Welcome to our new members! I am looking forward to working, painting and having you share your work at the Valley Art Association. Thank you to all of the folks who shared their work for the January meeting! Several folks commented on the format for the meeting and hopefully we can do this again next year.

Don't Forget VALENTINE Day! We all have many valentines in our lives. The people that help make our life easier throughout the year are our Valentines. Be the Artist you are and make someone's day by creating a special Valentine for them.

During the month of February take time to clean out your art supplies and tools and get a head start on the purposed White Elephant sale scheduled for our final meeting in June. Details about the sale to be announced soon!

Please remember to use the Idea Box located in the reception area at the Mansion House. Your thoughts are important and the board can only act on the ideas we receive from all of the members at the Art Association.

Thanks to all who assisted with cleaning the Mansion House after our Holiday Season. Many hours were spent Tuesday January 3rd cleaning up and putting away our decorations. A special thank you to our new Vice President John Mulligan and our Gallery Director Marjorie and her able bodied assistant Roy Tressler. Thanks also to Past President Sue Parker and Terry Shotton who always come to help clean up.

Also, thanks to Ruth Peyton for cleaning the kitchen while she was at the Mansion House. Holidays are busy for all of us so yea! to all who were able to help. For those members who were unable to attend the clean up in January, please try and make our next clean up this spring especially if you have a space to display your work or if you use the facilities at the Mansion House on a regular basis for painting. Any member wishing to do a special clean up just go for it, and please let us know!

A special thank you to Barry Chaney for the wonderful donation of oil and acrylic paints for the Veterans.

The Vallery Art Association is honored to announce the upcoming North Gallery Show featuring the Monday Painting Group from the Mansion House Gallery. This group of very talented women artists, mainly working in water media with be the focus of a month long show in our north gallery. Dates of the show are March 2 to March 25, 2012 . Please come and meet the artists at their opening reception Sunday March 4 from 2 to 4 p.m.

Marjorie Tressler, Mansion House Gallery Director.

In our annual Christmas drive, the United Auto Workers local 171 Shop Committee, which represents the Shop workers at Mack Trucks/Volvo in Hagerstown, MD, gave a generous $250 to buy art supplies for the painting program at the Veteran's Administration hospital in Martinsburg. Many VAA members (and non-members!) also donated supplies.

Mary Dunlap, our liaison with the program, said thanks. In her words:"I cannot thank you enough for your invaluable assistance in providing twelve easels and numerous paints and painting supplies for our Veterans painting program. We and they appreciate each one. We delivered all the donations to Martinsburg Veterans Hobby Shop. Our Veterans helped to unload all the very generously donated supplies. They each said, 'These are things we can really use'. They are so very appreciative of each donation."

We are proud to announce that we have six current members of the VAA in the Washington Co. Museum of Fine Arts "Museum Art School Reunion Exhibition: Creating, Inspiring & Educating Artists for 80 Years" Teacher and Former Student Bob Wantz, Former Student and Former Teacher Marjorie Tressler, as well as Former Students: Virginia Hair, Laura Lewis Shindle, Nicole Troup and Elisabet Stacy-Hurley. This is a Reunion Exhibition that celebrates 80 years of service to the community that unites works of art by past instructors and museum school students for whom the museum art school launched careers, three of which had solo shows at the museum, Liz Hurley, Marjorie Tressler and Bob Wantz. Also included—Clyde Roberts an inspiration to all for so many years as a teacher and friend at the museum and the VAA!!!

If anyone has noticed a unknown basket around the Mansion House, please contact Jean Strike, it came up missing after the Wednesday art group show in Oct. It is oval with a handle and made with a small light wood weave, this is a hand made gift from a friend and she would like to find it, please call (717) 263-3474.