San Dieguito Art Guild Reception Honors Vilma Malmberg Charter Member and Founder 1965

SAN DIEGO - May 27, 2013 - PRLog -- The Off Track Gallery will be buzzing with activity and joy as we honor one of our visionary founders from 48 years ago. We encourage the public to join us as we kickoff the event with great admiration for one of our visionary founders.

Vilma’s art interest started at age three. Fast forward some years, she majored in Art Education and picked up a few scholarships in Chicago, and taught art at the Illinois State University. Moving to California in 1958, she continued art studies at San Diego State. She saw art in everything. Traveling widely and living in both England and Japan, sparked her interest in Asian art. She continued to be inspired by nature, especially the western coastline and became proficient in pastels, watercolors and Chinese brush work.  She is a skilled self-taught artist who is open to numerous styles’ of painting and very good at interpretation.

Time has confined her body to steady itself with a little assistance, but her talent grows and her mind is a steel trap.  Her passion for painting is surpassed only by her love of the San Dieguito Art Guild, one of her visions come true.
She remembers the history of the San Dieguito Art Guild very well, from 1965.
“One day fellow artist, Sue Beere, called together friends and neighbors to   coffee at her Del Mar home and together they mapped out a vision. There were no other art groups in North San Diego County at that time and according to Vilma, the first people involved in the San Dieguito Art Guild were a mixture of people with a lot of art training or none at all. The main interest was to foster art and to provide a place to display it. We found a small storefront in Del Mar, our first gallery, and a lot of starving artist sales were used to pay the rent. The membership grew and flourished with some good years and some bad. We added what has become an Annual Mother’s Day Garden Tour, which helped a lot to make our organization known in the community.

1990 we managed to move around in three locations in Del Mar.  The San Dieguito Art Galley rented the building where the Del Mar Library is now on the corner of 13th and Camino del Mar from 1969-1970. The building was the old St. James Catholic Church. During the time that the guild rented the building it was up for sale and Sue Beere and I wanted to buy it. I was prepared to put my own money into the building and get a mortgage. The building eventually was sold and became the Albatross Restaurant before it became the Del Mar Library. I was discouraged and to this day I still think about the memory that could have been”.
At age 84, Vilma is still active in the arts and a delight to speak to. She expresses her gratitude to her fellow artists, which she calls a “great group of gals”. Her passion and love of art have kept her painting, which she simply states, “ I love everything about  it. My favorites are nature. These days, I am working on abstracts”. She remains an active supporter and participant in the Guild’s Monthly Show exhibits and a delightful role model for younger artists whom she encourages to participate in the guild.
“I care deeply about the San Dieguito Art Guild and what it represents.  It takes a lot of volunteers and time to keep it going - they are very special folks and I am still proud to be part of the organization,” says Vilma.

Over the years she has held numerous Guild  positions;  1967 Publicity Chair, 1969-1970 Parliamentarian, 1973 member of the Ways and Means Committee, 1996-1998 Shrink Wrap Bins, Mother’s Day Artists and Studio Tour volunteer, 1992 Mother's Day Tour docent organizer, and 2002–2003 Membership Chair Assistant. She has received numerous ribbons over the years for her many watercolor and pastel paintings and has been a member of the San Diego Watercolor Society and the Pastel Society. She will be displaying three of her favorite collection pieces alongside a number of gallery artists bringing their best art to place on display in honor of Vilma, at the reception.

“We thank Vilma and others for giving us our beginning”, stated Board members Grace Swanson and Cheryl Ehlers.  Without their vision we would not be celebrating today and be sharing art with a much respected member of the San Dieguito Art Guild.

Free to the public, refreshments and food will be served.  
The San Dieguito Art Guild is a 501( c) 3 non-profit organization dedicated to furthering artistic understanding and fostering artistic growth of members and the community at large by promoting interest, education, knowledge and skills in the visual arts.

For additional information contact Public Relations Chair, Cheryl Ehlers at sandieguitoartguild@hotmail.com or 760-519-1551.