Wednesday, May 4, 2011

The End of an Artful Era

My affiliation with the Henderson Art Association, from the get-go, was serendipitous if planned at all. Driving home one breezy evening 4 years ago, listening to 88.9 KNPR, I heard an announcement for Third Thursday in downtown Henderson or, as Susanne Reese (who I hadn't yet met) would later educate me, in "the heart of the Water Street District." I marked it on my calendar and, when that day arrived, so too did I, at the Old Town Gallery.

Although I knew no one and this historic part of Henderson was completely new to me, I was welcomed by a lovely group of artists and patrons. Immediately I felt at ease, at home, among friends. The gallery and the streets were abuzz with foot traffic. Wine poured. Beer flowed. Live music played. The room filled to near capacity. Other galleries? Same thing. It was a quietly kept secret.


I went on to inquire about getting some of my own art up on the walls and a gracious Kelly Anaya (Green) was kind
enough to tell me about the jury process. I later submitted my work and it got in. The gallery remained and artists continued to show and support one another.

Then, within a few short months, things took a turn. The economy began to slow. The lease came up. The rent doubled or tripled. An executive decision was made not to renew. The gallery was replaced by a furniture store. Leadership changed hands several times. But a few stood steadfast and continued to move the organization forward. And, with the digital revolution upon us, two and a half years ago, this blog was born to continue the momentum of that dedicated group online, perhaps in its absence in the physical world. I am proud to have been part of the Henderson Art Association and, for a short while, a member of its leadership. But all good things must come to an end.


The HAA had amassed a modest fan base here. 29 followers. Thank you. As you may have noticed, the most recent post before this one is from October of last year following a stellar presentation by Jelaine Faunce, the final featured guest in the HAA Speaker Series. Her content was brilliant. The group in attendance was riveted. There just weren't that many of them. It was at that point that I, personally, was faced with making the hard decision to return my attention to my own creativity, forsaking pursuits (like this one) that may have, in some small way, benefited the group. And now, in similar fashion, the organization too is winding down, not necessarily because that's what it wants to do. But, after many years of maintaining, it seems it's what it needs to do. On a positive note, the cultural arts movement is
alive and well in southern Nevada and plenty of artists are blazing trails on their own.

Current HAA President Deborah Mays, the board of directors, and affiliate members have done a tremendous job of keeping the organization alive and in great operating shape. But running any business (even a not-for-profit artists' group) requires time, maintenance, passion, commitment, and, if not youth, youthful enthusiasm that is hopefully contagious and shared by all.


Thank you, HAA, and readers, for giving me a place to share my work and a reason to write. I have made many friends
and a few valuable acquaintances. I know those who founded the organization and achieved membership long before me share similar sentiments. Thank you all for coming out, showing your support, making beautiful things, and sharing them with the world. What leaves with the closing of these doors remains in each of our hearts.

Finally, here is the official letter from Deborah Mays sent to all current artists in good standing, informing them of the board's decision. This is a small community. I'm sure we will see each other somewhere and this blog will remain if anyone ever cares to sift through the archives. Between us all, we accomplished wonderful things and made the community an aesthetically richer place. For all of it, each of us who contributed in any way should be incredibly proud.
Wherever you are, whatever you're doing, stay creative.


Friday, October 15, 2010

The Henderson Artists' Way




Join us Tuesday evening, October 19th, as Henderson realist artist Jelaine Faunce shares her work and the methodical preparation that is a huge part of her creative process. Jelaine will be the 9th in our ongoing HAA Speaker Series, presenting "Meditative Painting: How I Address My Own Doubts and Fears at the Easel Using Energetic and Spiritual Techniques."



HAA member and board member Nabila Khanam will be presenting some of her photographic work and stories as well, as this month's Curtain Raiser.

