LAG members were very pleased with Howard Kaye’s live demonstration on painting shadows in watercolor.  Howard painted several examples as he shared some of his tips.  Shadows can simply be a darker value of the object’s color or a cooler tone mixed with adjacent colors on the color wheel.  Cast shadows change color with the surface color it falls upon.  For yellows, adding a little purple provides a good shadow color, and can be highlighted with a dot of bright yellow. Multi-colored shadows with similar values adds variety.  For whites, a neutral mix works well for shadows, with a touch of reflected colors.  There is a soft edge where an object’s surface color meets its cast shadow.  Human teeth in shadow look best as a light grey.  These and other tips were better seen than described here.  After all, a picture is worth a thousand words!

“Beauty in art is the delicious notes of color one against the other.  It is just as fine as music…one tone in relationship to another tone.”

Charles Webster Hawthorne

The holiday season is a time for giving, so what better time for LAG to partner with Out of the Box to support an important program in our community – the Backpack Program.  This is a great opportunity to show and sell our art, as well as to help others in need.

The Backpack Program is run by the Food Bank and Lincoln Public Schools with the help of many volunteers.  The mission is to help alleviate child hunger in southeast Nebraska by providing over 3,000 needy children with nutritious and easy to prepare food at times when other resources are not available, such as weekends and vacations.  Many of these students rely on their school’s breakfasts and lunches for their most nutritious meals of the day. The Backpack Program is a way to help these students and their families until students return to school on Monday.

The reception for the benefit event will be at Out of the Box on Thursday December 5^th from 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 pm.  We need your participation to make this a success! Coffee will be offered at 3:00 complimented by reception food at 5:00 p.m. until 8:00. The Guild will bring food and coffee and Jody will provide the punch and hot cider.  There will be three tables to manage, and plenty of food and paper serving dishes are needed. WE NEED SEVERAL PEOPLE TO TAKE TURNS CARING FOR THE TABLES.  Let Donna know if you are willing to help and about what time you can be there.

The upstairs level will  be available for the Guild to display their art, if we have at least 50 art pieces to fill the space!  (The previously scheduled Christmas Fair has been cancelled.)  We’ll have over 11,000 square feet to display in.   All sizes, small or large, are welcomed but larger pieces are especially desired.   All art forms may be accepted including quilts, 3-D art, jewelry, glassware, and smaller  items.  However, the artists with small items need to speak with Jodi to get her approval and must be responsible for their own work.  Artists would have to provide their own table or display case and be there to set up and oversee their station.. There are opportunities for LAG artists to have their own wall area upstairs and may include bin art.  These artists should plan to hang their own work and must be willing to stay and assist at the reception from 5-8:00.

There will also be a Silent Auction, and five to eight 2D and/or 3D original artworks are requested from Guild members. Please notify Jan Blank at (402) 488-0388 by Nov.26^th if you wish to participate. Artists may donate their pieces outright, or designate a “reserve” price that they will receive before the rest is donated to the Backpack Program. Please note that the reserve price cannot be the retail price you would normally ask. The bid will start with your reserve price and if there is no bidding above that, you will receive you artwork back!  Because this is a BENEFIT, please make your reserve as low as possible.

For each new work, the required Out of the Box LAG tag form must be completed with artist name, title and price.  New exhibitors to Out of the Box will need to have their work approved and to sign the required agreement and release of liability form.  All work must be for sale.

In addition, each artist will provide Jody with a list of all current and new art at Out of the Box for this benefit, with the price of the art and the % they wish to donate.  The inventory sheet was sent last week by e-mail, and may be brought to Jodi with your artwork on Dec. 1st – 3rd.  The final donation will be calculated by Jodi and will reflect 15 of the 25% commission that Out of the Box collects plus the percentage the LAG artist chooses to contribute.   If you do not wish to donate on a piece just write “None” on the inventory sheet,. If the piece is bought by credit card, a 2.7% credit card fee will also be subtracted.  Sales tax will be collected on all work except the pieces donated for the Silent Auction.  The artists will be responsible for the tax on these pieces.

All work must be delivered to OUT OF THE BOX on Sunday December 1, 11-4:00, Monday December 2,    11 to 4:00, or Tuesday December 3, 10-12:00.  No late entries will be permitted.  Work may remain on display until the end of December.

We would like a few artists to do demonstrations during the hours of 5-8:00. This could even be just working on a current painting. Please call Donna 402-435-0172 if you are willing to help with this.

E-mail announcements have been sent to participants to forward to friends, family and contacts as soon as possible. The first e-mail should be sent out now by LAG members and a reminder on December 1^st .   On Wednesday the 4^th a final e-mail notice will be sent before the event on December 5^th.  Out of the Box and the charities we are working will also send their own e-mails to thousands of people.  This event will be well advertised!

If you have any questions or need more information, please call Donna Pozehl 402-435-01702.  Jody Strauch may be contacted at jodystrauch@msn.com

Donna Pozehl welcomed several new guests, including some students of Carolyn Plants.  Julie Lemons took minutes in the absence of secretary Bonnie Sittig.  The treasurer’s report was given, with a balance of $2,641.17. Treasurer, Connie Backus-Yoder announced the LAG Fall Show winners and handed out award checks.

