2nd Largest Illustration Society in the Nation! Winter 2020 Calming Cup Mark Brewer’s drawing applied to a coffee mug will remind you to breathe when you’re feeling overwhelmed. Available online at Brewer’s Birdz. Serial Drama This cover art and wraparound illustration were recently done by John Blumen for Rein, the third book in Cora Carmack’s Stormheart Series, to be released in August by Macmillan. Forest Friends Works by Lorrie Minicozzi depicting birds and creatures are part of Glorious Wilderness, on display December 1 through February 28 at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort in Farmington. The squirrel is done in colored pencil and graphite on 18˝x24˝ Bristol. the year in review—before digging into the homemade My Spot figgy pudding. Anni Matsick The Spotlight is on three of our accomplished painters who Tired of winter gloom? What received top awards presented at the opening reception This issue: better entertainment for a of an annual open watercolor show. On page 10, complete cold and dreary day than with a video. Member News p.1 thirteen pages of exciting If you haven’t yet taken advantage of opportunities to Announcemets p. 5 news and coverage of have your work promoted through PSI’s new Social Features p.6 fun-filled events involving Media Committee, details await on page 5. You’ll meet Spotlight p.10 you and your PSI friends. our planning crew there, busily working on a schedule of Behind the Brush p.11 It’s another issue packed with reports of commissioned events for the year to inform and educate on useful topics art, awards, exhibits, book releases, and other related to illustrators’ needs. While on that page, check out Editor: Anni Matsick accomplishments from PSI members eager to share their the recipients of PSI’s Special Recognition Awards, given Reporters this issue: news. You’ll recognize many of the faces in the photos Fred Carlson to our standout volunteers. June Edwards (and maybe your own) having a good time at second- Molly Thompson Tuesday Socials, last-Thursday-of-the-month program Excited? Renew! Pull out your checkbook or go to PSI’s Lindsay Wright events, and an impromptu field trip (page 7). website and click on the Donate button to pay for your Design & Production: 2020 membership by the March 31 deadline. And be sure Yelena Lamm Snapshots from our annual holiday Social, Saturnalia, to send in your news for the next newsletter! show members enjoying the spirit while officers present All images within this publication are copyrighted by the artists and may not be used without their written permission MEMBER NEWS PSInside Winter 2020 Nicole Ryan’s pop-up Anni Matsick’s On Exhibit solo show Land of Little watercolor Welcome Thoughts and No Worries In (12˝x12˝) was at the Westmoreland noted by juror Alberto Museum opened January Jorge Carol as one 17 in the Robertshaw he “would have Gallery. The distant purchased had I landscapes are based been a collector.” on Nicole’s memories. It runs through February at the opening reception for the 11th Annual 16 with a closing reception on February 14 with Figurative Drawing and Painting Exhibition at Lore Art on Tap: LOVE. Details Degenstein Gallery in Selinsgrove. The show ran here. September 25 through December 9. Nicole’s Turn Left at Welcome In was awarded Best of Show in the Art Yesterday, Oil on panel Association of Harrisburg’s annual Figuratively (30˝x40˝), was included Speaking exhibit at the opening on January 9. among works from Juror was Young Won. The show runs through An exhibit of prints of 53 artists in the 107th February 13 at 21 N Front Street, Harrisburg. pen & ink botanical Associated Artists of drawings by Lisa Pittsburgh Annual on Rasmussan was view through Jan. 26 at on display at Hunt Westmoreland Museum of Library on the CMU Art in Greensburg. campus October 5 Stacy Innerst was among 6 artists participating through mid-December. Lisa was commissioned in Pretty/Ugly, a group show held Sept to create 27 pen & ink drawings of plants 20-November 2 at James Gallery, 413 S. Main that correspond to specific Raja Ravi Varma Street, Pittsburgh. Sunblock (13˝x11˝) is acrylic paintings or lithographs. Raja Ravi Varma was an and tin on board. Election Night, (14˝x11˝) is oil Indian painter who worked in the late 1800s — on tin. Here’s a link. early 1900s. Her drawings will also be exhibited Christie Biber’s 12˝x12˝ paintings Aloe Map in Bangalore and they will appear in a catalog (acrylic on wood) and Black Teapot Map (acrylic raisonne of Varma’s work as part of Encounters on canvas) were in the Art Association of with the Botanical, a collaborative effort between Pittsburgh’s Off The Walls show during December Geetanjali Sachdev and the Raja Ravi