By Linda Michael
The life of an artist can be very lonely. Too many times, artists are working on their craft at home or in their studio without much communication with other fellow artists.
So, two years ago, a group of us, who are drawing enthusiasts and understand the drawbacks of this isolation, devised a plan to get together to both draw and socialize.
The biggest impediment to our plan was finding a place to meet. Gary Dyak, a member of Foothills Art Association, suggested that the Foothills gallery at Porter Hall might be available for the group to gather.
After getting the green light to meet at the gallery from the Foothills board of directors, the San Diego Drawing Guild was formed. Our mission statement is simple: the San Diego Drawing Guild was founded to provide a non-competitive and supportive environment in which artists of all levels can pursue their love of drawing, enhance their skills through the sharing of knowledge, and enjoy the companionship of other artists.
Although colored pencil is our primary medium, and most of the group members are color pencilists who are active members of the Colored Pencil Society of America, members are not limited to this medium. We have a core group of 10 to 12 people with others who pop in occasionally.
We have found Porter Hall to be a wonderful venue for our group. There is plenty of room to set up tables and the lighting is very good for drawing. The one comment I hear most from members in our group is how grateful they are to have a place to come and draw. If you would like to draw with a supportive group of like-minded artists, please join us.
The Foothills Art Association will host an artists’ reception on Saturday, June 8, 2-4 p.m. featuring the artwork of the San Diego Drawing Guild at the Foothills Gallery at Porter Hall, 4910 Memorial Drive, La Mesa. The artwork will be on display at the gallery June 7-July 3. The gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday 11 a.m.-4 p.m. For more information, call 619-464-7167.
— Linda Michael is editor of Footnotes, the newsletter of the Foothills Art Association.
