Wow. For the first time in 17 newsletters I am at a complete loss as to what to write in my (sorta) monthly column. What is the world coming to?

They say you should write about not being able to write when you have a block. That never really works very well for me. And what is an artist supposed to do? Paint about not being able to paint? I’ll have to consider that. But I think it would be more a matter of allowing oneself to play instead of produce.

How often do you just play or experiment? What kinds of blocks do you run into? How do you give yourself permission to play? Since when do we need permission to play, anyway? Why is it that experiementation and play seem like such decadent activities? Why is it so hard to let go, shut the door, turn off the phone, and get into the groove of being artistic? Why do we even have to have a groove? Why do we feel the need to wait until the mood strikes us before we can paint, write, or engage in creative pursuits?

It’s not as if Life as we know it would end if we took a few moments or hours to do our thing, whatever that might be. It’s not like the dishes and the laundry and the kids and the errands and the jobs wouldn’t still be there, waiting for us...because we all know that they will most definitely be there waiting for us when we come out of the stuido. So why the hesitation to take the time for ourselves, to engage in what we were put here on this Earth for? What are we waiting for? If it’s permission you need, then, my fellow ArtistConnectors, I give it to you! Go forth and be creative!

Remember "woman’s lib?" That idea even trickled down to small town girls in the Midwest, so upon graduation I went off to Chicago to the American Academy of Art to seek a career in the commercial arts. I wanted to be able to support myself, live in the big city and have a career. In Chicago I worked in Advertising. I married a great guy I had met in art school and off we went to Los Angeles.

In L.A, I worked freelance in many design studios and met some amazing people there. It was very trendy in the 80’s. I had learned to work fast in advertising, but learned attention to detail in graphic design. I started my own design business and did that from 1986 to 1995. The 90’s for me was about becoming a Mom.

This newest decade also brought a new millennium. It was time to start painting again. I came full circle but found that circle encompassed everything I had become. No matter when you start making art, everything you have done before will go into it.

My goal now is to bring a thoughtful approach to my paintings. I am putting effort into building my own vocabulary of images. Once my idea is clear I am free to paint intuitively, and take advantage of the process. It is for all of us to discover what our art really means. As I mature and set my goals higher, it becomes more difficult. But it is diligence that prepares us for the moment of inspiration when it comes.

I’ve been teaching art at my kids’ school from kindergarten on up through the grades… and that has influenced me also. Being around children’s art-making can refresh your whole approach. Picasso said that to be an artist is to get back to that place of a child. I will embrace the hard work for this decade but perhaps let it go in the next one. Maybe then I can lighten up and just try to paint without thinking about it so much!

* Kelly Tissot presented a proposal to partner with her new employer - CM Travels to recieve a designated portion of travel sales when AC members, their family or friends select AC as a community organization beneficiary. Kelly was looking for a part-time job with "integrity" and found CM Travels, a local business with over 600 agents. CM Travel's owner is an ex-teacher, who actively seeks to partner with community organizations to help with their charity/fundraising work, under the heading "Travel for a Cause". Some of their partners include Children's Hospital, Center for Dance, over 40 local schools, various sports teams, etc. If AC was partnered with CM Travels, and any member (or family/friends) booked through one of their agents, they would be able to direct a portion of the ticket price back to AC. Kelly explained that with this agency you are able to either do all of your own research for a trip, or have one of their agents take care of the complete package for you. The prices are the same or better than internet agencies such as Travelocity. After explaining this proposal - Kelly asked for a member vote upon whether to begin the process of adding AC as a community partner with CM Travels. No-one had an objection to this, and several members were interested in looking into booking trips through the agency. Please contact Kelly Tissot if you are interested in looking into booking a vacation - and would like a portion of the purchase to return to AC.

* Lynn Scott next posted a call for artists to participate in the 4th annual "Art of our Mothers" show, which will be hosted this year at the Edmonds Conference Center. This show presents work by artists who are also mothers. The art doesn't have to have a particular theme related to motherhood. Their submission deadline is March 30th with a $5 fee. The show will have a jurying committee of prominent local arts supporters and promoters. Children of showing artists will write a statement about their mother and their view of her as an artist which will be displayed along with the artwork.

* Tonnie Wolfe announced the development of several workshop offerings by Sandy Lepper, who spoke to our group during the February meeting. Sandy will be presenting a workshop to help artists clarify the purpose and intent of their art, then create images that reflect that intent. She will introduce her "menu" and how to use it. The workshop will include a Friday evening lecture (around $10), followed by a Saturday lecture/discussion/hands-on practice (around $150). She has not yet pinned down the exact dates, but is considering presenting several sessions in late April, early May and again in September. Tonnie passed around a form to collect information from members interested in taking one of these workshops. If you are interested in spending more time with Sandy exploring your artistic direction, please contact Tonnie through her email: tonniewolfe@comcast.net.

* Kathi Rinaldi next gave a report on her progress with the City of Edmonds in obtaining permission to promote our upcoming July member show via a sidewalk chalk art event. Using sidewalk chalk to draw interest for our shows will be fun and also allow the communtiy to participate. Kathi has recieved permission and a permit to do sidewalk chalk art around the fountain (on the sidewalk - not the street) and down the East side of 5th Avenue to Dayton Street, continuing South towards ArtWorks. We will also be able to draw on the sidewalk along Railroad moving South towards Dayton Street from the ferry terminus area. Laurie Piper is helping to get the word out among the students of the Edmonds School District, and hopefully we will get participation from them and their families. Members are asked to join in the event, positioned at various points along the route to help keep participants within the bounds. We will have a fish theme - and hope to encourage lots of creattive variations amongst the participants. The sidewalk chalk event will be held July 14th and 15th (the weekend before our show). Please donate any chalk (seperated into plastic baggies for ease of disperal during the event) you might have to use in the effort - Kathi has placed a couple of collection boxes at ArtWorks.

