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 Terri Hardin.Terri has been an artist and puppeteer for over 30 years working in films and television.  Her credits include, Ghostbusters, Indian in the Cupboard, both Flintstone films, both Men In Black Films, Monkeybone, The Country Bears and Team America.  She’s worked with the Jim Henson Company since 1989. Her work can also be seen as ensemble on Disney’s new Muppet Show.

She was in the Disney/Henson hit TV show Dinosaurs, where she played Baby Sinclair’s arms, and she designed and built the Foster Imposters at the Character Shop, for those funny Foster Farms Chicken Commercials.  She has played the passenger chicken in these commercials since the beginning.

Terri is also a sculptor.  She is well known for her collectible figurines she creates for the Walt Disney Company. When she was a Walt Disney Imagineer, she designed rides and attractions for many of the parks. In Paris Disneyland you can walk through Dragon’s Lair and in Tokyo Disneyland., you can ride the Splash Mountain boat with the rabbit she sculpted, and sail down the main drop she created.

Before she worked for Walt Disney Imagineering she sculpted creatures and animals for many films including Jungle 2 Jungle, the drugged cat Tim Allen hits with a blow dart, in Relic, the prehistoric Ground Sloth skeleton, and the dove of peace and the presidential parakeets in Mars Attacks.

She is currently working on her Memoir working title “Little Zebra.”  The story of a how she was able to rise above adversity, keep her sense of humor and positive attitude to rise to success in the entertainment industry.

Will you go home with Terri'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 Eric Scales. Eric Scales has been an illustrator for 15 years. An animation fan from a young age, Eric loves capturing moments from memorable cartoons. He has illustrated books for Dreamworks, Hasbro, and Scholastic Publishing and he recently completed a dozen paintings for Walt Disney Imagineering to be used at the upcoming Shanghai Disneyland Resort. Eric currently creates artwork and animation cels for the Disneyland Resort in California. This is his fourth year contributing to the Chuck Jones Center for Creativity's Red Dot Auction.

Will you go home with Eric'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.

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 Carolyn Le.Carolyn draws on the sunny California days, and her love of storytelling to create her watercolor paintings. She has twice received a first-place Illustration Award for her portfolio from the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Editor’s Day, have received a Merit Award from the Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles and have had her work shown in galleries in Los Angeles and London. The illustrations for her first picture book, Clarence and the Traveling Circus, received a Reader’s Choice Award for Illustration. Currently, Carolyn is writing and illustrating her own picture books and dreaming of ways to make her secret wish of having the power to fly come true. 

Will you go home with Carolyn'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.

"Use a Bigger Brush"-- A. Starr, Artist and Doctor of Neurology

"Chance favors the prepared mind," said Arnold Starr, artist and founder of UCI's neurology department, quoting Louis Pasteur. Last Friday, Craig Kausen, spent a few hours with A. Starr (that's how he signs his paintings) at his home in coastal south Orange County talking about many different topics including what is "it" that people are searching for?  "Their color" the response. As well as touching on the topics of creativity, arts education today, neurology, science, and discovery, We were fortunate to have video-taped the conversation and over the next few months hope to share snippets of that conversation with our readers. By the way, "use a bigger brush," was Starr's answer to "I don't paint often because I have to think too hard about it." Advice we're taking to heart. 

Photo by Stephen Russo. 

Music Vault Academy to Support Red Dot Auction with Musical Performance

Music Vault Academy of Laguna Niguel will support the Red Dot Auction 2016 preview night by providing a musical interlude and performance on Thursday, May 12th. It's a not-to-be-missed performance by young students utilizing and expanding their creativity through the musical arts.From beginning piano lessons to a state of the art recording studio, the Music Vault Academy has it all in one amazing place. Designed to provide an all-inclusive music education, the school’s programs start with services that include lessons for beginners and end with pairing students together to learn to play as a band or ensemble and create incredible music that can then be performed, recorded and promoted.

Lessons are customized to the needs of each individual student; and that includes the style of music that students want to play, be it classical, rock, jazz, country or pop.

Performing experience is greatly emphasized and students have many opportunities to sing at multiple student shows a year, held by the school, and other events held throughout Orange County.

