Blog Giveaway Winner 4-12-11



Jen McBride



                                                                      

First I would like to thank those of you who commented on my NOVICA post...You all had a great shot at this gift certificate for 50.00.  I numbered the comments on paper and then had my husband draw one...drum roll please....  Jen McBride, you won!!!!!  So congrats and now you can spend a little more time on NOVICA's website.  Enjoy...OH and I will send you the info once I confirm your email. 

Now off to seal my fourth piece for the gallery show/opening/artist reception this Friday!

k

Ecological Ethics in our Global Society

Well the big day is almost here.  Our Paper packet project ( inspired by Seth Apter and Laura Lein-Svencner) will culminate in a themed show entitled above.  This Friday is the artist reception and it is hard to believe we are really doing this.  We (meaning 13 artists from The Studio) started this project back in late October.  And now all the altering is done, collages created, works matted and framed, details for the show worked out, and works are starting to arrive for hanging.  I am so proud of the ladies who committed to this project.  Anyway below is a write up that we will display as guests walk in.  And I would be remiss if I did not post my third work, Sedge Meadow III, in the continuing series- Claiming Sanctuary.  Finally, if you want to win that 50.00 gift certificate, you need to comment on the entry below this one.  I select a winner tonigh (at random). 

K

Novica



Tigger and yours truly.

 Spring break has been utterly lousy.  We spent the entire week searching for a car for my 18 year old, now gainfully employed.  Car shopping is right up there with getting a cavity filled, it basically sucks.  But that is another story and rant. I was much more pleased with my shopping experience at the Novica website and that has been much more pleasant to write about.

Novica is an organization committed to helping artists and artisans in developing areas of the world, through Internet sales.  This of course is a win win situation for the artist, their family, and their community.  Preserving the time honored family traditions of handmade, unique goods, Novica has brought the world to the artists and prospective buyers.  While their are plenty of other fair trade sites, Novica seems to go one step further because the organization has eliminated middle men, putting more dollars in the artists pocket. This link provides information on the organization and how it started: http://www.novica.com/news/index.cfm?articleID=17

In an earlier post: http://artful-musings-of-kathyl.blogspot.com/2011/03/fair-trade-my-perspective.html, I described my perspective on Fair Trade.  What got me interested in the subject matter again was that little email from Novica.  Having discovered my blog post on paper packets, Ricky asked if I would be interested in reviewing Novica for my readers.  Before I said yes, I spent some time on the site and just fell in love with all the goods from incredible artists/artisans all around the world. I read all about the organization, asked questions, got answers and then decided that I would bookmark this site for my future gift giving needs (and I do have a few that would appreciate the uniqueness of the items of this site).  I also decided to review my purchasing experience with Novica.  During this process, Ricky invited me to make a purchase.  She gave me a gift certificate to use.  In addition, she said I could use part of the certificate for me and maybe offer a portion of it to my readers.  Great idea and so I am going to have a give away for that $50.00 gift certificate (details below).    

Having been a research scientist in my former life, I had questions.  I wanted to know if prospective buyers had to become a "member" of the site: NO.  If you do decide to fill in your personal info and become a "member" of sorts, there is no obligation to purchase.  I also wanted to know about National Geographics affliation with Novica:

         "National Geographic is an investor in Novica and has been primarily attracted to our mission of helping      preserve traditional crafts that have been disappearing in many corners of the world. Along with National Geographic, we're also funded by the World Bank, the Grassroots Business Fund, and other investors. NG doesn't actively help us find artists, we do that through our local offices in Bali, India, Thailand, Peru, Brazil, Guatemala, Ghana and Mexico."

