Give the Gift of Art!

We hope you are having a wonderful Holiday Season. Please consider buying art from Kansas artists for the people on your gift list this year.

A variety of options are available that will fit nearly every budget. We have included in this email, some items to spark your creative gift giving juices. To see more of what we have to offer from Kansas Artists please visit our website. Or, take a little time out of your busy schedule to visit our gallery and talk with our friendly, professional staff who will help you with choosing a gift that's just right for that special someone on your list.

Reminder: If you need something framed in time for your holiday celebrations, we can do it! Most framing projects take just seven days. And, check out our Early Bird Framing Discount: Bring in your artwork to be framed on or before Saturday, December 14, 2010, and you'll qualify for a 10% Discount! This discount is good for framing anything including: photographs, original art, prints, posters, memorabilia, and more!

New! Kansas 150 Ornament & Postcard Gift Set
This set, exclusively available at SouthWind Gallery, is a great way to celebrate Kansas' 150th Birthday and the perfect stocking suffer!
Our Price: $10.00
List Price: $17.50
Order Online >>

Magnetic Frames
The Original MagnaFrame
"The Adjustable Picture Frame" use the four magnets to place your photo anywhere on the frame! The MagnaFrame stands with an easel back. Hurry in to choose from many designs available in the shop at Framewoods.
Our Price: $16.25





Note Cards with
Kansas Artist's Work
• Judith Mackey
• Stan Herd
• Lois Kruse
• Brian Andreas
• Sharon Astle
• Jonathan Knight
• Marty Ferguson
It is worth the trip to see them all in person to make your selection at the gallery.
Our Price: $4.00 - $20.00

Two CD's by Topeka artist Cally Krallman
Little Did You Know - Cally goes retro' on her newest CD. This is a bluesy, jazzy, 1940s sound that is smokin' hot!

Prairie Glimpses - Original Kansas Music that blends bluegrass, country and folk styles for a truly unique sound!
Our Price: $15.00 ea.
Order Online >>

Personalized Name Mats
Commemorate an event, honor a relationship or remember the days gone by with this unique and personalized name mat perfect to display your favorite photos of your loved ones.
Each letter is a photo opening approximately 3.25" x 3.25" which will comfortably accommodate a 3.5" x 3.5" or larger photograph.
Our Price: $15.00 for 8 or less letters
Order Online >>

Story People© by Brian Andreas 
Choose from an assortment of StoryPeople© books by Brian Andreas
A delightful collection of books that invite you to "Come on in & imagine the world with artist & storyteller Brian Andreas"
Our Price: $20.00
Order Online >>

Flyover People by Cheryl Unruh
This book is a compilation of her award winning column by the same name in The Emporia Gazette which is a delightful read by a fantastic writer. Her love for the state in which she lives shines through every page.
Our Price: $15.00
Order Online >>

A Spring Day on the Hill Art of the KU Campus
SouthWind Gallery and the KU Alumni Association offers a beautiful coffee table art book featuring 87 paintings from the plein air art event at KU. Includes a narrative about each of the artists.
Our Price: $35.00
List Price: $45.00
Order Online >>

Get Half Off a $50 Gift Certificate!

Now through December 24, 2010, you can purchase a gift certificate worth $50 and you'll pay just $25. In other words, you're getting a 50% discount on your purchase! That's an offer you can't afford to pass up!Order Online >>

Gallery Hours: Monday – Friday, 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. and Saturday, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Holiday Store Hours: December 24 - We will close at 3:00 p.m.,December 25 - Closed, December 31- We will close at 3:00 p.m., January 1, 2011 - Closed.

SouthWindArtGallery.com

Framewoods of Topeka Gift Certificate Cards make the perfect gift for any occasion!  Gift certificates are good as cash for anything in the store — custom framing, gifts and even artwork at SouthWind Gallery Gift cards may be purchased online or at the store in denominations of $25, $50, $75, or $100.   

