Welcome to a new year of pals, pastels and painting.

2014 looks like being a very good year. Unlike last year, we start with a decent
bank balance even though our exhibition didn’t manage to attract as many buyers
as we had hoped. This is due to the generosity and fantastic work that all
members did to reduce the expenses. In addition, Rayma has added to our
coffers with her raffles and unframed sales.

The committee is already investigating the possibility of returning to Sorrento for
our next exhibition because the parking and accessibility is so much better. So
we may have some news when we have our AGM. This is on the 24th February,
our third meeting. The next Monday is a public holiday. The first two meetings
we’d like everyone to have paid their subs, preferably by internet banking (all
details in this newsletter) and then we can make up our membership list and keep
in touch with you all.

Please come to the AGM. If you want to keep our society as active, productive
and happy as it has been, you need to be there. We understand that you can’t
always come to our regular meetings – some live a long way away and some
have other commitments – but come when you can and contribute your ideas,
needs and suggestions via email so we can make the new 2014 programme one
that has something for everyone.

Yours in friendship and pastel dust,
Anne Rice, President.

Pastel Society of Western Australia Newsletter January 2014

Dear Members,

Planning for the exhibition is steaming ahead. Your entry form is in this newsletter. Please read all the times and dates very carefully as we have some changes and difficulties to cope with. We are not allowed into the Maureen Grierson Centre until 8.30 on 7th November because other people are using the hall until then. So we plan simply to deliver all the screens and lights and then get to the centre early (8 am) on Friday to do all the setting up. All hands to the pump with Avis in charge.

The judges will be invited to come at 2.30pm so all must be done by then.

Your paintings will have to be delivered on Thursday night (along with all the gear) and we need a couple of volunteers to write them in and record and store them safely. If this is something you can do between 8.30 and 9.30 on Thursday 7th. Please email me at amrice1@bigpond .com We also need someone to volunteer to write and print the catalogue. Let me know what you can do to help make this exhibition a great success.

Don’t forget the Busy Bee to clean the screens on Sunday 20th October in preparation for our November Exhibition. Celestine will be bringing the high pressure hose.

All volunteers please contact Anne Rice, ph: 9345 1348

After the exhibition, we will have a pleasant run down to the end of the year and our Christmas Party. We will need to have a sub-committee to organize it. Please email me if you would like to get involved. It is always a highlight and a very happy event. Rayma’s raffle for her Margaret Olley limited edition painting will be drawn then.

With happy anticipation
Anne Rice

Pastel Society of Western Australia Newsletter October 2013

Presidents Message

THE BUSY BEE was a great success. We had a good number turn up to put the lights together and into the bags which Avis had sewn up for the purpose. A big thank you to Avis for a fantastic job.

The pigeons have been removed and we swept up the ample evidence of their activities. The Mayor of Joondalup tells us that the ceilings have been repaired so we should not have further trouble.

We also got all the screens out and cleaned them up as best we could. The men reckoned we should get a high pressure hose and do the job thoroughly later on nearer the exhibition date. A busy bee to clean the screens will be held on Sunday 20th October at 10am. Volunteers needed.

Yvonne Smith made an inventory of all our gear so we we’re pretty well organised. Thank you, Yvonne.

GOOD NEWS. Our Exhibition and Sale has now got a venue and a date. It will be at the Maureen Grierson Centre in Scarborough from Friday 8 th November to Sunday 10th with, of course, setting up to start on the Thursday 7th. So start painting and thinking about advertising and ideas to make this a good one. All suggestions welcome. Just write them down and give them in when you come to a meeting.

Several of the pastel society’s gifted artists have generously agreed to be at meetings so that you can seek help and advice in preparation for our exhibition. Please get thinking about the exhibition in early November and plan your paintings. Take advantage of this offer from our best people.

See the programmed Calendar of Events and keep it handy to refer to till the end of the year.

A reminder for key holders, please arrive by 7.20pm at the latest. In winter it is not nice to be out in the cold.

We’ve received confirmation that our application for new lights has been granted. Thanks especially to Celestine and Caroline who helped to fill in all the forms. It means we can order them now and won’t have to have an electrician in November. That will save money and we can sell the old ones.

HAPPY PAINTING
Anne

Pastel Society of Western Australia Newsletter June 2013

A Visit from the President of the W.A Art Society

We were pleased to welcome Peter Reynolds to our meeting on Monday 18th
March. He came to see what we are doing as well as to check out our equipment
with a view to hiring it for their exhibition in May at The Palms, Subiaco.

He said he’d let us know but it seems his committee would not be keen to do the
physical work involved and may be willing to pay others to set up their exhibition
for them. If this is so we are disappointed as we believed we could help fill the
coffers of our society with our contract.

We hope that others may be interested and thank the secretary very warmly for
all his time and effort constructing our contract and checking its legality with a
visit to town to see a pro-bono lawyer.

Carine Sale

This seems to be a successful and worthwhile exercise. Some suggestions were
made for more sales – perhaps at different venues.

Would interested members please do some research in their own localities and email the results to me as soon as possible.

Late News

A new sale has been organized for the 28th April at the Stirling Farmers Market,
7.30-11.30. The stall is free and eleven members have expressed interest. This
sale will include some small framed paintings as well as unframed ones.

Anne Rice

Pastel Society of Western Australia Newsletter April 2013

The Christmas party on December 3 rd was the best yet. Yvonne and her helpers provided a lot of challenges and fun. First we helped her to write the president’s speech by providing all the adjectives, adverbs and some of the verbs – the result was hilarious. Then we each had to make a flower for our table centre from the bits and pieces that Yvonne had provided. These were judged by Gerry who made us laugh. Lastly, we had to find the forgeries by discovering the mistakes in three pictures and guess the artists too.