While the National Geographic folks don't actually help with finding artists, Novica sends out regional employees to find new artists and to hold contests to find new talent.  Ricky stated that: "We go to open air markets, hold contests, and go to hard to get to places to find new artists. Also, within the artisan community, many hear about us and come to our offices directly through word of mouth. "  I also wanted to know what percentage of the cost of the product actually went to the artists and : "the artist sets their price and then based on logistics and regional factors there is a markup to get to the final retail price," was the answer.   Gift certificate in hand, I went shopping.  Being a bit selfish, I decided to buy a gift for myself.  This however was no easy task.  I love alpaca wool so I settled on a poncho made by Peruvian weaver Isidoro C'cahuantico.  What I enjoyed about the shopping experinece was that I could read a little bio about each artist/artisan which was like a short geography lesson of sorts.  I looked at a variety of products like home decor, jewelry, paintings, and a corporate gift store.  To digress just a little, when I was in corporate America, I would much rather have had a hand made item from this gift selection.  Our corporate gifts, no matter what they were, had the company logo on them.  I mean, who wants to look at barbeque utensils with a company logo on them.  Who really cares.  Great idea Novica.  I almost purchased a really neat frame made from paper which would have been perfect for one of my small paper packets collages but that darn poncho kept calling my name. I ordered and Novica sent me three emails detailing each step of the shipping progress of the poncho from Peru.  It only took 6 business days which just about floored me. Depending on where the item is coming from, shipping times of course will vary.  The package arrived gift wrapped (really cool tissue that will wind up in a collage) and with a post card from Machu Picchu thanking me for my purchase in Spanish. 

So am I happy.  Yep.  I wore the poncho yesterday as it is finally warm enough (40's and 50's) here in northern Illinois.  I received several compliments from sales people in Coldwater Creek and (of all places) Pac Sun.  That never happens to me.  Regardless, I love the feel of the piece.  It is reversible so I can wear the lighter brown in the spring and the darker in the fall.  Love it!



My Mandy and yours truly in my Poncho

Now for your readers, my give away is a $50.00 gift certificate from the Novica site.  Thank you Ricky for such a generous gift and I am so happy I can share it with this blog's readers.  So if you would like to win this gift certificate, just leave a comment on the blog about fair trade or anything you want.  Share the this blog link with a friend and let me know that and I'll enter you twice.  Also, if you do not have a blog, please leave your email address so I can contact you if you are the winner.  I will use a random number generator to select the winner.  An announcement will be made, Monday April 10th.  The gift certificate expires in early May so hopefully that will be enough time to shop. 

Finally, below are a few links that I looked at on the Novica site.  The Novica Live Link describes home business opportunites,  as in direct sales.  Having done direct sales before, this was not of interest to me, nor was hosting a party because I am so busy.  BUT this is a very different sort of home party and I am sure for those who love to host home parties, these products are so different and unique that it would be hard to resist purchasing them.  The microfinance link describes opportunites for customers to buy products and make loans directly to the artisan, no middle man involved.  I mentioned the corporate gifts section above and there is a section called green gifts for those of us who are environmentally savvy.  These links are only just a small sampling of what the Novica story is all about.  When you go to the site, have your favorite beverage with you and be prepared to be wowed :) 

fair trade corporate gifts
Novica Live
green gifts
microfinance

Donation piece Done. 3-26-11

Live With Hope

I have been so busy lately, I barely know which end is up!  And believe me when I say, my ends are very easy to distinguish.  The paper packet project is nearing completion and our art show is April 15th.  One more class meeting to tie up loose ends and answer any question the artists may have and we are there.  I submitted jpegs for a collage show at a gallery in Woodstock, Illinois.  I had to update all my biographical stuff too because it looked so lame, received my application for the Art of the Land Show (an annual event now at the Starline Gallery in Harvard) and I am feverishly trying to finish three to four new collages.  In between all this I did finish a little piece for Michelle's annual Avon Walk for the Cure.  I have been lucky enough to be involved in this small way for that past 3 years.  What I normally do is compose a work just for this fund raiser but because of my commitments this year, I just am really artistically tapped.  I had this work that you see finished here, already in progress though.  It was intended for a fund raiser in Moss Norway (the now famous first ever Twitter Art Exhibit).  Well I never finished this one ( I did however complete another work which hung in the Moss Norway local library for a month). So I changed it up and voila!  I intend to matte it and frame it for the fund raiser. The work is a 5 by 7 inch mixed media and collage on 300lb watercolor paper.  I have been using Arches lately and just really love that paper.  So Michelle, I know you are on Spring Break but call me when you come home.  I just need to matte and frame (have the materials ready) and it is yours :)  

