JANUARY 2016                             A 501 (c) 3 non-profit arts organization founded in 1953

champagne-new-year.jpg
 
 
PRESIDENT'S LETTER
JANUARY 2016 
 
Rob Gibb 
Greetings to all fellow Guild Members! 
I wish each of you a Happy New Year filled with the blessings of peace, love and prosperity.

     Last year was a good one for our Guild, and we look forward with promise to another good year in 2016. Looking back, we had a wonderful Christmas party. Our Silent Auction run by Debbie Daniels and Sherri Bardsley provided the Guild with over $1,500.00 to fund our Senior Scholarship Program, and Outreach programs.

     Looking ahead, we are busy this month with preparations for our Annual Members Exhibition. The deadline for admission is January 12, 2016 so don't delay in getting registered. This year, we will again exhibit at the Charleston Visitors Center, and everyone who is entered can also sell their prints during the show, February 1st through the 6th.

     After our Members Exhibition, we will start preparations for our High School Senior Exhibit in March, our Extraordinary Arts Exhibit, also in March, and the Signature Show next fall.

     We have a busy year ahead, and I hope all of you will enjoy the benefits, and reap the many rewards of membership.  I hope to see you at our meetings and events, and as always, I look forward to hearing from you.


Ron Gibb
President, Charleston Artist Guild


CAG General Meeting
Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016 

January 2016 General Members' Meeting
RELOCATING

The Charleston Artist Guild's next general meeting will take place on
Tuesday, January 12, 2016 and will be relocated from Roper Hospital to an alternate location.
Their auditorium will not be available to us for the month of January. 

The address for the Guild's January meeting is: 

Bon Secours St. Francis Hospital
Mall Classroom 1
2095 Tecklenburg Drive, 
(West Ashley) Charleston, SC
click here to get map.
 
To get to the meeting room, enter the front door and make a left.
The room will be directly across from the cafeteria.

  
A social will begin at 6:30pm followed by the official meeting and a presentation from 7:00pm-8:30pm.

Alana Knuff

Our presenter will be Alana Knuff.
She focus will be on portrait palettes and will do a demonstration and 
explain her process in creating portraits.

Come join us for a wonderful evening!

MEMBERS:  
Please bring a snack to share. Finger-food preferred. Please make sure to deliver your snacks between 5:45pm and 6:15pm to have time to set up.

 
GALLERY NEWS
by
Deborah Sisco
Gallery Director

Things are going well at the gallery. We have many new artists this year who are doing amazing work.  January will be a group show in the gallery and the theme is "Ordinary to Extraordinary." 

The whole gallery will participate in it, so plan to come and see the many wonderful works and interpretations of the theme. 

Our FEATURED ARTIST RECEPTION WILL BE HELD ON THE 2ND FRIDAY (January 8th) this month since the first Friday actually falls on January 1. 

Please make plans to attend and support our artists. Why not make Art, your night out and enjoy some refreshments and some fine art at the gallery to look for that perfect piece of art for your home. There is always something new to see, so please make a point to stop by.


 
Workshop News
by Mary Sayas
Director of Workshops and Training 


STEFAN BAUMANN
  
NOT TO BE MISSED IN MARCH 2016!   

This coming March we are offering a three day workshop with Stefan Baumann. Stefan 
is the creator of the PBS television series "The Grand View: America's National Parks 
Through the Eyes of an Artist", which promotes environmental awareness and the 
art of outdoor painting. He established Baumann Fine Art in San Francisco in 1980, 
an endeavor focused on landscaping painting, and teaches many classes and 
workshops. Stefan will be coming all the way from California to speak at our General 
meeting on March 8, 2016 and hold the workshop March 9, 10, and 11.

I met Stefan in 2013, and saw him again in 2014 and 2015 at the Plein Air Convention & Expo, where he was part of the faculty as a field instructor. I asked him about doing a workshop in Charleston, and he was very interested in coming here, so we are going 
to make it happen!

The cost of the workshop is $500 for members of the Charleston Artist Guild, and $550 for non-members. The required deposit is half of the cost, with the balance due no later than February 20, 2016.

