Logan's Hat

A friend of mine at work did this painting and asked if I could put it on a hat.
It was my first try at something like this and I was tempted to say " I can’t" but I decided to give it a try. It did not come out exactly but I am pleased with it.
It was a challenge and a lot of fun so I plan to do some more of this type. Flowers are great and I like doing them but it is time to step out once again from the comfort zone and push myself a little…or a lot.
I used to do Sumi-e painting so I am thinking of doing some on my hats. They will truly be one of a kind pieces of wearable art. I should have some great hats next winter!

STAINED GLASS AND OTHER WONDERS

Let the sunshine in! These fabulous works of art are done by Coco of Maine. Coco grew up in New Orleans, was a military wife for over 30 years and is a mother of 5 children. She has traveled extensively within the U.S. and abroad discovering and absorbing the native values and artistic expressions indigenous to each location. In addition to her beautiful glass works she has talents in many other areas such as decorative folk painting , carved candles, soap, clay, needlework, fountains, basic carpentry and refinishing, various types of sewing, and jelly making...whew! Remember now I told you she is also a mother of 5.

These original paintings in the traditional Austrian Alpbach style double as Shaker style boxes and are extra strong and durable so they are as functional as they are enchanting.

Treat yourself and maybe a friend and visit her shop. There is so much more to see and you can find out a lot more about this wonderful Artisan and her family on her profile bu going to http://www.ByCoco.etsy.com

Encaustic and Other Art

Jamie has been working very hard on her new line of encaustic paint and it is now available! Pictured here her handmade paint makes me want to take up the ancient art just to buy the supplies they look so yummy! About her paint she says "My paint is made from only the finest ingredients and with a recipe favored by old masters-- rest assured that you will be receiving artist quality paint that is archival and will last you through the ages! I wouldn't use or sell any other kind." In addition to making her own paint (wow) she also paints herself. At her site you can see watercolor, oil, drawings, photographs and of course more paint! Run by and check out this amazing woman at http://www.jamieribisi.etsy.com. Now all that said I have to tell you she is also the part owner of Sweetland Retreat located in Manchester Maine. It is "a unique Bed & Breakfast offering private and shared artist studios and various workshops in a rural relaxing setting. Stay with us and experience the way life should be! " You can visit their site at http://www.sweetlandretreat.com/. Wow, I wonder what comes next with this talented woman?!

Acrylic Paintings

Home is where the heart as goes the saying. Laurie, a Maine artist will create a painting of your house for you by custom request. I was thinking although I don't live there anymore it would be nice to have a painting of the home I grew up in. I love to drive by there every chance I get. I can still see our underground fort (long since filled in), picture my old room from the front window. I sit parked and daydream of days gone by in the carefree world of my youth. It would be a delight to have that right here in my home and the new owners would probably prefer it as well!

She also has original art as well as prints for sale in her shop of some beautiful Maine landscapes. One of the features of her work is the gallery wrap canvas she has this to say..."For those who are unfamiliar with gallery wrap canvas, it has a wide (approximately 1.5-inch) edge that is painted, so you don't have to deal with the added expense and hassle of framing. The painting will wrap right around the edges of the canvas. Your painting will be finished with a protective layer of varnish, and will arrive wired and ready to hang." This is really nice because the additional cost of framing can be outrageous. Wen I did it for a living people were amazed. They would bring it a print that they paid $25.00 for and spend over $100 easily for the frame. Stop by her shop and take a look at her landscapes and cityscapes. You can find her at http://www.viridianart.etsy.com

Hardwood Floors and such

Ok, so I have not made any jewelry in the last few days and I am sure you can see why! The photos above are before and after shots of my living room and kitchen after we tore up the ugly carpet. Why anyone would cover these floors is beyond me. It took us only 3 days from ripping up the carpet to the finish...well nearly done. I still have to go around and do a little touch up and fine detail work. Oh and that is Butch over there in the corner and my husband putting on the padding to keep the floors from getting scratched.
This was our first project and there are some things we learned. First I would not suggest trying to sand 2 rooms and a hall all in one day to save on the machine rentals. Secondly, the drum sander of course was great but I was sad to see that the edger did not fit under the cabinets so we have to get a disc sander for that area.
The kitchen is probably next on our list because now the cabinets really don't work and there is some awful plastic tile on 2 walls that needs to come down. I think they glued that stuff on to survive a nuclear blast so when we take that off we will most likely take off the sheet rock as well. It goes without saying the curtains have to go, etc... Tis true what they say that these sort of projects are never as simple as they would first appear.
Once I have the remainder of the furniture out of my studio and the rest of these 2 rooms put back together I can start back to work making jewelry so I have strong motivation! See you all some with some more lovelies

New Gallery Opening

A new gallery is opening in Portland, Oregon. CUBE Gallery at 4136 SE Hawthorne Blvd. in Portland, OR 97215 opens Sunday July 6, 2008. The gallery opens on the 6th at 6PM, thereafter the hours are 10 AM to 6PM Tuesday through Sunday allowing the two artists and owners, Kimberly Kent and Shannon Bodie a little time to pursue their passion in creating some the art to be displayed.
Although involved in a variety of mediums, Kimberly specializes in encaustic painting which can be seen on the web at http://kimberlykent.squarespace.com/ There Kimberly states "My current work represents the expressionistic landscape. Born of intimate plein air studies that bear the torch for my larger oil and encaustic paintings. Working in plein air allows me to see the natural world with all senses, not just my eyes. To experience nature as the precious gift we were given and have the responsibility to protect."
"Shannon Bodie has been working in graphic arts for over 17 years. After study as a fine artist, she joined Lightbourne in 1994 and became partner in 1999, where she continues Lightbourne’s reputation of outstanding service and award-winning design." (from lightborne.com). The web link to the gallery is http://www.thecubegallery.com/ and is not a complete site at this time but they are working toward that end.
In addition to fine art, jewelry, and pottery the gallery will offer classes in a variety of media.

Slow but Steady

I expect to be able to finish that piece today. I started painting again yesterday, I have not taken out my brushes in a few years. I used to paint nearly every day then when I moved to Maine I stopped for some reason. I began with Sumi-e in 1985 under the direction of Claudia Suen in Hawaii. I continued with Chinese Brushpainting and also tried my hand at pen and ink, watercolor, pastels, etc. I did well at the pen and ink and Sumi, the rest well I dabbled every now and then I think just to prove to myself that I still couldn't do it. Anyway I seemed to have a natural talent for the Sumi. I sold many, taught in the public school system and at private galleries, and then stopped one day. So as I said in the beginning I have picked up my brushes again. To be truthful I ran out of wrapping paper, had some bags that I use for jewelry and thought it would be a good idea to slap some ink on them and see what happens. That is to come in a few days. For now I want to finish this piece of jewelry I have been working on. I am just in awe of the beauty in these stones. They have so many color variations in each one. It was hard to find the right pearls to go with them and I am not adding as many as usual because I don't want to detract from these jaspers. The carnelian I used was faceted and reflects the light so nicely. I love making jewelry. The colors, the sparkle, the different stones...no wonder it is taking me a while to do this piece. The first layer of the paintings are just about dry so I had better get on with my day. I need to get these done and the materials put up so I can continue this necklace