The stage, sound-proofed rooms, recording studio and courses in Live Sound, DJ-ing and Music Production complement the extensive educational opportunities the school offers to current and future musicians.

DAFFY DUCK PAC RAISING FUNDS FOR PRESIDENTIAL RUN

DAFFY DUCK PAC RAISING FUNDS FOR PRESIDENTIAL RUNContributions support the Chuck Jones Center for Creativity

Orange County, CA, February 25, 2016: Renowned film legend Daffy Duck announced his intent to seek the office of President of the United States. Shouting at a crowd of three from the steps of the Chuck Jones Center for Creativity, candidate Duck hinted at his platform. “A vote for Daffy Duck is a vote for creativity and imagination, and I'm throwing my bill into the ring! Why not? It's been thrown everywhere else!”

Tying the announcement in with an early victory party on June 5, 2016, before the California Primary (Tuesday, June 7, 2016), the Chuck Jones Center in Orange County will host a “Daffy Duck for President” bumper sticker/campaign poster drawing party, with prizes and celebrations.  Supporters can cast their vote for Daffy at any time on the Center’s website, http://www.daffyforpresident.org.  “I’m the only candidate for the party, and if anybody knows about a party, it’s this duck!” he told the largely silent trio of passersby.

Mr. Duck’s reasons for entering the grueling 2016 political fray were clarified in a press release. “As candidates of both parties fall away, one candidate rises! A champion of the people who's not mainstream (but who knows his streams). He’s more stream-of-consciousness. He believes in mom, apple pie, and social insecurity. He's got brains, bluster, and pluck! He's a nihilistic socialist rogue insider with Tea Party Appeal.”

For every contribution of $100 to the Chuck Jones Center for Creativity’s “Daffy for President” PAC (Patently Angry Character), the contributor will receive a hardcover copy of Chuck Jones’s “Daffy Duck for President,” a “Daffy for President” campaign button, and a “Daffy for President 2016” bumper sticker. For contributions less than $100, a variety of other gifts are included. Visit http://www.daffyforpresident.org to donate today and for full details! All contributions benefit the educational and outreach programs of the Chuck Jones Center for Creativity, a 501(c)3 public charity located in Orange County, California. The Center brings creativity programs to underserved children and adults in Los Angeles, Orange Counties, and beyond.

“Daffy puts the ‘wag’ back in ‘bandwagon,’” the announcement said. “He puts the ‘otus’ back in POTUS. He puts the ‘ivity’ back in ‘creativity.’ He's not only a problem solver, but he's a problem creator! And if this world needs anything these days, it's more problems! Ladies and Gentlemen—we ask your support for the next leader of the Free (if not reasonably priced) World--Daffy Duck for President, 2016!”

Chuck Jones's “Daffy Duck for President” was a pet project of the four-time Academy Award-recipient and legendary animation pioneer, and was born of a desire to talk to kids about the process of passing a law as detailed in the U.S. Constitution. Using Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Jones's unique brand of humor, the book was his last published work.

Endorsements have poured in:

“Eh, what’s one more lunatic?” – Bugs Bunny, international film star

“Petty. Greedy. Jealous. And transparent! Daffy fits the bill.” –Foghorn Leghorn (R-Alabama)

“Who?” – Porky Pig, actor

“Are you serious? Start-a-runnin’, varmint!” - Yosemite Sam, diplomat.

About Daffy Duck:

Daffy Duck is an animated cartoon character created by the animation studio of Warner Bros. in the 1930s. Styled as an anthropomorphic black duck, the character has appeared in cartoon series such as Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies where he has usually been depicted as the screwball companion and occasional archrival of Bugs Bunny. Daffy starred in 133 shorts in animation’s Golden Age, making him the third most frequent character in the Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies cartoons, behind Bugs Bunny and Porky Pig.

Daffy was number 14 on TV Guide's list of top 50 best cartoon characters and was featured on one of the issue's four covers as Duck Dodgers with Porky Pig.