This workshop will be held at the Fellowship Hall of Bethany United Methodist Church of James Island, 1853 Maybank Highway, Charleston, SC 29412. This is an easy to reach location with plenty of free parking and several restaurants close by. The fellowship hall is large with very good lighting. Weather permitting we might paint at an outside location so 
be sure and bring your portable easel. Tentative hours are set for 9am to 5pm. 
Stefan may offer optional evening critique sessions at no extra cost.

We are very fortunate to have Stefan Baumann to come to Charleston to teach a workshop sponsored by the Charleston Artist Guild. Please do not delay in securing your spot!

Any questions or to reserve your spot, please contact me, Mary Sayas at 843.819.7528,
or eMail me at [email protected]

You can view more of his work and programs here: www.stefanbaumann.com



Exciting News from
"Artistic Growth Members' Program"
by Susanne Frenzel and Faye Sullivan
Artistic Growth Directors

The CAG critiques are FREE and one of the most
valuable benefits of your membership in the guild.



We are very pleased to have Robert Maniscalco as our February artist for the critique session. He is a nationally known portrait artist based in Charleston. Since 1980, Robert's exquisite commissioned portraits and fine art have become part of many distinguished private and public collections throughout North America. He creates paintings that will stand the test of time and become alive with the personality of both artist and subject. 

In Robert's words "Each portrait is an adventure, exploring the unique character and personal strengths of my sitters. A love of people and a deep interest in the human experience is key to my work. It's not about how you look, it's about who you are. My training as a painter, actor and musician have increased my interest in capturing the quintessential dynamic with authority, authenticity and compassion."

Like Rembrandt, Velazquez, Hals and Sargent, Robert explores the use of light and shadow. See more of Robert's work on his website: www.maniscalcogallery.com

      Date: Tuesday, February 16, 2016
                                  Time: 6:30pm - 8:00pm
Place: Charleston Artist Guild
           160 East Bay Street
            Charleston, SC 29412

 

Contact: Faye Sullivan, email:  [email protected] / cell: 843.597.4091
              Susanne Frenzel, email: [email protected] / cell: 843.408.9626

There is room for 8 participants and 2 observers. Participants should bring one painting to be critiqued. Sign up today! Spaces will be filled quickly.


SUCCESS!
by Debbie Daniels
Director of Publicity and Marketing

   
Our silent auction fundraiser held at our holiday party on December 8th was a great success. Thank you to all the businesses and individual guild members who donated items and Sherri Bardsley for her enormous help with everything! All the proceeds will go to help fund our outreach programs.

Now that it's January, we can all slow down and recover from the holidays. It's time to for me to dust off the easel and get back to painting. Watch your inbox for announcements about upcoming workshops and other opportunities to hone your craft. 

Happy painting!







by Lori Jill DiBiase
Director of Hospitality

    As wbegin a brand new year, I'd like to first send out a great big thank you to all who helped us end 2015 with a wonderful evening 
at our annual Christmas Party!  I feel very blessed to have had so much help. I could not have done it without you. From our wonderful bartending team, to those who showed up early to set-up, and those who stayed late to break it all down and pack it up. 
Thank you, Thank you!
 
Also, let's not forget that each and every month, not just at the Christmas party; our food table is filled by all those who are 
generous enough to bring a dish to share. The Christmas dishes 
that you brought were delicious and creative and everyone commented on how wonderful 
the food tasted. I believe we have several culinary artists among us as well! 

I'm looking forward to seeing everyone at our January meeting and hope that you will come early for our usual social "meet, greet, and eat" before the official meeting begins. This is 
not just a great time to grab a quick bite to eat, but also a chance to catch up and talk with fellow artists.

Once again, Thank you and hope to see you soon!

.
Art History Series
by Cisco Lindsey

John Gutzon de la Mothe Borglum
1867-1941

  You probably think that the only thing Gutzon Borglum ever did was Mount Rushmore. You probably think that with a name like that, Gutzon Borglum must be a foreigner. Actually, you probably don't think much at all about Gutzon Borglum. I didn't know who he was until I inherited a book about him from my late father-in-law. I soon learned that Borglum was quite a fascinating character.
 