Ensley Gardens Plein Air Art Sale and Fundraiser

Ted Ensley Gardens
Art Competition and Sale
A fundraiser for the Friends of Ted Ensley Gardens

Sunday, September 19, 2010
1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Garden House at Lake Shawnee, 37th & West Edge Rd.
(Refreshments served)

In June, SouthWind Gallery invited 35 artists to participate in a one-day plein air painting competition at the beautiful Ensley Gardens at Lake Shawnee. The paint-out was part of a fundraising event organized by the Friends of Ted Ensley Gardens. The public is invited to attend the juried art exhibit and sale on Sunday, September 19, 2010, from 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m., at the Garden House at Lake Shawnee, 37th & West Edge Road. Jurors for the art competition are Gary Blitsch and Sharon Hotchkiss of SouthWind Gallery.

The World Class Ensley Gardens would not be possible without the public and private partnership created between Friends of the Ted Ensley Gardens and Shawnee County Parks & Recreation. All proceeds from the art sale will be used to support local artists and to ensure that the Ted Ensley Gardens remain "World Class Gardens" for all to enjoy. *

View the artwork online at SouthWind Gallery:

You can also share favorite pieces from the show with our new Facebook Like buttons on the detail page of each piece.

To learn more about the Friends of Ensley Gardens or to volunteer, contact Shawnee County Parks and Recreation at 267-1156.

*Sales Proceeds: Participating Artists will receive 60 percent and Friends of Ensley Gardens will receive 40 percent. 

Gallery Hours: Monday – Friday, 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. and Saturday, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. SouthWindArtGallery.com
 

Framewoods of Topeka Gift Certificate Cards make the perfect gift for any occasion!  Gift certificates are good as cash for anything in the store — custom framing, gifts and even artwork at SouthWind Gallery Gift cards may be purchased online or at the store in denominations of $25, $50, $75, or $100.   

Book Signing with Cheryl Unruh Author of "Flyover People"

It's a Book Signing with Cheryl Unruh
Author of
Flyover People: Life on the Ground in a Rectangular State
with special guests, Artists Stan Herd and Louis Copt

Wednesday, September 15, 2010
3:00 p.m - 6:00 p.m.

Kansas author Cheryl Unruh, a writer for the Pulitzer Prize-winning Emporia Gazette, will be at SouthWind Gallery on Wednesday, Sept. 15, 2010 from 3:00 - 6:00 p.m. to sign copies of her newly-published book, Flyover People: Life on the Ground in a Rectangular State.

Joining Cheryl for the book signing are Stan Herd and Louis Copt, well-known Kansas artists who are the subjects of one of her essays included in the book.

Excerpt from Flyover People: Life on the Ground in a Rectangular State (Hangin' with Louis and Stan, p. 35) "These are not just any two guys throwing paint on the building at Sixth and Merchant, but two of the finest artists Kansas has produced...They had been working on the mural off and on for several weeks when I met them. I spent an hour or so hanging out with these painters as they shaped and shaded the underbelly of storm clouds on their Flint Hills scene."

Cheryl began writing her weekly Flyover People column for the Emporia Gazette in 2003. Eighty of her Flyover People columns are included in the 197-page, softcover book. Cheryl's writing has received awards from the Kansas Press Association, the Kansas Association of Broadcasters and the Kansas Sampler Foundation. Her commentaries have aired on Kansas Public Radio in Lawrence and KTWU public television in Topeka.

If you are a Kansan, you will love this book, and if you have only flown over this state on your way to someplace else, you will love this book. Cheryl's writing style is lyrical, entertaining and true to the soul of Kansas and its people. You won't want to put the book down until you've read each and every beautifully written story!

Please us join at SouthWind Gallery to meet and greet Cheryl Unruh. Copies of her book will be available for purchase or you can buy them online on our website.

Gallery Hours: Monday – Friday, 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. and Saturday, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. SouthWindArtGallery.com

Framewoods of Topeka Gift Certificate Cards make the perfect gift for any occasion!  Gift certificates are good as cash for anything in the store — custom framing, gifts and even artwork at SouthWind Gallery Gift cards may be purchased online or at the store in denominations of $25, $50, $75, or $100.   

China’s Celebrated Sculptor, Master Ye Yushan

You are invited to attend the historic Dedication Ceremonies for the sculpture titled "Lantern Light" by celebrated Chinese sculptor Ye Yushan. The ceremony is Tuesday, June 15, 2010, at 11:00 a.m., on the Washburn University campus, northwest corner of Henderson Learning Center, in the 1900 block of Jewel. This formal dedication ceremony will be attended by representatives of the U.S. and Chinese Consulates as well as leaders of the Topeka community and the State of Kansas. We hope you will honor Topeka with your presence at this very special event for our city and the arts.
 