About the Chuck Jones Center for Creativity:

The Chuck Jones Center for Creativity is a 501(c)3 public charity located in Orange County, CA. Chuck Jones was a creative genius  who gave life to Road Runner, Wile E. Coyote & Bugs Bunny along with over 300 animated films.  The Center, which he founded in 1999, is an organization that fosters and teaches creative thinking—the thinking behind problem solving. It’s a proven fact that “creativity” is like a muscle in your brain that needs exercise in order to get and stay healthy. The stronger that muscle is, the better it works in engaging tasks and solving problems. The Center serves as a gymnasium for the brain. We work with disadvantaged youth, school systems without arts programs, people on the autism spectrum, the elderly (many of whom suffer from early onset dementia), and other groups, including corporate clients, who see the value of pumping up creativity in their ranks.

Support the Chuck Jones Center for Creativity. Exercise Your Genius!

Images are available upon request. Interviews available and are dependent upon the candidate’s prior engagements.

Read Across America Day and Chuck Jones Center for Creativity

It was "Read Across America" Day in honor of the birthday of Dr. Seuss and our very own Craig Kausen, Chuck Jones's grandson, read "Horton Hears a Who!"--a book that Chuck Jones and Dr. Seuss turned into a Peabody Award-winning half-hour television special in 1970--to students from Vista Verde Elementary School in Irvine. After the reading, everyone got busy drawing a "long-nosed, over-weight, kind-hearted" character.

Artini! A Lemon Twist on Palate and Palettes!

Artini! A lemon twist on our fabulous Palate & Palettes workshops! It's not all for kids, adults are creative, too! Ever wanted to paint on glass? Here's your chance. Paint, embellish, or re-purpose Martini glasses with assistance of our Center's teaching artist. Come with a sweetheart, loved one, neighbor or friends to enjoy a leisurely night of martinis and creativity. Our mixologist will be serving two very special martinis this evening*. Several restaurants at SoCo will be offering discounts and/or free courses with coupon available as you leave Artini! Make it a night to remember! Tickets are $35 per or $45 per couple, available by clicking here. *We suggest using Uber or Lyft for travel this evening.

Blackwing Becomes Sponsor for Red Dot Auction VI

The Center is pleased to announce that the Blackwing Foundation will be a sponsor of this year's Red Dot Auction. Their contribution will help defray the costs of canvases and shipping. Blackwing is a long time friend and supporter of the programs of the Center. The pencil is a universal tool and symbol of the education community around the world.  The wood-cased pencil is, in fact, the world’s most ubiquitous tool for handwritten communication and perhaps even the process of learning as a whole. Forbes Magazine named the pencil the fourth most important tool in the history of mankind. It’s amazing just how the gift of a simple pencil or two can spark learning in students in many communities throughout the world. Given the importance of the pencil to education, the importance of education to the advancement of society and the importance of the pencil as the basis of our company’s existence, CalCedar devotes all our philanthropic efforts to the advancement of education and the exploration of the unique role the pencil plays as an enabler of learning, communication, creative expression, economic development and more.

CalCedar’s  Pencils.com com website is not only a leading source of high-quality pencils, but also of educational content on the history, use of and manufacture of pencils.  Hundreds of thousands of teachers, students and enthusiast end users use Pencils.com every year. Learning resources including, “The Story of Pencils Lesson Plan Series” and numerous drawing and writing tutorials populate the website’s pages. The Studio 602 blog provides fresh and inspirational content that explores the many connections between pencils and learning, creative expression and entertainment.

CalCedar devotes a significant portion of Pencils.com revenues to selected organizations running worthy programs in education and the arts.  A full list of our partners can be seen here.

In 2012, CalCedar CEO Charles P. Berolzheimer III and his wife Ginger founded the Blackwing Foundation to further music and arts education at the K-12 level. Palomino proudly donates 2% of all Blackwing sales to the Blackwing Foundation at the end of each calendar year.

A Conversation Among Disney Imagineers--A New "Chuck Talk" at the Center

UCLA Alumni in partnership with Chuck Jones Center for Creativity present a new "Chuck Talk" with Disney Legend, Marty Sklar. 

There is a creative powerhouse behind the magic at The Walt Disney Company.They are artists, scientists, and engineers that push the boundaries of creativity, that harnesses the power of the imagination and craft it into a world for all to enjoy.They are the Disney Imagineers

"Disney Legend" Marty Sklar, (UCLA '56) introduces us to the team that turns dreams into reality at the "Happiest Place on Earth" and beyond. Learn what it takes to become an Imagineer and how UCLA plays a role in that journey.

