Raritan Valley Arts Association
Newsletter

RARITAN VALLEY ARTS ASSOCIATION est. 1939

Autumnal Greetings!

Although there are still flowers in the garden, the leaves are changing color, there's a nip in the air, the frogs are about to hibernate, and the fishes are eating like crazy to store up fat. We will be storing up inspiring ideas for our paintings after we go to RVAA's next meeting, Monday night, October 27, 7:30 pm, at the Somerset County Library. Mindy Lighthipe will be our demonstrator and she does the most beautiful botanical paintings of butterflies and flowers, but also cats, parrots, and more. Mindy has been in solo and group exhibitions in museums and galleries, including the Denver Museum of Natural History, the Albany State Museum, the NJ State Museum in Trenton, and the NY Botanical Garden in the Bronx. Come and have a great time!

Members enjoyed Anne Kullaf's demo on September 30 and we thank President Linda Arnold for inviting her to come, and for September's hospitality. We do need hospitality for October, though; so please call Linda at 908/647-3610 to help! Your president, Linda, and your editor, Diana, would love to see more volunteers for our activities. Helping is fun; you meet more people and learn different skills. Speaking of volunteering-the Bernardsville Library Art Gallery will host our own RVAA November 2009-you KNOW what a great space that is---but---we need a chairperson. Soon! Please call Linda. And thank you!

DUES ARE DUE! Please send your checks made out to RVAA to our Membership Chairman Doug Axmann, 16 Schoolhouse Lane, Somerville, NJ 08876. Dues are $30. Individual, $35. Family, and $15. Student (through high school). Dues will get you all these demonstrations, two or three exhibits a year (including our Holiday Extravaganza at the Somerset County Library, which runs a month), our really fun Holiday Dinner, the annual Big Apple Trip, the newsletters, a presence on the internet, and last, but not least, lots of camaraderie.

Planning ahead---November 24^th is our next meeting and our own Joan McKinney will be demonstrating. Save the date! And Saturday, October 11, many historic homes/farms are open for painters to come and paint. Several of you have painted at the Ross Mansion on Maple Avenue in Basking Ridge (exit 26 off Rt. 287) and you might want to do this again. You can go to the Somerset Cultural & Heritage Commission website for more details. In December we will have our annual Holiday Dinner-Linda will ask for input Oct. 27 and you can snail mail or email me, as well. Which Monday night is best-the second Monday, ie the 9th, or the third (our usual meeting date) which is Dec. 16th? Is there something you would like to see, or add to our traditional festivities? Think about it!

ATTENTION PLEASE! Bridgewater Township will have the official opening of their brand new beautiful Town Hall/Administration building in early January. There will be art, and as a member of the township's Creative Arts Committee, I've been asked to invite Bridgewater residents AND anyone who is (or was?) a student of a Bridgewater teacher to be a part of this month long show and the opening. Ideally the committee would like photos or digital pictures or CDs for the jury to see, but they can use a few works from each artist (!) and really large ones as well as medium size, for this show. Please-if you are interested in this show, snail mail or email me and I will see that you get more information as soon as it comes. If I do not get a response RVAA will lose this fabulous chance. Are you interested, and can you have several works available? Original paintings and pastels, original prints, like etchings and wood block prints (not photo prints, giclees, or lithographs done by a printer), digital works, and photography are all eligible.

Please note that our website www.raritanvalleyarts.com is consistently updated, and our newsletters are on it. Your work can be on it as well. Those of you who have not snail mailed or emailed me two pieces of work, and a very short (one paragraph) bio, may do so. You'll then have a "web presence" and it's free!

MEMBERS IN THE NEWS

JOAN MCKINNEY was accepted into the 39^th Open Juried Garden State Watercolor Society Show, which will be held November 17-January 9 at D & R Greenway, Rosedale Road, in Princeton.

Please---members---your editor has been so involved with writing and learning the craft of illustration, and teaching watercolor that she has not been to the usual painting shows-so instead of fishing for news myself and reporting what I see, if you wish news, you'll now have to actually give me some-by snail or email, and Thank You!

Previous Newsletters

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Sept. 2008 newsletter
May 2008 newsletter
Apr. 2008 newsletter
Mar. 2008 newsletter
Feb. 2008 newsletter
Jan. 2008 newsletter
Oct. 2007 newsletter
Sept. 2007 newsletter
May 2007 newsletter
Apr. 2007 newsletter
Mar. 2007 newsletter