Tonight's the Deadline!

Tonight at 11:59 PM Mountain Time is the deadline for entering the Explore This! 6 show. Don't be left out. Entry information in the posting below and at the cpsa.org website.

CPSA News for November 2009

Explore This! 6 Deadline - Nov 15th - No shipping required!
Helpful Links:
Prospectus

callforentry.org

We can hear your pencils creating those final strokes! Don’t forget to send in your entry for the Explore This! 6 Online Exhibition. Entries need to be in by November 15th. Believe it or not, that date is very nearly here. Entry is accomplished through the CaFe or callforentry.org website. There is helpful guidance at the callforentry.org website and we have helpful documents available at cpsa.org. Awards are available and a new signature status has been established--only two of the good reasons to enter your mixed media colored pencil artwork. The exhibition will be on line starting February 1, 2010 and will continue until January 31, 2011. This is a great opportunity to have your work viewed by thousands of art lovers. You can see the online Explore This! 5 at http://www.cpsa.org/EXHIBITION/EXPLORE.THIS/Explore5/exp5online.html to see what was entered in the previous year.


New CPSA District Chapter Welcomed

CPSA welcomes a new chapter, DC 123 Springfield, IL. The President of this new chapter is Tiffany Beane-Jones. You can contact Tiffany at springfield-dc123@cpsa.org


To The Point - CPSA Magazine Fall Winter issue now in production.

The beautiful magazine/newsletter of the organization is soon to be on its way to you if you are a member of CPSA. This issue will include information relevant to exhibitions and operation of the organization, and interesting articles. The magazine’s editor is Vera Curnow, the Founder of CPSA, and her editorials are always interesting, informative, and often humorous. This issue will include images of the accepted entries and award winners from the 17th Annual Exhibition in Atlanta, GA this past summer.

We're always interested in our members' news and look for their tips, tricks and techniques. Send your submission to Vera at founder@cpsa.org.

New Product Research Director

Sarah Becktel of New Jersey is now on the job as our Product Research Director. She takes over the reins from Betsy Holster who held the position for 4 years. The Product Research Director is our very important liaison with manufacturers and has the information regarding lightfastness ratings. Welcome, Sarah!

Upcoming: The prospectus for the 18th annual exhibition will be available after November 30th.

The Year 2009 Marches On Toward 2010

Explore This! 6 Online Exhibition

With the 17th International Exhibition over, it’s time for us to move on to the Explore This! 6 Online Exhibition. The entry period will open on September 15th at the CaFE (callforentry.org) website and the Prospectus is available now at the cpsa.org website. This is a great opportunity for artists who like to use colored pencil with other media. Acceptance in this show qualifies towards the CPX signature status (3 shows within a 10 year period).

Basic Information:
Entry deadline: Nov 15, 2009
Show Dates: Feb. 1, 2010 - January 31, 2011
Juror: Barbara Grazul Hubbard
Top Award: $2000 cash award for Best of Show

Members’ Website Links updated in August

Membership Director, Cindy Haase, has updated the list of personal websites or blogs for CPSA Members. If you are wondering who has a website, this link will connect you with many colored pencil websites. CPSA Members who wish to be listed should contact Cindy at the change link.

Featured Artist - Jeff George, CPSA
For the second year in a row Jeff George was the Best of Show Winner for the CPSA 17th International Exhibition. Since we already featured Jeff last year with a biography of his background and accomplishments, this year we are featuring questions and answers regarding his stunning art, “Life and Death.” There are also detail images of several sections of the painting. Please visit the Featured Artist 2009 section of the CPSA website.

News from UKCPS

Our sister organization, United Kingdom Coloured Pencil Society, has announced the accepted artists for their 8th Annual International Open Exhibition which will run from September 21st through October 3rd at the home of the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists. Our CPSA Founder, Vera Curnow, is one of the Jurors A number of the artists in this exhibition are members of CPSA and/or have exhibited in our exhibitions. If you have the luck to be in the UK during this time, enjoy the show. You can read more about the exhibition at the UKCPS blog (http://www.ukcps.blogspot.com/).

More Convention Notes

Silent Auction Results
In addition to the beautiful 17th Exhibition at the Hudgens Center, those attending the Convention were treated to the thrill of participating in the Silent Auction. The Silent Auction is comprised of artwork which is donated by invitation from Signature Members and award winners. Between Tuesday morning and Thursday evening at the Membership Meeting when the auction bids were collected, there was always activity around the tables and the last few minutes were quite exciting. The artworks receiving the top five bids are shown in the photo. Our thanks to the donors and particularly to the top five: Elizabeth Patterson, CPSA, Linda Lucas Hardy, CPSA, Melissa Miller Nece, CPSA, Ester Roi, and Pat Averill, CPSA. The auction not only provides an opportunity to purchase original colored pencil works at a reasonable price, but also provides operating funds for CPSA.


