Volume 64, Issue 11 | December 2019  
  Download the Headlines here 
December 2019 Community Center Calendar
 
  3 | HVCA Board | 7:00 PM
  5 | Mill Valley Philharmonic | 7:00 PM
  7 | Winter Holiday Celebration | 4:00-6:00 PM
10 | HVLT Board | 7:30 PM
13 | Kids Night Out | 5:00-9:00 PM
17 | Firewise Committee | 7:30 PM
17 | Sanitary District Board | 7:30 PM
1st/3rd Wed. | Tam Design Review Board | 7:00 PM (Log Cabin, Tam Valley)
Saturdays     | A. A. Meeting | 10:00 AM
Wednesdays | Mill Valley Zen Meditation | 7:00 PM
 Fridays         | SingDancePlay - Music Together | 9:30, 10:30 & 11:30 AM

Save the Date

January 25, 2020 | Homestead Valley Annual Meeting

Homestead Valley Holiday
Firewise and Safety Committees
Artist Series
Plein Air Painter
J. Thomas Soltesz


An exhibit of works by J. Thomas Soltesz is on display now at the  Community Center.

Artist's Statement

My art is self explanatory, if it not then it is not working. The very purpose of art is communication. I am a plein air painter, I paint outdoors on location.
 
I do not go out with an intended subject in mind, I usually wait until I see a scene or subject that says something to me. I paint in the old tradition of painting. I believe the basis for all good art is the ability to draw and to be able to see beyond what the eye tells you.
 
Plein air, or direct painting is one of the most difficult styles. It requires immediate decision and correct observation. The true plein air painter usually has two hours of constant light because after two hours the lighting is completely different.
 
I am challenged daily by my subjects, both on location and when I am painting in the studio.
 
I believe you can only become a good artist by learning from the past masters. I try to carry on this tradition by teaching workshops and giving demonstrations & lectures on plein air painting.
 
Biography

Born 1954 Blairsville, Pennsylvania, In 1972 moved to Florida to paint billboards for  outdoor advertising. In 1974 Soltesz moved to Denver and enrolled in the Colorado Institute of Art. Later he moved to the South Pacific to start a graphic design studio in Manila. His graphic design career took him to Hong Kong, Thailand, Japan, Australia, and Papua New Guinea. He returned to the United States in 1982 to continue his education at the Academy of Art College in San Francisco where he majored in  illustration and fine art.
 
In the early 90s he discovered the early California landscape artists that changed his way of painting. J. Thomas Soltesz is an Artist Member of the California Art Club, a founding member of the BayWood Artists and has won numerous awards in Plein air competitions. He is currently represented by a number of galleries in California. Exhibits include "Ranches and Rolling Hills" Annual show for the Marin Agricultural Land Trust and The "Marinscapes" Invitational show in Larkspur. He has paintings hanging in the State Capital in Sacramento  among other noted collections. He is collected by corporations and individuals in the U.S.  and abroad and is listed in the Library of Congress as a living legend of California.  Some of his collectors include Arnold Palmer, Tom Steyers, Maria Shriver, and more.

You can see more about J. Thomas Soltes at www.solteszArt.com.

Homestead Valley Vignettes by Chuck Oldenburg
Local's Pub
 
In the 1940s, Ray Miller, an operating engineer who drove bulldozers, backhoes, and frontend loaders, lived in Mill Valley with his wife and kids on East Blithedale. On the way home from work he would have a beer with the guys at The Brothers, a bar at #8 Locust. In 1947 Ray bought a house on Ridgewood in Homestead Valley. His buddies at The Brothers suggested that he was no longer welcome there because he didn't live in Mill Valley. They suggested that he belonged in the 2AM Club on the other side of the tracks. Ray complied and soon got to know a new group of regulars. In the 1930s, Ray had played semi-pro baseball in Texas. The 2AM Club could now plan on consistently beating The Brothers baseball team. In 1957, Ray retired and moved to Sonoma. Many years later he would tell stories about the bizarre goings on at the 2AM Club. One example: raucous camaraderie at the bar would turn into complete silence, whenever three or four "suits" having gotten off the Greyhound bus from the city would come in, sit at a table and order martinis.
Village Update
Update on Homestead/Mill Valley Village

By Ginna Fleming

It has been just over a year since our pioneering Homestead Village, founded in 2008 to keep our seniors active, connected and independent, merged with our sister Mill Valley Village.   Together with six other Village communities in Marin County, we are continuing to grow in numbers and expand our programs and services.   This year Marin Villages celebrated its tenth anniversary with ten sparkling programs.   Here in Mill Valley we also had a wonderful gathering of 24 member artists, who shared a talented array of paintings, ceramics, fabric and wood art.  
 
We are still active here in Homestead Valley.   If you know of older people who are facing challenges of isolation, loss or lack of mobility please let us know.
 
And remember that volunteering for the Village is the easiest job in the world: when and how you want.   It also brings huge rewards in terms of new friends and the satisfaction of strengthening our community ties.
 
For more information, email ginnafleming@gmail.com, call Christina Oldenburg at 415-388-9315, or call Marin Villages office at 415-457-4633.
Upcoming Events
Holiday Favorites
Thursday, December 5th
7:00-9:00 PM
please arrive a few minutes early to find seating

Homestead Valley Community Center
Upstairs

Join neighbors for this intimate and free music event!

A free evening of chamber music sparked by an exciting new partnership between the Homestead Valley Community Association and the Mill Valley Philharmonic.
Cello Caroling Holiday Event

Please join the Mill Valley Youth Cello Ensemble for an evening of festive holiday music & caroling sing-along on Monday, December 16th at 6:00pm.
A free event at the Homestead Valley Community Center.

The Mill Valley Youth Cello Ensemble is directed by Katy Boyd and comprised of her private students who attend schools all over Marin.  MVYCE has gathered for the past six years to share the gorgeous sound of a cello choir and to give youth the opportunity to learn the skill of ensemble work and to experience the merit and joy of playing music together.
Stocking Stuffer
Official Homestead Valley Music Festival Gear

Did that someone special miss out on getting an official Music Festival hat?  Hats are now available at the Community Center Office.

Only $25.00 - limited supply.

The perfect last minute gift!
Homestead Valley Contact Information
Community Center Office
David Ross, Executive Director                      
415.388.0137                                           

Summer Shapiro, Associate Center Director
415.388.0128

Community Association
Leslie Dixon, President

Alex Scalisi, Vice-President
                          
Land Trust
Brian Spring, President

Firewise
Mark Stahl

Sanitary District
Bonner Beuhler, Manager
415.388.4796

Stolte Grove Rentals
Sheila Nielsen
415.388.2162

Joint Marin Horizon School/Homestead Valley Committee
Christina Oldenburg, Co-Chair
415.388.9315

Bill Perrine, Co-Chair
415.388.8408 x225

E-Mail HVCA Board, Center & Headlines
info@homesteadvalley.org              
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