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 June Valentine-Ruppe. June was born and raised in California where she continues to pursue her love of drawing, illustrating and painting. For over 20 years she has illustrated more than 120 collectable children's books for Publishers such as Disney, Random House, Scholastic, Golden Books, Lyrick and Publishers International. In these books, June illustrated licensed Characters including: Sesame Street Characters; Disney Characters, such as the Fab Five, Little Mermaid and Winnie The Pooh; Lamb Chop and Friends; and Barney the Dinosaur, among many others. But, according to June, “ my real love has always been painting on canvas, which gives me the freedom to create my own original art work. I love bringing interesting characters to life”.

Will you go home with June’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 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 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 Krissta Passanante.Many Items and scenes from my childhood still inspire and influence me to this day. As the daughter of a successful Hollywood set builder, I have always had an infatuation with old-fashioned theaters and props. Folklore and fairytales also instigate most of my work. Taking inspiration from my hometown in Utah, life and nature often collide in my paintings. I have always believed that my art should portray that which can only be imagined. As a result, my paintings and illustrations often materialize scenes that draw in surrealistic or dream-like qualities. I want the viewer to be able to think about the work and observe it as if they were the painter themselves. I hope they can imagine themselves in the fantasy world I have created.

Will you go home with Krissta’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.

P.I.G. for P.I.F. a Smash!

Creativity is our last name! The Chuck Jones Center for Creativity's Council of community ambassadors, charged with fundraising for the Center throughout the year, organized P.I.G. for P.I.F. (Painting, Imbibing, Gifting for Play It Forward) to bring in silent auction items for the fall fundraiser, Play It Forward. A spin-off of the Center's program, Palate & Palettes, PIG for PIF participants provided bottles of wine to share along with a 'gift' to be used as a silent auction item at the October 4th, Play It Forward. Painting, imbibing, and gifting ensued! Thanks to council members Lisa Bolen and Linda Krall for organizing this fun and successful event! Join us on Sunday, October 4th, from 1 to 4 PM for this family friendly afternoon of creative pursuits! There'll be mask-decorating, toy-making, animation drawing, murals to color, learn to make balloon animals, to paint faces, and to make your own cartoon! Tickets are just $50 per family and $25 for single individuals. More details and register at PIF4Creativity.org.  

All photos by Stephen Russo.

The Eyes Have It! Great Paintings from Famous Artists at the Red Dot Auction!

Guess what Academy Award-winning animator has contributed a painting -- anonymously, of course -- to this year's Red Dot Auction?  Watch this space for an announcement regarding Red Dot Auction pre-bidding opportunities with Heritage Auctions!  

Another Success with Palates and Palettes!

On Thursday, the Chuck Jones Center for Creativity hosted their second class of their painting and wine series, “Palates and Palettes.” This class was called “Sangria and Sceneries,” and the participants focused on paintings of landscapes.

When the guests arrived, they all relaxed and enjoyed some wine, cheese, and other bite-sized treats to go along with their painting lesson. They were each provided with a 16"x20" canvas, a palette, paintbrushes, and acrylic paints.

The teacher, Chris Scardino, began the class by showing the participants a few tips and pointers. He started with a photograph of a Laguna Beach cliffside, and showed everyone how to make the sunset and waves come alive.

Some people brought in photographs they had picked out themselves, and some chose from the photographs the center had handy. People painted sceneries from famous paintings like Van Goh’s Starry Night, or Monet’s Impression, Sunrise, and some altered photographs of boat docks or prairies, etc.  Each person was given an easy place to start, and got to use their own flair of creativity to make their painting their own.

By the end of the night, participants got to share their own glimpse of the world with fellow classmates, and take their own masterpiece home.

Sangria and Sceneries - Thursday, March 13 at 7pm!

Join us for Sangria and Sceneries, the next class in our Palate and Palettes series!

SANGRIA AND SCENERIES on Thursday, March 13 at 7pm

Learn to paint a landscape using the colors of the rainbow. When you complete your masterpiece, you'll have a canvas with the perfect view!

Thursday, March 13

7:00pm to 9:00pm

You bring your wine and snacks, and we provide the materials and canvas!

Where: Chuck Jones Center for Creativity, 3321 Hyland Ave, Ste A, Costa Mesa, CA 92626

Fees:

1 Artist=$30.00

2 Artists=$40.00

Register today! Click here!

Questions: Sasha Advani, (949) 660-7793 x20107 or Sasha@ChuckJonesCenter.org

Our first Pinot and Picasso was a sucess!

On Thursday night (February 6, 2014), people from all around Orange County got together at the Chuck Jones Center for Creativity to participate in the Center’s first-ever Pinot and Picasso.We were joined by groups of all kinds – families, couples, mothers with their daughters, and friends out for a night of fun. There were people from all skill levels – from those who haven’t picked up a brush since elementary school, to those who have missed the familiar feel of a paintbrush in their hand.

When the guests arrived, they all enjoyed wine, cheese, and other bite-sized treats to go along with their painting lesson. They were provided with a 16x10 canvas, a palette, paintbrushes, and paints, and each sat across from their partner.

The class was led by Chris Scardino, and he taught everyone how to paint basic dimensions of a human face and head. His class was loosely themed around various eras of Picasso style portraits, and everyone released their inner Picasso. They filled up their palettes with paints, and got creative with different ways to capture the personality and quirks of their partner.

Some of our guests stated that they enjoyed, “Expressing oneself. The lesson was useful. I played with colors…. and its fun to see how you see each other.” Her partner smiled and responded, “It’s a big challenge to paint something as beautiful as her.” 

A family stated, “It was good family time. I'm with my wife and kids and a student who is living with us, so it was a very enjoyable evening for us. Very relaxing. I haven't done this for 30 or 40 years and she used to do a lot of art. I'm glad I got to paint her and share a bottle of wine.”

“You just relax and drink and paint a theme like Picasso – which I’ve never done before. It’s fun and forgiving because you can kind of do anything and it doesn’t have to be accurate. Everything is set up – no stress! You come, you open a bottle of wine, and you take home your masterpiece, and hang it up on the wall.”

Actor Butch Patrick Visits the Chuck Jones Center for Creativity

Butch Patrick, perhaps best known for his role as Eddie Munster in the hit TV series (1964-66) "The Munsters" also starred in Chuck Jones's feature film, "The Phantom Tollbooth" as Milo, the young boy bored with everything, stopped by the Chuck Jones Center for Creativity yesterday to meet with Chuck's grandson, Craig Kausen and to pick-up his original Chuck Jones drawing that had been reframed for him. While there, Butch agreed to create a canvas for the Red Dot Auction, scheduled for May 11 at the Center. Photo by Stephen Russo

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.