Dear Artists and Friends of the Chuck Jones Center for Creativity,

Preparations are underway for the Fifth Annual Red Dot Auction benefiting the Chuck Jones Center for Creativity, scheduled for Thursday, April 30 and Friday, May 1, 2015.

Last year, 180 artists contributed 196 canvases and over 400 supporters of the Chuck Jones Center for Creativity attended the Red Dot Auction.

Today we’re writing to ask you to donate a work of art to this year’s Fifth Annual Red Dot Auction. The canvas provided is 12” square and as last year, we ask that you sign the artwork on the reverse.  You may prefer to work on paper or another substrate and that’s fine as long as we can mount it to the 12” square canvas for presentation the night of the event. The artwork should be signed on the reverse so that bidders at this silent auction will not know who has created which painting.

Contributing artist Eric Schlegel gets a 3D perspective on one of the works from the 2014 Red Dot Auction.

“What should I paint?” you might ask. Chuck’s life spanned most of the 20^th century and with such a wealth of inspiration why not the life and times of Chuck Jones? That should not limit you to cartoon-related imagery, although many of the most sought after works at last year’s event were inspired by his Looney Tunes creations; you might be inspired by his love of puns, his enjoyment of painting with watercolors or the fact that he once owned a horse named Lord Mischief.

Imagine a world where the laws of gravity don’t apply; a world where the space-time continuum can be altered; a world where you’re in control to break the rules. It sounds a lot like the world where the wonderful, vibrant characters created by Chuck Jones live. Imagine then, applying that kind freedom of thinking to your canvas and to the subject matter you choose.

You never know who might be a contributor–the object of the photographer’s interest is a work by three-time Academy Award winner, Nick Park.

Won’t you share your gifts with us and with the Center’s members and patrons?  If you will, please drop me a note with your mailing address and I’ll get a canvas out to you or drop by the Center to pick up a canvas.  What’s that you say?  You’d like to contribute two works?  No problem!  Just let me know and I’ll send you two canvases.  Have an artist friend who would like to be a part of this exciting project?  Please send them my way: [email protected].

Canvases are due back no later than March 15, 2015. Again this year we are partnering with Heritage Auctions to bring the Red Dot Auction to the attention of their over 800,000 subscribers. This online auction will go live on April 1, 2015 and end the evening of Thursday, April 29, 2015. In order to be included in it, your canvas must arrive no later than Sunday, March 15, 2015.

New this year! A commemorative poster, similar to the one shown, will be printed; 30 canvases will be selected to represent this year’s Red Dot Auction. A limited number of the posters will be produced and sold the evening of the event. To be considered for inclusion, your canvas must arrive no later than Sunday, March 15, 2015!

Thank you in advance for your generosity, time, and commitment to Igniting Imagination for Life!

All the best, Robert

[email protected]

Photography by Stephen Russo