Varma at Gallery One/Collective Works at 4106 Howley Heritage Foundation. Street in Bloomfield. Austral, a juried Christie’s 30˝x30˝ exhibition presented acrylic on wood by Brew House Pier Happy (19˝x25˝) painting, Orange Association, featured by Ron Thurston was Teapot, was accepted in work by artists living juried into the 153rd the 123rd Annual Juried and working in Annual International Show at the Catharine Pittsburgh’s South Exhibition of the Lorillard Wolfe Art Club, Side. Kurt Pfaff American Watercolor NYC. The show ran showed 3 oil paintings, Society. Fewer than January 7-30 at the including 21st South 140 entries were National Arts Club, 15 Side Pittsburgh accepted from the more than 1,100 submitted. Gramercy Park South, New York City. (36˝x36˝). The 28 works by 14 artists in a variety It’s the 7th time for Ron to be included. The show of media were on view January 9 – February 8. opens Monday, April 6 and runs through April 25 Keith Bastianini’s at the Salmagundi Club in New York City. Leannan Sidhe was part Bill Vrscak’s Storm of As The World Falls Alley (24˝x18˝) received Down which ran October the 1st prize award in 4-26 at Panza Gallery in the Niagara Frontier Millvale. Also included 14th International was Jareth the Goblin Exhibition of Judy Emerick and Bill King, oil and 24 karat Transparent Watercolor Panos paired up for an gold leaf, by Rhonda 2019. Juror was Iain exhibit at the Dressler Libbey. The juried Stewart. The show ran Center in Somerset, exhibition presented October 20 - November September 13 through October 18. Judy’s fantasy art inspired by 17 at Kenan Center works were done in oil, pastel, pencil, and pen & Jim Henson’s movie House Gallery in ink. Bill’s works were done in egg tempera. Labyrinth. The open call Lockport, NY. Agnes Gets a Drink, was for artists within the In the February 2020 issue of Watercolor Artist one of 4 paintings by tri-state area and was Magazine, Stefanie Laufersweiler writes, “Bill Kit Paulson, won 3rd curated by Panza Gallery Vrscak eliminates the Place in the Small in cooperation with the extraneous to elevate the Wonders show at the Pittsburgh Society of everyday in scenes drawn Fredericksburg Center Artists. Read more here. from neighborhoods he for the Creative Arts, up Rhonda has been juried knows so well.” The 10- through January 31. for her first time into the page article, “A Common New affiliate member Gina Judy recently won Main Show of IlluXcon Connection,” covers an Award of Merit at the Tuscarawas Art Guild 2020 at the GoggleWorks Bill’s recent work and old Annual Fall Juried Show in New Philadelphia, Center For The Arts, scheduled October 21-25, favorites, along with a Ohio. Her watermedia collage Dreamscape (25˝x 2020, in Reading. It will be her fifth year to display detail from Germantown 34˝) was accepted into The Dairy Barn Arts and sell her work in Showcase, in the ballroom of (18˝x24˝) on the cover. Center’s 2020 exhibition OH+5 in Athens, OH, the nearby DoubleTree hotel. Continued on next page 2 MEMBER NEWS continued PSInside Winter 2020 a biennial mixed-media Gallery in Jeanette invited juried exhibition open to Nora to exhibit with them at Books artists living in Ohio and the gallery in Westmoreland the 5 surrounding states. County Community College The Book Rescuer: How a It will be held in the in a show that ran November Mensch from Massachusetts center’s Sauber Gallery 4 through December 11. She Saved Yiddish Literature for January 17 - March 14. created 3 paintings, all acrylic on Generations to Come, written Gina was also invited to participate in Presence, repurposed cabinet doors. by Sue Macy and illustrated an exhibition about aging, opening in March at by Stacy Innerst, was the Stifel Fine Arts Center, Wheeling, WV. published October 1 by Simon On Location & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Lorrie Minicozzi was Books. A book release event one of 12 artists exhibiting Stacy Innerst went to Glasgow, Scotland for a week in October to interview kids and illustrate was held October 6 at The Yiddish Book Center work in Irreversibility of in Amherst, MA. It has received 3 starred reviews, Time, held in December a graphic-novel type story as part of a series on childhood poverty for the Pittsburgh Post a Parent’s Choice Gold Medal, and a December at Christine Frechard’s 15 review in the NY Times Book Review. It is also gallery in Lawrenceville. Gazette. It was funded in part by a grant from the Pulitzer Center for Crisis Reporting and the a recipient of the American Library Association’s Nora Thompson won Second Economic Hardship Reporting Project. The photo Sydney Taylor Book Award for Place for 3 pieces juried into shows him drawing Picture Books.