"Lantern Light", created by Master Ye Yushan, is one of four sculptures given as a gift to the United States celebrating 30 years of peace and friendship between China and the U.S. Other sculptures were placed in Washington D.C., Atlanta, GA and Newark, NJ.

RSVP on Facebook!

Master Ye was born in June 1935 in Deyang City, Sichuan Province. For his undergraduate degree he attended the Sculpture Department of Sischuan Institute of Fine Arts. In 1962, Ye completed his first major work—the seated white marble statue of Chairman Mao in Tiananmen Square. This piece led to commissions for public monuments throughout China.

To further his studies, he obtained his Master’s degree from the Sculpture Department of Central Institute of Fine Arts in 1963. During the 40 years that followed, a total of more than 100 prestigious sculptures have been completed and displayed in Beijing, Shanghai, Sichuan, Chongqing, Guizhou, Yunnan, Guangxi, Guangzhou, Hunan, Anhui, Jiangsu, Xinjiang, Changchun, Heilongjiang and many other provinces and cities. The size of those works range from life size to more than 100 feet tall.

In 1965, Ye directed the creation of “The Rent Collection Courtyard.” (pictured left) A timeless piece, studied in art history books today, this six panel display reveals the misery and political strife of human oppression.  With over one hundred clay figures depicting the fierce class struggle between the Chinese peasants and the ruling feudal landlords prior to the socialist revolution.  The work was a milestone for peasant representation throughout China, giving the people a unique voice caught in time and never forgotten.

In 1978, he returned to the Sichuan Institute of Fine Arts to be appointed as a professor and vice president of the academy. In 1983, he served as the president and dean. Ye left his job at the Academy of Fine Arts of the Sichuan in 1994 and built a studio on Mount Muma, in the southern suburbs of Chengdu.  This forest covered mountain, encircled by the Baishui River proved to be an art inspiring Eden for Ye. Eventually, the Gallery of Art Ye Yushan was founded which was the first private gallery of sculpture in China. The gallery promotes international artistic exchanges which is aided by Ye’s appointments of several government posts including the Department of culture Arts Commission Director, Sichuan Assistant Chairman of U.S. relations, the National Arts Council Executive Director of Urban Sculpture, and the Eighth National People’s Congressional Representative.

World Sculpture Park in Changchun, capital of Jilin province, opened in 2004 and contains both traditional landscape gardens and modern sculptures. The theme of the park is “Friendship, Spring and Peace”, (pictured right) reflected in a 23.5-m high monument designed by famed sculptors Ye Yushan, Pan He, Cheng Yunxian, Wang Keqing and Cao Chunsheng. The centerpiece sculpture won the award of “Outstanding Sculpture” at the 3rd National Exhibition of Urban Sculpture Construction. The park and the museum now have a collection of 439 pieces of sculptures made by 395 well-known sculptors from 212 countries around the world.

On the national level in China, Ye’s additional outstanding contributions include monumental sculpture “Ge Le Mountain Soldier’s Memorial” (collaborated project, pictured right), “The Vast Land”, “Four Seasons”, “Independence – Freedom”, “Liberation – Construction”, and “Du Fu”. These sculptures have all received honorary national awards. Several published literary works include “Ye Yushan Sculpture Collections”, “Ge Le Mountain Soldier’s Memorial”, “Ye Yushan’s New Sculpture Projects”, and “Ye Yushan’s Greatest Sulptures”. Ye has repeatedly traveled to Germany, India, Colombia, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, United States, Italy, France and Russia for foreign study and learning exchanges.

Internationally his works include “Friendly Ocean”, placed in Toronto City Hall in Canada and “A Toast to the Moon—a statue depicting of Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai”, displayed in Seattle Washington’s Chinese Garden and “Chinese Lantern Light” (pictured left) to be dedicated at Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas on June 15, 2010.


Gallery Hours: Monday – Friday, 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. and Saturday, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. SouthWindArtGallery.com

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FREE Framing From Framewoods! It's Easy and it's FUN for everyone!
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Offer Ends August 15, 2010 _________________________________________________

Framewoods of Topeka Gift Certificate Cards make the perfect gift for any occasion!  Gift certificates are good as cash for anything in the store — custom framing, gifts and even artwork at SouthWind Gallery Gift cards may be purchased online or at the store in denominations of $25, $50, $75, or $100. 