Fair Trade: My perspective

I receive a lovely email about a week ago from a fair trade organization called NOVICA:  http://www.novica.com/.  The representative from NOVICA had read my blog post on the Paper Packet project that I am spearheading, thoght it was interesting,  and wanted to introduce me to NOVICA.  The organization is a fair trade one and it supports artists and artisans all over the world by giving them a place to sell their work (more on NOVICA in a later post).  So this lovely surprize email started me thinking about fair trade and how we as artists can reach out a bit further than our comfort zone to help other artists in our global community. 


I was first introduced to the concept of Fair Trade by a local Coffe shop called Conscious Cup:  http://www.consciouscup.com/.  As a matter of fact, it was one of the owners, Mike, who believed in my work and set up my very first gallery show at his shop (thanks Mike).  That was some years ago (2007).  OK so that is another story.  Anyway, this small family run business purchases coffees that are TransFair USA “Fair Trade” Certified, Certified Organic, or certified by the Rainforest Alliance or Smithsonian Institute’s Bird Friendly programs. Only TransFair assures a floor price to members of its certified cooperatives, who must abide by, among other issues, child labor standards and a democratic structure. Organic certification and Rainforest Alliance certifications focus on environmental sustainability but also require growers to meet social and employment standards. They may also buy directly from small select farms and these coffees are labeled "Estate."  Mike and the Shipley family are just passionate about this and one can taste it in their fine roasted brews.  The Shipleys not only support local artists like me but other fair trade organizations too.  They had an organization, who works with, I believe it was Mayan peoples, come and sell some of the artisans works.  The proceeds helped to furnish a kitchen in a school.  They support all sorts of fair trade products and a list of their "friends" are found on their site. With that being said, I have been a big supporter of fair trade coffee but never really thought much more about other products.


With this email from NOVICA, I started to finally realize that fair trade is so much bigger than coffee.  To further explain: as an artist, I find it very difficult to just give one of my pieces as a gift to my friends because well, fine art is a very personal thing and I would hate for someone to receive a piece and hate it...or worse, not feel any emotion at all. Of course if my friends want a commission or purchase a piece of art, that is totally different.  I don't know about you, but my close friends are very hard to buy for.  That is where supporting a fair trade organization for artists comes in.  It just seems very special to purchase a gift for a friend from an artist or an artisan who struggles in a most difficult environment. Supporting an artist who is trying to support his or her family in order to give them the most basic necessities and creature comforts that we all take for granted, well it just plain appeals to me and I know that presenting such a gift to a special friend would mean a lot.    Organizations who seek out such artists usually frequent third world areas.  I do fight with myself over this issue too though because I know that right here in America, the poorest of the poor struggle in the same manner. Everyday, people loose their homes, live out of their cars or on the street, don't have enough food to feed themselves let alone their family.... Yet I know there are other ways that I can reach out to them...volunteering through a variety of organizations, donating dollars, etc..  I do not think that our poorest are selling their handmade products on sites such as ETSY.  Don't get me wrong, I love ETSY and follow several artists and artisans.  I purchase from ETSY for myself and others, however, by purchasing fair trade, I have taken that helping hand one step further into the world. Yes, I think I like this idea very much.  I am going to take a closer look at this fair trade site called NOVICA.  And then, I write a little review for all of you.  Who know...maybe a little surprize will come along with that review.

Thank you all for indulging me. 
k

Sedge Meadow II from the series: Claiming Sancturay



Sedge Meadow II

 I finished another sedge meadow piece and finally got it scanned and entered in my art database.  This is the same size as the previous work, 8 by 8 inches, and was done on 300 lb water color paper.  The nature altered papers were further enhanced with acrylics, water soluble oil pastels, and graphite.  I have one more sedge meadow up my sleeve and then I am thinking I will move onto coastal waters.  In between my art I really need to start focusing on the details for the upcoming gallery show.  While I find this process rewarding, details drive me crazy!

