May Mini Art Show

1st place tie: Beach Moment by Janet Brown

1st place tie:  Spike by Denise Hillman

2nd place: Birdcage by Betty McBride

3rd place: Half Dome by June Vega

How to Make a Rainbow Fish by Michele Brown

Isleton by Barbara Nebeker

Lemon Still Life by Renaye Johnson

Torn paper collage demo with Pat Viera

CAA member Pat Viera is our guest artist for the May member meeting.

Learn some of Pat techniques for torn-edge collage with handpainted papers. After a short demo, Pat will give you papers from her own fabulous stash to make your own small collage.

Tuesday, May 14th  1:30-3pm

Concord Library - Main meeting room

Free and open to the public!

Want to be in the July 4th Parade with us?

Last year was CAA's first time entering a "float" in Concord's annual July 4th Parade - and we had so much fun!

This year we're doing it again - CAA and the aRt Cottage will join forces to create a brand new and spectacularly entertaining "arts in motion" display for our Concord neighbors.

Concord's parade theme will be All that Jazz - so we're planning to pair classic jazz music with a fine arts master...that will merge into contemporary jazz partnered with public street art. Click here for the parade map.

We have established a parade committee and had our first planning meeting at the aRt Cottage in April. CAA members and all friends of the arts are welcome to join us - either as part of the planning committee or as a parade walker...or both!

We need lots of people to walk the parade with our group on Thursday, July 4th. Let's make a big statement this year - the arts are alive in Concord!

Email our Parade Committee Chair, Lisa Fulmer at lisafulmerwrites@gmail.com if you want to be part of the FUN! Don't miss out!

2nd Annual Teacher Grants

Photo courtesy of Martin Segobia, Neto Community Network

Last year, CAA established funds for a small annual Teacher Grant to provide some support to teachers within the Mt. Diablo School District to buy supplies and/or cover expenses for creative classroom projects and field trips.

This year CAA plans to award up to ten MDUSD teachers with $100 each. The deadline for applications is July 1, 2019.

CAA will review all applications at our July board meeting. Selected grant recipients will be notified by the end of July and awards will be distributed in early August for use during the 2019-2020 school year.

Applicants must provide details as to how they plan to use the grant, and they will be encouraged to provide a photo and a short description when the funds are used.

Teachers:  click here to submit your application.

Thank you for working to include the arts in your curriculum!

Our next Plein Air excursion is on a Saturday!

If you are a fan of historic buildings and scenic waterways, the town of Isleton is the perfect time for you to join our fun plein aire group for painting, sketching, taking photos or just soaking up the ambiance of small-town America.

Saturday, May 11, 2019

10am-1pm

The charming town of Isleton, California (population 840), is located along the Sacramento River in the California Delta. 

Isleton's Old Town offers a look at bygone days. The many façade front buildings still remain intact many of which were influenced by an Asian presence. The town was once referred to as "the Little Paris of the Delta". Stroll down Old Town and find antiques, arts & crafts, restaurants, and the Isleton Museum.

Click here to download details and directions.

Public Art Project - Downtown Utility Boxes

From left:  Patti St. Denis and Renaye Johnson (CAA Board), Lynn Koellermeier (Signature d-Sign), Justin Ezell (City of Concord), Susan Pace-Koch (CAA Board)

We're so proud and excited to formally announce a new community collaboration between CAA and the City of Concord - we're painting and vinyl-wrapping eleven utility boxes around Todos Santos Plaza with local artists' work. Visit our Call for Artists page for all the details.

Artists who are planning to submit their work tour the Plaza to look at the utility boxes

We recently hosted an Artist Orientation at the Plaza to take a walking tour to see the boxes and familiarize interested artists with the project's criteria. We had a great turnout and we're looking forward to seeing everyone's submissions!

The submission period is April 20, 2019 through May 10, 2019. Visit our Call for Artists page to review all the details and submit your application online, pay the submission fee, and email your concept images.

Our visit to The Gardens at Heather Farm

April’s Plein Air outing at Heather Farm Park in Walnut Creek was another hit with those artists who attended. Beautiful weather for our day in a truly lovely setting. Painting, sketching, photography...something for everyone. 

Save the date for our next outing Saturday, May 11 in the town of Isleton, along the Sacramento River.