How it all got Started! Chinese Lantern Sculputure to be dedicated!

On Tuesday, June 15th, 2010 at 11:00 a.m. the Dedication Ceremonies for the sculpture titled "Lantern Light" by celebrated sculptor Ye Yushan, which was given to the City of Topeka by the Peoples Republic of China takes place on the Washburn University campus. The public is invited to attend, and we suggest you do all in your power to attend this historic event for our city!

Learn more about the Artist >>

You may be interested in knowing how Topeka was chosen to receive this wonderful gift; so let me give you a little background. It was part luck, part artist/gallery relationship, and part hard work by a committee of people and city officials. It started with a casual conversation between Kansas City artist Kwan Wu and Gary Blitsch, owner of Topeka’s SouthWind Gallery.

Kwan and Gary first became friends several years ago when SouthWind represented his work Kwan is an internationally-known sculptor and painter. SouthWind was happy to act as the exclusive U.S. representative of this exceptionally talented artist. Kwan’s work has been shown at SouthWind in several one-man exhibits as well as group shows. Gary also has managed a number of sculpture commissions for Kwan in Topeka, including a bronze bust of Washburn University president, Jerry Farley, and a large outdoor sculpture (pictured below left) for CoreFirst Bank and Trust (at the bank’s 37th and Wanamaker branch.)

Okay, so here’s the story behind the story-making Topeka-Chinese sculpture connection: Somewhile ago Gary and Kwan were discussing the monumental work that Kwan was commissioned to do for the Chinese government, when Kwan mentioned the U.S.- Chinese Friendship Sculpture Exchange program, three sculptures created in the United states were being sent to China and the three sculptures from Chinese artists were being given to the U.S. The Exchange program was undertaken to commemorate the 30th Anniversary of the Friendship and Trade pact completed during the Carter Administration. we should mention here that Kwan was born and educated in China, but became an American citizen in the 1980s.

During their conversation, Kwan told Gary that sculptures were being given to Washington D.C, New York City, and San Francisco. Gary suggested that he thought Topeka would also be a good candidate also since Kwan was a Kansas artist and Topeka being the Capital city whose work is represented by a Topeka gallery, and there that he has publicly displayed art here.

A few days later, fate stepped in when for unknown reasons San Francisco didn’t complete the paperwork needed to receive the gift of the Chinese sculpture. Kwan was in China at the time working with the U.S. – Chinese Friendship Sculpture Exchange committee, and said he knew of a U.S. city that wanted the sculpture. With Kwan’s recommendation, the Chinese government agreed to give Topeka a shot at getting the sculpture. Kwan emailed Gary and explained the situation. Gary was a bit shocked about the turn of events, but excited and confident that Topeka could do what was needed to be chosen as the recipient of this fabulous piece of art. Gary went to work contacting city officials and putting together a topnotch committee that could handle the myriad details involved in obtaining the necessary approvals, paperwork and funding for transporting and installing the sculpture. The rest, as they say, is history.

The committee members are: Co-chairs Gary Blitsch and John Fager, Core First Bank & Trust; April Chaing, Kansas Dept. of Commerce; Cheryl Logan, Downtown Topeka Inc.; C J Wei, Kansas City Chinese American Association; Garry Cushinberry, Core First Bank & Trust; C.T. (Fred )Hsia, Retired; Greg Inkman, Washburn University, Campus Beautification Committee; Gary Jones, Jake Huyett, Alissa Sheley, and Tracey Stratton, Jones Huyett Partners; Jim Ogle, WIBW TV; Olivia Simmons and Tamra Scheid, Visit Topeka Inc.; Kathy Smith, ARTSConnect; Curtis Sneden, Collective Brands Inc.; Glenda Taylor, Baili Zhang, Dena Anson, Rugena Hall and Kraig Stahl, Washburn University; Larry Wolgast, City of Topeka; Mike Morse, KS Commercial Real Estate Services; and Scott Gales, Architect One.

The full funding for the sculpture and transportation was provided in the gift from the Chinese government. Funds needed for installation of the sculpture, landscaping and for the Dedication events was provided by grants Collective Brands, Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Inc. and Core First Bank & Trust.