K

Sedge Meadow: From the series, Claiming Sanctuary



Sedge Meadow I (from the series: Claiming Sanctuary)

 I don't think I have been this excited about my art in quite sometime.  There is something about working with talented people, all focused on a similar goal, that just gets those creative juices flowing.  This piece, Sedge Meadow I,  is the first in a small series of works focusing on the theme "Ecological Ethics in our Global Society."  The series is entitled, Claiming Sanctuary, and it is a play on words (think about it and you will get it). The piece is 8 by 8 inches and was done on 3oo lb Arches rough watercolor paper.  In addition, I just finished my second piece in this series entiled Sedge Meadow II (not a very creative title but oh well).  And I will probably do a third sedge meadow.  I am totally rocking on these beautiful places that face such an uncertain future (unless we do something now).  

Last Thursday, the Paper Packets group met to unwrap their packets and look at their papers (unfortunately I did not get any pictures even though I had my camera with me).  What a great evening.  We all brainstormed what the the theme of our soon to be gallery show really means. Ideas poured out of everyone and I could barely keep up writing down suggestions on the dry erase board.    I do hope this will ease peoples feeling about having a theme.  Actually, I was so hoping that this would focus our artistic efforts as well as unify the show.  I think those that view our works will have some semblance of understanding why these works are so meaningful and just how truly unique they are.   After all, it is not everyday that mother Nature has such a huge hand in the process.  Once these papers are gone...that is it.  They are one of a kind...as will be the art that is produced from them.  I am so excited for all of you ladies.  I know your work will be amazing.  Our gallery show will begin April 15th (with a meet the artist opening) and then run about 4 weeks.  Still a lot of work to do but it is the kind of thing I thrive on.  This subject matter is so near and dear to my hear.  I just wish former Vice President Al Gore could make an appearance (hey why not dream big, I mean really big LOL). 

This will be the first gallery show for many of the artists participating in this project.  I want to thank Lucy at The Studio for lending us her space.  I know that your walls will be adorned with incredible work.  I hope this experience will be fun and not so scary.  You are all amazing artists!  Your work and voice should be seen and heard.  Remember, we are all in this together and I could not be more proud of you!

I have some other things cooking too.  I really have to get cracking on a collage gallery show that I was invited to participate in (once my jpegs have been looked at).  And this morning I received a lovely comment on my last blog post that I though was really exciting.  I need to look into this a bit further though and then I'll post about it. And finally, I need to do a piece for my the Pink Ribbon Angels breast cancer fund raiser.  I'm smiling now...life could not get much better than this.

More pictures will follow soon of my papers (as I work on them) and of course, my finished piece.
Happy and peaceful Sunday to you all!
k

Studio Time: Paper Packets project 2-22-11

My packet right before I
brought it in.

Papers after removed from packet

More time in the studio today.  I have all this energy right now and I really am not sure why.  My poor house is a mess (which is pretty usual) and I am not any less busy but my priorities have shifted again.  I really want to complete my first piece from my personal papers that were in my packet at home by this Thursday. That is when our group meets at Lucy's Studio to unwrap their own packets. I further altered some of the papers, coated them with polymer medium, and have begun to rip and tear away.  My first pieces will have to do with preserving landscapes for future generations.  While the images will be abstract in nature, I think the title of each piece will help the viewer feel my story.  I have nothing in mind yet except for a sedge meadow that keeps coming to me, as a place of beauty, right before I fall asleep at night.  I simply can't imagine what would happen if these meadows disappeared.   How would that effect the environment? How many species would become extinct or at the very least, endangered?  What about the the water cycle and oxygen cycle? Would that tip the scales?

copied from:http://www.kidsgeo.com/geography-for-kids/0160-the-oxygen-cycle.php

                                                                                                        

papers after further altering


Ecological Ethics is the theme for our gallery show (in celebration of Earth Day).  I hope our work will convey some sense of urgency to the viewers.  If not through the actual works, then through our voices as we greet people and tell them our story.  The work will be unique in as much as the papers and other items that were used to create them, were altered by Mother Nature herself.  Once they are gone, there will be no others like them.  They are unique, just as each work is unique. I feel very strongly about this topic and I am so proud to have been able to get this project off the ground for our artists and our community.  I do plan on writing up a little summary of the work (and why each piece is so unique) to hang with the show.  Lots to do before Earth Day !!!! 

