Karen Brungardt
Artist Spotlight: Karen Brungardt
Tracy Nelson
One of Saddlebrook Fine Art Guild’s longest and most active members is Karen Brungardt. Karen has been a member of the guild for 20 years, and during this time, she has served as president, vice president, secretary, and outreach chair. She currently teaches many watercolor classes and has been integral in organizing the Art Sampler events and the yearly Art Fair.
Although Karen had never taken an art class until her senior year in high school, she graduated college with a degree in art, but with no real plan for what to do with her degree. She worked as an insurance adjuster and then decided to go back to school to earn a master’s degree in education. While attending school, someone asked her what she really wanted to do with her life, and Karen, surprising herself, answered, “I want to be a doctor.” It was a light bulb moment that led to Karen becoming a family practice physician and eventually moving with her husband from Kansas City to Wyoming where she practiced for 15 years.
While working “24/7” as a small-town doctor, Karen was invited by a friend to take a watercolor class at the local community college. This, too, was an eye-opening moment, and Karen became re-engaged in art. As she continued to develop as an artist, she realized, “Every brush stroke counts for the next piece, and every painting is practice for the next one.” She advises other artists to “keep your old work—it lets you see the evolution of your work and how far you’ve come.”
In 2001 Karen retired from practice, and her husband stated that he “didn’t want to spend another winter in Wyoming.” He had found SaddleBrooke online, and they had visited in the Winter of 1997 and loved the area, so it became their chosen retirement destination. Since retiring, Karen has developed several interests. She plays bridge weekly, works in the Gift Shop, reads, and enjoys going to movies. But her newest interest is her dog Max whom she adopted in December. Some friends had been fostering him, and after going to dinner at their house, Karen unexpectedly took home a new family member. “We just fell in love with him.”
Karen is also an author of science fiction and fantasy novels. Her artwork and books can be purchased at Absolutely Art, the SaddleBrooke Gift Shop, the Southern Arizona Watercolor Guild in Tucson, and the yearly Art Fair. Her watercolor classes, for both budding new artists and the more experienced, are advertised on the SaddleBrooke Fine Art Guild website saddlebrookefinearts.org, and samples of her work are on display outside of the Topaz Room at MountainView.
Fall Art Classes
Tracy Nelson
Fall is an excellent time to pick up a new hobby or hone your skills! The SaddleBrooke Fine Arts Guild is a nonprofit organization that provides a wide range of classes to build or enhance the skills of artists at all levels of experience. All classes are located in the Topaz Room at the Arts & Crafts Center adjacent to MountainView Country Club. Membership in the SaddleBrooke Fine Arts Guild is only $25 per year and includes many benefits and activities. Guild members also enjoy a discount on class fees. Visit the Topaz Room display case to see art from our featured members and teachers.
Visit the guild’s website at www.saddlebrookefinearts.org for convenient online registration and payment. Be sure to check the event calendar often, as new classes are added weekly.
Beginning Pastel, by Delys Nast. 9 a.m. to noon on Tuesday, Oct. 7. Pastel gives a beautiful, soft texture to any canvas/paper with a myriad of colors available through blending and creative techniques. From artists like Degas to Toulouse-Lautrec and even Picasso, this medium has enjoyed a long history. In this class we will explore some of the options and techniques in pastel used for creating landscapes, portraits, and abstracts. If you previously took the Art Sampler class, this will take the exploration of using pastels in art further and give you more detail and experience with pastels. Materials will be provided.
Beginning Watercolor, by Karen Brungart. 1 to 4 p.m. on Thursdays, Oct. 9, 16, 23, and 30, for a total of four sessions. Always wanted to try watercolor? Need to refresh your skills after time away? Want to try something new? In this four-week series you’ll learn about brushes, paper, pigments, composition, washes, layering of washes, and so much more! Each week will introduce a new technique while building on previous weeks. Bring your own supplies or get them at the class for a supply fee of $50.
Beginning Alcohol Inks, by Theresa Poalucci. 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Sept. 20. This is a great class for beginners. The outlines of the cactus will already be drawn onto Yupo paper, so all you’ll have to do is add the color using alcohol inks—a medium which gives surprising results. All supplies are included, and when finished, each student will receive a white mat and backing for their drawing.
