ART Diego! 2018 April 12-17 San Diego, CA

[jazzie]

ART Diego! 2018
April 12-17



It was so much fun the first time,
We're doing it again...


We'll have a traditional Thursday start,
but this time there's a twist ~
the ART Room @ Homewood Suites
has been booked for FRI-SAT-SUN-MON!
Come for all four days OR
make your own three-day getaway
on either side of the weekend


We have a small block of rooms reserved [at a dicounted rate until 3/08/18]
@ HOMEWOOD SUITES, LIBERTY STATION
Rates range from $179 - $249/night
depending on what size suite you get
with breakfast included every day,
dinner included if you stay Thursday or Monday nights.
The price per suite goes down if you share with others
and/or use Hilton Honors Reward Points
but there are other choices in the neighborhood to suit all budgets.
[PM me for Registration Info]

Registration is $125 which pays for the ART room & incidentals
(like things TSA won't let you bring on the plane) and snackage.


If you plan to stay at Homewood Suites, sign up for Hilton Honors Reward Points. This is a good overview of how it works. I lost my points to inactivity, but made a stink and got them back. I can't guarantee this will work for everyone, but something you need to be aware of if you were planning to use accrued points to pay for all or part of your suite during ART Diego! It's my understanding that you can mix money and points to pay for the suites and that you can keep your account active by "transferring" points. So, you should be able to transfer points to[ a roomie to help pay for the room, and any friends or loved ones should be able to "transfer" their points to you if they don't think they'll use them within a year. Something worth looking into if you know anyone else in this program.




My access to a computer is limited, so the current thread for ART Diego! will probably not be as tricked out as last time, but I'm looking into ways make it work. I will be able to update and answer questions via my phone, but that has limits to the fancy things I can do to the thread.

In the meantime,
If you'd like to get an idea what we did last time check out this thread ART Diego! 2016

################################################## #######################




Registered ARTISTAS.

jazzie aka Jackie
RebeccaG aka Becky
pschafe1 aka Pat
pat's sis aka Mary Ann
mlydon aka Michelle
dina54 aka The Dina
franchez619 aka Francisco
################################################## #######################



For those that don't know, ART Diego! is modeled after ARTzona when Trina(HotMamaRama) decided after four years of hosting, to take a break. ARTzona tweaked a few things each year and I'm trying to do the same.

################################################## #######################

One thing that seemed to work out well for
most attendees, is a Thursday start. Most folks come in
on Thursday - do a little sightseeing if they arrive during the day,
check-in to the hotel, freshen up or take a catnap, and then join up
with the other attendees for a meet and greet.

################################################## #######################






Our hotel [Homewood Suites @ Liberty Station] has a reception on Thursday nights as part of your room price. It's beer & wine and light fare/small plates type of a thing and the menu changes weekly. We won't know what we're in for until we get closer to the event. If it's really light fare on our Thursday, we will back it up with something hearty.

################################################## #######################

We also won't know where we're
hanging out until closer to the event date,
it could be in The Lodge where meals are served,
or out on the patio if the weather is nice,
or in the Art Room as they allowed us last time
(because the hotel was completely booked during our weekend).

################################################## #######################





Whatever configuration the happy hour/dinner takes on, what usually happens is catching up with everyone and getting to know the newcomers. Many people make things for everyone (think Valentines when you were in grade school) or some make special items for special people, and it's a great time to pass those things out. Pass out Signature Cards - if you have run out, maybe it's time to update your bio - if you don't have time, and have a some left, just bring a few for the newcomers (they won't know they're old). Also, since we don't officially have the art room until Friday and can't make our messes until then, it's a great time to bring the items you have ready for trading - with a captive audience you won't be interupting anyone while they are painting or gluing anything together. It doesn't mean you can't trade during the weekend - anytime is open season, it's just a great opportunity and kind of an icebreaker. If you're on the shy side, it's a good time to let your art do the talking for you. (If you can't make it in until Friday or Saturday, no worries - we'll hold on to your goodies until you get here.)**

################################################## #######################

The other days will take shape
as we get closer, but generally breakfast -
art, art, art - go someplace you want to see in SD
(bring your sketchbook) and grab some grub
(SD has no shortage of great eateries all over the place
- you're bound to find one next to a POI*).
Come back to the art room - art, art, art - go to dinner
- come back to art, art, art. Laugh, art some more, crash.
Lather, rinse, repeat.