Join us for a presentation on Sklar's new book, "One Little Spark! Mickey's Ten Commandments and the Road to Imagineering" followed by a question and answer session and book signing. Books will be sold on site by Barnes and Noble.

Monday, March 7 

7 to 9 PM, Check-in begins at 6:30 PM

Tickets $10 per and available by clicking here. 

Light refreshments served.

Children 10 years old and above admitted. 

Seating is limited, RSVP and ticket purchase a must.

Chuck Jones Center for Creativity

3321 Hyland Avenue, Suite A

Costa Mesa, CA 92626

949-660-7793 x 107

Craig Kausen, Chairman of the Center, Delivers Commencement Address at Art Institute of California--Orange County

Last fall, Craig Kausen, chairman of the Center and Chuck's grandson, was honored to be asked to deliver the commencement address at the Art Institute of California--Orange County to their graduating class in December. Working from the merest framework and extemporaneously, Craig touched on the following points that both encouraged the graduates and exemplified the life they could lead as they headed out into the world.

Key points were:

"What I learned with Chuck Jones as my grandfather." 

Keep on learning

Persevere

Learn to survive and thrive

He relayed the story of when Chuck was producing and directing "The White Seal" he realized that seals and humans have remarkable similar skeletal structures. So Chuck, one afternoon, tied Craig's and his brother Todd's arms to their sides, along with tieing their legs together and tossed them in the pool so he could draw them as if they were seals. You can watch a recreation of that moment on YouTube by clicking here. 

"Sometimes you may be intimidated by those around you."  Craig offered that you can potentially reframe your perspective and overcome this internal adversity. 

"How to be successful." 

I learned a different view of success from Chuck. Although one of most acclaimed animation film directors in history, he saw success as part of the jouney. Chuck said, "I can receive an Academy Award and I say 'Thank you,' but then I put it back on the shelf and think, "what's next?"

"Life is a contact sport."

The journey is not always easy, but how you see it is the key to moving forward.

And if ever there is a choice in two paths that seem equally likely to get you to where you want to be . . . take the one that is more fun.

Craig closed out his address with two words to live by every day of their lives: "ENJOY IT!" Because if you do, no matter the outcome, you'll always, always, always be a success.

There Are No Mistakes in Art!

Lessons in Doodling and Art-Making, a Creative Classroom Led by Children’s Book Author (Crankenstein), Writer, and Director (Nickelodeon), Samantha BergerCreative Classroom, a Chuck Jones Center for Creativity Free Event

How great would it be if you never made a mistake? Learn from the creative imagination of children’s book author, TV writer, and director Samantha Berger, that “in art, there are no mistakes” in this Chuck Jones Center-sponsored Creative Classroom. But even if you can’t make a mistake in art, that doesn’t mean discipline isn’t important. In this class, Samantha Berger will show you that creating something every day along with thoughtful doodling will lead you to new discoveries and ultimately to brilliance.

“There Are No Mistakes in Art” will take place on Sunday, January 24 from 2 to 4 PM at the Chuck Jones Center for Creativity, 3321 Hyland Ave., Suite A, Costa Mesa, CA. It is free and open to the public. Reservations are a must as seating is limited. RSVP to Programs@ChuckJonesCenter.org or by calling 949-660-7793 x 107.

About Samantha Berger

She has written picture books, Crankenstein!, illustrated by Dan Santat (Little, Brown, 2013), A Crankenstein Valentine (Little Brown, 2014), Witch Spa, illustrated by isabel Roxas (Dial, 2015) and Snoozefest, illustrated by Kristyna Litten (Dial, 2015).

She has also written picture books like Santa’s Reindeer Games, illustrated by John Manders (Cartwheel, 2011), Martha Doesn’t Share and Martha Doesn’t Say Sorry, illustrated by Bruce Whatley, (Little, Brown, 2009, 2010), which won a Parent’s Choice Award Honor.

Samantha has also written cartoons and promos for Nickelodeon and other networks along with comic books, commercials, movie trailers, theme songs, slogans, magazine articles, poems, TV-books, sticker books, and professional books. You name it, Sam writes it.

And when she ISN’T WRITING….She’s doing voice-overs, traveling the world, and helping rescue dogs.

