Friday, March 31, 2017

April 2017 Scribnote


COMMENTS FROM OUR CHAIRPERSON
Soon after our Christmas get together, my husband and I left for Ft. Myers, Florida and just missed the extreme cold you all had to endure.  We had a great two months in the warmth of the sun where the weather was very cooperative compared to 11 inches of rain in January 2016.  Calligraphy was non-existent for me since I can’t bring all those wonderful tools I have here in Elkhart into a car that is already pretty full with things my husband thinks we have to have at our condo.  But, I do have a small sewing machine and somehow, even though I had bronchitis, fever, body aches, managed to sew four tote bags with a friend of mine who joined me for a couple of weeks.  Since returning though, I have had a small wedding addressing job and have played with different lettering styles.  I do miss my calligraphy tools, but I know that with the good weather I was experiencing, I would rather be sitting outside by the pool with a good book or going to see the sunset on Sanibel Island. 

The day after I returned from Florida, we had our February meeting.  The weather has been cooperative and we didn’t have any snow to thwart our getting together to talk about calligraphy.  Thank you to Angie West for her demonstration of her wonderful Versal letters along with sharing information on how other instructors were able to help her “get it”.  Thanks Angie for your time and patience. 
Eliza Schulte Holliday: In lieu of a March meeting, we had an instructor come for two days of nothing but calligraphy.  Pat West and I picked up Eliza at the train station in South Bend on Thursday evening, March 2 and on Friday morning, after waking up to snow covering the ground, Eliza and I drove to the church for our workshop.  Eliza took 12 of us through warming up exercises, pointed brush italic, Italic majuscules, Eliza Verticals, and some brush animals like ducks, cranes and flamingoes.  At the end of the second day, she had us making a monogram and a short quote using the different letters we learned during the two days. I took Eliza back to the train station on Sunday morning with a stop at the church at 8 am to see if the computer cord she had forgotten was still there, and thankfully it was.  We had a great workshop and will enjoy sharing our show and tell with everyone at the April meeting. Eliza was a great houseguest and on Saturday evening Pat West joined us for dinner.  Afterwards, Eliza taught Pat, my husband Don and I a card game called “Nine Hole Golf”.  Then she showed Pat and I how to make a couple of no glue or binding books.  I sincerely hope she can return to do another workshop for us in the future. 
Eliza's work

Eliza's work

warm up exercises

Examples of our work

Eliza's work

As usual, we have lined up a year of demos, workshops and fun for our guild.  See you at the meetings with all of the wonderful work you have created every month. 

Venue: We are currently trying to find a new venue to hold our two-day workshops that won’t cost us an arm and a leg so that we don’t have to increase the cost of our workshops which we try to keep at an affordable price.  If you know of somewhere we can use once or twice a year, please let one of the board members know that information. Ginny and Pat have looked at the Christiana Creek Country Club and the Havilah Beardsley House in Elkhart.  Both seem a bit small for our purposes.
Chicago Calligraphy Collective – The opening reception for the Chicago Calligraphy Exhibit will be on Saturday, April 8 from 11 till 3.  If you have never attended this exhibit, you are missing some great art and inspiration.  Several of the artists like Julie Wildman, Luce Zolna, Reggie Ezzell, Valerie Weilmunster, etc., have been here in South Bend giving workshops for the Michiana Calligraphy Guild. There is usually a short talk and time to peruse the art and have some snacks too! Some of us will be getting on the 9 am South Shore at the South Bend Airport for the trip to Chicago and the Newberry Library.  We will return on the 5 pm train (6 pm South Bend time) to return home by about 8:15.  If you are interested in going to Chicago on that day, please email Ginny, gvanderhey@hotmail.com so that we know to look for you before the train leaves the station.  Last year we ran into a band of snow and Angie almost didn’t make the train.  I had to tell the conductor that she was in the parking lot and on her way!  So, consider making this trip with us for a fun day of art and maybe even a bit of shopping at Dick Blick for those much needed art supplies!