################################################## #######################




If you're leaving on Monday/Monday night you can store your gear in the art room after checking out and do whatever - I'm pretty sure it will be a smaller crowd on Monday, but we'll see how it goes -this part is t h e experiment. I don't know if anyone's done Monday art room before, but my thought was that some people's schedule might work out better if they normally have Mondays off or if they are enjoying retirement, don't need to be anywhere and want to see some more of America's Finest City.


Hope that helps answer some questions :~]


*POI = Point of Interest
################################################## #######################


**GIFTING and TRADING ART Bring things to trade, or not. A list of trading possibilities is below to inspire you before you get here. Of course, you can make and trade things while you’re here – many challenge themselves to make art from items found during the weekend. Or just hang out and laugh. It’s all good!


I had an inquiry about what we'd be trading, and answered anything paper is good for travelling, anything small that is not paper based is good too.


ATC’s/APCs ~ CHUNKIES [4x4’s] ~ HEARTS [for your Jar of Hearts] ~ GOTHIC ARCHES [4x6] ~ ART DOLLS
Postcards ~ Gothic Arches ~ CHARMS ~ MOOS ~ Moo HOUSES ~ WONKY HOUSES ~ FUNKY FISH/maliciousfish ~ POSTCARDS ~ HANDS ~ ROLOS ~ TAGS



sorry the redesign squished this page and so far I haven't figured out how to unsquish

[jazzie]

What are we doing at ART Diego! 2018?

Tenative Schedule

THU: Reception/Dinner * Meet & Greet * Gifting/Trading * [try for group photo?] * S'Mores on the grill

FRI: White Elephant Exchange * Pass Out or Raffle any donations * Root Beer Floats

SAT: (Suggestion - all in Little Italy and walkable once you get there) * Little Italy Mercato 8-2pm * lunch-dinner-gelato * BLICK'S

SUN: Raffle - Box of Art * Raffle - Add & Pass Creation(s) * Brownies

MON: ?



WHITE ELEPHANT EXCHANGE
If there's an interest in doing this again we will. [This is not a gag gift exchange, it's a piece of artwork you create and get another piece of artwork in exchange.] Doing it early in the weekend required everyone to work on it at home. We also went a little big and chunky last time - wondered if that posed any problems for air travelers? A few ideas for shapes that are easy to cut out are flip flop * surfboard * another sugar skull? Other ideas are welcome and we'll take a vote.



GROUP PROJECT
It's nice to have a little bit of art from everyone to take home and sometimes trades don't happen. Last time we did a jigsaw puzzle. I'd be open to doing that again, but not the same size - 35 pieces per puzzle x 23 was more difficult to deal with in reality than in the planning phase as Helene will attest! So I'll look for something smaller - provided there's enough interest.



DONATIONS
Last time I was able to get products donated by Canson, Sennelier, Plaid, Pan Pastels, Chartpak Pens, and Golden Paints to pass out and experiment with. Hopefully we'll be able to score some new products to play with this time. If a company donates one item, it will most likely be raffled off.



TUTs/DEMO's/CLASSES/ART ABANDONMENT
Based on some comments I've heard/received, like "When there was a class and people left, the energy was sucked out of the room" & "I thought there were going to be classes or demos on block printing" and the reality that we only have one smallish meeting room, I thought I should clarify. There were never plans to hold formal classes or demos on the topics that were showcased on post #3 last time.

The idea of having members make tutorials on topics they're experienced at, was to have you familiarize yourself with the supplies & process through the links to the tutorials and if you were so inclined to try them out, we were on hand to guide you if you needed help. Sorry that there was confusion, but the same will apply this time around.