* Samantha Saether gave a quick run-down of the promotional committee's progress with the "Salmon Run" event. A total of 20 artist-decorated ceramic salmon have been sponsored by local businesses to help raise awareness for our group and member shows. All of the salmon found sponsors within a week and a half! This may be the forerunner of a larger public-art project in future. If you have any ideas for developing this concept, please email Samantha. This "Salmon Run" will be on display from June 14th through July 22nd. Please stop by the following sponsors and thank them for their support of AC: Ambience, Arista Wine Cellars, Bountiful Home, C'est La Vie, Coldwell Banker, Cole Gallery, Edmonds Bookshop, Edmonds Flowers, Edmonds Art Gallery, HOUSEwares, Kinder Britches, Kindred Circle, Mu Shoe, Nama's Candy, Resident Cheesemonger, Rick Steve's Travel, Running in Motion, Salon Pena, Sapphire, and Semantics.

* Bill Butler asked members participating in the July show to please sign up for their volunteer slots, if they haven't yet done so.

* Amy Peacock let us know that the newsletter has been delayed by printer difficulties, but should be coming out soon. Also, she wanted to clarify that our miniature art auction in conjunction with the show is open to all AC members, not just those participating in the show. Please have your item ready by the 1st week of June, so promotional photographs can be taken. Finally, she wanted us to know that our website will be undergoing some upgrades and changes. She will also be purchasing and setting up a web page specifically for ArtSplash, which will be coming online soon.

* Dave Shaw asked for volunteers to sign up for distribution of ArtSplash posters in outlying communities.

* Kathleen Johnson presented her finalized version of the new AC logo - thanks Kathleen for volunteering your skills to create a high-impact new look for the group!

Creative Program introduced by Tonnie Wolfe - "Working in a Series, Continued"

Continuing from a presentation last year on working in a series, several members brought work they have done since that discussion to share with the group, along with what they learned.

 * Tracy Fraker found the preparation for this member meeting to be very involving, as well as somewhat intimidating. She was inspired to sit down at the computer and put her thoughts and process down on paper. Tracy brought several different series of work to share which are inter-related and originated in 2002, instigated by an approaching show deadline. She began with a series of pear still lifes inspired by her early love of still life works by Cezanne and other impressionist master painters. This series carried on through 2006, over time becoming more about exploring technique and process than depicting the particular subject matter of pears. She began griding off her canvases and exploring with paintings that weren't necessarily for public presentation. Tracy began looking into working symbolism into her paintings. She uses journaling and lists to generate ideas which develop into her paintings. She works with more than one series of work at a time. They are set up around her studio, allowing her to work ideas generated by one painting into another. One series may "converse" with another. Tracy likes to work with the rule of thirds. She puts a lot of effort into edge work to help carry the eye around the "path" of the canvas. Her "Quadrant" series explores the symbolism of the number 4. Another of the series of works she presented was "Digital". It came about in response to her recent experiences with a new computer/cell phone/taking digital photos. While working on this series, she became a member of the "International Experimental Painter's Society". She found this membership gave her a sense of liberation and freedom to do things like cut holes in the canvas and apply collage items. She has begun experimenting with her works in progress by scanning them into the computer and testing different progression ideas through Photoshop manipulation. Tracy feels the ending of a series of work is where they lean up against the wall together to be analyzed... "Are they done, or do they require any further play?"

* Lynn Scott spoke to the group next. She was encouraged to work in a series by her early art instructors. After many years supporting herself through a small cottage industry, she felt creating repetative commercial work was deadening her creativity. She returned to fine art slowly through evening Community College courses. One of the exercises she did in one of these classes was to sit before a single work in a museum on 5 seperate days, and write observations. She learned about the many paths presented by deep study of a single object or concept. Another exercise reinforcing this idea was an assignment to draw the same object 20 times in black and white. Lynn shared a small series of work she did in the week following 9-11, done as an emotional response to that traumatic event. They explore a loss of innocence in America - using symbolic "American" images such as apple pie and teddy bears. Her most recent encaustic series seeks to present a sense of place through mood.

* Scott McConnell shared a series of fused glass work with the group. He feels working in a series serves a practical purpose. Doing a series of work helped him to refine his technique. He is developing a new method of working with glass frit (crushed colored glass) mixed with painting mediums and applied with a palette knife to the glass plate. He was been inspired by viewing Impressionist masterworks while visiting Europe. Scott uses a series to work through issues of control - attempting to achieve the intense texture of these Impressionist artworks. The vegetable still-life subject matter of his series has been informed by his photographer's background.

Future ideas for programs should be directed to Tonnie Wolfe and Jonlee Nunn.

Julie Stonefelt - Leaning Cedar Studio

New Paintings revealed. Exhibit will run in conjunction with Oklahoma! April 13 - May 6.  To reserve your seat call the Box Office at 425.774.9600.  Space is limited to the first 50 people. For more information visit www.LeaningCedarStudio.com

(kathleen@twocrows-studio.com)

Image Guidelines:

- Remember the images of your art must be high quality for print purposes. (300 DPI, Jpeg, preferred).

- It should be art you plan to have available for the July show (includes miniatures).

- Since this is a summer show, if your art evokes a summery feeling it is more likely to be selected.

- Consider that your art image will be only be about 2-3” big on the poster or post card and needs to ‘read’ well at that size.

- Remember the images will be part of the overall design and need to work well together.

- Feel free to submit more than one. (more chances!)

- Due date: ASAP but no later than April 22.

Please remember to bring your books tothe April meeting for exchange or drop off at Autumn’s frame shop. Please not to whom the book is meant for when dropping off your books.