Michiana Calligraphy Guild

 

October Scribnote

COMMENTS FROM OUR CHAIRPERSON

Our July meeting was changed from the first Saturday to the second Saturday due to the July 4 Holiday, so that would enable more to attend.  What a wonderful surprise to find four new people enter our doors.  We welcome Lindsay Vandal, Chelsea Noble, Lauren Freda and Linda Grams and we hope you enjoyed your first meeting and continue to join us for many more.  Thanks to Laurie Heyden for the Leaf Script demonstration. There were many different letters being created!

August 13 brought us together for our annual picnic and exchange.  This year we had a book exchange using Japanese Stab Bindings. The bindings were gorgeous and again it challenged us to try a new thing to add to our ever growing list. When there is a challenge, it seems that most of our members step up to the plate and give it a good shot.  As usual, the potluck we had at lunchtime was wonderful.  Pat West makes the best chicken salad and others added fruit, bread, muffins, strawberry short cake, lemon curd cake, apple cake (it was a cake year!) hummus, beet salad, cucumber salad, cashew salad, etc.  I can’t remember them all but everything tasted wonderful.

At the meeting part we discussed upcoming items like Paste Paper Day on September 10, a workshop with Lisa LeBlanc on October 8, October and November meeting demonstrations, calligraphy classes and our exhibit at the Buchanan Arts Center.  So, as you can read, there are lots of things happening at MCG.  We had two raffles at the end of the meeting before we raffled our handmade books one of which was the Lisa LeBlanc class (won by Pat West) and the other was a gift certificate to Paper and Ink (won by Diana Stamper). 

Twelve members got together on a rainy Saturday morning, September 10, at Christ the King Church to make paste papers.  There were a couple of newbies that had never made paste paper before and the smile on their faces as they created something new was evident.  We have such fun getting together as a group to make paste papers so that we can learn and glean from each other.  Everyone brings different acrylic colors of and tools to make marks on the papers.  Drying the papers was another story, but good thing a few of us brought hair dryers to help the drying process before we had to put the papers in the car to take back home.  Now we all have papers to make books or enhance a calligraphy project.  Thanks to everyone who put up tables and chairs and returned them to their proper places before we left for the day.  A special thank you to Sharon Esmont who opens up the church for us and is there till we all leave!

It’s been a lovely summer and into the beginning of fall.  I think the weather is about to change and the leaves will begin to turn beautiful colors.  Anna Schlemma, Rose Kopec, Pat West and I will be heading to Lake Louise for an art retreat on October 23 – 28 and looking forward to the artwork, comradery, walking in the woods and seeing the beauty of the northern Michigan area.  We hope to bring lots of show and tell to the November meeting. 

Keep creating everyone and bringing show and tell for everyone to see which gives us all inspiration.  It’s time to start working on those Christmas cards too!!

Lisa LaBlanc – Lisa will be coming to South Bend for a one-day workshop on Saturday, October 8, 2016, 9 – 5, at Christ the King Church in South Bend where we usually have our meetings.  Uncial lettering and some of her wonderful brush stroke flowers using the Miracle Wedge Brush will be the topics of the workshop. Lisa is from the Kalamazoo area and part of the Pendragons Guild.  The cost of the one-day workshop will be $30.  Registration will be taken at the August retreat.  Lisa would like to limit this class to 15 people, so don’t delay in registering.

Upcoming workshops: We have been diligently working on workshops and at this time, we do not have an instructor for spring time in 2017.  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 2018 (I don’t have an exact date as of yet) 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 this was 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!

http://www.yukimiannand.com/yukimia/galleries.html

http://heathervictoriaheld.com/ 

Buchanan Arts Center

Here are an assortment of pictures from the reception and display that was held at the Buchanan Art Center. Great Job Ladies!

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 Maureen Trubac 50685 Mercury Drive, Granger, IN 46530 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 2016

October 1 – Marty – Tunnel Book

November 7 – Maureen will demo a box Calendar Due (Lauren Matacio will spearhead this project) Calendar page due

December 3– Christmas get together at the Church - Calendar

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
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.