About Creative Classrooms and the Chuck Jones Center for Creativity

Would you plant a garden, then not water it? At the free Creative Classrooms offered by the Chuck Jones Center for Creativity children and adults will have the opportunity to tend and nurture their creative garden. Recent scientific research has found that when you activate an area of the brain it works like a muscle; it gets bigger and functions more efficiently. And MRI studies have revealed that creative activity activates more brain areas than just about any other kind of activity. Like fertilizing and watering the plants in your garden, engaging in creative processes, whether artistic or scientific, allows your creativity to blossom and grow strong.

Author and illustrator of the enormously popular “Louise Loves Art”, Kelly Light, led the first Creative Classroom in February 2015. A fan and devotee of all things Chuck Jones, it was through a chance encounter with Jones in the late 1990s that led Light to really focus her energies on the work that made her most happy: writing and illustration. “In less than 10 minutes with Chuck Jones, he made me realize that creating was most important to me and that in order to be successful at it, I had to find a way to make it my life,” said Kelly Light.

“The Creative Classroom” workshops, currently scheduled one each quarter, offer children and adults alike, a safe and nurturing platform for exploring and exercising their creative muscles,” said Craig Kausen, chairman of the Center and Chuck Jones’s grandson. “We are at a critical turning point in our economy, from a manufacturing to a service economy and what business leaders are looking for in new hires is the ability to think creatively. One in six new jobs being created in California today is in the creative industries.”

The goal of the Creative Classroom workshops offered by the Chuck Jones Center is to encourage students to find within themselves a world where the laws of gravity don’t apply; a world where the space-time continuum can be altered; a world where they’re in control to break the rules. Imagine then, applying that kind of creative thinking to everyday life. How would they solve the problem if they weren’t constrained by rules, expectations, and assumptions that are imposed on us and we impose on ourselves? 

Besides children’s book author and illustrator, Kelly Light, other Creative Classroom leaders have been award-winning actor and children’s book illustrator, Richard Kinsey; and creator of the syndicated daily comic, “Rubes”, Leigh Rubin. After Samantha Berger, the next Creative Classroom will be led by Melissa Northway in April 2016, author of the “Penelope the Purple Pirate” series of children’s books.

The Chuck Jones Center for Creativity is a 501(c)3 public charity located at 3321 Hyland Avenue, Suite A, Costa Mesa, CA 92626 in the hip new meeting place for unique shopping and fine dining, South Coast Collection (SoCo). For more information on these and other programs offered by the Chuck Jones Center for Creativity, visit ChuckJonesCenter.org.

Come join us at Drop In and Draw this Saturday, 12/12!

Come join us for Drop in and Draw, this Saturday, December 12th from 9:30AM-12:30PM for drawing, animating, and crafting fun!

Master Class--How to Draw the Grinch

On Monday, November 16, Chuck Jones Center for Creativity teaching artists, Denise Dion-Scoyni and Laura Black, headed up a series of "Master Art Classes" at Sowers Middle School in Huntington Beach. The Center worked with the HBCUSD to bring these programs to over 550 students that day, and more to come in the months ahead. The classes will be offered to all elementary and middle school students in the HBCUSD. It is no small task to lead classes that large and through seven periods, but the Center's teaching artists were assisted by our capable and talented program assistant, Olivia Otsuki, and all of the classes went smoothly. "I found Sowers to be a wonderful school: passionate teachers, receptive and respectful students and a terrific campus," said Denise. "The seven hours seemed to have passed in the blink of an eye. We saw great results and termendous satisfaction from students leaving with their Grinch compositions."

Laura Black spent time discussing career options in the arts with students as "tying lessons to career paths is part of the common core education focussed on by the HBCUSD and I found the students and teachers receptive and interested in careers in the arts as well as in animation."

The Chuck Jones Center for Creativity is thrilled to be able to bring the creative philosophies and genius of Chuck Jones to students and educators throughout Orange County -- and beyond. Call our Program Director, Sasha Advani, for more information about how to bring "Master Art Classes" offered by the Center to your school today at 949-660-7793 x 107 or by writing Programs@ChuckJonesCenter.org.