April Mini Art Show

1st Place:  "Wolf" by Walter Crew

2nd Place:  "Railroad Flat Horse" by Eldru O'Bryant

3rd Place:  "Succulents, Bancroft Garden" by Audrey Ross

"Young and Old" by Michele Browne

"A Dog named Moose" by Janet Brown

"Danville Hills" by June Vega

"Bunny Love" by Barbara Nebeker

"Hydrangeas" by Sharon Petersen

"Playing Hookey" by Betty McBride

"Serendipity" by Cathy McNutt

Our trip to Old Borges Ranch

It was a gorgeous day for our first plein air outing at Old Borges Ranch! We had a great time basking in the beautiful sunshine and painting the beauty around us.

We were welcomed by an assortment of barnyard animals, deer roaming the lush green hills and historic subjects to photograph, paint and enjoy. 

Our next outing will be on Friday, April 12 at Heather Farms in Walnut Creek. Meet us at the gazebo at 10am.

Click here to download our 2019 Plein Air Schedule.

March Mini Art Show

1st place - Sirens & Sardines by Michele Brown

2nd place - Light House by Renaye Johnson

3rd place - Lower Falls, Yosemite by Julie Limberg

Honorable Mention - Napping in the Den by Cathy McNutt

Rain by Barbara Nebeker

Plein Air Painting Check List

The Gardens at Heather Farm

It can be easy to get carried away with shopping when trying something new like plein air painting. Below you will find a very basic list of art supplies that will help you get through your first outing without dragging you down. Remember...less is more!

• Easel with small canvas or a sketchbook (depending on the medium)
• 4-8 paint brushes
• Paints
• Small palette box (for watercolor)
• Palette knife (for oil/acrylic)
• Solvent or mediums (for oil/ acrylic)
• Paper towels or wet wipes
• Cloth rag for cleaning off brushes
• Container of water 
• Pencils and eraser 

Don't forget these essentials as well:

• Hat and sunglasses 
• Bug spray & sunscreen 
• Trash bag
• Tote bag to carry everything
• Layered clothing
• Snacks and beverage 
• Folding chair 
• Cell phone with camera

Differences in lighting due to time and weather can make or break a painting, whether you're inside or outside. Make sure you're aware of your light source to get the best possible outcome for your plein air paintings. 

Consider whether you are in direct sunlight, or is it overcast, is it night time with street lights? How fast is the light changing or moving, what direction is it coming from?  

We look forward to seeing you at an upcoming plein air adventure! 

Click here to download our 2019 schedule.

Artist orientation meeting for public art project

Concord Art Association and the City of Concord are kicking off an art competition for the design and painting/wrapping of eleven utility boxes around the Todos Santos Plaza area.

Meet us at the clock tower in the plaza for an artist orientation on Saturday, April 6th at 9am.

Any artists residing in Contra Costa County who are interested in learning how to apply should join us for this walk-about orientation where we'll share critical information about the project. Because the eleven boxes are all very different, it is important to know the technical requirements for each one.

This is a juried competition and selected artists will receive a cash award. Look for the official Call for Artists application form in early April here on the CAA blog.

The theme for this first (of hopefully many!) public art project is “Music and Market” in celebration of the many years in which the City of Concord has hosted farmer’s markets and concerts in the heart of downtown.

We are looking for bold, colorful work that captures the experience of attending these events. The goal is to create an outdoor gallery of the best of local artists’ work.

Both CAA and City of Concord believe in the value of public art for our local economy, community pride and quality of life. Funding for this project is a joint effort between CAA, City of Concord and private donors.

Member Show - Landscapes of the Mind

February Valentines and Name Tags

This month we took a little field trip and got a bit crafty! Instead of meeting at our usual meeting spot at the Concord Library, members got together at the aRt Cottage to see the Inspiration Surrounds Us show and do some little make-n-takes.

 

CAA Board President, Catherine Hensiek

Lisa Fulmer, an Artist Educator for Marabu Creative, shared a few techniques for working with Art Crayons on watercolor paper as part of a cardmaking project for Valentine's Day. She also provided a selection of Aqua Pens to make custom name tags.

Congrats to Julie who won the Board vote for best name tag

Congrats to Michele, winner of our door prize - Marabu Art Crayons!

All creativity is good creativity! We love when we can sit down and play with new art supplies.