30 Shades of Fun

Friday night’s opening at La Vida Gallery was great – lots of people, good comments and some sales on my paintings, and the really special treat was getting to meet and see the work of Jacobo and Maria Angeles from Oaxaca. They are world-class carvers and painters. Jacobo had a carved jaguar around his neck as his protection animal. His little animals are intricate and his larger carvings are just spectacular. Here is a photo of Jacobo and me, and here is a photo of a magnificent monster carving, create from one solid block of wood – it’s an incredible sculptural achievement.

Don’t forget that there’s still time to come to the workshop at La Vida tomorrow – we’ll be there from 3-5, sitting around the big table in the middle of Matt and Carole’s gallery creating votive lights. It may be turning cold about that time! Yay! (and we’ll do a Scent Shard drawing for subscribers and workshop participants tomorrow evening).

Thanks to everyone who came to the opening last night and those who sent good wishes – I have the best friends in the world!

 

Create a Candle, Win a Shard

Special workshop this Sunday at La Vida Gallery in lovely Southown from 3-5! I’ll be showing you how to make these unique votive candle cards, which are gifts in themselves. When you open one, it becomes a glowing screen for a votive candle, but it folds up to fit in an envelope. These cards were featured in an article I wrote for the current issue of Cloth Paper Scissors magazine. You’ll take home several of these cards and can personalize them in any way you want. To save a spot (limit ten, there are five spaces left), click on this PayPal link – tuition is $39 and proceeds go to the San Antonio Food Bank. All materials are provided.

But wait – there’s more (as usual). Workshop participants and SHARDS blog subscribers will be entered in a drawing to win this Scent Shard with Ylang-Ylang/Bitter Orange essential oil and a brochure and gift bag. My dear friend and former studio partner Carol Mylar is visiting me from Colorado and she will do the drawing Sunday night. If you can’t come play with us on Sunday, subscribe to the Shard blog.

Scent Shard prize for winning workshop participant/blog subscriber

And finally, 30 Shades of Twilight opens at La Vida tonight at 7:00 but I’m too nervous to talk about that, so bye for now.:)

Alice Ballard

I’ve just come across the work of potter artist Alice Ballard. It’s one of those revelation “aha” moments – this came right after my favorite local nursery, Shades of Green, requested my work for their shop yesterday. They are putting air plants in my Sprig Shards (thanks, Gloria, for showing them) and it’s made me rethink the form and function aspects of my earthenware. Take a look at Alice Ballard’s work, particularly this Pod series. Beautiful.

 

 

The Artist’s Way 12.03

Starting a new project is scary for me – what if nobody gets it? What if it doesn’t say something that’s worth anything? Then, as serendipity has it, this was yesterday’s excerpt from Julia Cameron’s book, The Artist’s Way, Everyday: A Year of Creative Living. Hooray, I feel connected again! Whew, back in the nest with the rest of you birds 🙂

“We are like songbirds. When one of us gives voice to our true
nature, it is contagious and others soon give tongue as
well. There is an infallibility to the law that as we each
seek to express what we are longing to say, there is always
someone or something that is longing to hear precisely
what we have expressed. We do not live or create in isolation.”

Grid of Nests – Richard Barnes, 2000/Artstor

Shard Face Workshops in January and February

At the open studio yesterday, several people asked about the workshops and took home brochures. They saw the necklaces that Ann Pearce had made from the shard faces and wondered how they could make their own. I promised I’d post the link to the new schedule and the printable brochure, and here it is:
http://www.lynbelisle.com/workshopsjanfeb13.htm
There’s a PayPal button at the bottom if you want to reserve a spot in advance. As usual there is a limit of six participants. It really is fun – you get to play with clay and then see your pieces after firing.

My friend Maria just happened to send a note this morning about her own blog in which she talks about my workshop that she attended – it’s the same one I’m offering twice this time because so many people asked for it. Here’s what she said, and here’s a photo of the very cool necklace she put together with the shards that she made herself during the workshop – thanks, Maria! Timely posting 🙂

I haven’t taken any classes just for me in quite some time.  So I took a class with Lyn Belisle. She is a fabulous artist in San Antonio. We made the shards in her class and then the following week went to Anne Pearces and put the necklaces together!  It was so much fun!

 

 

 

 

http://mariassecretgarden.blogspot.com/2012/12/an-art-class.html

Preview!

Here’s you preview of today’s Open Studio/Open House – I just realized that all of the artworks are under $29. Gosh, I’d shop with me!

Friday How-To for You!

But first, this Special Reminder! Open House/Open Studio tomorrow, 3-7, 119 Robinhoodthere is so much food I’m starting to panic – leftovers till the new year! Come get fed, steal some art ideas, pick up a free little shard face and see which blog subscriber wins a custom shard face pin (I’ll email the results to subscribers tomorrow). Now back to our regularly scheduled How-To for You.

Check out this cool little folder ornament that has a note or a wish inside. You can hang it, put it on a package – it’s easy for kids to make, too.

Here are the steps:

Want more cool ideas? Sign up for a workshop in 2013!

 

30 Shades – up and ready for prime time

I went to La Vida Gallery today to meet Steve Bennett, the art/culture columnist for the San Antonio Express-News, to talk about my series of paintings. I’d never seen all thirty of them at once – yay! They work really well as a series!

Steve was so easy to talk to – I love reading his stories about art and artists. He’s a good journalist with a finger on the pulse of the San Antonio community. The newspaper editor and the readers are very lucky to have him. The interview should be out sometime next week, but in the meantime, I just can’t wait to share how the paintings look on the gallery wall – thanks to Matt Weissler for hanging so many paintings so straight! Please come to the opening on Friday, December 7th – besides these paintings, you’ll get to see and meet Oaxacan Master Carvers and Painters Jacobo and Maria Angeles, and Chef Susana Trilling.

 

Non-Cyber Saturday, coming up!

Hope to see you Saturday – Here are the details!

Quote for the day:

“Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.”
–Albert Einstein


 

Collage on Canvas – Gina and me

Gina and I had scheduled an unannounced Collage on Canvas workshop several months ago, and it ended up being a very enjoyable one-on-one afternoon. Gina is a talented crafts-person in her own right and has made some beautiful journals for me – today she brought photos and mementos from her trips to Ireland. The hardest part was deciding on the central image. She chose a Irish beach photograph she had taken, and she also had shells from that same beach, including a razor clam shell that ended up being an integral part of the composition. We had a great time going back and forth about colors and textures and her collage is just lovely, organic and serene. Take a look.