   Gutzon Borglum was born on March 25, 1867, in a log cabin in Bear Lake, Idaho, the son of Danish immigrants. His father, James, a third year medical student in Denmark, had come to America with his wife when he was 25. Gutzon's Danish mother gave birth to a second son, Solon, in 1868, then one day kissed her children goodbye and vanished forever. James, a Mormon bigamist, was also married to his wife's sister, Ida, and in short order had five more children. James and his burgeoning progeny spent a year in St. Louis while James completed his medical studies, then moved to Fremont, Nebraska where he set up a medical practice.
Ida proved to be the quintessential evil stepmother. Gutzon was constantly harassed and assigned numerous chores, and once ran away for two days to escape. Brought home by the sheriff, Ida had him tied to a post and whipped by his uncle.

  In the fifth grade, Gutzon was called on to draw a map on the blackboard and discovered his gift for art. At home, he received absolutely no encouragement for his art from his parents. His father sent him to a boarding school in St. Mary's, Kansas, where his artistic abilities flourished. By age 17, Gutzon was determined to be an artist and made plans to move to Los Angeles. James and Ida, now with eight children, moved to Los Angeles in hopes of improving his practice.

  Jobs were scarce in LA. Gutzon worked first as an engraver, then as a fresco painter. After two years, James, Ida and seven of their now nine children moved back to Nebraska. Gutzon and his brother Solon, also a sculptor, remained in LA.

  Up to this point, Gutzon was almost completely self-taught, but by age 19 had his own studio and was able to eke out a living painting and teaching. His need for training became apparent, and he went to the San Francisco Art Institute to study where he met Elizabeth Putnam, a widow in her thirties. They became close friends and married in 1889. Borglum was 22 and Lisa Putnam was 40.

  Still struggling, Borglum met Jessie Benton Fremont, the well-to-do wife of a general whose portrait Borglum painted. Mrs. Fremont became a long term patron, and provided Borglum with many letters of introduction to important people in the United States, and later, in Paris and London. A show of 43 paintings in June, 1890, in Omaha helped finance a journey to Europe. Gutzon attended the Academie Julian and the �cole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, and then spent a year traveling and studying in Spain. Encouraged by Lisa, Borglum spent more and more time doing sculpture. While at Julian, he paid a visit to the great sculptor, Auguste Rodin. Rodin was 51, and not yet the famous sculptor he would become. Borglum and Rodin became friends, and Gutzon returned to Rodin's studio again and again.

  In 1893, Gutzon and Lisa returned to California and bought a house. In 1896 Gutzon, age 29, and Lisa, age 57, went to London. Lisa was not happy in London, and returned to California. Gutzon struggled to survive but became more and more successful, although always living beyond his means. Lisa returned to England. Gutzon secured a lucrative commission that required him to go to America to study murals, leaving Lisa behind. On the ship to America, Borglum became good friends with a young woman named Mary Montgomery who offered to be his secretary while he was in America. Gutzon ended up staying in America longer than planned in order to enter a competition for a monument honoring General Grant. For political reasons, Borglum did not get the commission, and was so embittered by the experience that he vowed never to enter another competition and later would campaign against this method of selecting a sculptor.

  In 1902, Borglum contracted typhoid fever, and Lisa returned to America to care for him.  Shortly thereafter, wanting children, Borglum asked Lisa for a divorce. She would not agree to a divorce, and returned to their home in California.

  With his murals completed, Borglum took them to England, collected his fee, and returned to America resolved to devote himself to sculpture. He was 36.

  His first commission was the statue of Lincoln that stands in the rotunda of the Capitol in Washington, D.C. Other works of this early period include another figure of Lincoln (Newark), a statue of Henry Ward Beecher (Brooklyn), Mares of Diomedes (Metropolitan Museum of Art), and figures of the apostles created for the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, New York City.  Numerous other commissions were to follow.

  In 1908, Lisa agreed to a divorce and Borglum married Mary Montgomery. They settled in Stamford, Connecticut, named their home "Borgland", and had three children, one of whom died in infancy. A son, Lincoln, and a daughter, Mary Ellis, became his joy.

