 Hello LAA Members,
As you know, Anne is stepping down as the President of LAA and I have been asked to be your new President. Now we are in transition...Our lives are full of transitions, those times between one state of existence and the next. We transition from school to summer vacation. We transition from home to college, from college to work, from work to retirement…and on and on. Our transitions can be viewed as voids we impatiently rush through or we can see them as quiet, in between spaces. These spaces are times for reflection, for sorting and considering what has passed. But they are also times for planning and anticipation…for wondering and dreaming. We look forward in anticipation…this new world hasn’t been built…it doesn’t exist yet. As we move through our transition time here at the LAA, I would like to encourage you to share your dreams, your wondering, what you are planning and anticipating, with me and with each other. My job as President is to serve you, our members. I want to hear from you. What are your dreams? What projects would you love to see us tackle? Think too, about how you can serve each other. Paradoxically, we gain more when we give more, particularly of our time and regard. When we reach out to fellow members, having lunch, discussing our work, getting out of a creative block, we strengthen and grow our community. By volunteering, formally or informally, we charge our personal batteries and charge up our organization in the process. I look forward to hearing from you in the comments on our website or on FaceBook. Yours in Creativity, Helen Helen H. Harrison, President, LAA
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“Ch..ch..ch..changes!” 🎼 If you were a David Bowie fan like I was back in the day, you might remember this song. I thought his song seemed an appropriate title for this newsletter. I am sad to say that this will be my last letter to you as your President. I am needing to step down from this position due to health reasons. I do not have a terminal illness, but I do have a chronic condition, which has flared in the last 6 months. Two of my doctors have recommended that I take a break to get my health in order. I will stay on until the end of March, when Helen Harrison will step into that role. She will be voted in at the March board meeting and take over at that point. Helen is an excellent leader, with many talents, a creative spirit, and a compassionate heart. She will make an exceptional and committed President. Maureen Riesco will remain as Vice President and Maureen is working closely with Helen and I to make this transition go as smoothly as possible.
Another change, which is sad for our organization, but exciting for Cindy Mayhew, our administrative assistant, is that she is moving on to explore a business opportunity with a friend. Cindy has been incredibly valuable to our association and to me these past 7 months. She has been very supportive, talented and has brought a calm presence to the work I have done as your President. I could not have done this job without her. We will miss her and we wish her well with her new endeavor! Thank you Cindy! I also want to thank all of you for entrusting me as your President. I have enjoyed this work, learned so much, grown so much, met so many terrific people and have appreciated seeing our organization make a number of positive changes that will help sustain the mission of LAA. Let’s all support our new President, Helen, and work together to Keep LAA Strong! - Anne  Off to a good start in 2019!
It looks like 2019 is going to be another exciting year in LAA! Our first meeting of the year had a demonstration by Edward Aldrich on Painting Animals. He wowed the crowd and his workshop was filled by the next morning! I attended the first Dabbler with our own Dianne Widom, where we had great fun pouring watercolors and gesso to create delightful abstracts! Thank you, Dianne, for showing us a new and interesting technique. I have been looking at the lineup of demonstrations, Dabblers, and workshops. It’s going to be hard to choose which ones to attend as they all look so unique. A great thanks to the team that worked so hard to give us this terrific selection. The registrations to join the LAA are coming in daily! If you haven’t signed up yet, head to our website to register, so you can keep receiving our newsletters, have access to our many benefits, such as workshops, AIPP, shows, and more. Another wonderful New Year’s gift to the LAA was all of the new volunteers who have stepped forward to make a difference for all of us. Without all of our volunteers, we would not be able to provide all of the programs we offer. There are still openings for volunteers that are listed here and on our website. We have so many opportunities for our members because of all of you who step forward and give of yourselves. Think about what you can do to support us and make this your year to make a difference. As you have heard me say, my motto for 2019 is “Keep LAA Strong!”. —Anne Happy New Year!
I love the excitement of starting the New Year! To me, it seems like a time to refine, re-focus, and rejuvenate myself. If you are like me, you may find yourself as an artist feeling “stuck” from time to time. So, for my 3 “R’s” in 2019, I want to open up my creative self. I just came across a book titled “ Creative Strength Training” by Jane Dunnewold. Jane says regarding the subject of creativity…”I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard someone say rather wistfully, ‘I’m not creative.’ When I hear a statement like that, I think to myself, No one has ever shown you where to begin. Because the fact is, creativity, like any skill, can be cultivated. It takes a healthy combination of focused commitment and strength training, knowledge and stamina.” I was intrigued by this idea. Many people think that only certain people are blessed with the gift of creativity. Jane dismisses that idea, stating that in all disciplines, whether athletics, music, or art, we achieve by setting a course of learning and practicing. Jane states, “Making begins as play, then gets serious because you start to care. You recognize the need for regular reps or practice and screw up your courage to commit. What happens? You come full circle. Stick with the training. Working at it leads back to play.” My New Years wish for all of you is to take your eyes off producing a piece of art and make your goal be creativity for creativity ‘s sake and for the delight it can bring to your soul. https://www.artistsnetwork.com/store/creative-strength-training - Anne |
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Louisville Art Association • A Non-Profit Art Organization • PO Box 852 • Louisville, CO 80027 |
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