March Newsletter from President, Karin Elias

March Newsletter from the President

Welcome all Artisans!

March is a great time to reset with the weather turning nice. There is so much inspiration for an artist to be found in the spring. Let’s start out with a little good news.

Gallery Updates

The sales at the gallery have been fantastic for both January and February.

January 2026 gross sales were $6310.25 compared to 2025 January at $1,593.

February has continued to show growth in revenue when compared to the previous year.  

·       Gross Sales were $6009.00 compared to previous year sales of $3555.  This is a 69% improvement from February 2025. 

·       YTD comparative is:  Current YTD $12,025 vs Previous year (2025 ) $5161, or a 57% increase overall. 

·       Top five Categories in February: Sculpture: $2179, Paintings-Original $590, Pottery $395 Glass $345 Home Decor $314,

·        This increase in sales will have a big impact on our start to the year financially.

Judy Scaccianoce and Luanne Paisly have done a great job organizing and re-styling the gallery to show off the art. A special thanks to Jim Storey and Joe Steele for building shelves and helping assemble storage.

New Committee Formed

A Marketing Special Committee has been formed to help us bring in more visitors and train artists how to have more effective conversations with our customers. More to come once they get up and running. Thank you, Leslie Ceresi, Christine Neveaux, Beth Atkinson, & Carolyn Gaziano for volunteering.

New Website Coming Soon

The Communications Committee has been working hard to get the new website up and running. Soon you will be able to register for workshops online, access your member portal with lots of great information, and donate to SUFA with a click of a button. Thank you, Su Peyton and Kristen Dorsey, for your hard work on this project.

SUFA Position Open

If you have any interest in changing over to the SUFA committee, we are currently looking for a person who would be filling the treasurer position. Please contact Tracy Middleton at (760) 271-2856. Tracy can discuss the responsibilities with you. You do not have to have been a CPA or an accountant. Our books are very simple.

Our New Members

Please welcome our new members:

Pat Guziewicz - Note cards, greeting cards, Prints on canvas

Donna Mertz - fiber, cyanotype/photography, enameled copper jewelry 

Kristine Koval - Ceramics

Robert Keating- Oil Painting

Diana Mibelli – Oil Painting, clay sculpture

Gustavo Mibelli – Acrylic Painting, and Photography

Important Dates

2D change out scheduled for March 16^th @10:00am

3D change out – None scheduled at this time

New website will launch in late March/early April