Past Events 2026
April 2026
Monthly Club Meeting -- "Pyrography" Woodburning Art
Live Demonstration by Smruti Kurse
Smruti Kurse was born in Pune, India, and graduated with a degree in commercial art from JJ school of Applied Arts and Institute of Applied Arts in Mumbai, India. She worked in the corporate world for a few years in the U.S. and then decided to quit to spend time with her young family. Since 2002, she has been managing family, part-time work for non-profit organizations, and volunteering at local school and community events.
Smruti works in oils, graphite-charcoal, and colored pencils, but mostly in pyrography (woodburning). At first her artwork was donated at local school art functions. However, in 2015 she received a commission in oil painting which jump-started her career in art. In the same year, she also became interested in exploring pyrography, given its uniqueness and limited exposure. She learned pyrography on her own by watching online videos and reading literature.
Smruti started her demo by showing different brands of heating elements and types of pen tips, different types of wood that could be used, and her recommended use of Basswood for the finished piece, along with using pine as a "practice" board. She explained how the wood should be prepared, and also finished with multiple coats of UV-protective varnish. She then demonstrated the techniques to make different types of lines and shading. Given many of the club members were unfamiliar with this art technique, Smruti answered many questions during her demo.
The demo concluded with the last 20 minutes set aside for many club members who enthusiastically lined up to try out the woodburning tool by writing their names on wood popsicle sticks to take home, hopefully the start of a new fun hobby or enjoyable art expression using pyrography!
You can find more information and follow Smruti's pyrography work on Instagram and Facebook.
If you'd like to watch the recorded demo with brands and informational text included to get the full details, the video is posted to the public on the Sunnyvale Art Club's YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/otWEfGqv9aQ.
March 2026
Monthly Club Meeting -- "Painting on Glass" Animation Technique
Live Demonstration by Stefie Gan
Stefie Gan is an Asian American filmmaker, animator, and educator. She combines her cultural roots with a passionate concern for the planet's future. Her work amplifies unheard voices, challenges norms, and advocates for equality. She received an excellent education from Barnard College, Columbia University with a BA in Architecture and the University of Southern California with an MFA in Animation and Digital Arts. She currently teaches at Santa Clara University.
Stefie started out her live demo by showing us an awe-inspiring YouTube video of her animation film entitled "Animation & Storytelling for Environment: Stefie Gan's Carbon Traces" and you can view it on YouTube at www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yrp-zPDiCE. In addition to it being a captivating 4-minute video to watch, it also holds one of the most important messages to humankind, conservation of the natural environment amid the ongoing current-day challenges. She also shared other animations with different artistic styling that show creative diversity.
As Stefie explained her animation process set-up, she answered questions from interested club members about the "painting on glass" technique, using 8 animation frames per second, some of the applications and products she uses in her work, and a little about her own creative journey into the world of animation. Her short frame-by-frame animation came to life as the small ballerina figure transformed at the end into a larger flower blossom!
You can find more information about Stefie's unique work on her website at www.stefiegan.com and on Instagram and YouTube!
See Stefie's demo posted to the public on the Sunnyvale Art Club's YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/3wAGNUS8Kiw.
February 2026
Monthly Club Meeting -- "Abstract Realism / Mixed Media" Live Demonstration by Anya Satysheva
Our inspiring demonstration by accomplished artist Anya Satysheva offered club members a deep dive into expressive mixed-media techniques that bridge abstract aesthetics with realistic elements. Club members were drawn to Anya’s artistic approach, which combined texture, color layering, and intuitive mark-making to explore abstract realism. This blend encourages artists of all levels to experiment beyond traditional boundaries. Anya demonstrated how to build depth and mood using various materials from collage and texture mediums to acrylics and inks and oils to give members fresh ideas for their own work. A stream of real-time commentary on composition decisions and visual storytelling through abstract forms continued throughout the demo. From brushes to collage papers and various tools, Anya talked about each and how to apply to one's artwork for dynamic effects. She presented a wealth of useful and practical information about mediums and gels that many of the club members hadn't heard of or used before, and a "miracle solution" that can resurrect hardened brushes so they could be used again!
Towards the end, Anya described a favorite painting and highlighted how to pull elements of representational imagery into abstract backgrounds and overlying patterns to create very unique and layered effects. Anya then ended with more practical information about producing and selling cards with one's own artwork, slowly building an audience on social media, and encouraging words to club members about persistence and staying true to one's own style and artistic voice.
You can find more information and artwork on her website at www.paintbyanya.com and on Instagram.
See Anya's demo on the Sunnyvale Art Club's YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/VxeWPbDRYMc.
January 2026
Monthly Club Meeting -- Live Demonstration by Helena Ljoljic
Helena is a very engaging self-taught painter, graphic designer and educator. Working primarily in acrylics and watercolor, she currently explores abstract and semi-abstract compositions, but continues to create representational work, such as portraits combined with geometric patterns. Her art is driven by play, curiosity, emotion, and a deep love of color. Helena's paintings have been exhibited at the Palo Alto Art Center, the Triton Museum of Art, the Pacific Art League, the Mexican Heritage Plaza, and Works/San José.
For this demo/workshop, Helena showed us the possibilities of working with geometry as a form of art. Using simple tools as the ruler and compass, we followed along with the construction of a grid of overlapping circles, known as the Flower of Life. And Helena graciously shared two beautifully detailed PDFs of her artwork and the process for finishing up the complex circle pattern we started in the club meeting.
You can find more information and images on her website at www.helenaljoljic.com and on Instagram.
See Helena's demo on the Sunnyvale Art Club's YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/SbcCtI8dfr8.