Committee Reports:
Programs: Jan Pippett talked about the December program, Georgia O’Keefe movie and popcorn. Nominating committee: Jan Spale is looking to fill positions for the 2014 board/committee chairs. LAG’s 2nd VP is having to step down. We have an historian and newsletter editor now…names were not announced. Workshops: Joy Frame asked for suggestions for workshops people would enjoy attending. Jan Spale reminded members we need volunteers for the Fall and Spring shows or we may not be able to continue having them.

Julie Lemons asked people to update their information with any new addresses, phone numbers, or emails to receive the LAG newsletters and ANAC newsletters. Send information to Lisa Cassel, membership chairperson.

Donna Pozehl said it is time to pay dues for 2013 and to get them in before January 31st for the $40 membership fee.   After that it goes up to $45.  Sue Thelen passed out sign up sheets to help with the ANAC travel show coming to Lincoln this month. She needs volunteers to help pick up and hang the show and to help with the reception on Sat. Jan. 16 at Noyes Art Gallery. She will need help taking down on Nov. 30. Several LAG members have pieces in the travelling show.

Old Business: Donna Pozehl explained the new changes at Out of the Box for LAG. It will be an exciting month with a silent auction to help raise money for the Lincoln Backpack program.   New signs are up at Out of the Box.

New Business: Donna Pozehl shared  an email from Carrie Stope about the Facebook page. She asks members to send photos and other information about their art events and to share the LAG Facebook page with others. Wanda Medina talked about the upcoming Chinese New Year Dinner at the Imperial Palace. A possible date may be Sat. January 18, 2014. Help is needed to get new members on the mailing lists. We are still looking for the lost LAG banner.  The meeting was then adjourned.

Congratulations to the award winners of our Fall Show:
Best of Show:  Julie Lemons “Jazz to the Bone”
James Ray Award:  Evert Claesson “Heavy Metal Blooms”
Merit Awards:  Judy Martindale “Paper Doll #7”;   Joy Frame “On the Back Roads”;   Alex Fisher “Window Plant”
Honorable Mention:  Julie Lemons “Skates”;   Marcia Claesson “Peacock Pride”;   Reida Wrenholt “Morning Glow”
People’s Choice Award:  Donna Pozehl “Sleeping Baby”
Thanks to all members for providing a wonderful show and also to volunteers who helped handle this show.  Although we only had 29 entries, the show was wonderful.  The judge really had his work cut out for him.   Having the show at the Bennett Martin Library has been a great change.  The Library has lots of space for hanging, so please keep in mind that the Spring show is coming up and plan on entering your work.   Now that we can show at the Library we can include 3D work. This was our first reception for one of our juried shows.  Everything went well, except next year we will ask the judge to wear a name tag at the reception if they chose to attend.

December 3rd will be “Movie Night” for Lincoln Art Guild members! The main feature will be a DVD featuring the life and art of Georgia O’Keefe, one of the twentieth century’s greatest woman painters. She was a forerunner in the world of art, when women artists were not considered the best artists. Throughout her lifetime she painted hundreds of paintings ranging from large flower images to desert bones and landscapes.
One of her quotes, “to fill a space in a beautiful way” best sums up a lifetime of artistry as she continued to paint well after she reached seventy-five. Living to the age of ninety-eight , she was the recipient of the United States Medal of Freedom, one of the highest honors for a civilian and has over 900 paintings on display in major art museum. So, start the holidays right with a relaxing night with LAG members as we enjoy lots of white ( popcorn, not snow )and learn about Georgia O’keefe!

Meeting & Movie time- 7:00-9:00 p.m.
Captital City Christian Church
7800 Holdrege Street

The Chinese New Year Party will be on Jan. 18th at 6:00 at 701 north 27th St. ( Imperial Palace).  The cost is $11.00 which can be paid to Connie at the door that night. There will be a gift exchange of your art or art related gifts. This is the year of the horse, we hope to see everyone there. Vegetarian meals are available but must be ordered from the menu as you come in. Please e-mail  Wanda with your RSVP at medina@inebraska.com or call Reida Wrenholt at 402-489-0917.

We still have several positions to fill for 2014.   Several members have stepped up to fill some of the vacant positions but there are still a few more to be filled.  It takes all of us to make this organization work, so please consider volunteering.  It is a great way to meet your fellow artists.  We are in need of a 2^nd Vice President, Publicity person, Reception Chairperson and the Spring Show Chairperson. Remember, as the Chairman you do not have to do everything  alone.  You have the ability to ask others to help .

Thank you to all those who have volunteered to stay in their current position and those who have stepped forward and volunteered to take over a position for 2014.

If you have questions about the duties of a position please call Janet Spale 402-435-1226  or email jinglesspale@gmail.   If you have received a call from Janet, Please call her back in the evening after 6:00 and let her know whetheryou can help or not.

It is that time again to be thinking about renewing your LAG Membership!   The official  deadline for dues is January 2, 2014.

We need to renew early in January or by January 31^st, so we can get our membership count and information into the Association of Nebraska Art Clubs (ANAC).   Therefore, the Board has voted to leave the membership dues at $40.00 if paid by January 31^st.  Anytime after that date it will be $45.00 for single membership (January-December) and $65.00 for couples (January-December). We are hoping that this will help the ANAC Chairperson get the paperwork done before the deadline.