The Santa Clarita Artists’ Association will host the 23rd annual Art Classic on Saturday, October 20th, from 2-5 pm at Hart Hall at Hart Park in Newhall.  A free public viewing will be on Sunday, Oct 21 from 10-4 pm.

“The annual Art Classic Gala is our major fundraiser for the year,” said SCAA co-chair and president, Laurie Morgan, “where many of our nearly 200 artists will enter this professionally-judged competition and exhibit. This event supports our student scholarship program and enables us to provide free art demonstrations at our monthly membership meetings as part of our ongoing community art education and enrichment objectives.”

Renowned judges for the Art Classic include:

Impressionist artist Lynn Gertenbach has been painting for 40 years. Her talent was recognized by dozens of gold medals from well-respected art organizations, as well as the Life Achievement Award (Hall Of Fame Inductee) from the Colorado Art Institute.  A signature member of The California Art Club, Plein-Air Painters of America, and Oil Painters of America, her paintings and portraits are in the collections of celebrities, art museums and enthusiastic collectors.

Gertenbach traveled around the world five times to paint and exhibit with numerous trips to Europe and South America.  In 1980 The Instituto Cultural Norte Americano sponsored a traveling exhibition of Lynn’s paintings to three cities in Peru. For over two decades Lynn has traveled to Japan to appear at her perennial one-woman shows. View her work on http://www.lynngertenbachart.com.

Madeleine Avirov is a painter, writer, and editor. Among her awards are: a best-of-show in the 2010 Yosemite Renaissance XXV national juried exhibition; 2008 and 2010 Vermont Studio Center residency fellowships; and a 2008 John Anson Kittredge Grant. Avirov has published illustrations in national and local periodicals, and completed a series of drawings commissioned by the Field Museum in Chicago. Her commissioned portraits, landscapes, and works on paper are held in numerous private collections in the U.S. and abroad. In recent years, her work was acquired by the Fisher Museum of Art at the University of Southern California and various American and international collectors. Her essay on painting and memory, “Immaterial Witness: An artist excavates the ground of memory and imagination,” was published in the summer/autumn 2010 issue of the Harvard Divinity Bulletin. Avirov’s work may be found at www.madeleineavirov.com.

Educator, author and artist Art Sherwyn’s vigorous interpretations of life and landscape hang in public and private collections across the globe.

As a high-school teacher in Bakersfield, Sherwyn received the highest honors, including the prestigious American Disney Teacher Award, and the California and National Secondary Art Educator of the Year. In addition to numerous invitations to speak at local, state, and national conferences for arts, education and leadership; he offers lectures and workshops; has created two art workbooks, Creative Coloring, and The Drawing Workbook – The Line; published by Davis Publications; and continues to traverse the countryside in search of new ways to communicate truth and beauty.

As an author, Sherwyn’s methods have proven indispensable to artists. His techniques deepen the understanding of composition and color, help them see their world with renewed passion and clarity. His workshops inspire audiences to dance beyond convention and accept failure as a precursor to success. Review his art at http://www.artsherwyn.com/site.

Tickets for the Classic afternoon party are only $25 in advance or $30 at the door.   For more information s go to www.santaclaritaartists.org or call 661-244-7689.