"The funnest Sunday afternoon you'll have all year! Five Carrot rating!" --Bugs Bunny

CAN YOUR FAMILY COME OUT AND PLAY?Play It Forward, a “Spook”tacular FUNdraiser for Creativity

Benefitting the Chuck Jones Center for Creativity

Costa Mesa, CA: “It looks like you’re having fun,” was one of the highest compliments given by famed artist, author, and educator, Don Graham, to his students when the work they were doing showed promise. Having fun is an important part of creative endeavors at the Chuck Jones Center for Creativity. “Play It Forward, a FUNdraiser for Creativity—will benefit the programs of the Chuck Jones Center for Creativity, a 501(c)3 public charity,” says Craig Kausen, Chairman of the Board and grandson of Chuck Jones, “everyone remembers knocking on your best friend’s door and asking, ‘can Johnny come out and play’. That’s exactly what Play It Forward is for, having fun and playing, while paying it forward.”

A carnival atmosphere focused on Halloween will pervade this family-friendly event where you and your children will be able to participate in creativity stations throughout the 6000 square foot Center. There will be mask-making, trick or treat bag and faux pumpkin decorating, “Day-of-the-Dead” skeleton head decorating, wire art, lyric-writing, toy-making, animation light-table drawing, and a stop-motion animation station where you’ll be able to make your own cartoon using some of Chuck Jones’s favorite characters like Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Wile E. Coyote, and the Road Runner.  

Play It Forward, a FUNdraiser for Creativity, will be open from 1 to 4 PM on Sunday, October 22 at the Chuck Jones Center for Creativity, 3321 Hyland Ave., Suite A & B, Costa Mesa, Ca. Tickets are $50 per family, regardless of the number of members, and will include a “Mix-Your-Soft-Drink bar, Popcorn, and a Decorate Your Own Brownie station. Plus, there’ll be live music provided by Music Vault Academy! Tickets available at PIF4Creativity.org.

Which Artist's Work Will You Go Home with at the Red Dot Auction?

With just two days left before the Red Dot Auction, we wanted to share with you the stories of the artists who have donated art work (or in some cases, more than one) to this year’s Red Dot Auction. This fundraiser, now in its sixth year, benefits the programs of the Chuck Jones Center for Creativity. Today we feature artist Melissa Phillips. Melissa Mae Phillips (a.k.a., The Cheeky Whale) has been painting, illustrating and designing for nearly 20 years.  She currently lives in Utah with her husband and 2 children. She can be reached via her website wwww.thecheekywhale.com or on all social media: @thecheekywhale.

Will you go home with Melissa's donation to this year's Red Dot Auction? (It's beautiful, sweet, and funny BTW.)  Ticket’s available at ChuckJonesCenter.org/RedDot. Pre-bidding is now available at Heritage Auctions, click here to place your bids

Which Artist's Work Will You Go Home with at the Red Dot Auction?

With just a week left before the Red Dot Auction, we wanted to share with you the stories of the artists who have donated art work (or in some cases, more than one) to this year’s Red Dot Auction. This fundraiser, now in its sixth year, benefits the programs of the Chuck Jones Center for Creativity. Today we feature artist Naylene Justis.Naylene Justis has been fascinated by drawing since she was able to hold a crayon. She has been equally fascinated with silliness, and so cartoons have been a lifelong passion. She studied animation at Cal State Fullerton where she graduated in 2012. She currently works as a caricature artist at Downtown Disney turning real people into cartoon drawings. When she isn’t drawing cartoons or devouring mammoth novels she can often be found volunteering at the Chuck Jones Center.

Will you go home with Naylene's donation to this year's Red Dot Auction? Ticket’s available at ChuckJonesCenter.org/RedDot. Pre-bidding is now available at Heritage Auctions, click here to place your bids

Which Artist's Work Will You Go Home with at the Red Dot Auction?

With just a week left before the Red Dot Auction, we wanted to share with you the stories of the artists who have donated art work (or in some cases, more than one) to this year’s Red Dot Auction. This fundraiser, now in its sixth year, benefits the programs of the Chuck Jones Center for Creativity. Today we feature artist Jimm Nawrocki.My current work is mixed media collage with a facial or figurative imagery focus. 