Grinch character, name, and all related indicia are trademarks of the 1984 Ted Geisel Trust and Turner Entertainment Inc. © 2015.

A Twisted Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Waste

Chuck Jones Center for Creativity Presents a Creative Classroom Led byLeigh Rubin, Author & Illustrator of the Syndicated Comic Strip, Rubes®

Sunday, November 15 from 2 to 4 PM

A Musical Performance by Andrew Rubin Will Close the Workshop

Costa Mesa, Ca: Need more humor in your life? The world is a serious place and let’s face it, we all need to lighten up. There really is humor in almost any situation, but how do we find it? All it takes is a bit of mental twist to look at your world in a funny way. Discover the humor in your own life by mentally stepping out of your normal routine and into your very own twistedly absurd and funny world! This illustrated lecture and workshop is a comic adventure inside the ridiculously twisted mind of Leigh Rubin, Rubes® cartoonist and “sit down” comic. This afternoon presentation is free and open to the public and is recommended for ages 10 and above. At the end of the lecture, Leigh’s talented musician son, Andrew, will perform for approximately one-half hour.

Leigh Rubin began his cartooning career in 1978 by establishing his own greeting card company, Rubes® Publications. His first cartoon collection, the popular Notable Quotes musical cartoons was published in 1981. Originally self-syndicated, 2014 marked the 30th anniversary of his daily cartoon, Rubes®, which is now distributed by Creators Syndicate to more than 400 newspapers and media outlets worldwide. Rubes® appears in major daily metropolitan newspapers, such as the Los Angeles Daily News, the Vancouver Sun, the Oregonian, the Staten Island Advance, the Washington Times, the Sacramento Bee, the Houston Chronicle, and the Orange County Register. Rubin recently launched a new website, WhyGrowUp.Club, celebrating life’s simple pleasures.

The Chuck Jones Center for Creativity’s Creative Classroom began with a workshop led by children’s author and illustrator, Kelly Light, in February 2015 and is a quarterly free-to-the-public workshop presented by the Center. Award-winning actor and illustrator, Richard Kinsey delighted the summer crowd with his innovative take on storytelling. The Center is pleased to present “A Twisted Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Waste”, led by the funny and charming, Leigh Rubin, as part of this ongoing series.

Andrew Rubin, of California's Central Coast, has been cultivating his passion for music since he was thirteen years old. He is best known as the lead guitarist of the rock trio, The Spaces Between, and has a background of various musical projects involving Pop, Jazz, Funk, and more. In more recent times, Andrew discovered a new-found love for classical music and, with support from peers and mentors, has taken up composition. Now 20, he is currently working on his third classical piece, and aims to continue with great vigor the writing and performance that brings him so much joy, as well as further exploration and progress in all branches of his musical career. The Center is pleased to present Andrew Rubin in a short concert appearance after his father’s workshop.

The Leigh Rubin Creative Classroom is on Sunday, November 15, 2015 from 2 to 4 PM. It is free and open to the public. RSVP is required. Please contact Programs@ChuckJonesCenter.org or call 949-660-7793 x 107 to reserve your seat.

Path of Pilgrimage, An Exhibition of Paintings by Joshua Smith

THE PATH OF PILGRIMAGENew Works by Joshua Smith

An Inspire Exhibition at the Chuck Jones Center for Creativity

Opens October 13th

Costa Mesa, CA, September 1, 2015: Artists are often asked where their inspiration comes from; when Orange County artist, Joshua Smith, is asked that question he is quick to respond that he relies on his dreams and his faith for inspiration. Working in a vortex of color and often on over twenty varying sizes of canvas at a time, Smith, not unlike the dreams he credits with inspiring his work, paints in a fever of remembrance, memory, mysticism, and metaphor.  

“I take my visual clues from architecture and from religion, allowing my paintings to be a reflection of art and of my faith,” says Smith, “and like a small child, I fanaticize my surroundings, the sky’s the limit.” A technically proficient oil painter, Smith, with his Masters in fine art from Hartford Art School at the University of Hartford, Connecticut, approaches his work like a metaphysical journey through some unknown reality; he believes in the omnipotence of the dream, the fantasy.