  In 1915, Borglum was approached by a Mrs. Helen Plane of the United Daughters of the Confederacy to carve Robert E. Lee on the side of Stone Mountain, Georgia. The mountain is 900 feet high and one and a half miles wide, and instead of a mere head, Borglum proposed a huge monument to the confederacy, with Lee, Stonewall Jackson, and a mounted array of soldiers on horses. His proposal was accepted, but the project was interrupted by World War I, and nothing was done until the conclusion of the war in 1918.

   In the interim, a new group had taken charge of the project, and from the beginning was at odds with Borglum. To do the project, Borglum designed and had built a thousand pound projector to impose the image onto the side of the mountain. Borgland ultimately completed the head of Lee, which was unveiled with great fanfare.  With slow progress on the project, the new group sought to hire another sculptor to complete the project. This so angered Borglum that in February, 1925, he destroyed the plaster models necessary to complete the project. A warrant was issued for his arrest, and he fled to North Carolina. Extradition failed, and the Georgia group flooded the country with pamphlets condemning Borglum, but to no avail. A new sculptor was hired, but abandoned the project in 1928. The carvings you see today on Stone Mountain were not completed until 1970.

  Consideration of the Mount Rushmore project overlapped the Stone Mountain project. Again, funds were lacking. Borglum toured major cities to raise funds. Borglum continuously struggled with Congress for funds, and met with four presidents - Coolidge, Wilson, Hoover and Franklin Roosevelt.  Securing money in the wake of the depression was quite difficult, but Borglum continued his efforts.

  Borglum was 60 years old when work began on Mount Rushmore in 1927 and was completed in 1941. The faces of Washington, Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Lincoln rise 5,500 feet above sea level. Each head is as tall as a six-story building. The distance from the chin to the top of the head is sixty feet - as tall as the Great Sphinx of Egypt. The nose of each President is 20 feet long, each mouth is 18 feet wide and the eyes are 11 feet across. During the course of the project, more than 800 million pounds of stone was removed. When Mount Rushmore was completed, the final cost was less than one million dollars.
  Gutzon Borglum died on March 6, 1941 at age 74. Borglum was temperamental, stubborn, a perfectionist, impatient and a control freak - all qualities required to carve a mountain.  Big, brash, almost larger than life, only a man like Gutzon Borglum could have conceived and created the monument on Mount Rushmore. 

Issue: 47

 

  Supporting the 

Fine Arts Community

 

In this Issue:
President's Letter
CAG General Meeting
Gallery News
Workshop News
Artistic Growth Program
Thanking Supporters
Hospitality
Art History
Calendar of Events
Guild Board of Directors
New Guild Members
Ellis Foundation
Classified
Placing an Ad

CALENDAR
OF
EVENTS
2016 
 
January
 
Jan. 8 - Gallery featured Artists for the month, "Ordinary to Extraordinary" Reception at the CAG Gallery, 5pm - 8pm

Jan. 12 - CAG's General Meeting Bon Secours St. Francis Hospital, see map for new location, 6:30pm - 8:30pm

February

Feb. 1 - 6 - Members' Exhibition, Charleston Visitor Center

Feb. 5 - Featured Artist for the month, Teresa Jones, Reception at the CAG Gallery, 5pm - 8pm

Feb. 16 - Artistic Growth Critique, Robert Maniscalco, 6:30pm - 8:00pm, CAG Gallery

