This Holiday Season our El Valle Artists have much to be thankful for…..besides, our obvious good fortune to be in the VERDE VALLEY, doing our artwork. We had a very successful “Walkin’on Main Street”; great paintings are up at Cottonwood Library, the Cottonwood Bank, No. AZ and the Rec .Bldg. Everyone participating can be pleased with our nice showings. Now it is time for us to give to our much beloved Cottonwood Boys and Girls Club. Be sure to check your closets or buy some art supplies for the young people. Janet Baser and Tommy Bain will deliver their presents from us right after our Thurs. Dec. EVAA Meeting. Remember, you can just write a check to “Cottonwood Boys and Girls Club” and bring it to the meeting. They are always so appreciative, and will send you a receipt for taxes… Since some of you are new to the Valley this year, you may not know about the usual up to $420.for a couple..or $$$ as a single that can be given to our local schools, and is tax deductible at the end of each year. I will mention it again at the Dec. meeting. Jan 17th we will be showing more of our efforts at Jerona, for our Annual EVAA Jerona Show. Always check with our VPs for Events/Shows/Classes, as they have the latest info. ?Be sure and bring a special goodie for our December POT LUCK…? We will have a ham?for the main course, so any thing you can add to it will make it that much more yummy!!!!!!
From the Davis Home to yours Merry Christmas and Happy Chanukak!
Sue S. Davis, Pres.
Learn MoreAs much as I dislike sales pitches, I am loathe to ask you to volunteer serving El Valle Artists Association if you don’t want to. But the fact stands that we’re losing some key people this year who have served you the last two years, and without their functions being filled, the group will be seriously crippled.
The Treasurer’s job requires someone who is organized in keeping our books when we have sales and give awards, deposits our membership fees and files our non-profit forms at tax time. Janet Baser has done a wonderful job even through surgery and lengthy recovery which kept her from attending many meetings, as well as attending to a daughter during a serious illness, so if you think you can keep track of your own records pretty well, you no doubt could handle our accounts!
The other critical job is that of Workshop Chair, which requires that you arrange and set up, and attend all workshops…but the benefit is that you get to enjoy and learn from them for free! We already have a couple of people planning to offer their talent and knowledge during the next year’s workshops, so finding teachers generally isn’t a problem. Coordinating with Yavapai College’s Art Club is a timing issue but once we secure a room, there is not a lot to do in set up. Wayne St. John is one busy man on his own account, but he has served admirably in this role. If you like attending workshops, maybe even having a hand in arranging the kinds of classes you like, then this position is for you!
We haven’t had an official Refreshments Chair although Wayne has been handling this too, but seriously, we need someone to be our official coffee- and hot water-maker at meetings…someone who is willing to store and carry in our “canteen” supplies each month and replenish them as needed, being reimbursed by EVAA of course.
Finally, we’d like a Sunshine Chair to send well wishes to those members we learn are seriously ill or otherwise in need of friendly contact, or to send sympathy cards on occasion.
All the rest of the positions have candidates or don’t need filled this year, but we’d like to present a full slate at April’s meeting so that a vote can be taken in May, our final meeting this year. Please call me to “give back” to EVAA by volunteering in some way. It is an enriching experience and our group will be stronger for it, ensuring Verde Valley artists opportunity and encouragement in the years ahead.
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Have you ever been to the Bellagio resort in Las Vegas? Just beyond the Chihuly glass-flowered ceiling lobby, they decorate a solarium in the most exotic ways imaginable; it is absolutely a delight for the eye. The theme this time celebrated the Chinese “Year of the Rabbit.” Red lanterns hung over oversized moss-covered rabbits, and red sails reflected in shimmering lily ponds populated by goldfish. The banks of the ponds overflow with exotic, color-coordinated flowers and plants. The light is diffused and people sparkle as much as the decor.
The Vegas Strip at night is not unlike Times Square in New York- neon lights and people everywhere. On Thursday we happened to follow the police car escort of the arriving NASCAR transport trucks and thousands were lined up to watch and cheer “us” on! We didn’t have to stop at a single red light on our way to see “Jersey Boys”!
“Jersey Boys” is a hit musical play about the rise to fame of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. I think it works so well because everyone experiences triumphs as well as periods of frustration and sorrow in their lives. In the end I felt happy for Frankie, because he persevered, despite his weaknesses and mistakes in life, and that is honorable. He put his art “out there”, and not everyone loves it, but many did and still do today.
When people ask me if I paint every day, the truth is, painting days are the exception rather than the rule. But think of the visual art I experienced in my 3-day sojourn. Being an artist is learning to see. In my mind’s eye, I am painting all the time. It is mine to translate and share, and I think that is important. Do you think it of your abilities? How can we help?
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