You will leave enlightened. You don't want to miss it.
7:00-8:30 pm. Findlay Toyota, 2nd floor. 7733 Eastgate Rd, Henderson, NV.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

The Vitality of Revitilization



Henderson artists and residents often find themselves discussing the need for growth and revitalization in the downtown area. We're not alone. It would seem downtown Las Vegas, with the development of the Smith Center for the Performing Arts and the 18b Arts District, is on the same page and on the cusp of a cultural surge. In fact, they may be a couple of steps ahead. It's not a competition. Any progress to that end in this whole region is a benefit to all of us. If you're interested in seeing and hearing about what that revitalization may ultimately look like, join the discussion at tomorrow night's (October 13th's) Symphony Park Lecture Series The Urban Vibe. It's free to the public and sure to be enlightening. 5-6:00 pm Wine Bar. 6-7:00 pm Panel Discussion. Fifth Street School, 401 South Fourth Street, Las Vegas, NV.

Learn more here:

Monday, October 11, 2010

October HAA General Meeting Coming Up. Mark Your Calendars.



Please join us Tuesday evening, October 19th, for our monthly Henderson Art Association general meeting. HAA member, board member, and resident photographer Nabila Khanam will be sharing her work anecdotally as the Curtain Raiser. She will be followed by renowned artist Jelaine Faunce who will be presenting her work and her process as part of our ongoing speaker series.

Jelaine is a contemporary realist artist based in Henderson, NV. She graduated from UNLV in 1996 with a B.A. in Fine Art, and has worked full-time as a freelance artist since 2000. She paints primarily in oil on canvas, her subject matter most often being still life arrangements she creates herself. Her work resides in private and corporate collections throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. We are happy to have her among us for an evening.

Specifically, Jelaine will be walking through her artistic process as she discusses her very personal artistic journey and presents "Meditative Painting: How I Address My Own Doubts and Fears at the Easel Using Energetic and Spiritual Techniques." Her work may be viewed here: Jelaine Faunce Studio

HAA general meetings are held the 3rd Tuesday of each month from 7:00 to 8:30 pm on the 2nd floor of Findlay Toyota, 7733 Eastgate Rd, Henderson, NV. There will be no meeting in December. There will be meetings all remaining months of 2010 and on into 2011. If you're not there, rest assured, you're missing out.

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

HAA "Saturation" Show Reception September 29th


Please join us Wednesday, September 29th for an artists reception at the Henderson Multigenerational Center's Liberty Point Gallery. The hour-long reception will begin at 6:30 pm and kicks off a themed show entitled "Saturation." Work will remain on display until October 26th, 2010. HAA artists represented are Linda Celona, Vina Curtis, Shirley Jeane, Nabila Khanam, Yoko Konopik, Deborah Mays, Sharon Menary, Kathleen Mullinnix, Wendy Rountree, Dorothy Fenner, Jo Firm, and Jan Schaeffer.

The Henderson Multigenerational Center is located at 250 S. Green Valley Parkway and open Monday through Friday from 5:00 am to 9:00 pm, Saturday 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, and Sunday 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm. Enjoy the show and thanks to all for hanging and participating.

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

HAA September General Meeting Coming Up. Mark Your Calendars.


Please join us Tuesday evening, September 21st, as Henderson Art Association general meetings and guest speaker series resume after a long, hot summer.

HAA Secretary and President of the Nevada Watercolor Society Vina Curtis will be the evening's curtain raiser, sharing some of her work and personal stories.

Coach Margit Macchia will follow up as the evening's guest speaker, imparting knowledge on "How to Market Your Artwork" and create extra income in a creative field.

Margit Macchia has a resumé a mile long. She specializes in business coaching, relationship coaching, health coaching, network marketing coaching, and debt recovery coaching. Basically, if you need coaching on anything, look no further. She is a self-published author with a penchant for fundraising and has too many other credits to her name to list here. It's sure to be a fun and enlightening hour and a half. Don't miss it.

HAA general meetings are held the 3rd Tuesday of each month from 7:00 to 8:30 pm on the 2nd floor of Findlay Toyota, 7733 Eastgate Rd, Henderson, NV. There will be no meeting in December. There will be meetings all remaining months of 2010 and on into 2011. If you're not there, rest assured, you're missing out.