I generally start out with an image that I have manipulated with the computer and print out this image on my ink jet printer.  I then take that image, make different versions of it through additional manipulations, and cut and paste parts of these versions onto the original image to create a new image.  I will also add different elements, tape, googly eyes, stickers, news print, wire mesh, cardboard or whatever, to the image to change it even more.

I don’t know that I have a specific goal or end result in mind when I go through this building process.  I am very much drawn to making the image into something else, pushing it into a different direction, and just seeing what happens.  I want my creation to have a certain ambiguity or uncertainty.  My art should express a range of ideas and give the viewer something to think about.

This is Jimm's sixth year contributing a work to the Red Dot Auction; will you go home with it? Ticket’s available at ChuckJonesCenter.org/RedDot. Pre-bidding is now available at Heritage Auctions, click here to place your bids 

Which Artist's Work Will You Go Home with at the Red Dot Auction?

With less than two weeks until the Red Dot Auction, we wanted to share with you the stories of the artists who have donated art work (or in some cases, more than one) to this year’s Red Dot Auction. This fundraiser, now in its sixth year, benefits the programs of the Chuck Jones Center for Creativity. Today we feature artist Jeffrey Speiser.Jeff Speiser’s talent for art was recognized at an early age. His kindergarten report card noted that he was the “best male artist in the class.” (Thanks to his mom for holding onto his report cards for all these years). Jeff attended Cornell University where he majored in Film and Animation. During and after college, Jeff worked as an assistant animator and layout artist for Sesame Street, Reading Rainbow, MTV Animation and on the Academy Award-nominated short, The Chicken from Outer Space. Today, Jeff continues to work in design and marketing where he has completed projects for brands like Disney, The Walking Dead, Marvel Comics, the NBA, the NFL and more. Jeff lives in Celebration, FL with his wife Julie, son Connor and daughter Willow.

Will you go home with Jeffrey’s work at this year’s Red Dot Auction? Be there to find out. Ticket’s available at ChuckJonesCenter.org/RedDot. Pre-bidding is now available at Heritage Auctions, click here to place your bids.

Which Artist's Work Will You Go Home with at the Red Dot Auction?

With less than three weeks until the Red Dot Auction, we wanted to share with you the stories of the artists who have donated art work (or in some cases, more than one) to this year's Red Dot Auction. This fundraiser, now in its sixth year, benefits the programs of the Chuck Jones Center for Creativity. Today we feature artist Michael Falk.Michael Falk is a retired Navy Chief Petty Officer and Iraq War veteran who in 2012 decided to become a storyteller through the medium of cartoons and animation. He holds a BFA in Media Arts & Animation from the Art Institute of Jacksonville and currently works in the Digital Production Department of DC Comics Entertainment, where he animates the digital front list covers for MAD Magazine and helps to create digital comic books for various platforms. Michael also works part time as a painting instructor for Paint Nite and an animation teacher for Valley Torah High School.

Will you go home with Michael's work at this year's Red Dot Auction? Be there to find out. Ticket's available at ChuckJonesCenter.org/RedDot. Pre-bidding is now available at Heritage Auctions, click here to place your bids.

Calling All Artists! The 4th Annual Red Dot Auction to Benefit the Chuck Jones Center Needs You!

Dear Artists and Friends of the Chuck Jones Center for Creativity,Preparations are underway for the Fourth Annual Red Dot Auction benefiting the Chuck Jones Center for Creativity, coming in May. As you are aware, the arts and creativity in our schools and in our national conversation are always the first things to be eliminated or casually dismissed as unimportant.

In fact, it is creativity that opens the minds and hearts of all who allow it to; it brings greater freedom to their lives. It enhances one’s ability to solve problems and it opens minds to the differences that make each of us unique, erasing prejudices and bigotry. Creativity makes the world a better place.

Today I’m writing to ask you to donate a work of art to this year’s Red Dot Auction, to be held on Friday, May 9th from 7 to 10 PM at the Center in Costa Mesa, California.  Again this year the canvas is 12” square and as last year, we ask that you sign the artwork on the reverse.  You may prefer to work on paper or another substrate and that’s fine as long as we can mount it to the 12” square canvas for presentation the night of the event.