I chose lino cutting/block printing because Tandy & I have been in many AFA block printing swaps over the years and we had the tools to share. The travel journal/sketchbook tuts were a no-brainer for visiting San Diego and LindaGiese & Mistiko take sketchbooks with them when they travel - and the travel a LOT! So I'm keeping them up, if you're interested in either topic, you need to do a little homework first. If anyone has a topic they'd like to showcase - write up a tutorial and I'll link it here on post #3.

Also, "We didn't get to see much of San Diego because we ate at Oggi's six times." Yes, Oggi's is good, yes it has a large menu, yes it's the closest restaurant within walking distance from the hotel - but you need to spread your wings a little bit more my chickadees. Pick a place or places you want to see in San Diego and talk to others. Go to that place with your pals, bring your sketchbook and make some art while you're out and about, and find someplace close to your POI to have lunch or dinner. Last time those with cars were more than willing to show folks around, I'm sure the same will happen this time. But if there's a shortage of vehicles - Lyft & Uber are an easy way to get door-to-door and if you're sharing with a group, not that expensive as you won't be paying for parking (expensive and sometimes elusive in SD!) You need to get out and see some of San Diego before the weekend is over - don't worry no one ever sees all of it on one trip, but pick something(s) and scoot your booty on over to it! If you have no clue where to begin, there are a few tours available - some as short as 90-minutes that will give you a nice overview of "Americas's Finest City" AND YOU CAN SPREAD YOUR ART AROUND TOWN BY ABANDONING IT! so you don't have to feel guilty about being away from the art room a little bit every day if you're making art in your sketchbook or giving it away and making strangers happy.

I may have to develop some kind of 'Public Art Scavenger Hunt-Bingo Game' to make sure everyone gets out-and-about. Ideas are percolating...

If I can get my hands on...
1) a BUTTON/BADGE/PIN MAKER machine - we can turn our artwork into pins to trade or keep. LCArtist, Laffqueen, & myself had a blast playing with one from a stall at the Mercato (Little Italy's Farmer's Market). Loads of fun!

2) a SLIDE PROJECTOR - we can do "The Portrait of the Artist..." portraits (ala my grade school teacher's project around Abe & George's birthdays.) You would grab a pal, sit in a designated spot between the projector and the wall. Your partner would trace your profile onto paper taped to the wall. You can be done at that point and take it home or work on it during the weekend. With a template of your profile, you could do the traditional framed black silhouette of you yourself OR make a tricked-out version of yourself with paints, collage, or whatever and frame it for your studio or use as a journal page - possibilities abound...



RAFFLES
1) Box of Art * Contribute ART (ATC's, postcards, whatnot), get a raffle ticket. Winner gets all of the ART & BOX.
More art in = more chances to win!
2) if we do add & pass (canvas or object) last time we did a papier mache hand & torso
3) if we get donations that can't be split/shared

Note: We cannot have food in the art room unless it comes from the hotel and we're not planning on having anything catered, but we have tables on the patio right outside the art room and we'll have snacks there. Also, the hotel provides free 24-hour coffee & tea service in the lobby, so you'll have joltage nearby if you need it.

I will add/update as needed, but there should be something of interest for almost everyone!

[jazzie]

LINKS <><><><><>


AFA Tutorials
Linda’s Travel Journal Thread Travel Sketching
Dawn’s Travel Journal Thread My Travel Sketching Process
Tracy’s Linoleum Block Thread tandy's-block-printing-tutorial
Jackie’s Linoleum Block Thread The Way I Carve & Print



Hotel-Airport-Public Transportation
Hotel ART Room Homewood Suites <> bicycles
SAN Lindberg Field San Diego International Airport
SAN Amtrak Santa Fe Depot
Trolley & Bus MTS San Diego Metropolitan Transit Service
Coaster NCTD North County Transit District


