p.m.
Sunnyvale Avenue and Murphy.
For more info call (408) 736-4971
or on the net at www.scvoc.org

Youth's in Arts' Italian Street Painting Festival
San Rafael (over 400 artists)
6/14 & 6/15 9a.m.-7p.m.
at Fifth and A streets.
For more info call (415) 457-4878

If you have exhibit info that you want to have posted please e-mail at snjbram@aol.com

TRIVIA AND STUFF JUST FOR FUN

Did you know that the decorative paper cords known as "mizuhiki" are long strips of origami paper that are twisted and then sealed with a seaweed-based glue? The pre-fix to that word, or "Mizu" means sea. The cords, which are used as accents to gifts, jewelry, or pieces of art by themselves are considered a deeply personal and sentimental gesture. Legend has it that once a mizuhiki gift is given, the hearts of the giver and the recipient are forever entwined; much like the cords themselves. Keep that in mind the next time you need to get something for that special someone!

ASK BRAMSCHANDOZ

Q: Aren't pastels just chalks?

A: No. Soft artists' pastels are made up of fine pigments, a fungicide and a binder like traganth gum or methylcellulose. Chalks are gypsum based, are dyed, and are also quite a bit harder.

JEFF'S TIPS

Here is a tip for all you oil painters out there! I wish I could take credit for it, but I learned it at a demo by renowned oil painter Brigitte Curt. She often uses retouch varnish as an under-painting glaze over a thin paint layer. This has the effect of grabbing onto the next thicker layer of paint using only a very light touch by the artist. The results are free, loose and painterly oils. Give it a try!

Previous Issues