It's Party Time !!!

For the 2nd straight year the NVPS Holiday Party was at Cedar Gables Inn on Coombs Street, Sunday Dec 11. The venue for this event was stunning, the food and drink were delicious and the company was stimulating. Ann Baldwin was the unofficial photographer, snapping away at anyone and everyone. Her pictures of this wonderful event can be seen on the NVPS Flickr site.

Talking of parties, everyone had a great time at the 2011 Annual NVPS Picnic (and informal but deadly serious Bocce Tournament) at Yountville's Veteran's Memorial Park. This was held on the Sunday of the Memorial Day weekend, which turned out to be a beautiful warm and sunny afternoon, while the rest of the weekend was cool and showery - what luck!!! The delicious dishes and beverages provided by the members were outstanding.

The NVPS 5th Annual Exhibition and Sale, "Mustard....and More"

Our 5th Annual Exhibition and Sale is sponsored by Yountville Arts and is now hanging at the Yountville Community Center, Jan 23 - March 8, 2012. A linked event featuring a 1-weekend Show and Sale is slated for Feb 25/26. There will be a grand catered reception for both events Friday Feb 24, 5:00-8:00 pm. More information is available here.

Last year's Annual Exhibition at Studio II Gallery featured approximately 100 images contributed by 37 NVPS members. The opening reception was a fantastic success with more than 200 attendees enjoying the photography, the company, and the food and wine. Unbelievably we sold 20 images, 7 as regular sales and 13 in a silent auction. A percentage of the proceeds was donated to Clinic Ole, a charity that provides medical services to the uninsured or underinsured of Napa County. A portion of the proceeds from all sales this year will also be donated to Clinic Ole and a silent auction is planned for this year's reception.

Other Exhibitions

In addition to our annual exhibition which is usually in the winter, and occasional summer show, NVPS mounts three shows per year of members work at the Napa City Hall. Contact George Bartolome or Gene Piscia for further information.

Stipend Program

NVPS has instituted a stipend program to encourage members to attend educational classes and workshops. Reimbursements of up to 50% of the class fee may be requested with a maximum reimbursement of $35. A pdf document giving details of the scheme and a form requesting reimbursements can be found here.

Member News

At this year's Flyway Festival Elizabeth Bush received ribbons for 1st, 2nd and 3rd places for her Mare Island images. Jim Cross has a new book that describes his career as a graphic designer "Metaphor". You can read an article on this in the Napa Valley Star written by NVPS member Carolyn Younger. 2011 was exceptionally busy for Lanny Johnson with numerous entries to local fairs, including 4 to the Sonoma-Marin County Fair (all won prizes), 4 to the Napa County Fair (3 prizes), 7 to the Solano County Fair (3 prizes), and 12 to the Napa Town and Country Fair (11 prizes). Way to go Lanny! Some NVPS members finished 2011 on a high note.  Connie Reid enjoyed success in a November photocontest organized by BetterPhoto.com with her image “Wine on the Vine”, which is described in a press release.  Debbie Ames is the featured artist at Chimney Rock Winery, 5350 Silverado Trail, where she has 23 photographs on show. There will be a reception for Debbie’s show on a date to be announced.

Yahoo Group and Flickr

NVPS has a Yahoo Group that all members are invited to join. Membership has to be approved by the administrator, who is also the webmaster, and who will usually respond within 24 hours. You can use this group to post technical questions, announce your latest photo exhibition, or communicate with other members on any topic relevant to photography. Members can also post details of items for sale or swap.

NVPS also has a Flickr group, which all members are invited to join. The site can be viewed by people outside the club but only members can upload images, so it acts as a shop window for our work.