For those of you who may be unaware of the Red Dot Auction and how it works (or may have forgotten), here are the details: each artist contributes a work of art that is either painted on the canvas we provide you or creates a work of art that can be mounted to the canvas for display the evening of the auction.  The artwork should be signed on the reverse so that bidders at this silent auction will not know who has created which painting—although savvy collectors may be aware of your particular style and will jealously guard their bids, hoping to land a work by ______ or ____ ______.

You might ask, “What should I paint?” Chuck’s life spanned most of the 20th century and with such a wealth of inspiration why not the life and times of Chuck Jones? That should not limit you to cartoon-related imagery, although many of the most sought after works at last year’s event were inspired by his Looney Tunes creations; you might be inspired by his love of reading, his enjoyment of painting “en plein air” or the fact that he liked to square dance.

Whatever you choose to do, of course, is up to you; it is your participation that is most important to us.

Won’t you share your gifts with us and with the Center’s members and patrons?  If you will, please drop me a note at rpatrick@lje.com with your mailing address and I’ll get a canvas out to you or drop by the Center to pick up a canvas.

What’s that you say?  You’d like to contribute two works?  No problem!  Just let me know and I’ll send you two canvases.  Have an artist friend who would like to be a part of this exciting project?  Please send them my way.  Canvases are due back here no later than April 19th.

Thank you in advance for your generosity, time, and commitment to re-invigorating the creative spirit in all of us.

All the best, Robert

Robert Patrick, Director of Marketing

Call for Artists to Participate in the 3rd Annual Red Dot Auction

Dear Artists and Friends of the Chuck Jones Center for Creativity, Preparations are underway for the Third Annual Red Dot Auction benefiting the Chuck Jones Center for Creativity scheduled for May 11, 2013. As you are aware, creativity in our schools and in our national conversation is always the first thing to be eliminated or casually dismissed as unimportant. In fact, it is creativity that opens the minds and hearts of all who allow it to, it brings greater freedom to their lives. It enhances one's ability to solve problems and it opens minds to the differences that make each of us unique, erasing prejudices and bigotry. Creativity makes the world a better place.

Today I’m writing to ask you to donate a work of art to this year’s Red Dot Auction, to be held on Saturday, May 11th from 6 to 9 PM at the Center in Costa Mesa, California.  Again this year the canvas is 12” square and as last year, we ask that you sign the artwork on the reverse.  You may prefer to work on paper or another substrate and that’s fine as long as we can mount it to the 12” square canvas for presentation the night of the event. 

For those of you who may be unaware of the Red Dot Auction and how it works (or may have forgotten), here are the details: each artist contributes a work of art that is either painted on the canvas we provide you or creates a work of art that can be mounted to the canvas for display the evening of the auction.  The artwork should be signed on the reverse so that bidders at this silent auction will not know who has created which painting—although savvy collectors may be aware of your particular style and will jealously guard their bids, hoping to land a work by ______ or ____ ______.  

We are still in the midst of the Chuck Jones Centennial year and we'd like to carry over the suggested theme from last year from which to draw your inspiration: the life and times of Chuck Jones. That should not limit you to cartoon-related imagery, although many of the most sought after works at last year’s event were inspired by his Looney Tunes creations; you might be inspired by his love of travel, his admiration for the work of Mark Twain or the fact that he never had one cavity his entire life (true!) 

Whatever you choose to do, of course, is up to you; it is your participation that is most important to us. 

Won't you share your gifts with us and with the Center's members and patrons?  If you will, please drop me a note with your mailing address and I’ll get a canvas out to you.  What’s that you say?  You’d like to contribute two works?  No problem!  Just let me know and I’ll send you two canvases.  Have an artist friend who would like to be a part of this exciting project?  Please send them my way.  Canvases are due back here no later than April 19th. Write to me at rpatrick@chuckjonescenter.org. 

Thank you in advance for your generosity, time, and commitment to re-invigorating the creative spirit in all of us.  

All the best, Robert

Mike Peraza Talks About the Red Dot Auction

We can't show you artist Mike Peraza's donation to the Red Dot Auction, the spring fund-raiser for the Center, but we can tease you with what he wrote in his blog a few weeks ago. Click here to read the article.