Monday, December 26, 2016

Goodbye, 2016. Hello, 2017!






The Carolina Mixed Media Art Guild thanks all of our members and readers for following along on our creative journey via our meetings and our blog. 

2016 was a wonderful year; we've had many opportunities to display and sell our work; we've supported each other in our various creative endeavors; we've reached out to our wider community to share our talents; and we've learned and laughed a great deal along the way. 

As we transition into new leadership next month, we look forward to even more ways to share what we love:  all things mixed media!  We welcome new members, current members, and those returning after a time away to our diverse group of artists, on all points of the creative journey--we've all got something to share. 

Our first meeting of the new year will be on Thursday, January 12th, at the Chavis Community Center in Raleigh (500 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard).  We have a "soft start" at 6:30, giving us time to mingle, grab a snack, and check out the goodies on the trade and giveaway tables.  The business portion of the meeting begins at 7:00, and we usually finish by 8:45.  The January meeting is always a busy one, where yearly membership dues of $30 are collected, the year's calendar is created, and members sign up for various trips, demos, and volunteer activities throughout the year.  We will also vote on the slate of new officers for the 2017--2019 term, and those elected take office that evening.

So come join us, we look forward to welcoming you as we ring in a fantastically creative 2017!



Tuesday, October 4, 2016

Member News: Michelle Davis Petelinz

CMMAG President, Michelle Davis Petelinz is the featured artist at the North Carolina Crafts Gallery for the month of October!  The Carrboro, NC gallery stocks an eclectic mix of art from local and national artists.  Michelle's "Ancestral Odes" exhibit includes her art-to-wear alcohol ink under glass pendants, wood vessels with polymer, and wall art.  The work is on display now, and the opening reception is Friday, October 14, from 6 to 9pm, as part of Carrboro's 2nd Friday Artwalk.  See you there! 

Friday, September 16, 2016

Member Update: Jeanne Rhea


 
Cool News:
 
Our founder, Jeanne Rhea, is the Featured Artist on the
Ampersandart.com blog! 
 
Read her interview here
 
Congratulations, Jeanne!  We're so proud of you.
 
Love,
The Guild

Wednesday, August 10, 2016

Featured Artist Interview: Peggy Heitmann


    What inspires you to create?
    I am always on a quest for more time. I always strive for enough time so that the creative process takes over and the ideas and the art produce itself. I enjoy reading, re-reading, and looking at pictures in art books. I enjoy workshops and the camaraderie of fellow artists. I get a lot of ideas from YouTube. Most of all, I love color. I look for color combinations in every aspect of life. And, guess what? I am not disappointed. I find color everywhere. 


     When did you decide to pursue art or did it pursue you? I often think of cutting pictures out of the Sears Roebuck catalogue as a young girl. By the time I was in the first grade, I was cutting out for me and the left-handed boy who sat next to me. Today, a majority of my altered book work involves cutting out. I guess, I would say I have been preparing all my life for a chance to work every day; to be able to say I am an artist.


If you weren’t an artist, what would you be? I would continue to pursue my interest in writing. Right now, I divide my time rather unequally between writing and mixed media. The majority of my time is spent on my visual art. However, if that were not an option, I would submerge myself in my love for language.

    What other jobs have you had which aided you on your artistic path? Let's see, when I sold city directories for R. L. Polk and Company, I designed print advertising. I worked for about a year as an outside sales rep for a company that sold scrapbooking materials, stationery and fine gifts. I represented a variety of individual companies. Just to name a few:  Hampton Stamps, Lacey Leaves, Golden Oak Papers, Fiskars, Emagination Punches, and more. I still have products including papers from those companies. I went to Los Angeles to a trade show in 2000. I got to see product demonstrations, got free samples, “make and takes”, bought products and half off at the end of the show. The other jobs have simply supplied money to feed my addiction for more beautiful papers and pretties.

 At the art supply store, which section do you gravitate to first? 
  Oh-la-la, my head spins in the paper section. So many colors and designs waiting for me to select, to manipulate, to layer, to stamp, paint, to glue to make into my own art. 