Paper Packets: Drying and ready to go 2-21-11

After the storm

This past Friday, the paper packet project actually became a reality for me.  Its one thing to bundle up a bunch of papers and throw them outside to decay (if you will) but it is quite another to rescue them after almost 5 months of exposure to the elements, lay them out, and begin the creative process.  The packets that were put together by the Studio's mixed media class, were rescued from the Studio's little portico.  A few of the papers were still buried under snow (from the great snow storm of 2011) but most were accesible because there had/has been a big thaw.  On the home front, I brought in my packet which had been hanging on one of our white pines for 5 months.  By Sunday, the packet was dry enough to unfurl and then the fun began.  I felt like a kid in a toy store...looking at the contents of the packet.  Some of the papers were coffee stained and tea stained while others were stained from easter egg dye tablets.  Still others were frail and I had to handle them with care.  The pages from news papers that I included actually bled some what.  My only regret is that I did not stuff that packet with more papers. 

So much snow, Feb 2011

On Thursday of this week, the group will get together to examen their packets.  I can't wait to see the looks on their faces as they rip through the screening that held their papers.  While I wait though, I have begun to stain the papers from my packet at home in colors that have a earthy feel.  Greens, blues, browns, grays etc.. will be needed for the art that follows.  I spent most of Sunday and Monday altering and getting really messy (my favorite part).  My goal is to have at least one work done by Thursday's class.  I have had a sedge meadow in my brain for the last two days that is just waiting to become a reality on 300 lb water color paper (Arches...yummy).  The ideas for the Earth Show theme are swirling around in my brain...some more serious, others, imaginary places I would love to spend time in. 

After the thaw



Drying in the Studio



The AfterGlo: Taking the 5 week course with Misty Mawn

Gosh it is so hard to believe the course/class is over.  Misty Mawn's Stretching Within course did just that.  It had something for everyone.  Once I figured out that there was no way I could "keep up" with all the assignments.  I just picked what I would enjoy the most.  I did "stretch" myself with drawing assignments and the painting exercises.  There was so much more though and some I really had no interest in, at least for right now.  I did take notes for future reference and I did copy all the useful links with her favorite tools of the trade.  For example, I can't wait to try the white gel pen she has recommended.  I have yet to find a brand that will handle mixed media works.  I promise to review it once I order and receive it :) 



"Industrial Evilution."

 So how much art did I get done.  Well, not too much.  I sketched more that I have in decades.  I did a couple of paintings and one collage that you see here.  This work will be mailed to Misty for a future article in Somerset Studio (about her course).  I plan on getting it out early next week.  Bottom line, would I take a class with her again?  Oh yea.  Having wanted to study with her for years...this on-line class was the next best thing for me because travel is out of the question at this time. 

A little bit about this work.  Often times I try to make some kind of commentary with my mixed media/collage works.  This one definitely is full of my ire with how things are going in the world.Lets just leave the rest to your interpretation.  I used images that Misty gave us (the bust of the woman, her head piece and her hand).  In this work I did a total of 10 transfers, all of which turned out pretty good.  My collage glue for this work was soft gel matte medium (Golden). Some of the media I used included: acrylics, water soluble oil pastels, graphite, washers, and a variety of papers.   I composed the piece, if you will, lying in bed before I fell asleep (over about a week).  And I will say that I am pleased with it because it actually does convey some deep emotion.  So now it is time to move on.  I am grateful for this experience and will use it to build some new work that will emerge out of my paper packets.

