Welcome!
Welcome to the California Collectors’ Series blank scenic note cards featuring original watercolors painted by California black artist Royce Vaughn.
Does your heart skip a beat as you watch the Blue Angels fly in tight formation over the Golden Gate Bridge? Are you the kind of person who studies lighthouses along the California coastline (or sometimes the golf courses near them!)? On a hot, sunny day-- if you took a three hour drive from San Francisco -- what rustic barns and bridges would you expect to find?
This is a website that focuses on the bridges tourists write home about, the back roads locals love to discover, the churches neighbors attend, the vacation sites they visit -- and issues we care about deeply.
Because Vaughn combines his interest in art with educational and vocational opportunities, he founded Project ABLE (Arts and Business Learning Experiences) for minority youth (see Artist Bio) and directed it for 10 years. From that came the "Tuxedo Series"* of dramatic black and white photographed note cards of San Francisco and the series called "Lord, We Are Able!"* It was the Sixties. There was great hope for breaking down racial barriers. His cards called We Shall Overcome depict people like Martin Luther King, Jr. and other heroes of those times.
Boxed Sets of Cards
§ “We Shall Overcome” – a tribute to human rights leaders
§ International Memories – Milan, Munich and Florence
§ Lord, We Are ABLE – training in the arts
§ The Tuxedo Series – dramatic black and white photos
§ Neighborhood Churches – where we worship, where we live
§ Three Hour Drive from San Francisco – off the beaten track
§ California Bridges – from the Golden Gate to Sutter’s Mill
§ California Summers – very hot, very cool
§ Lighthouses Along the California Coastline – Point Bonita, Point Pinos
§ San Francisco Bay Area and Beyond – Bridges, barns and more
*Proceeds from sale of the "Tuxedo Series" and "Lord We Are Able" go to The Salvation Army.
Thank you, friends, for your past support of the California Collectors’ Series studio. And welcome to a web site built on note cards and fine art which started with the development of job training in the arts for minority youth.
It's also an update to show that in our house fine art and 21st Century technology co-exist quite peaceably, thank you!
Cell phones, iPhones, iPods, Blackberries and E-mails -- they're efficient and immediate, but do they mean the day will come when no one ever again sends a personal, handwritten note?
California Collectors’ Series blank note cards are designed for people who love California and who still prefer a specific card to write a personal note to a friend or associate, put a special issue stamp on the envelope and walk it to a mailbox along with other snails.
Yes, it's possible some still even use quill pens. That's fine with us!
Our line has doubled and we have attractive new brochures. Reproductions of watercolors Royce has painted over the years continue to sell individually, in boxed sets or by the carton. People often save and frame them. The walls of our studio, of course, are filled with original art for sale.
When cards are printed, owners have the choice of seeing on the back of the card that the original is from their collection.
California Collectors’ Series works on a basic premise. People appreciate the gentle hues of watercolor art featuring ways in which the built environment harmonizes with nature. They enjoy the personal touch of reading the artist’s memories about the kind of day it was when he did the painting, what colors he used, what inspired him to recreate the scene.
So we're ready to use the best of both worlds. To reach new audiences, to enhance the brand and facilitate the handling of purchases, we’ve created this web site to reach out to new audiences. Royce was brought up on the classics, so you shouldn't be surprised that he originally wanted to get maximum use out of cyberspace and accompany this site with the magnificent music of "Pictures at an Exhibition".* Maybe later! For now we'll concentrate on the art.
We look forward to doing business with you and hope you'll sign on for our newsletter as we build a community of people of like interests.
* "Pictures at an Exhibition" written by Modest Petrovich Moussorgsky in 1874 and later orchestrated by Maurice Ravel.