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History of Nature
Coast Decorative Artists
by Doris Trudeau
We started with three
painting buddies, Cam Loveland, Diane
Jensen and Doris Trudeau at our kitchen tables and eventually saw the possibility of a
chapter
in Spring Hill. With our heads, talents, a
car and phone, we called friends and had our first meeting in Doris' home in March 1993.
This meeting formulated ideas and a new chapter was on its way.
We started out in 1993 as the "Decorative Artists of
West Central Florida," in our third year we
changed to "Nature Coast Decorative
Artists." In 1996 we received our affiliation with the National Society of Tole and Decorative
Painters at the Nashville convention.
In 1993 Doris Trudeau was the first president
of DAWCF. She looked for a hall where we could
meet monthly with next to nothing to pay for rental. She finally found the Weeki Wachee
Senior Citizen's Center. It's been a great meeting place for all of us.
We started a newsletter and sent press
releases to the newspapers and libraries and soon the painters and
would-be painters came. We have grown to over 60 members who meet to
share their painting and their lives.
- We have had great leadership from past presidents
Doris Trudeau
Arlene Gould,
Pat Lamb
Betty Tonne
Jan Bittner (part year)
Virginia Hughes (part year)
Christine Soyk
Pat Otto
Ev Dye
Pat Landry
Renee Burton
Ev Dye (part year)
Jeanette Seese
Pat Estes Pat Otto
Each year we do a Philanthropic project for the community.
We
have painted angel Christmas tree ornaments and large aprons for the Angelus House; participated in
International Day at a Hernando County Elementary School where we
told the children about the beginning
of folk art in this country and helped them color a folk art design;
painted ceramic vases for resale by Hospice;
painted birdhouses for Habitat for Humanity;
painted canvas tote bags for a Shelter for Women, painted memory
boxes for parents of babies who
have passed away, painted hats for cancer survivors, filled cookie cans and
bags for soldiers overseas and Christmas ornaments for Parade of
Trees. We have painted Treasure Boxes for children in
Shriner Hospitals. We helped the W,W.S.C. with bingo prizes for their Monthly Bingo. Last year we helped put a face lift on the Habitat for Humanity Re-store by adding colorful logos and painting a mural to represent a Habitat House. In 2014 we helped sponsor the WWSC first Open House.
We come together to have fun sharing our
knowledge of painting in many forms, every year we
have displayed our art form at local libraries and at each
meeting our "Show and Tell" time helps members see
and understand what others have accomplished with
their painting . It gives us confidence to show what we can do and
gives ideas and incentives to the other
members to recognize what they can do in the future with time and
practice.
We have a library of videos and patterns, plus books of photos of
past projects.NCDA Meets 9:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.,(or later)
the first Saturday of the month,
January through November at the Weeki Wachee Senior Citizens'
Clubhouse* in Spring Hill Florida.
In December we enjoy a Christmas party.
Most monthly meetings consist of the following:- business meeting
- raffle
- members project
display
- tips and demonstration- painting a class project
You are welcome to join us! President Linda Duff
Would you like to join NCDA?
Please click our logo for a membership form.
NCDP is a chapter of the Society of Decorative Painters. All our members must be a member of the SDP as well. For info on SDP click image below.
We got published in the 2013 issue 3 of the decorative painter