See the progress on our Facebook Fan Page!

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Gallery Hours: Monday – Friday, 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. and Saturday, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. SouthWindArtGallery.com

Framewoods of Topeka Gift Certificate Cards make the perfect gift for any occasion!  Gift certificates are good as cash for anything in the store — custom framing, gifts and even artwork at SouthWind Gallery Gift cards may be purchased online or at the store in denominations of $25, $50, $75, or $100.   

Paint the Parks 100

SouthWind Art Gallery in Topeka Is Pleased to Present…

Paint the Parks 100

A National Touring Exhibition

Exhibit runs May 15, 2010 – July 15, 2010
Opening Reception: 

Friday, June 4, 2010, 6:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

Paint the Parks is a national touring exhibition of contemporary representative paintings depicting America’s National Parks. The exhibit is organized by PaintAmerica, a Topeka-based, national non-profit organization, created to support and promote the visual arts. As one of the leading traveling art exhibitions in America, it features the works of many of the country’s most recognized contemporary artists, as well as several talented emerging artists. The exhibit is created annually from an international juried artists’ competition, and includes the highest juror-scored pieces from nearly a thousand total submissions. The show can be viewed online at www.paintamerica.org.

The exhibit at SouthWind Gallery will include the Grand Prize Purchase Award painting “Trail Watchers” by Patrick McManus. The oil painting by McManus depicts bighorn sheep on a cliff ledge. Gardner, KS artist Elaine Lierly-Jones’ was named the Grand Prize Winner in the Mini50 portion of the competition for her painting “Arches National Park”

The competition for all painting media was judged by a juror panel of nationally recognized artists Susan Blackwood, Kim Casebeer, and Howard Friedland. Winning paintings were chosen from hundreds of entries submitted internationally, with the winners comprising the traveling exhibition. Other major awards were:

The Region I Award – “Rock Ledges” by Mel Grunau
The Region II Award – “Last Light” by Dan Stouffer
The Region III Award – “Jackson Lake Serenity” by Keri VanderLaan
The Susan Blackwood Juror’s Choice Award – “Birth of a Nation” by Barbara Summers Edwards
The Kim Casebeer Juror’s Choice Award – “Sappharine Cove” by Steven Hileman
The Howard Friedland Juror’s Choice Award – “12 February, 2009” by Lynn Boggess
The Susan Blackwood Juror’s Choice Award (Mini) – “Cactus Flower” by Eileen Nistler
The Howard Friedland Juror’s Choice Award (Mini) – “Morning Mist” by Jonathan Linton

The Paint The Parks exhibit features many different mediums and illustrates a variety of regional painting styles. The SouthWind Gallery showing represents the final stop on the 2009 national tour. The show began at the Kolb Studio, Grand Canyon, AZ; and has toured St. Louis, MO; West Palm Beach, FL; and to the Chicago area before coming to SouthWind Gallery.

See other available work on our online art gallery>>

Gallery Hours: Monday – Friday, 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. and Saturday, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
SouthWindArtGallery.com

Framewoods of Topeka Gift Certificate Cards make the perfect gift for any occasion!  Gift certificates are good as cash for anything in the store — custom framing, gifts and even artwork at SouthWind Gallery

Gift cards may be purchased online or at the store in denominations of $25, $50, $75, or $100. 
 

If we act - Googlewill test an ultra-fast Internet connection in Topeka!

Plans by Google to test an ultra-fast Internet connection to a
limited number of trial locations across the United States has sparked
a push by a Topeka group to gain the company's interest in the capital
city.

"Our goal is to get 20,000 people in two weeks," said Jared Starkey,
a Topeka software developer and one of the people behind Think Big
Topeka.

The group boasts more than 3,000 Facebook members and is growing at
hundreds per day. Their goal: To gather enough community and local
government support to bring Google's fiber network experiment to Topeka.

"It's so cool to me that I know people are getting excited about
this," Starkey said. "I know that any place in the country, getting
people to actually do anything is like pulling teeth. There are more
than 2,400 people in our group right now, and there are 50 to 100
people actively going out and telling people about this."

To see the rest of the article go to:

Google plan sparks area interest | CJOnline.com

SouthWindArtGallery.com