The Blizzard of this decade so far: 2/1/11

"Through the Screen." Really, really snowed in.

It has been an interesting couple of days.  On Monday I had a colossal headache so I knew that something big was coming.  Snow started gently on Monday, stopped, and then again started Tuesday morning.  My headache cleared up Monday afternoon, only to return Tuesday morning at work.  I know my body well enough by now to recognize that this headache was not due to my pre-k class (screaming five year olds), but rather that a huge front was going to hit our area.  The meteorologists had predicted this huge Midwest storm but again, due to experience, I often don't believe them.  I mean really, they are more wrong than right.  But my head always knows....  Good thing I made all the copies I needed for my class on Tuesday at noon (just before it started to get bad) for the next time we meet.  So by Tuesday night, roads were impassable, school had been canceled for today (2/2/11), and ballet classes had been canceled. It was wonderful cuddling up in my snuggie and renting a movie (U-Verse) knowing that I did not have to work today and the kids were home too.   Ahhh the good life.  Today, as you can see, we were snowed in.  Could not go anywhere.  The plow only just came through our subdivision and school was canceled for tomorrow as was dance (for tonight, not good by the way since Colin and Claire have performances this weekend in Schaumburg).  So I tried to be productive and I guess you could say that I was.  Our Christmas stuff is finally all down and put away, carpets vacuumed, and I managed to work on a collage for the Misty Mawn course I am taking.  Misty's course is just wonderful but I have been wayyyyy behind on the lesson because of life (good reason I guess).  Since we will be off tomorrow, I will get some more art time :))))  Hopefully the kids will have their

Later in the day, with help from a plow (thanks Kurt)

dress rehearsal tomorrow evening.  They worked  so hard
on rehearsals for these upcoming performances.




k

Update: Paper Packets in January Weather. 1/22/11

Thank you dear Tami for sending me these pictures of the groups packets.  Here is just a sampling of our nature induced green papers.  We are inching ever closer to that magic week in February when we will gather the packets, bring them inside to dry and then voila, open them.  Seth Apter, in New York set the ideas in motion as he did this experiment some time back.  Seth has a wonderful blog, http://thealteredpage.blogspot.com/ , which you all should check out some time.  Thank you Seth for your write up in Cloth Paper Scissors on your disintegration project!

So here are some photos.  After we inspect Mother Nature's handy work, we start creating.  This will culminate in an Earth Day gallery show at the Studio in McHenry. The theme is

"Ecological Ethics in our GLobal Society."

k

Week two of Misty's class: painting using acrylics

So it would not have been my life if I was not running all around this weekend.  I mean really...On top of everything, I now have a whopper of a cold.  The creative factor is kind of low right now.  So here is my first painting for the week.  A lone tangerine makes its debut.  I basically did a simple contour drawing using the Stabilio marks all pencil and then painted the image (Golden Acrylics) after dragging the shadows in.  I used primary colors of red, yellow, and blue to mix secondary and tertiary colors and then went to town.  Not sure where I am heading next.  But where ever it is, I know I'll have fun getting there :)   K

A portrait: "After Odilon" - 1/15/11

After Odilon

The portrait...first one I have done in a very long time, first one I have done where I tried to copy a great Master.  I changed the hair, or rather, I gave her hair..but she still does enough come close to Redon's "Girl."  Her proportions are so off...  This was the one that I was going to throw out, but decided to show it anyway.  It all part of new growth on my part...searching for a style still...  What I learned in this past wee...I need to loosen up and try to interpret what I am seeing rather then try to copy exactly.  I just can't do it.  It is not in my nature :(   So its time to move on....  Tomorrow will be a long day...Ballet auditions are on-going for my twins....

k

Quail study

Its almost been a week since I started Misty Mawn's Class.  I have to say that it is packed, I mean packed full of wonderful videos (how to), assignments, and prompts.  I am feeling stressed because well, I want to do it all but then there is something called life that gets in the way.  So because of my stress level, I have only been able to complete about one third of this weeks exercises.  So as a note to myself...relax kiddo you need to realize that it is impossible to keep up and begin to use your head more in terms of picking and choosing what will benefit you.  Relax kiddo, when it is not fun anymore, you need to be smart and pick those exercises that speak to you.  Relax kiddo, it won't be the end of the world if you don't post results every single day...Relax kiddo and breath....