Surroundings (1-15 minute walk/5 minute drive from hotel)
Courtyard by Marriott Bistro Bar
Harbor Square <> Starbucks <> Los Primos Mexican Food <> Issara Thai Cuisine <> Harbor Greek Café <> Sushiya <> Smash Burger <> Oggi’s
Liberty Station history <> Con Pane Bakery <> Stone Brewery <> Fig Tree Cafe <> Soda & Swine <> Trader Joe's <> Liberty Public Market
Point Loma <> Mitch's Seafood* <> Pizza Nova <> Jimmy's <> Better Buzz* <> Harbor Town Pub*

*great spots to eat & sketch


Sightseeing
Balboa Park App <> San Diego Zoo App <> SDMA App
Little Italy App <> Old Town <> Coronado <> Cabrillo National Monument


Half-day Trips
H & M Landing Whale Watching Trips & Sportfishing <> Point Loma Sportfishing<>
Fisherman's Landing Sportfishing


*******************

Thank you Carole!

[TrinaLD]

Wow! This looks fabulous. Is it possible to get there by train? I'm not terribly fond of flying and dealing with TSA and all the other stuff and don't know if I would be able to do that drive, but the train I can do.

[jazzie]

Totally Trina!
AMTRAK runs to the Old Town Station or Santa Fe Depot [if you are a train buff and want to see the station].

Old Town is closer to the hotel. I think the line is the Sunset Limited or the Pacific Surfliner. If you go to the 2016 page I linked on the first post, I think there is an Amtrak info link.

[TrinaLD]

YES!!! Thanks! Let me see what I can work out for this. And thanks for the additional information. I went on an art retreat for a month in July (to Fresno) and took the train there and back. It was fabulous! And yes, I'm a train buff. And I've not been to Old Town San Diego since a really long time ago when I had some wearable art in a fashion show.

[kwailin777]

I hope that I can make it! I won't know until we are closer to that date

[jazzie]

Hope you can both make it!

[TrinaLD]

Jazzie, one quick question. When do we pay the registration fee?

[jazzie]

Whenever you want to commit - spacewise we have room for about 25 people, but may be able to wiggle that depending on the days people choose to come out of the four. The hotel requires we pay before the event, and the cut off date for our block of rooms is 3/08/18.

[kwailin777]

How many attended last time?

[jazzie]

We were set with 23 and two were sidelined at the last minute. I am going to do the room arrangement a little differently and think there will be a bit more space.

[kwailin777]

Gah, I really really want to go...Hope I can actually make it this time. The hubster is on board too...he wants to see old friends in your neck of the woods. It's just too far in advance to know for sure yet.

[jazzie]

My crossed fingers will turn blue for you MellieMel.

[jazzie]

ART Diego! is six months away...

Time to get busy making travel plans
and busy making art to trade.

ATC’s/APCs ~
CHUNKIES [4x4’s] ~
HEARTS [for your Jar of Hearts] ~
GOTHIC ARCHES [4x6] ~
ART DOLLS ~
CHARMS ~
MOOS ~ Moo HOUSES ~
WONKY HOUSES ~
FUNKY FISH/maliciousfish ~
POSTCARDS ~
HANDS ~
ROLOS ~
TAGS ~

[kwailin777]

Good to know!

[nightowl_too]

It would so cool if I could go to this. I totally would love to sight see in San Diego and art with you all.

[jazzie]

San Diego would love to see you too!

[nightowl_too]

I imagine you all as looking like your AFA avatars/profile pics. It would be strange to meet in person - lol. Yes jazzie, I picture you as looking like Harold Lloyd - lol!

[nightowl_too]

Wow! This looks fabulous. Is it possible to get there by train? I'm not terribly fond of flying and dealing with TSA and all the other stuff and don't know if I would be able to do that drive, but the train I can do.

I'm not fond of flying (or airports), or driving distances either. For me by train it would take 3 days one way (yes I checked, and watched a video of it too ) But part of me thinks it would be kind of cool to sit there and watch America wiz by in a big picture window. No traffic, no lines, free wifi, no stopping (well just a couple of stops), just see the country and get served food at meal time. Hmmm....am I crazy? Perhaps.

(Kevin would probably look at me like I'm nuts and say we should fly)