With his emphasis on landscape, his colors lay one on top of the other in a powdery mist of memory; chairs, paths, trees, butterflies, nests, and small home-like structures stand in lonely isolation, but still he imbues each canvas with the emotion of hope and of home. The paintings’ dense, fragile surfaces and areas of multi-chromatic richness recall ancient wall frescos. 

“The Center is thrilled to present this Inspire Exhibition of work by the artist, Joshua Smith,” says Craig Kausen, chairman of the board and Chuck Jones’s grandson. “His work, like that of other great artists, inspires each of us to view our world a little differently, with faith and hope; and, perhaps, to question our responsibility to the world around us.”

Opening night reception for the artist is Tuesday, October 13 from 7 to 9 PM at the Chuck Jones Center for Creativity, 3321 Hyland Ave., Suite A, in Costa Mesa at the South Coast Collection (SoCo). The reception is free and open to the public. The exhibit will close on November 30. A portion of proceeds benefit the programs of the Center, a 501(c)3 public charity.

A graduate of the Hartford Art School, University of Hartford (Connecticut) with a Masters in painting, Smith received his undergraduate degree at the Laguna College of Art & Design.  He has participated in over 30 group exhibitions and more than 25 solo exhibitions in the past 10 years. Awarded the prestigious Best New SOLO Artist at the New York International Art Expo in 2007, Smith recently exhibited at the Carousel du Louvre with the Socièté Nationale des Beaux. He has been involved in numerous projects with The Guildford Handcraft Center, taught as adjunct professor at the Hartford Art School and has been exhibition curator at the Nathan J Gallery, Farmington, Ct. Currently, he lives in Orange County with his wife and two children.

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.

Can Your Family Come Out & Play? Play It Forward, a Fundraiser for Creativity

CAN YOUR FAMILY COME OUT AND PLAY?Play It Forward, a Fundraiser for Creativity Features Scriptwriting, Cartoon-drawing, Music-playing Family Fun                                                                                             at Chuck Jones Center for Creativity October 4

Costa Mesa, CA, September 04, 2015: “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 take place on Sunday, October 4 from 1-4pm and will benefit the programs of the Chuck Jones Center for Creativity, a 501(c)3 public charity.

“Everyone remembers knocking on your best friend’s door and asking, ‘can Johnny come out and play?” said Craig Kausen, Chairman of the Board and grandson of Chuck Jones. “That’s exactly what Play It Forward is for—having fun and playing, while paying it forward.”

A carnival atmosphere 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, guitar-playing, face-painting, lyric-writing, toy-making, animation light-table drawing, and a Foley station where you’ll be able to lay down a sound track for a short student-produced animated cartoon.

AND! You’ll be able to collaborate on your very own stop-motion animated short cartoon. You’ll storyboard your idea with the help of the Center’s teaching artists, and then film the action against a giant background using masks of some of Chuck Jones’s favorite characters like Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Wile E. Coyote, Road Runner, and Pepé le Pew with his paramour, Penelope the cat.

Play It Forward, a Fundraiser for Creativity, will be open from 1 to 4 PM on Sunday, October 4 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 carnival food such as popcorn, cotton candy, hot pretzels, and soft drinks. Plus there will be food stations manned by award-winning chefs where you’ll learn to make sweets and savories, and then eat them! Learn to think creatively, support others to do the same in the future through this fundraiser, and have fun all at the same time!Tickets available at PIF4Creativity.org.

Chuck Jones Center for Creativity was founded in 1999 by the four-time Academy Award-recipient and legendary animation pioneer and creator, Chuck Jones. Its vision is a world where creativity is known and experienced in every discipline, by the many, not just the few. It is our mission to inspire the innate creativity that resides in all of us, but particularly in children, through the philosophies and genius of Chuck Jones. The Center is located at South Coast Collection (SoCo) in Costa Mesa, convenient to the 405 at Harbor Blvd.

Bugs at the Symphony

This weekend the Chuck Jones Center for Creativity is going to be at the Hollywood Bowl with Bugs Bunny at the Symphony! See this very special 25th anniversary tour of the classic cartoons synchronized with a live orchestra. Some cartoons include "Long-Haired Hare" and "What's Opera Doc," and some more of your personal favorites.  

For more information about the tour, click here. 

Purchase tickets here

Hope to enjoy some toons and tunes with you there!