Category Archives: Other Artists

Shards and Strands

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Last night I got an email from artist Dawn Zichko, whose blog, Mental Mohair is full of inspiring ideas for thought and new work. Dawn had ordered some Shard Faces from my Etsy shop in early February. I always ask buyers if they’ll send me pictures of how they use the little faces, but these fiber hangings that she and her daughter did just blew me away. Look at this amazing combination of strands of knitted yarn, ribbon, twigs – beautiful work. There’s another photo here. Thanks for letting me share these, Dawn. I love your work and your blog.

Further thoughts . . .

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In Julia Cameron’s Artist’s Way day book yesterday was this quote, which somewhat describes that feeling of the force behind the creative calling –  apart from making something “to sell”:

jcquoteI wonder who the “they” is, though – people who look at art and get a message? Buyers? Do “they” have to come to make art worthwhile, or can you just express yourself FOR yourself. Personally, I love it when other people find a resonance for themselves in my work, but if I were alone on the proverbial desert island, I’d still be arranging palm fronds and shells into nifty designs and drawing lines in the sand just for my own enrichment and artistic fulfillment. You probably would, too!

shells

 

 

Spirit Dolls, Opening Night

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The second big Studio event in two days was just as enjoyable as the poetry reading in a different way – a nice crowd of artisans and friends gathered to see the Spirit Dolls and to ask questions about their construction and uses. There was lots of curiosity and admiration for the work, especially when the guests learned that the dolls had been constructed in just two hours during the workshop. Once again, many of the people who came tonight saw old friends that they hadn’t seen in years or discovered new connections with people they hadn’t met before. I love it when that happens! There’s something about that Studio space that encourages those kinds of connections . . ..  . and here’s a video from this lovely evening:

 

Poets read at the Studio to enthusiastic audience

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Superlatives don’t begin to describe how compelling, accessible, funny and inspiring the four poets and the author/moderator were last night at Lyn Belisle Studio. I really had no idea how it would all turn out, but the 40 people who attended were treated to a rare evening of art and eloquence. Bravo, everyone! The video is available here (I wish the sound were better because the words were magical, but my little Flip video did its best). It’s your Friday Freebie and it’s a treat to watch. Here are some snapshot from the evening.

The Solomons: wisdom and art

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Last October I had the good fortune to meet artist/sculptor Pablo Solomon and his designer/creative director wife Beverly at an art opening at Marta Stafford’s gallery in Marble Falls. Pablo’s sculptures were captivating – very organic and fluid in stone and clay. We started talking and decided we needed to stay in touch. And we did! This weekend Beverly and Pablo came to San Antonio and we spent two days with them exploring galleries, talking, eating, laughing and discovering lots in common. They are amazing people who took the leap of faith to leave the city and make their home on 1856 historic ranch for sale in the Texas Hill Country north of Austin. You can read about it in an article about Beverly (and Pablo) here. If you visit their websites, you’ll be as amazed as I was with scope and depth of their talents. And they are both passionate conservationists and ecological crusaders.

I’m especially grateful to both of them for the good advice they gave me about my Studio space. I hope to have them back soon for an evening lecture about some of the things we discussed over the two days of our visit. Here we are at the Botanical Garden‘s Art in the Garden yesterday evening – a perfect venue for a sculptor!

solomonAnd here’s Pablo with Miro (thanks in advance, Beverly, for letting me swipe this great photo from the website) – some of the best stories we heard were about Miro the Amazing Cat with three legs – hooray for Miro, Pablo and Beverly!

 

 

 

Sunday Pass-along: A Manifesto

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pod1I am sitting here at my desk trying to remember what the heck my Evernote password is (and what I was even going to look for in Evernote) when I came across this link I’d saved to a Blog called Inspired Home Office by Jen Hofmann.

This is her most popular post – read it and you’ll see why. Here’s the link:
A Manifesto for Cluttered Creatives – and here’s my favorite excerpt (the whole thing is great):

 

I have a right to a sacred space
that is free from intrusions
that is free from guilt
that completely supports my spirit
that is truly sacred space
powerful as an ancient circle of standing stones

Right on!

Spirits abound

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Yesterday’s Spirit Doll workshop at the Studio was magical! We started with sticks and clay and cloth and ended up with enchanted beings! I am going to have an exhibit of Spirit Dolls by these talented creators and those in the March 24 class on Friday, March 29th. Stay tuned for details, but I think you’ll agree that these sculptural forms are much more than the sum of their parts.

First Friday and Yvette Shadrock

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It’s always great to go to La Vida Gallery on First Friday, and tonight one of my favorite artists, Yvette Shadrock, was exhibiting. Yvette is a genius at assemblage – she puts together objects in whimsical, scary, funny and profound ways to make works that look as if they came from another place or another time. I have one of her small pieces that I bought at her last show and I hope to be able to have a larger one someday soon. The only problem is, which one to choose? They are all wonderful.

 

 

Bristow at the Studio

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Last night I fbristowsepiaelt as if I had been transported back forty years to my undergraduate art major days at Trinity – there was my Prof, Bill Bristow, teaching us all how to draw at my Studio. He had the class of 16 scribble a ball of twine, and before we knew it, we were drawing horses. But best, perhaps, were his stories about fellow artists and old friends. He also spoke of being profoundly influenced by the great Japanese artist, Hokusai. All of us loved learning from Bill and are looking forward to the next time!

 

 

A film for all of us

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When you have a couple of minutes, please watch this film trailer from Shine Global – I really want to see this documentary. I wasn’t aware of this organization until I read about it in Alyson B. Stanfield’s post – thanks, Alyson!

Shine Global’s Mission

Shine Global is dedicated to ending the abuse and exploitation of children worldwide through films that raise awareness, promote action and inspire change.

Shine Global is a 501(c)(3) non-profit film production company. All contributions to Shine are used to produce our films and are tax deductible. Net profits are returned to the children we document through local non-governmental agencies.