Easy Beginner Gel Printing Techniques Using Stencils, by Theresa Poalucci. 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Oct. 4. Gelli printing is a relatively new form of mono printing that uses flexible printing plates to create textures and layers of color. We will use stencils, so no drawing skills are required. All supplies are provided. This is a great skill for those who do collage, mixed media, or like to make greeting cards. Please bring an apron or wear old clothes.
Acrylic Flow Pour: 3 Techniques, by Theresa Poalucci. 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Oct. 18. Learn how to flow acrylic paint onto canvas to make contemporary art pieces in the colors that you choose. Students will learn how to mix the paints to get them to the proper consistency to pour. Each student will have three canvases to work on and will learn three different techniques.
Remember the Dodo Bird, by Fran Dorr
SaddleBrooke Fine Arts Guild Artists Win Awards in National Collage Contest
Jenni Long
The National Collage Society’s annual Small Format Exhibit showcases postcard-sized collages measuring exactly 4 inches by 6 inches created by members worldwide. Now in its 26th year, this inclusive exhibition guarantees every member a spot, unlike the competitive Juried Exhibit which accepts only half of the entries, encouraging both established and emerging artists to participate. Founded in 1982, the National Collage Society has championed collage through exhibitions, workshops, and publications. This compact format challenges artists to distill their vision into a diverse and engaging showcase that celebrates the medium’s unique ability to explore texture, concept, and design.
While all entries are accepted, only 18 were given awards out of more than 100 submissions. Three of those awards went to Guild artists!
The word “collage” comes from the French verb “coller,” meaning “to glue.” To start a collage, the artist would collect different papers, magazines, music, words, poetry, photos, fabrics, and the list goes on. The fun begins when one starts arranging pieces on their support to achieve a pleasing composition of color and texture. This process may take lots of twists and turns before reaching the final design. Once the composition has been decided, it is glued to the support and sealed.
Fran Dorr received an award for her Remember the Dodo Bird. Fran was with her collage group discussing the upcoming National Collage Society’s upcoming small format show when the idea for her submission just popped into her head.
Gretchen Bierbaum’s award winner is entitled Verborvm. Gretchen feels that expansive art can be found in a small format. We should be able to look at small collages and imagine them in a large format.
Jill Jepson received an award for her entry City Flowers. For this piece, Jill said, “I had no idea or inspiration, only that I wanted to keep it simple. So, I started doodling and found a design I liked. I gathered my collage papers and chose a color scheme. Once I started laying out my papers, I saw an abstract cityscape. I used cut-up watercolor paintings, rice and tissue papers, washi tape, gold foil envelope linings, and a couple of magazine cut outs. To soften the lines, I added flowers. I was pleased with the end result, and much to my surprise, it won an award.”
A Breathtaking View Comes Home
Delys Nast
If you’ve driven down Ridgeview Boulevard lately, you’ve likely spotted the stunning mural that has captured the hearts of our community. The image, taken by SaddleBrooke photographer Ellen Victor within Catalina State Park, is more than just a pretty picture—it’s a love letter to our backyard. And what better way to showcase the beauty of SaddleBrooke than with a view that’s familiar to many of us?
For Victor, a former New Yorker, SaddleBrooke was a big leap of faith. During their first visit to SaddleBrooke, Ellen and her husband Ron arrived in the evening to the twinkling lights as they crested the hill. Waking up to the majestic Catalina Mountains, it was love at first sight. That magical moment sparked a decision to build their dream home here. As a seasoned photographer who even taught photography early in her career, Ellen’s passion for capturing life’s beauty is evident in her work.
Her image was the perfect fit for our Ridgeview walls, and it’s no surprise that the Selection Committee fell in love with its quality and mood. The Photography Club, where Ellen has found camaraderie and inspiration, has been buzzing with excitement about her work being showcased. We’re thrilled to have her talent on display, and we hope you enjoy this breathtaking view as much as we do. Next time you see Ellen, be sure to thank her for sharing her passion with our community!