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

HAA Artist Sharon Menary Work On Display

Photo by Nicky Watts

Two promotional postcards featuring pieces from Menary's show "View the World Through Artist Colors"

HAA artist Sharon Menary currently has a one woman show on display at the Liberty Point Gallery within the Henderson Multigenerational Center. The title of the show is "View the World Through Artist Colors." It was installed on the 16th of this month and will remain available for viewing now through September 17, 2010. The exhibit is free and open to the public. The Henderson Multigenerational Center is located at 250 S. Green Valley Parkway and open Monday through Friday from 5:00 am to 9:00 pm, Saturday 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, and Sunday 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm. Regarding her work and her philosophy, Sharon says the following:

"I have tried a lot of things in my life but one thing was always present. I wanted to be an artist. I was afraid to let go of traditional thinking—'you need a day job.' When I let go of that limiting thought, I allowed myself, for the first time, to redefine who I wanted to be and what I wanted to do. Freedom is scary at first, then exhilarating."

Saturday, August 7, 2010



The summer heat has been relentless and many of us have taken the past couple of months to regroup and conserve our creative energy. Rest assured, as the dog days begin to wind down and the promise of a more bearable fall becomes more evident, so too do our creative juices begin to flow.

We took the two most brutal months (July and August) off but HAA general meetings will resume in September. Woohoo! Third Tuesday of the month. Mark your calendars. Details to come.

Karen Tarlton is the most recent addition to the HAA. As of this month, she joins us as an artist member. Her work may be viewed at either of these two websites: http://www.karensfineart.com/ and http://karensfineart.blogspot.com/ Please join us in welcoming Karen.

The Henderson City Hall changeout took place last week. The show will be up by Monday, August 9th and will hang for six months. Participating HAA artists include Nabila Khanam, Shirley Jeane, Dorothy Slikker, Linda Celona, Yoko Kondo Konopik, and Bernie Fiebranz. Stop in and see the work if you get a chance.

Saturday, June 26, 2010

A Little Recognition Goes A Long Way.

Ron and Kitty Boeddeker founded the Henderson Art Association in 2001. Third Thursday began as a cooperative effort between the City of Henderson Redevelopment Department, the HAA Old Town Gallery, and City Lights Gallery in 2003. The Boeddekers were instrumental in helping establish an art scene in Henderson and artists/organizations have been volunteering ever since. Today, their legacy carries on as others continue to do great things for local arts and art education. Below are recent recipients of the 2010 Art Education Third Thursday ARTsWALK Recognition Awards. These awards represent appreciation of volunteer hours, talent, and devotion to Water Street District Arts.

2010 Art Education Third Thursday ARTsWALK Recognition Awards

Elayne LaPorts Fine Arts
National recognition for her art and art education outreach philosophy

Art Education Outreach
Patty Dominguez - Sally Ahlstedt - Ellen Gibbons

Henderson Art Association
Deb Mays - Jo Firm - Andrew Maioli

Community Outreach
Sharon Menary

City Lights Gallery
Al Matwiejow - Merle Blair
Aldema Ridge and City Lights 2 - Yoko Konopik - Jan Schaeffer - Etel Surany

Third Thursday Leadership
Henderson Art Association (Old Town Gallery) - City Lights Gallery
Susanne Reese - Tiffany Reardon - Shereene Hale - Brenda Lee Schmidt

Water Street District Business Association
Dave Beason - Tom Foster - Gary Reese - Bud Pico

Special honors and appreciation to our Henderson Artist Registry Artists and Organizations:
Vina Curtis and the Nevada Watercolor Society
Hollis Spinners and Weavers - Las Vegas Fiber Arts Guild
Shirley Jeane Exhibits in Book Boutique Gallery
The mural artistry of Ozvaldo Villate, Guiseppe Abreu, Beckmann Studios, Brad Giles, Hal Carter
Cultural Arts and Tourism City Hall Gallery
Ellen Gibbons and the Gallery at Liberty Point

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Everything's news-worthy. Here are a few things that have taken place recently for the HAA. Follow us on Facebook Facebook | Henderson Art Association to be kept even more up-to-date.