So here I share another quail study.  Misty asked us to choose an object to draw everyday for 5 weeks...I chose quail sculpture I purchased from Santa Fe.  I wrote this poem/Haiku while I was lying awake in bed and then for day 3, I drew the little piece you see here.  Now I am working on a portrait...I spent 3 hours yesterday trying to get it perfect...Actually I was going to toss it because it sucks but you know...I am not going to.  I promise to post it but I want to spray it with fixative first.  I simply don't want to work on it anymore and am ready to move on.  I guess I am my own worst critic.

k

Two weeks into the New Year....

And I feel like it is April already.  How much stuff can you jam into 2 weeks?????  Hitting the ground running for me means that it is audition time for major ballet companies summer intensive programs.  There are photos that needed to be taken , registrations that needed to be filled out, spreadsheets made, and finally, the auditions themselves.  Colin and Claire are both auditioning.  This is their first time doing this so it is all about getting comfortable in front of teachers/judges.  The weekends will be long around here for several weeks now. 



Claire in an arabesque on pointe



My quail for daily drawing practice.



In addition, on January 1oth, I started an on-line course with one of my favorite mixed media artists, Misty Mawn.  I have dreamed about taking one of her workshops but for several years, places like Portland, Italy,  Valley Ridge, Wisconsin etc...have been out of the question.  But on-line is a different story :)))) In week one we are drawing everyday and have "homework" every day.  It will be an intense 5 weeks but that's just fine with me.  I really need to push myself and this is one good way to do it.  More on Misty's class later.

I am also gearing up for my first class of the new year at the Studio.  Our group will be doing an abstract winterscape.  Fun.  I am going through the altering paper process very slowly.  And I wish I could say I would have a sample ready for the class but not sure that is possible.  I need to add pictures soon of January's paper packets as well.  I guess I might as well be resigned to no sleep :)



Day 2, quails.



Nutcracker Aftermath: 12-24-10



Colin and his Clara



Colin and his Spanish Princess

Merry Christmas to you all. It is Christmas Eve and it will be Christmas Day by the time I actually post this.  I am sitting here now reflecting on my 2010 Nutcracker experience and still seeing visions of Sugar Plums.....  These last two weeks have been all about the Nutcracker, as they have been for a good 10 years.  I have told friends that I felt as if I was watching the events unfold hovering from above.  I never felt really present but rather floating through each performance.  The culmination of three months of rehearsals ended with the Tech week at the Woodstock Opera House (December 7-10).  Those four long nights of rehearsals went surprising well.  Colin and Claire even got their homework done.  And then came the first weekend of performances followed by a week of rest and then the second weekend (Dec 18 and 19) of performances.  As I am the proud mother of two very talented dancers, my opinion is very biased.  However, to put it mildly, I was blown away...yes blown away by the quality of dancing, the quality of the performance, and the high energy that the Nutcracker held for me this 2010.  Colin and Claire just get better and better.   I received many compliments from parents and relatives etc.. Many of the people that literally grabbed me, I did not know.  How they knew that I was Colin and Claire's Mother is beyond me but I have to say I enjoyed basking in their light, even for just a few moments. 

