That’s the Culinary Institute of America, San Antonio Campus – and I got to have a tour and lunch there with a group that I belong to called SA100. It’s in a beautiful redesigned building near the old Pearl Brewery. The whole area is undergoing an urban Renaissance. From the CIA website: “Set among restored 19th century buildings once part of the Pearl Brewery, the CIA San Antonio campus is as diverse as the culinary world itself. Located on the San Antonio River just north of downtown, the 20-acre Pearl Brewery site is developing into a exciting center that will be filled with cafés, schools, lofts, services, and events. The CIA classrooms and kitchens are state-of-the-art and dedicated to real-world experiences, creating an ideal setting for learning.”
Here are a few photos from the visit – I would love to go back and try their new cafe called Nao, still in is soft opening phase with prix fixe menu of three courses for $24. Today’s lunch was good, a beef soup and sandwich but the desserts were the star! There’s a bakery cafe associated with the school that sells these great pastries as well as light lunches – it’s popular.

Whatever art muses there are out there seem to be taking care of me – this new Guardian series has proven to touch a chord in lots of people. Perhaps we all feel that we could use “someone to watch over me.” These constructions of mine are guardians of little realms of nature. Each  piece seems to build itself as I work in the studio putting things together. It’s kind of like guided meditation. The latest two are Guardian of Groves (the tree kind, top) and Guardian of Channels (the river kind, bottom).

Jan Longfellow invited me to an Open Studio at her studio on July 7th – it will be a Christmas/Hanuka in July Art Sale! Lesta Frank will be there also along with another friend of Jan’s. I really like the motivation of having another event to work toward. Meanwhile, I’ve had a request from an Etsy buyer for a photo of several of the Scent Shard faces. Here they are, including the new verdigris finish that seems to be working well.

Friday night’s opening was successful and enjoyable. I loved having Rick and Becky there, and many other friends showed up despite the First Friday traffic. Every artist should have the opportunity to see work in a setting that shows the development of an idea. I’m so lucky to have had that – thanks to Matt and Carole Weissler at La Vida Gallery.

My show at La Vida Gallery opens tomorrow – I made a quick trip down there this afternoon to drop off the last piece, and Matt had almost finished hanging the work. What a great job he did. The walls have been painted white and the pieces really stand out. Here’s the final collage construction. It doesn’t really fit with any of the the others although it is kind of a companion piece with the twig and silk collages. Those Da Vinci women’s faces just mesmerize me. This one is called “Starling.”

Totally inspired by what Ann Pearce did with the shard faces, I developed some new finishes for her. Can’t wait to see how she uses them and how her clients like them. Here they are- the finishes are called Moonlight (light silver ivory), Oceana (iridescent green) , and Twilight (Raku purple).

Here are three new small constructions that I have just completed. I really like them. As with anything new, they seem a little undefined/refined, but the idea of a mythical guardian who helps us choose our lifepath has always resonated with me as it has in many other cultures. Here are the first three pieces. They are made of fired clay, paper, wood and gold leaf on stretched canvas. Each piece measures 12×12 inches, the titles are beneath the photographs.

The first Sunday Studio workshop was a huge success – I was amazed at the beautiful work the attendees created – each one striking, each one different, each one well-crafted and thoughtful. Personally, I had a fantastic time and can’t wait to do it again on June 17th. See the video of the afternoon, below. If you would like to know more about the workshops, visit my workshop page or email me to schedule a special session for your own group.

Janet at Silver Moon Designs ordered some shard faces, and look what she’s doing with them – keeping them very simple, finishing them with Jacquard Powders – lovely work:

My friend Ann Pearce, amazing bead-woman and jewelry designer, called this morning, inviting me to her shop to see what she’d done with some shards she’d gotten from me. To say that I was blown away is an understatement. She’d transformed the little faces into Crown Jewels with her artistry.

She matched beads – copper, blue, crystal – to the finishes on the faces, truly elevating them to special one-of-a-kind pieces. I told her that I was temped to purchase them! Here are some photos I took at her shop this morning. Visit her if you want to see more. Her bead selection is amazing and she will help you select or put together real treasures.

Thanks for making me look good, Ann! I wish my photos did justice to the depth and shine of your gorgeous work.