Where has this week gone? . . .and Friday Freebie

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Did this week disappear as fast for you as it did for me? Yikes – so little time, so much to do. As promised, a SHARDS subscriber (new or old or ancient) will receive a Scent Shard of his/her/its very own if his/her/its name is drawn on Sunday night by the Magic Randomizer. Here’s the lovely Shard, a classic face with spirals.shard2

Looking ahead, I’ve just posted a new Celtic Spirit Doll workshops for February – I’ve been doing a little research on the subject, and this should be fun – you, too, can Create a Spirit Doll whose roots lie in Tír na nÓg , the Celtic place of eternal youth and beauty. It should be fun – spirit doll workshops are really such a favorite of mine and everyone else’s.

And if you’re a writer (aren’t we all in one way or another), please consider Nancy West’s Creative Writing Seminar and Workshop at the Studio on two Wednesday evenings, January 15th & 22, from 6:30-8:30 p.m. For just $40, this two-part workshop is the literary bargain of the new year – Nancy is funny and creative and a delight to work with. Plus there will be good snacks – yeah! I might even make some of my pal PJ’s Saltine Toffee. It’s sinfully addictive. Happy weekend, All!

Freebies

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Happy Monday . . .quick, think of something you’re looking forward to today! Even if it’s cold and drizzly out there, remember what that great guru, Dr. Seuss, said, “Oh the places you’ll go! There is fun to be done! There are points to be scored. There are games to be won.” And speaking of winners, the Friday Freebie Scent Shard goes to Terri Reyna – thanks Terri, for subscribing to SHARDS. Let me know how you’d like to claim your prize. Thanks, everyone, for subscribing, and in the spirit of the season, I’ll be giving away another Scent Shard this coming Friday. Yay!

xmaswrapHere’s another Freebie for everyone – remember the gift tags I posted last year? Go to that link if you’d like to print them out for your packages. I’m wrapping gifts in sheets of newsprint (the plain kind) this year. Plain newsprint is cheap and very biodegradable. I get mine from ULine and use it for all kinds of stuff at the Studio. I found some ivory ribbon at Costco, and with the gift tags and some leaves and feathers and such, the packages look great.. Bye for now, there’s fun to be done!

First Friday Art Show Opens at La Vida

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Art lovers in hats and coats braved the chilly night to attend the First Friday opening at La Vida – thanks to all who came! Gallery owners Matt and Carole had tamales and rice and beans to warm us all. I so enjoyed talking with fellow artists Kathy and Lionel Sosa, and especially to Jacobo Mendoza from Oaxaca.

Jacobo’s weavings are astonishing – fine and colorful, made from hand-carded wool from local sheep. All of his colors come from natural dyes, combinations of cochineal and marigold, soap root and plants that he described to me that I had never even heard of. His wife, son and daughter share in the weaving art. Please look at the pictures on his website to learn more about Jacobo and his talented family.

I purchased one of his rugs to use as a wall hanging – it looks as if it should be hanging in a museum! Here’s a short video of the evening – the Russian music in the background is a nod to the chilly temps!

Friday Freebie: Scent shard

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Can you say “Specially Selected Scent Shard for SHARDS Subscribers“? And then can you say, “I slit the sheet, the sheet I slit, and on the slitted sheet I sit“? That one’s trickier (heh heh). But if you’re a SHARDS blog subscriber (or subscribe by Sunday night), you’ll be in the drawing for this earthenware Scent Shard. It’s pretty, with its little bee and its B Beautiful stamp. I even have a box ready for mailing, so good luck!

freeshard

Despite the cold weather, it looks like my art opening at La Vida is a go. Hope to see you there, but if it turns icy and scary, stay home! Here’s something interesting to learn codeacademyif it is, in fact, a stay-at-home weekend. It’s a free program I use with my students called Code Academy. If you have a geek gene, you might like to learn how webpages are made. Take a look – you can even earn badges for your progress. craftartAnd if technology isn’t your thing, then browse the free classes at CraftArtEdu. There are a ton of creative videos there, including mine on composition. Have a lovely weekend!

Scent Shards up on Etsy

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Just a quick note for those of you who suggested I make the Scent Shards available on Etsy – I did! Here’s the link:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/EarthShards

Thanks – they are listed individually. I had to raise the shipping to $4 because of the larger geographic area, but if it costs less to ship to you guys who read SHARDS, I’ll refund the dif. Please share the link – you’re the best!

