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Visual Arts Club
By Michael Gullickson
Joyce Hinds inside the Visual Arts Club’s studio at Sun City Texas. Hinds, a member of the club, is painting in acrylic a
scene of Big Bend National Park.
The Visual Arts Club became a char-
tered club in 1998 with just 20 Sun
City Texas artists. Today, there are
more than 250 artists who belong to the club.
Club members display their art in the
Atrium on Texas Drive, in the hallways
of the CA administration building and the
Cowan Creek Amenity Center. Most of the
art you see on display, besides being a joy
to view, is for sale.
The Visual Arts Club has a studio that
has room for 13 artists at a time. With
over 250 members, you can see expansion
of the club’s facilities is needed. Let’s give
our artists some elbow room.
Club members work in media that includes
oriental brush; oil; acrylic; pastels; water-
color; alcohol inks; encaustic (which uses
heated beeswax to which colored pigments
94 | SUNRAYS AUGUST 2015
are added); Zentangle (described online as
doodling and getting the Zen-like calming
benefits, thus the name); mixed media; col-
lage; colored pencils; and plein air (which
is art done outside using natural light,
similar to the style Monet used).
The club has four designated levels for
artists that are used only for purposes
of art competition so artists with similar
experience can compete against each other.
The competition levels are:
• Novice: artists with no more than three
years painting experience
• Intermediate: artists with three or more might have created artwork someone will
years experience, with two or more art
awards and two or more art sales.
• Advanced: artists with six or more
years experience who actively show
PHOTO BY PEGGIE EVANS
and sell their art
• Professional: artists who have three
or more of the qualifying criteria of
a bachelor’s degree in fine arts or a
related field; worked in the arts; reg-
ularly sells and markets their art;
has exhibited in art galleries; won
awards in art competition; taught art;
or maintains a website for personal
artwork.
Now some of you are probably doodling
right now. Do you know you are involved
in a Zentanglement? Why don’t you tod-
dle on over to the Visual Arts Club? You
pay for. You know that Alaska Cruise you
want to go on? It’s not going to pay for
itself. Dues are only $10 for membership.
The joy of creativity is included free!
ONLINE: SCTEXAS.ORG