Concord Art Association

5/31/19

Congrats to the artists named for the Concord Utility Box project!

Photo: Visit Concord

CAA and the City of Concord are pleased to announce the artists who have been selected to work on our Utility Box Public Art project in downtown Concord:

Chris Ball
Janet Brown
Pat Calabro
Carissa Fei
Jennifer Granat & Melissa Claros
Denise Hillman
Thea Jue & Renaye Johnson
Samineh Perryman
Sharon Petersen

These talented and local creatives will get to work this summer bringing their design concepts to life on the utility boxes around Todos Santos Plaza. We can't wait for the community to experience this visual delight this fall!

Many thanks to all the artists who submitted their ideas for consideration - we were thrilled with the volume and quality of work. Stay tuned!

5/25/19

Join us at Ruth Bancroft Gardens

Join fellow artists to paint, sketch or take photos at the Ruth Bancroft Gardens.

Tuesday, June 11th

10am - 1pm (Meet in parking lot)

1552 Bancroft Road, Walnut Creek

This world-renowned 3.5 acre space houses a collection of succulents, both unique and beloved, as well as drought-tolerant plants from around the world. The Garden’s founder, Ruth Bancroft, lived to be 109 and was a pioneer in drought-tolerant gardening. Open to the public year-round, the Garden showcases fabulous blooms during every season and highlights plant structure and texture in robust plantings.

Admission fees:

- Adults $10.00

- Seniors (65+) $8.00

- Garden Members are free

Click here to download a flyer with details.

5/19/19

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

5/13/19

Our trip to Isleton

On Saturday, May 11th, several CAA members and a couple guests met in the quaint Sacramento Delta town of Isleton for plein air painting, sketching and photography. The weather started out cool, but soon warmed to make it ideal for being outside with our paints, pencils and cameras.

A couple artists elected to sit along the sidewalks of Main Street to capture the historic buildings in various states of disrepair - or in some cases, those that had been restored to their original glory. Other artists ventured down the street to a nice small park to paint and sketch a very colorful pagoda located there.

As the day progressed, it got quite busy along Main Street with friendly, chatty locals and out-of-town visitors.

Being out for a Saturday drive added to the excitement in this small town. There was even a gentleman set up out in front of his restaurant, cooking ribs and various other goodies which added a delightful aroma wafting through the air.

What a lovely day it was to enjoy the warm sunshine and paint, sketch or take photos to our hearts content!

4/29/19

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!

4/27/19

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!

4/22/19

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.

4/19/19

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.

4/14/19

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.

4/11/19

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

4/3/19

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.