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Monday updates and a make-over

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How did I spend my post-Thanksgiving weekend? I did a makeover on my website (practicing for the make-over that I’ll have to do on myself after all that turkey and pie). I have a new header using one of the new Peregrino constructions that was a favorite. It matches the new SHARDS header – look up, see? And it should be somewhat easier to find workshops and calendar info on my site. Let me know if you like it.

Also, please notice the Writing Workshop in January given by Nancy West – it will be a great way to start the year for writers (aspiring or experienced) and journal-ers. Nancy is funny and gifted and I’m so glad she’s coming to the Studio as a guest artist/writer/teacher.

Oh, yeah, and I also I did a firing of 14 new Scent Shards this weekend – just in case you need a super $20 gift for a special someone (like you). They will be at the Studio starting today – if you’d like to order one by mail, email me for pics – shipping is $3.50 and the essential oil, lavender or eucalyptus, is included. Here’s your tantalizing example. This is a face from a 30’s carving and she’s about 6″ tall. Yay for Cyber Monday commercials! The End.

Scent Shard essential oil sculpture and diffuser

Scent Shard essential oil sculpture and diffuser

Dimensional paintings

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This started to be a tirade about Black Friday, but, you know what? People find their joy and purpose in all kinds of weird things, and if shopping for a TV at the crack of dawn gets ya up and out into this beautiful day, then go for it – just be careful out there! Crowds make me twitchy, so I prefer to be in the Studio finishing up these two new – er, “dimensional paintings.” I like the description. They’re painted on stretched canvas, not strictly collages, but they have dimensional surface applications. Titles are Copper Mountain 1 & 2, and  I’ll show these next Friday as part of my La Vida Gallery opening. I’m still experimenting, but so far, so good. Feedback? Better yet, come to La Vida on the 6th and check them out in person.
coppermtn1 coppermtn2

Cozy Saturday with Wax and Wings

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Michelle Belto and I agreed that Saturday’s Wax and Wings workshop was wonderful. It was, sadly, the last of the three on which we’ve so enjoyed collaborating – but we’re already planning the next incarnation of our partnership – stay tuned! Here’s the video featuring yesterday’s talented and diverse group (funny how the image of our lunch comes up on the preview – it was yummy):

It’s another cold and dreary day here in San Antonio, but I have to admit that I kind of like it, just because it’s fairly rare here. Makes me wonder how my Boston family is faring!

Planning ahead (I know, pretty astounding), I just posted two new workshops for January – Acrylic Abstract Painting for Beginners, and Collage on Canvas using Digital Transfer. Check them out 🙂 And finally, in the happy anticipation of thanksgiving, here’s a link to my favorite Cranberry Relish recipe from our old friend Arnold. He’s no longer with us, but his recipe lives on! Stay warm out there, y’all.

 

Faux fossils

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This is kind of interesting – I’m doing some dimensional paintings for the La Vida show on Dec. 6th and have been experimenting with Activa Super-Light Air Dry Clay as part of the process. Look at these fossil-like shards – they weight about as much as a feather but look really cool, kind of like limestone:faux fossils

These were finished with Tsukineko walnut ink. I’m not sure how I’m going to use them yet, but I know I’ll include this idea in the Exploring Air-Dry Clay workshop on December 15. Scorpion fossil jewelry, anyone?

Working weekend (and winner)

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Congrats to Dani Wildason, the winner of the Threads of Blessing embroidery – Dani’s been a SHARDS subscriber for almost a year, and she’s a wonderful creator of Spirit Dolls. More Friday Freebies to come.
It was a working weekend in the Studio – I’m getting ready for my show opening at La Vida on the 6th of December and just finished a new triptych (actually, they stand as individual pieces, too):

These small earthenware constructions always remind me of the Canterbury Tales! It would be fun to do a series based on Chaucer’s stories. Hmmm, note to self….

I also had a workshop at the Studio yesterday on Image Transfer, and it confrimed what we all know – digital transfer is unpredictable! Conclusion: The two most reliable products that we used were TAP paper with inkjet prints and TonerAide spray for laser prints. Oh, yeah, and Celine discovered that T-Shirt transfers work great on leather! It was fun, and educational, for sure.