• We recently welcomed new Artist Member Bernd M. Feibranz. His work may be viewed here:

• Artist Member and Events Coordinator Sharon Menary's "Spirit of Life" (below) was one of 69 pieces chosen for the May Celebration of Life Show. There were a total of 220 entries. Congratulations, Sharon.

• June's HAA general meeting will not be taking place. Instead there will be an Artist's Appreciation Show at Giovanni's Pizza in Henderson. The show will go up on Saturday, June 19th and there will be a reception/mixer, open to all, to kick it off on Sunday, June 27th. More details to come.

Monday, May 31, 2010

Sharon Menary's Student Show: A Wild Success


One week ago, Sunday, HAA Events Coordinator and artist member Sharon Menary hosted her first student exhibition at Giovanni's Pizza in Henderson, NV, and the result was wonderful. These are photos from the reception. Great pizza and self-expression. What could be better than that? The work is still on display. If you're in the area, check it out. There will be many more shows upcoming featuring student and professional work. Keep your calendars open. Stay creative.

Saturday, May 22, 2010

HAA May General Meeting Revisited



Photos of our May Henderson Art Association general meeting, captured by HAA artist and resident photographer Nabila Khanam.

As artists, through our work and our stories, we are committed to making the world a more beautiful place. Heather Abel, Green movement evangelist and artist in her own right, is committed to doing the same in her own creative, eco-conscious way. This past Tuesday, at our May general meeting, artists and other attendees found out just how committed. Heather spoke extensively and enthusiastically on Green advancements here in the southern Nevada region. She covered a range of artist opportunities and had meeting attendees create their own recycled sculpture masterpieces on the spot. Even the most creative among us can get stuck or have our process become routine. This was a great way for folks to do something interactive and break conventions of what art can be and where it can come from.

HAA artist member Boo Witzman shared artwork as this month's curtain raiser and HAA President Deb Mays covered off on all other agenda items. Thank you for attending. Hope to see you next month. There may be a mixer in June instead of the general meeting. Different day, time, and venue. Stay tuned. Details to come soon.

See the entire collection of photos on our Facebook fan page: Facebook | Henderson Art Association

Friday, May 21, 2010

Paintings and Pizza



HAA Events Coordinator and artist member Sharon Menary is also an instructor, and this weekend she's organized an exhibition for her students at Giovanni's Pizza. A few months back Nevada Watercolor Society President Vina Curtis had a great show in the same location. This one looks to be equally successful. The work of Menary's students has been hanging since May 16th and will remain on display until June 15, 2010. There will be a reception this Sunday, May 23rd, from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm. Giovanni's is located in the shopping plaza on the southeast corner of Eastern and Warm Springs. View a map and get directions here: Giovanni's Pizzeria - Google Maps
Hope many of you can make it. Bring your appetites and a friend.

Sunday, May 16, 2010

This Week HAA Speaks Green.



Please join the HAA this Tuesday evening in welcoming Heather "GoingGreen Girl" Abel as the seventh speaker in our Guest Speaker Series. Heather is an ECO consultant and special events coordinator who will be speaking on the growing green movement here in the Las Vegas Valley and Henderson areas, and relating its benefits and implications to artists. She will cover recycling, up-cycling, artist material resources, artist material donations, the Green Gallery, First Friday, and other engaging and relevant topics. Attendees will design and build a sculpture using recycled materials as a demonstration of her recycled art projects currently being implemented with a youth audience as educational outreach. This is one you won't want to miss.

Tuesday, May 18th, 7:00-8:30 pm, at Findlay Toyota in Henderson. 7733 Eastgate Rd., Henderson, NV. Hope to see you there.