Member-to-Member Raffle
The Membership Meeting was also the scene of the drawing of the raffle tickets. This year the raffle featured two items donated by CPSA Members. The Icarus Drawing Board from Ester Roi was won by Elizabeth Little of Florida and the Carry-Go-Round pencil holder from Cynthia C. Morris was won by Nancy Guerine of Georgia.







District Chapter News
We are pleased to announce that we have a new District Chapter in Huntsville, Alabama. The president of this new chapter, Susan Terry, attended the convention and is looking forward to adding new members to their group. If you live anywhere near Huntsville, be sure to contact her. Our other chapters are always happy to acquire new members, so if you are interested in meeting other colored pencil artists, check our District Chapter page at the CPSA website to find a chapter close to you. Questions regarding District Chapters can be directed to our newly elected DC Development Director, Jeffrey Baisden, at chapters@cpsa.org.

CONVENTION NOTES

The Annual CPSA Convention in Duluth, GA (near Atlanta) has been a great success. The exhibition continues through August 29th so if you happen to be in the area, be sure to stop by. As usual our corporate members as well as other manufacturers and retail outlets have been very generous in providing product for our convention attendees. Thursday night at our Membership Meeting, attendees were showered with door prizes of both new and familiar products.

The workshops were well attended and some were even filled several weeks before the convention. The Mock Jury, led by Founder Vera Curnow, played to a full room and was a real eye opener to many who had not been exposed to the process of jurying artwork for an exhibition.

The Awards Banquet on Friday evening kept everyone in suspense to learn the best of show winner -- Jeff George, CPSA. If that name is familiar, it’s because he is a consistent award winner and was the top Award Winner of the 16th International last year. Congratulations, Jeff!

You can see all award winners on the CPSA website at: link The entire show will be available on a DVD along with the images from Explore This! 5. Please order (DVD link) as soon as possible so that we will know how many DVDs to have made. The images will also appear in To The Point which will be available in January 2010.

Summer Updates from CPSA

JACQUELINE C. HUDGENS CENTER FOR THE ARTS - DULUTH, GA
We’re about ready to pack our bags for the Atlanta, GA area. The show has been hung and all indications are that it looks stunning. The gallery is large, well-lit and there’s plenty of room to view the artwork.



DVD - CPSA EXHIBITIONS OF 2009

Whether you will be able to attend the exhibition or not, we can provide a way for you to enjoy the artwork. We are currently putting together a DVD of the 17th Annual International Exhibition in combination with the other 2009 Show, the Explore This! 5 Online Exhibition. There are actually 4 slide shows included on the DVD -- each image from each show and the awards from each show. The cost of the DVD is only $18.00 for US residents and $21.00 for all others (US Funds). Even if you make it to the exhibition you will want to have a reminder of the images that you have seen. You can order your DVD at our website at the following link. The DVD will be ready for shipping in late August 2009. (More Info about Exhibition DVD)

SILENT AUCTION 2009

If you've been to a CPSA Convention you have experienced our Silent Auction–a very popular event. A number of Signature Members and past award winners contribute small pieces of art (maximum size 11 x 14”) which are displayed in our Hospitality Suite Wednesday and Thursday during Convention Week. Attendees are encouraged to bid on these artworks as they visit the hospitality room and then during the Members Meeting on Thursday evening, the bidding gets really intense. Near the end of the evening the bids are collected and the lucky bidders go home with a highly collectible piece of art. You can see images of most of these contributions at the following link. Silent Auction You must be present to win.

MEMBER-TO-MEMBER FUNDRAISER - Get Your Tickets!

As we announced in the previous blog entry, our fundraiser this year will include two winners. The two prizes have been donated by our members, Ester Roi and Cynthia C. Morris. Both Ester’s Icarus Drawing Board and Cynthia’s Carry-Go-Round pencil holder will be wonderful additions to an artist’s studio. Tickets are $1 ea or 6 for $5 and are available at the www.cpsa.com website and will be available in the Hospitality Room at the Convention. The drawing will be Thursday evening at the Membership Meeting. You do not have to be present to win -- but it is exciting if you are! LINK- http://www.cpsa.org/PROMO/MembertoMember2009/2009Fundraiser.html).


LET’S RECOGNIZE OUR GENEROUS DONORS
CPSA is very proud to have not only great artists as members, but we also have very generous patrons, sponsors, district chapters, and manufacturers who lend support to our causes and events. More info about our Patrons and Sponsors can be found at this link. For the 17th Annual Exhibition, we would particularly like to thank the following award donors:

Platinum Donors
Colored Pencil Society of America

Gold Donors
Dixon Ticonderoga Company
Sanford Prismacolor
Staedtler, Inc.
Family and Friends of Sharon Tietjen, CPSA

Silver Donors
Canson Fine Art Papers
Caran d’Ache of Switzerland (Creative Art Materials)
Derwent Fine Art Pencils
Faber-Castell USA
Legion Paper
Friends of Robert Guthrie, CPSA
Gainesville, FL District Chapter 113
Metro Washington, D.C. District Chapter 109 - MONA

Bronze Donors
Airfloat Systems, Inc.
Blick Art Materials
Chartpak Inc.
Crescent Cardboard Company
General Pencil Company
Walter Foster Publishing
Atlanta, GA District Chapter 107
Chicago, IL District Chapter 103
Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX District Chapter 214
Detroit, MI District Chapter 104
Los Angeles, CA District Chapter 214
Manchester, NH District Chapter 112
Portland, OR District Chapter 201
Raleigh/Durham, NC District Chapter 114
St. Augustine, FL District Chapter 117
Anonymous Individual

and the
Friends of CPSA

Atlanta Georgia -- Here We Come!