To get a map with directions to Irene Dixon Auditorium at Roper Hospital
  

 
Guild Officers
 
PRESIDENT:
Ron Gibb 716.998.6307
 
VICE PRESIDENT:
Cathy P. Fuller 843.452.0444
 
SECRETARY:
Rosie Phillips 843.813.4518
 
TREASURER:
Linda Weber 843.817.0805

Guild Directors
 
PAST PRESIDENT:
David Scheffler 614.395.9574
 
EXHIBITIONS:
VACANT
 
PROGRAMS:
VACANT
 
GALLERY DIRECTOR: 
Deborah Sisco 843.870.4564
 
WORKSHOPS:
Mary Sayas 843.762.0945
 
NEWSLETTER EDITOR/
WEBSITE DEVELOPER:
Haydee Verdia 843.743.1364

MEMBERSHIP:
Diane Musgrove 843.972.8930
 
ARTISTIC GROWTH:
Faye Sullivan 843.849.1833
Susanne Frenzel 843.408.9626
 
DEVELOPMENT:
Bob Ingram 843.509.0894

COMMUNITY OUTREACH:
Muriel Lanciault 843.486.6328
 
PUBLICITY/MARKETING:
Debbie Daniels 843.763.0608
 
HOSPITALITY:  
Lori Jill DiBiase 803.487.2618

BUSINESS MANAGER: 
Steve Jacobs 843.722.2454
 
OFFICE: 843.722.2454
GALLERY: 843.722.2425

  


"AND SO 
WE 
GROW!"
by Steve Jacobs
Business Manager
 
 Please welcome our newest members to the 
Charleston Artist Guild!
 

New Members

Belinda Davis
Carrie Davis
Thomas Geyer
Art Gomez
Sass Harmon
Giselle Harrington
Becky Jones
Cissy Moorhead
Michael Neboschik
D. Scott Stevenson

 ____________ 
 
Thank you to all our renewing CAG members!
_____________


 Please remember to renew
your membership to the Charleston Artist Guild.

Also consider upgrading your membership status with the regular $50 member fee to one of our Patron status memberships.


PLEASE BRING YOUR
FAVORITE FINGER-FOOD
TO THE MEETINGS.




THANK YOU 
Charleston Artist Guild 
renewing members 
and
member patrons.

 

 Renewing your membership  insures that our Outreach  Programs, such as our  Extraordinary Arts, Pattison's  Academy, Art of Alzheimer's, and  High  School programs will  continue with your support, as well with the support of our Ellis Foundation and SC Arts  Commission grants.
 
 It also assures that our informative Easel newsletter, as well as our opportunity filled eblasts will continue to come your way, via email.

 
 
 
NEWS
If you have exciting news you would like to share with all our Guild members of your artistic accomplishments, and or upcoming events please email the Newsletter Editor, 
Haydee Verdia
 
 




THANK YOU 
ELLIS FOUNDATION!


On behalf of the Board and Members of the Charleston Artist Guild, we want to thank sincerely the Ellis Foundation for their most generous gift
of $10,000, the funds of
which will continue to
support 
our community outreach programs.

It is with such funds that the Guild is able to work with the Community through the Art of Alzheimer's, Extraordinary Arts, Pattison's Academy 
and 
High School Scholarship Awards programs.

Thanks so 
very much for your thoughtfulness. 

Sincerely,
 Ron Gibb, President 
and 
Steve Jacobs, Business Manager


 
CLASSIFIED

If you have a closet full of unused canvases, paints, tables, lights, cabinets, brushes or tools, you can try and sell or donate them by listing them in our classified section in the EASEL. This will be your opportunity to either sell or donate your unwanted items.

 

~ FREE Listing will be for individual use and members only. 
No businesses, companies, or galleries. 
 
~ NO workshops, classes, individual instructions allowed in listing.
 
~ ONLY ART MATERIALS and SUPPLIES from member to member
 
~ Limit 30 words or less
 
~ All listings will be at the discretion of CAG approval.
______________ 

SAMPLE 1:
FOR SALE: Large drawing artist table. 36" x 48" (top drawing area). Wood, in good condition, almost new. Asking price $250.(negotiable). Contact: Name, email address or phone #.

SAMPLE 2:
TO DONATE: 3 Flat File cabinets, solid oak. 36" x 40" used, and in fair condition. Pick-up at location. No deliveries. Contact: Name, email address or phone #.
_________________

Disclaimer: The Charleston Artist Guild is NOT responsible for any transaction between seller and buyer.

 
PLACE
YOUR
AD
HERE

Sponsorship rates
are available


 

 
PLACE
YOUR
AD
HERE

Sponsorship rates
are available


 

 
PLACE
YOUR
AD
HERE

Sponsorship rates
are available


 


 
 
 

www.charlestonartistguild.com