Friday, May 14, 2010

Henderson Artfest: Another Huge Creative Success!

These photos taken by HAA President Deb Mays at last Sunday's ArtFest do a wonderful job of highlighting the events of the day. Among winners of the chalk art competition, Vegas Artists Guild President Roberto Rico. See the full gallery of photos here: http://www.kodakgallery.com/debmays/artfest
(If you don't already have a Kodak Gallery account, you may be asked to create one. Free. Takes 30 seconds. Piece of cake.)





Monday, May 10, 2010

HAA May General Meeting One Week Away



Mark your calendars, please. Another great Henderson Art Association meeting is upon us. There will be music, food, art, familiar faces, and always a surprise or two. Details on the curtain raiser and guest speaker to come. Check back here soon. There are always a few stray easels lying around the room. Feel free to bring a piece of your latest work or two, so people can see it. Why not? Art is meant to be shared.

HAA general meetings are held the 3rd Tuesday of each month from 7:00 to 8:30 pm on the 2nd floor of Findlay Toyota, 7733 Eastgate Rd, Henderson, NV. There will be no meeting July, August, or December. There will be meetings all other months and if you're not there, rest assured, you're missing out.

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

HAA April General Meeting Revisited





Two weeks ago, an enthusiastic crowd gathered for another general meeting of the Henderson Art Association and the sixth speaker in our ongoing Guest Speaker Series. HAA President Deb Mays set the stage. Then HAA treasurer and artist member Shirley Jeane shared her work and the journey of several years it's taken her to master her painting style, which emulates results that might ordinarily be achieved digitally. It was a great walk through her process.

Caricaturist Popeye Wong then did a wonderful job of deconstructing his digital technique. Before ever taking to the computer and moving from mouse to Wacom tablet, Popeye mastered traditional airbrush art. His pieces are primarily erotica but he has an incredible gift for recreating just about any likeness. The attention to detail and number of steps from start to finish are a testament to his painstaking level of perfectionism. Above are just a few of the images from that evening. See more at our HAA Facebook fan page, linked here: Facebook | Henderson Art Association

May's HAA meeting will be held at the same time in the same place. Tuesday, May 18th from 7:00 to 8:30 pm at Findlay Toyota in Henderson. All HAA meetings take place there on the 3rd Tuesday of each month, unless otherwise specified. No meeting July, August, or December. There's music, food, refreshments, good company, and artistic enlightenment. The next one promises to be even better than the last. Feel free to bring friends. If you have interest in membership, volunteering, or being a guest speaker, contact us here: artistsinhenderson@yahoo.com

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Featured Artist On the Blog Today? Michael Ambrose



It's been a while since we've featured an artist on this site. Well, we're back at it. The tradition continues. HAA artist Michael Ambrose has been waiting a long time (very patiently, I might add) to have his work displayed here, but the wait is over. Above? A small sample of his paintings. Below? An accurately paraphrased version of his bio. Enjoy.

In 1989, Michael took a class in painting portraits in oils, in the UK. He was planning to spend the next few years sailing the world's oceans and had decided he needed a new project to take with him for the mental exercise it would provide.

While at sea, he did very little painting as he quickly discovered that sailing, provisioning, boat maintenance, and all the fun things to do in each new port left little time for anything else.

So it was not until he decided, in 2004, that he was getting too old to be roaming the world's oceans, sold his sailboat, and took up residence in Henderson, NV, that he began to paint in earnest.

He joined the Henderson Senior Center's Art Class, which meets every Monday for two and a half hours, and has continued painting there ever since, under the expert tutelage of Icel Mitkiff.

Later that year, he applied and was granted membership within the Henderson Art Association. He has remained a member and displayed work at various HAA exhibitions.

In 2006, Michael took a 2-week art course at the renowned art center in St. Ives, Cornwall, England at the advice of an artist relative. As a result, he has broadened the subject matter of his paintings, which were almost exclusively portraits. Now his body of work also includes street scenes, beach scenes, animals, and seascapes.