          What new techniques or art form would you like to learn?
I would like to learn how to use watercolor with ease. I would like to capture flowers, birds, landscapes. Like renowned artists before me, I would like to capture nature with my brush and transform the image into something that lives and breathes on the page. I am considering taking classes in the near future—maybe an Art of the Carolinas workshop.

   

    If you could do anything and knew you could not fail, what would you choose to do? In a fantasy world, I would own a large art studio, with my sister, Pamela Susan Land, which I would rent to other artists. The studio would be funky, bohemian, and creatively energized. Of course, Pamela and I would have studios for ourselves. The studio would be just down the street from great little restaurants that specialize in gluten-free food, a quaint tea shop, and a spa that specializes in yoga, meditation, and massage. I would occasionally teach classes, but otherwise just make altered books and watercolors paintings. In addition to the art studio to produce art, I would have a shop next door like Bluebells in Columbus, Georgia, where each artist pays for their space to display and sell their art. I would have my best work made into mugs, aprons, placemats, Christmas ornaments, mouse-pads, note cards, coasters, shower curtains, trivets, pillows, blankets, framed pictures, prints, shadow boxes, t-shirts. I could go on and on. My business manager would take care of all the financial aspects of the business so I could create.



I think we'd all like to visit and shop in your "fantasy world"!  
Thanks for the interview, Peggy. 



Friday, May 6, 2016

"Go Big and Be Bold"

What do you get when you put together a group of loquacious, lively, laughing creative women who all love mixed media?  
The Carolina Mixed Media Art Guild!
We proudly present our “Go Big and Be Bold” show for you to enjoy. Founded over a decade ago, CMMAG offers its members monthly meetings with demos and participatory activities, play days and workshops, field trips and group shows…all dedicated to sharing the love of mixed media and the joy of creating art.
We chose to call our show “Go Big and Be Bold” not only because this is the largest venue we’ve shown in, but also to challenge our members to work in larger formats and bolder presentations than many have done before.
 
Here is a collage of just some of the work included in "Go Big and Be Bold," which is on display at the Sertoma Art Center, 1400 W. Millbrook Road, Raleigh, NC until June 24th, 2016.  If you're in the area, please visit.  And, as a bonus, we've created an interactive art game for the young and young at heart to play while viewing the art. 
Member art by: (clockwise) Shannon Binkowski, Sharon DiGiulio,
Michelle Davis Petelinz, Maggi Neufer, Linda Poche, Katherine Stein,
Jeanne Rhea, Iris Musselwhite, Ilona Isaacs, Cathy Hooper, and April Weaver

 
 

Tuesday, March 15, 2016

First Quarter Play Day: A Round-Robin of Creativity!

There was an excited, creative CMMAG buzz at DiGiulio Studios on Sunday, March 13th.  From the demos (card and nametag making with Linda; cool stencil techniques with Shannon; fabulous flower felting with Katherine, and creating cactus-themed canvases with Mimi's pulled paint), to the delicious food provided by members (we do know how to put on a great spread!), big fun was had by all.  Thanks to Sharon and Joe DiGiulio for opening their home and studio to us--we had a terrific time! 

Here are some shots from the Play Day:

Monday, January 18, 2016

Happy 2016!

     The new CMMAG year got off to an exciting start with our first meeting, where we mapped out the coming 12 months of creativity, learning, exploration and fun.  Here's just some of what's to come:  three member exhibits; at least one field trip; our annual round-robin technique demo day; artful outreach activities; member-only artist workshops; kids' art projects; meeting demos; and two challenges.  Our members are eagerly looking forward to another jam-packed, creative year...won't you join us? 

Dues are $30.00 per year, and can be paid online, using the PayPal link below.  Or, if you're going to join us for a meeting, you may pay by cash, credit/debit card, or check.  It's just about the best deal in town: you get access to all of our events, to a wealth of talent and information, and discounts at local art supply stores, all for less than $3.00 per month! 

If you have questions, please leave a comment on this post, or ask on our Yahoo group.  You are a member of our Yahoo group, aren't you?  If not, you may join here.

We look forward to welcoming you to our merry band of mixed media mischief art makers.  See you soon!