If you haven’t made your reservations for the 17th Annual CPSA Convention, now is a great time to do it. CPSA reserves a block of rooms in order to obtain a special convention rate--$129 + tax. This rate allows up to 4 people in a room--such a deal! Once the block of rooms is gone, the rate goes to the hotel’s regular room rate. By filling the block of rooms we are able to get meeting rooms at a special rate as well. Do a favor for yourself, for CPSA, and for the hotel and make your reservations as soon as possible. Deadline for the convention rate is July 6th. The block of rooms is currently 85% booked. Registration for Convention Events can be done on line at http://www.cpsa.org/MEMBERSHIP/ConventionRegistration.html

ROOMMATE SERVICE
If you are interested in sharing a room with another convention attendee, please let Cheryl Cox know (finance@cpsa.org). She will put you in touch with others who have contacted her.

ACCEPTED ARTISTS
Selected artwork must arrive at the Hudgens Center for the Arts between June 17 and June 24, 2009. Shipping instructions are included in this PDF file. (http://www.cpsa.org/EXHIBITION/17thEXHIBITION/Exhibition.Atlanta09.html and select "shipping instructions."

CONVENTION EVENTS
Wednesday Evening, July 29 - Welcome Night in the Hospitality Suite
This is your opportunity to Check-in and pick up your name tag and other materials for the convention. The Board and Chapter Presidents and Representatives will have been in town for a couple of days attending their meetings and will be on hand to greet you and answer questions regarding the week’s events.

Thursday and Friday, July 30 and 31 Workshops (9 am to 4 pm - includes lunch)
During Convention Week attendees have a number of opportunities to learn more about our favorite medium and methods of expanding our art interests and improving our techniques. This year we have workshops taught by two highly qualified and popular artists/instructors--Betsy Holster, CPSA and Pat Averill, CPSA. Betsy will help you expand your options with your artwork–remove your personal limitations; explore new pencils; apply them in new and innovative ways--get excited and see new results. Want to create sparkling water? Pat Averill will show you how to achieve the illusion of pounding surf, waves and foam patterns, wet sand, and, yes, sparkling water. On line registration for convention events.

Saturday Morning, August 1 - (9 am to 1 pm - includes lunch)

On Saturday morning, a highlight will be the Mock Jury with Vera Curnow, CPSA Founder and frequent juror. A similar jury event was held several years ago and the room was filled to overflowing. You actually get to observe and understand how jurors go about selecting artwork for juried shows. The audience will be able to participate in this selection process. A lively morning seminar is promised. On line registration for convention events.

Membership Meeting (Thursday, July 30th evening) is a great time to meet other members and to see artwork. This event is free and no registration is required. During the evening we are treated to a show of all the images submitted to the exhibition. You will be amazed at the quality of images--those selected and those not selected. During breaks in the show, the Silent Auction donations are bid on (you have to be quick to get these!) and you have a chance to win many donated products. Our sponsors and patrons are very generous and nearly everyone goes home with something. This is also the time for our Member-to-Member Fundraiser drawing. The fundraiser is described at the CPSA website
( http://www.cpsa.org/PROMO/MembertoMember2009/2009Fundraiser.html). This year we will have a drawing for two winners. Two of our members have contributed highly prized items. The Icarus Drawing Board donated by Ester Roi has become a very popular item with colored pencil artists. Ester will be demonstrating the board during the convention week--you’re going to want to try it. The Carry-Go-Round pencil holder donated by Cynthia C. Morris is also a coveted item--a very elegant and useful way to store your pencils. Tickets for the fundraiser are available on line at the above-linked page for $1 ea or 6 for $5 and will be available in the Hospitality Room at the hotel during convention week.

Awards Banquet (Friday Evening) and Gallery Reception (Saturday Evening)
Of course, last but not least, are our Awards Banquet and Gallery Reception. The Banquet is our time to recognize the Award Winners and new Signature and Merit Recognition members. We look forward to the smiles of happiness on those who reach this point in their art careers. You will also want to take time to visit the Gallery one more time before heading home. The gallery is a beautiful facility and our colored pencil artwork will put the icing on the cake.

So, you see this is a great week which always goes much too fast. Be sure to get your reservations in soon so you don’t miss any part of it.