The food was varied and delicious as always, beautifully presented and with a minimum of fuss as we had disposable plates and our own cutlery. Rayma had prepared three raffle prizes gorgeously decorated in baskets. The goodies had been donated over the last few weeks by members. Mike drew the winning tickets and Rayma presented the prizes. Then Celestine became Santa for the handing out of the Kris Kringle presents. Finally we had the judging of all the members’ pictures according to the three categories that Yvonne had prepared.

It was a wonderful wind-up to a fairly difficult year. I know I felt glad to belong to such a happy, friendly and creative bunch of people.

I was told that the gavel I need to bang every so often was turned by Max and is therefore especially valuable to us. We toasted him with much love and happy memories. Thank you cards were given to Karyn, for her work on the newsletters, and to Mike as secretary.

However, there are many members who haven’t been mentioned individually who have generously given time, effort, ideas and quiet service to us all in the society and to whom we all owe a debt of gratitude. The Pastel Society provides much in the way of artistic and social richness and makes an important contribution to the cultural life of our community. I particularly wish to thank the committee members for their contributions.

I look forward to next year. In responding to the survey, we all chose some activities which will enliven our meetings and, I hope, motivate us to paint more and better. We’ll be looking for lots of members to volunteer to run one or two of these events. The committee will be meeting in January to outline our calendar of events and plan the year ahead. I have the feeling that it’s going to be a good one. We’ll meet again on 4 th February 2013.Till then, have a good holiday. Happy painting, Anne Rice, President.

Pastel Society of Western Australia Newsletter January 2013

TO ALL MEMBERS OF THE PASTEL SOCIETY OF WA.

We aim to produce a newsletter four times a year so we need to encourage everyone to contribute from time to time. Can you please help us?

To assist the committee with future planning we would love your feed-back to enable us to programme future activities. Please take the time to complete the survey in this month’s Newsletter and add add any other ideas you may have.

Pastel Society of Western Australia Newsletter September 2012

The 2012 Exhibition and Sale took place in the foyer of the Performing Arts Centre at the Sacred Heart College on West Coast Drive. Avis and her team of workers are to be warmly congratulated for the setting up on Thursday night and Friday morning. Sue Sheppard’s flower arrangements with proteas were admired by everyone.

The opening night on Friday 6th July was very successful. The wine, soft drinks and canapés were very good and the kitchen and servery worked very smoothly. Liz Caiacob officially opened the exhibition with a delightful speech. She is the founder of the Effie Crump Theatre and is also director of the Northern Districts Save the Children Foundation. She and her husband were off to Europe a few days later so we are grateful that she spared the time to come.

Our pictures were very well displayed and well lit with our new lights although during part of next two days there was a slight problem with the light coming in from the windows.

The People’s Choice was popular with 245 people voting for 61 paintings which showed a wide spread of preferences. However, the outstanding winner was Rayma Reany’s ‘Memorable Margaret’.

The discussion at the next meeting was very productive. We all liked the venue but hoped that if we can get it next year, we would prefer to have it much later on October or November. However, we have to wait until the manager has organised all the school events for the year first.

Meanwhile we all want the rest of the year to be interesting and worthwhile so we’re hoping the new programme will have something for everyone.

Happy painting to all members.
Anne Rice
President.

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Pastel Society of Western Australia Newsletter August 2012

Welcome back everyone and I hope you had a productive Christmas painting all those paintings for the upcoming exhibitions. Remember members that it is now time to renew those memberships and they can be done by online banking or sending a cheque to Caroline.

We have started the year well with a lot of members turning up on Monday nights eager to get their masterpieces going again. We have also had a committee meeting whereupon we have begun preparation for the upcoming exhibition and seeking guest demonstrators. With so much talent within our ranks we should have some very good demonstrations this year. Also I would like all members to check out our new website as it looks really fantastic and the showcase of artwork is a credit to the west.

This year we are planning to get more low voltage lights to add to our cache which will enhance our exhibition. If anyone has any other suggestions they would always be welcome. Daniel Gregory will be at Pastels prior to the A.G.M. from 7.30pm. A member of our club has been ill lately and we all wish Doreen a speedy recovery and our thoughts go with her.

We I hope you all enjoy this newsletter and look forward to catching up on a Monday soon.

Cheers
Celestine Dyson
President

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Pastel Society of Western Australia Newsletter March 2012

Hi all,

We are coming to the end of another busy year and a very successful one at that. We have had a change of venue for our exhibition and the societies first year at Scarborough proved a financial success. The committee took a vote and decided that we will have that venue again for next year’s exhibition. The exhibition stands have also had a facelift with new black covers and thanks to Julie Silvester’s kind donation of the proceeds from the silent auction at our exhibition we will be able to spend the money shortly on some very much needed lights.

This year many of our members have also had solo or joint exhibitions and it was a pleasure to go along and to see such talent. Some of our members are running painting classes in pastels and other mediums and are listed in this newsletter for those that would like to participate. It’s a great way to meet other members and to go over the basics.

One of our members suggested I go onto the Pastel Journal and I have found a wealth of information. If anyone has any websites that they can recommend please let Karyn know so we can place it in the newsletter.

Caroline will be streamlining some changes with making payments so see the Treasurer’s report.

As this is a newsletter for all members, if you have anything to say please let Karyn know so that it can be included in future issues.

I look forward to seeing you all at the Christmas function and to those that can’t make it best wishes for the festive season and see you all on the first Monday in February

Celestine Dyso

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Pastel Society of Western Australia Newsletter November 2011