Upcoming workshops:

We have booked Jacqueline Sullivan for our next workshop in the fall of 2017, September 30 and October 1. If you have seen the work that Renee, Anna, Pat and Ginny brought for show and tell, which will give you an idea of what we will be doing in that workshop.  There will be a maximum of 20 participants.  More information and a supply list will be forthcoming as well as cost and where we will be having the workshop.
It seems that instructors are booking their workshops way, way out in the future and we have secured two really good calligraphers for our future workshops.  Please mark your calendars for May 22 and 23, 2018 (a Tuesday and Wednesday) when Yukimi Annand will be in South Bend for a workshop for the MCG and also Heather Victoria Held for the weekend of April 6, 2019.  Both of these ladies are booked solid and these were their first available dates.  Save the dates and save your pennies because these workshops will cost a bit more since we have to fly them here from Canada and California.  Luckily for us, we will piggy back onto the Chicago Guild’s dates for Yukimi Annand so we won’t have to pay the whole airline fee.  Another guild will be looking at Heather Held’s dates to see if they can piggy back onto ours and we can again share that cost.  I have said many times that we try to keep our fees as low as possible, but when an instructor comes from a distance away, they charge us more for travel and baggage and we pass that on to you.  You won’t want to miss either of these workshops!

LETTER WORKS 2017 – The 36th International Calligraphy Conference will be held in Ogden, Utah from June 24 – July 1, 2017.  If you are interested in this wonderful learning experience, please go to www.letterworks.org for more information.  Imagine all your favorite calligraphy instructors all in one area and you get to choose which one you would like to glean from. 

Jacqueline Sullivan – Jacqueline Sullivan, who will be coming to South Bend in late September, 2017, has a website that she posts art tips and upcoming workshops she will be conducting.  If you are interested, send in a request to Jacqueline. Go to http://blog.jacquelinesullivan.com/workshops/  and click on mailing list. 

 Policy for MCG Our workshops seem to have people sign up and then decide not to attend. We have been very generous in returning monies paid for the workshop if someone decides not to attend at the last minute, but we are going to have a change in this policy.  There will be a nominal fee if you drop out of the workshop.  If there would be an emergency, for instance, a birth of a child or grandchild, illness, etc., then the board will take this under advisement to decide on a course of action regarding a refund.  Also, if the workshop is filled and there is someone to take your place, that would also quality for a refund. So please, if you want to sign up for the workshop, make sure that you put that date on your calendar as a commitment.  We have a small calligraphy group and we struggle to fill workshops at times.  We need all of you to attend as many as possible so that we can continue to have quality instructors. 
Are you on Facebook? If so, look up your favorite calligraphers because they are on Facebook also.  I like to look at Barbara Close, Reggie Ezell, Julian Waters, John Stevens, Rachel Yallop, Pendragons, Capital City Scribes, Yukimi Annand, etc.  There is a lot of beautiful calligraphy on these pages that will get your inspired.  Also look at Joanne Fink and Barbara Lever’s Facebook Page.  And then, there is always Pinterest.  Oh my, so many places to be inspired!

PO Box in South Bend – Due to a lack of much mail at our Post Office box in South Bend, we have suspended any mail sent to that address.  If you have anything to send to the MCG, please send to Laurie Heyden, 18292 Courtland Drive, South Bend, IN 46637 or Ginny VanderHey, 51854 Stoney Creek Drive, Elkhart, IN 46514. When monies are due for a workshop or dues, they will now go to one of these addresses. 
 American Frame – Just a reminder that if you order from American Frame, please mention MCG, and they will give us a small stipend.

MCG Meetings for 2017

April 1 – Barbara Walsh Watercolor Demonstration
May 6 – Monica Makielski – Book Folding
June 3 – Laurie Heyden – Subject TBA
July 1–  Pat West and Ginny VanderHey – Nature Printing
August – Annual Picnic at Ginny VanderHey’s  house.  Our exchange will be a handmade book of your choosing
September  2 – Renee Tuveson - Zentangles
October 7 – Sharon Esmont – Celtic Knots
November 4 – Calligraphy Fair – (Calligraphy tool sale)
December 2 – Annual Christmas party at Christ the King Church

ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP
Annual dues of $15 are due at the July meeting. Our annual dues have not changed in many years and are put to good use for supplies for our make it/take it meetings, annual raffle in August, and, at the end of the year, we give to local charities. Please remember to bring your dues to the July meeting or send it to Maureen Trubac, our treasurer.
OFFICERS
Ginny VanderHey, President 574/262-1345 gvanderhey@hotmail.com
Sharon Esmont, Vice President 574/272-5481 Sesmont@aol.com
Laurie Heyden, Treasurer, silverbird323@yahoo.com  
Pat West, Secretary 574-612-9328 pwpatwest@gmail.com
Jo McPherson, Study Group Chairperson, jobakestwo@centurylink.net
Renee Tuveson – Blog Coordinator




If ever you would like to add to the newsletter/blog, please contact one of the officers, and we will get that information to Renee Tuveson. Something you have done or have seen would be welcomed into our information.






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