February Notes
Happy February, the month of love, and I sure love our Guild!
We are gearing up for Kites on Ice this coming Saturday, February 8th, out on Buffalo Lake. Sarah and John Hoppe will be leading us in the annual event of filling and chasing water bottles as the kids color the bright white snow of the lake. It truly is a joy, seeing the happiness on everyone’s faces, plus the colorful kites add to the excitement of the day. We will be there from 9-3, so I hope you can make it out to see us. Be sure to stop and say hello!
Our January meeting was supposed to be elections, but I am guessing the -20° wind chills kept most everyone home. We didn’t have enough attendees to have a vote, so, I am going to be doing some research into how our Guild is required to be structured. Since no one has stepped forward to take on the position of “Chair,” I am hoping we can still function without that position being on our letterhead. Maybe just a “Board of Directors” will suffice. If not, and it is a mandatory position, we will need to have someone take that on or our Guild will be on its way to dissolution. I have put in my time, and it’s time for another person to take it on.
Along with elections at the beginning of the year, also comes dues. Please send your dues to Wayne, as he is continuing as our treasurer this year, or you can send them to me as well. My address is 4030 Windmill Drive, Independence, 55357.
Dues for 2025 are as follows:
$35 for a single person
$45 for a couple
$60 for a family.
At our February meeting, we will be painting with acrylic paints on canvas, so dress for the part! Wear old clothes or bring a smock or paint shirt. The Guild has some canvases to use up, so it seemed like a good opportunity to do just that. All supplies will be provided by the Guild. I will also be introducing a new project for us, in partnership with the Wright County Historical Society. Please plan on attending.
For our March meeting, Meredith Johansen will lead us in a weaving activity using cut up paintings to create an entirely new piece. More information to come!
Our April meeting we will feature Marie Panlener, teaching us a little about portraiture. This is the plan: Start with a short PowerPoint about portraiture drawing, and then have people sit across from each other with tables in a square or U shape to draw each other with a short time limit. Then, one row would move so it’s a bit like speed dating with portraits. No sharing would be required to avoid unwanted critique. It develops a quick sense of catching the line of someone’s features.
Recently I was asked to have our meeting place switched to the Buffalo Community Center. I found myself wondering why we aren’t there already--why do we meet at the airport? Since I joined, we have always been at the airport or briefly we were at the church. Why not the Community Center? If you have any preference or reason why we should not be there, please let me know. Adam thought housing us in the same building as the community would do better for us both. We are hopefully moving to a permanent space this summer, so I don’t want to make too many changes unless it’s useful. Please let me know if you feel strongly one way or the other.
Thank you for being part of a truly great group of like-minded people. In order for us to function as a Guild, we do need you to be part of the whole. Come see us for meetings, volunteer at an event, share your talents with us, and spread the word about us, too! Let your friends know we exist and share our website--buffaloartguild.org. If you haven’t visited our site yet, take a look. Shari Zimmermann has done an amazing job of making us look soooo good! It makes me proud to be involved with such incredible artists, right here amongst us.
Warm Regards,
Tamra