The monthly meeting for the Mountain Regional Arts and Crafts Guild members and the public will be held Tuesday, July 12, 2011 at the ArtWorks store located at 306 Big Sky Drive, Hiawassee, GA. 
The meeting begins with a short social and refreshments at 6:00 p.m.

            One of the Guild’s artists invited Professor Mark Menendez to speak to the group never expecting him to accept. He did and the members are thrilled. His credentials are voluminous and his renowned pencil drawings and oils hang in prestigious museums and collections around the country.

In Florida his portrait of Don Pedro Menendez de Aviles, an ancestor, is permanently installed in St. Augustine’s Mission Nobre de Dios Museum. His book illustrations include a work in a famous novel of Anne Rice and in children’s books.  Menendez is also known for exquisite inspirational paintings and corporate portrait work. He has taught students who have excelled under his tutelage. He has also demonstrated his techniques on television and the Internet.

            Of special interest is his DVD that uses time travel in the 1800’s to demonstrate the great works by artists of that era, the present and future and includes works by Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Rembrandt and Sir Isaac Newton to show their secret techniques. It promises to be an interesting and exceptional presentation as he focuses his discussion on the art of the Renaissance.

            Mountain Regional Arts and Crafts Guild Inc. is a private, non-profit organization founded in 1988 to promote and encourage arts and crafts in the mountain region. The Guild has over 70 members, of which, many teach classes and sell their handcrafted items in ArtWorks, the Guild’s non-profit retail outlet store in Hiawassee that opened in 2006.  For more information on the Guild, children’s summer classes and membership, see www.mtnregartscraftsguild.org or call ArtWorks 706-896-0932.