DRUM ROLL PLEASE! The Explore This! 6 Exhibition is now on line.

Explore This! 6
Juror’s Statement
Award Winners & Donors

The exhibition includes 55 artworks chosen by juror Barbara Grazul Hubbard to be included in this special exhibition of innovative and creative ways to use colored pencil in conjunction with other media. To quote Ms. Hubbard, “This was a very challenging and difficult decision. The works were fabulous! I was intrigued by the use of new media together with colored pencil...”

There are 11 donated awards and those companies and district chapters who were so generous receive our grateful thanks. You can view the award winners and learn a little more about the winning artists by selecting the “Meet the Artist” link on the Award Winners page.

The Exhibition will be on line for a full year (February 1, 2010 to January 31, 2011). Come back whenever you wish to be inspired. If you wish to purchase a painting, please contact Paula Parks, Exhibition Director.

Selected Artists Announced for Explore This! 6

Barbara Grazul Hubbard, juror, has selected 55 artists for the 2010 Online Explore This! 6 Exhibition. The list is now available at the CPSA website. Congratulations to each of you.

The online exhibition will be posted February 1, 2010 and at that time the award winners will also be announced.

Another CPSA Exhibition and Convention on the Horizon

EXHIBITION:
The prospectus for the CPSA 18th Annual International Exhibition is now at the www.cpsa.org website. The venue for this exhibition is the Art Museum of Los Gatos, California, and our juror for this event is Janet Bishop, Curator of painting and sculpture at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. We are looking forward to seeing many innovative and creative entries to this competition. As usual, you will submit your entry through the callforentry.org website. NOTE: The museum requires that all artwork MUST BE PRICED FOR SALE.

CONVENTION:
The Convention will be at the Biltmore Hotel in Santa Clara just minutes from downtown San Jose. It is advisable to make reservations at the hotel as soon as possible and be sure to mention that you are with the Colored Pencil Society of America to get the special rate.

WORKSHOPS:
We have two talented instructors for our workshops on Thursday and Friday of Convention Week. Allan Servoss, CPSA will be stretching our minds and drawing skills with his workshop entitled "Beyond Technique: Drawing from the Heart and Mind." Ester Roi, inventor of the IcarusTM Drawing Board, will demonstrate and instruct class attendees to "unleash the potentials of wax-based colored pencils" using heat with her workshop "Wax and Heat, A Match Made in Heaven." We will also have a Saturday outing to practice drawing in plein air under the tutelage of Melissa Miller Nece, CPSA. These events provide a great experience for sharing and learning with other artists.

Dates of Exhibition: July 22 - August 20, 2010
Dates of Convention: July 27-31, 2010

For complete information, consult the prospectus on our website. Please contact Paula Parks, CPSA Exhibition Director, if you have questions after reading the prospectus.

Start making plans now to join us for our 20th anniversary celebration in the Silicon Valley area.

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.