I know it’s not official till the Vernal Equinox, but the jonquils and crocus tell a different story as they paint the landscape with their bright yellow, purple and orange hues.  These warm days also signal the start of the outdoor festival season, where artists “paint” the landscape with their festive tents and colorful artwork.  As in the past, our Guild will participate in North Georgia’s biggest outdoor show, Celebrate Clayton Art & Music Festival.  This well advertized and well attended show is a great opportunity for us to promote the Guild and our talented artists.  All Guild members are invited to display a few pieces of your artwork in the NGAG booth.

In June we join the Northeast Georgia Arts Tour with our informal show, Art At Veteran’s Park, in downtown Clayton.  This one day event crosses four North Georgia counties, Rabun, Habersham, White and Lumpkin, and draws thousands of shoppers from all over the region.  We’ll be included in all the publicity, listed in the Arts Tour brochure, have a number on the driving map, and pictured on the website.

And that’s not all!  In July we host our premier show, the 6th Annual Art At The Lake, in the beautiful lake Rabun Pavilion.  In addition to showcasing the art and artists of North Georgia, this show allows us to support our community by providing fund raising opportunities for non-profit organizations such as the Rabun County Band Boosters, the Ferst Literacy Foundation, and Knights of Columbus.  As in the past, 10% of art sales is donated to the Lake Rabun Association Scholarship Fund.

Stay tuned for more information on these and many more great opportunities to show and sell your artwork!

If you’re not a already a member, now’s the time to join us and join the fun! Click here to download our membership form http://www.northgeorgiaartsguild.com/about/membership_form.pdf

Randy Sells

The gifted members of the North Georgia Arts Guild and the accomplished actors of the North Georgia Community Players will combine their talents later this month.  On March 23,24,25 and 30,31 and April 1^st, the Dillard Playhouse will host the comedic production of “The Red Velvet Cake War” in collaboration with a gallery-show by local artists.

Although the art space is small- the theater lobby and southern hallway- the works of twenty local artists will be displayed. Expect to see jewelry, watercolor, photography, acrylics, basketry, pottery, mosaics and more representing the creative talents of Terry Guthrie, Kathy Ford, Charlene Fisch, Paula Van Huss, Rennie Davant, Ann Thompson, Janie Owens, Bobby Scroggs, Chuck Gardner, Randy Sells, Helen Roberts and many more Guild members.  The gallery will be open 45 minutes before the curtain rises.

The two act comedy, written by playwrights Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope, and Jamie Wooten, features a family reunion, a mobile home, dead people, adultery, a woman named “Peaches” and a recipe duel…all things that spell “Southern”. The production is being directed by Sue Boshart and Sharon Purdy and stars local thespians including Cheri Bingham, Kelli
Marcus, Lysa Gilletee, Mike Ciochetti, Tricia Bass, Richard Hutchinson and more.

Don’t miss this chance to see your friends and neighbors team-up, showcasing an array of talent, either performing on the stage or hanging on the wall.

Theater tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the door or in advance at www.ngcommunityplayers.com

"Yonah" by Celia Durand

Nacoochee was the 16-year-old daughter of Wahoo, a Cherokee chieftain, who fell in love with Sautee, the young and handsome son of the Chickasaw chief, one of the neighboring tribes with whom they were constantly at war.

They eloped and fled to nearby Yonah Mountain, where they found refuge in a cave. After a few days they decided to face Wahoo and ask for his consent but instead, he ordered Sautee to be thrown from the high cliffs of Mount Yonah, while Nacoochee was forced to look on. Seeing that, Nacoochee also leaped to her death from the same cliff.

Story & photo courtesy of Celia Durand.

You can see Yonah and other original works by Celia Durand during her Hallway Invitational show at the Sautee Nacoochee Center Gallery March 9 – April 22, 2012.

Matthew Wilson will be the guest speaker at our February meeting.  Matt graduated from Savannah College of Art and Design in 2002 and began his career coloring comics for Zylonol Studios, Image Comics, Dark Horse Comics, Boom! Studios, DC Comics, and Marvel Comics.

Join us at 10AM, Thursday, February 16th in the Banquet Room of the Old Clayton Inn. Matt’s program is sure to be fun and informative!