Colin and Claire as Chinese

Colin was the Nutcracker Prince this year.  He was also the Spanish Chocolate Cavalier soloist and the Chinese Tea soloist.  Claire was in the snow scene as a snowflake and she was the Chinese tea soloist, partnering with her brother.  When I saw Colin for the first time,he came on the stage as the nephew of Uncle Drosselmeyer.  He was as tall as Uncle Drosselmeyer (about 6 ft).  Tears welled in my eyes as I realized that my precious boy was now a young man.  I just never realized how tall he had grown in just a few short months (he was 5' 10" in July).  So here was this young man playing the part of the nephew, soon to be the Nutcracker prince.  At that moment, I knew that these shows would be marvelous.  And my Claire, she stepped up to the plate in her first solo appearance.  To see them both dance together was one of my happiest and proudest moments as a Mother. Their performance was something I will never forget.  After two weekends of nothing but Nutcracker  (yes I saw every performance) I realized that even though these past weeks, many weeks of preparation for these performances, were full of stress, it was worth every minute and yes, I would do it again in a heart beat.  Thank you Colin and Claire for the best Christmas gift ever. 

As a final note, all the pictures on this page are courtesy of Dan Swinson.  His website,

A final Kiss.  I cried like a baby.

http://www.danswinson.com/photography, is full of beautiful shots of the JSSB (Judith Svalander School of Ballet) Nutcracker performances.  These were pinched from his facebook photo album.  Thank you Dan for being such a generous artist.  These pictures are awesome.

And so it is that Christmas has arrived.  I do hope you have created many memories this holiday and that 2011 brings many more.

k

The cast

Update: Paper Packets and Christmas Cards Arrived

I have been remiss in posting Paper Packet photos from The Studio.  Tami, thank you for sending me photos these last couple of weeks.  Time has just escaped me but now that I have surfaced from my Nutcracker fog...I can get back to reality (more on the Nutcracker in the next post).  So here is how they are looking.  Lucy hung the packets in various places outside her studio in an enclosed patio of sorts.  The space is surrounded by four brick walls of the adjacent buildings.  It is a cute space and perfect for the exposing the packets to the elements.  I will share with you a few photos so you can get an idea of how this project is proceeding.  In February, we will meet to open the packets up, dry the papers, and begin the creative process.
The papers have been exposed to sun, rain, snow and ice.  I have said it before, but I can't wait to take a look at some of these packets once they have been opened. 

As a side note, my Christmas cards from Vista Print arrived 14 business days after I ordered them. I received an email from the company that they were to arrive on Dec 7th.  I received them on Dec. 13th.  Needless to say, I was not happy at all.  Let me say once again, a lot of my artist Internet friends use Vista Print.  However, it only takes one bad experience for me and I simply won't use them again.  The quality of the cards was nice, nothing spectacular though.  I just now got the last of the cards mailed.  I hate working up to the last minute like this but at least they are on their way.  No, I did not call to complain although I suppose I should have.  I have the product, the cards are out, my form of protest will be never to use them again.
k

November

November

 

December

December



December

Merry Christmas: A Christmas card for 2010

Christmas 2010

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I started this work just before Thanksgiving getting the idea from the current issue of Somerset Studio.  Unfortunately I do not remember the name of the artist who showcased this project.  She did her Christmas collage on wood, I choose a portion of a game board that I had.  I never throw anything out and just happened to have a chess board that was used for a Sesame Street version of the game.  The board measured 16 by 16 and I divided into four pieces.  It was coated with a plastic like material which I promptly sanded off and the rest is history.  The final collage is being turned into Christmas cards at Vista Print.  It was due to arrive yesterday and I still have not seen the package so I hope it comes tomorrow or Vista Print will be getting a serious email from me.  Let me just say while I thought it would be charming to turn an original work into cards for all on my Christmas list, it was no cheap undertaking.  I could have bought two or three boxes of the most expensive Hallmark Christmas cards and come out ahead.  What was I thinking?  
k

Paper Packetts update: 12-4-10

More than a month since I shot a picture of my at home packet.  And it is just 3 months till we reveal the artistry of Mother Nature.  I am so excited about this project and can't wait to get my hands on those papers.  I have yet to get to The Studio to take shots there of the numerous packets we have hanging.  So I will definitely get there before the big holiday (Lucy, I did get cards made of my Christmas collage and I want to hand deliver one).  Here are some shots of my packet from home.  It is hanging on a 30 foot white pine :)  And here is a flash---We have snow today so the packet is almost entirely covered!!!!  You go Mother Nature!
k