A visit to Riverside

I just got back from a trip to Riverside with my brothers Steve, Neale and sister-in-law Sue, to visit our cousin Florence.....who is an amazing 96 years old. The big surprise was that our brother Nate was there waiting for us. We have not all been together for over 4 years. We all had a good visit and did our favorite things: reminisce, laugh and look at pictures. It was good to see Flo. We all have so many memories of her from our chilhood.

banner

This is the banner I made at an art day at Susan H.'s taught to us by Susan B. from a class she took at ArtFiberFest from Pam. Everyone elses was bigger.

ATCs

Here are the latest I collected at our ATC get together. I look forward to this every month.

My self portrait for LK

Her journal was an album of record sleeves for 78s. Here is my entry.

Did I tell you ....

Captain Nimrod has a sidekick? Well he does.....

I know I know

...it's been awhile since I posted. I am sooo busy. I just sent off my photos etc to Teesha for the ArtFiberFest workshop list. I will be teaching how to make Scissor maidens next June in Issaquah, WA.

Another little project is something Colleen and I like to do...stageing. This is a really cute sixties condo in Santa Barbara. It looked soooo cute when we were done. The Real Estate Agent is having an open house this weekend. Wish I could peek in.


Carol and I Just got finished teaching our altered book class again. It was the best class ever. Not because of the students. We always have great students but because we have got the techniques down to an exact science! ....at least we think so...It really was a fun class. Thanks, Yvonne, Susan, Sue, Colleen, Beth, Marcia and Joel for coming!

The Queen of Arts Show is about to move to the front burner...It came out in the Elverhoj Museum Newsletter today. So there is no turning back now. I need to get my list of artists nailed down and send even an update.

We just had our monthly ATC gathering. Next month it will be at Art From Scrap. Mary Price's show will be up too. This will be fun! These are the ATCs I did...altered photos. I will try and scan in the other artist's cards.

This is my latest work from my painting class at Allan Hancock college. It is an assignment called "broken color". Part of this process calls for painting with no smaller than a 1 inch brush.


Tomorrow I go to Ventura to the gallery where I have 2 books entered to gallery watch....then I have 2 days with no deadlines! I think it will be spent cleaning house and doing catch up chores.....art is messy!

I am so excited

I just turned in our registration to ArtFest and we will be in a small officer's house....LE, Colleen, Susan and I. Just wish it wasn't so far away...I mean in time...next March. I don't mind the road trip. I now have places to stop that are fun on the way to WA. A new place to visit will be the bookstore of a childhood friend in Portland, Roberta.

I am trying to stay focused on painting....not really sure what I will do with all these paintings.....Here is my newest one . It is not finished.....no... this is not my studio....it is the classroom at Allan Hancock college. Our first critique is Thurs.










Did my thing at Dinosaur Caves Sun. I am not sure I will do this next year. Next month is the last one. I plan to have a big sale...."blue light special".













After class I went to see Carol to firm up some plans for our altered book class Sat. and on the way I went by Vandenberg Air Force Base. I got teary eyed seeing the folks, among them a woman that looked like she missed her bridge game standing next to a Nam vet, all holding their protest signs. I admire them for caring enough to gather there in silence to show how they feel. All I could do was wave encouragement.

I can't make up my mind

So now I am back to the black background.....anyway.....
Here is my newest painting. I did it in class. I think it is done.....just need to glaze it I think.

<

OK here is another new look

.... I am not to sure about this pink, It is pretty "Barbie"...


I am way behind in my blogging but I had such a fun weekend with my classmates from '66 that I am just catching back up. Santa Paula, CA was a great place to grow up and the whole class has a blast when we get together. I feel like I just finished a great meal....happy and content. After the reunion dinner/dance, some of the girls had a slumber party and caught up on what has happened in our lives...Billie, Paula, Linda and I ...along with Cheryl that fell asleep...I think we will always have a special bond. The fact that I have known these women, some since we were 5 years old, makes me believe that our lives are connected forever.
And those crazy guys in our class are really the sweetest men there are...but they try to hide it. Here is a warning to any women classmates...Don't look at Gerry's tattoo!



I sarted back to Hancock last week. Susan and I are taking painting...again. It is really the best way for me to get any paintings done. I will try to post the latest.





My work got accepted in the Ventura Bookarts show. The reception is Sat. night. I think Jill will come with me.

Today some of the CALL girls got together at Susan's for banner making. Susan had taken Pam's class at FiberFest and was anxious to show us how to make them. I am excited because I "fired up" my Pfaff sewing machine that I bought many years ago for $10. Have not figured out how to do the zig zag yet...And I used my Jamone that I did not get in time to take to FiberFest. It is an amazing little machine. I love it! I saw Somerset had them for sell in the latest issue.

When I got home Teesha's zine Art & Life was in the mail. I love the Photoshop article and all Teesha's fun art. Someday I might color in some of the fun pages....That gives me an idea! I should make some pages to be colored in! I'll think that over for awhile.....I am rambling like a crazy person now....I better hit the hay!

Sorry

"Tunka..." was taking up too much room. Here is the link in case you need to see that dance one more time.
http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=tunak+tunak
I think it is amazing how that tune can stick in my head and I don't even know what the song is about!

I changed my look

I wish I knew more about this blogger thing. I can never get it to layout like I want. So I thought I would give it less to think about and I changed to a simpler background. I am not used to it yet but I will see how it goes.

Poor Pepa I do not know why I can not get the pic to come in correct...I need a programer...J-Dog where are you? (that is our pet name for my computer engineer son-in-law, Jon)

And why is it I can not add any photos to my Flickr account?....J-Dog.......

OK here is the site that you are all asking about...warning it will stick in you head.... http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=tunak+tunak

Happy birthday Pepa and Susan

We had the best day! We were in Pepa's beautiful garden in Montecito. We had good friends, good food, fun presents, our tin reveal, lots of laughs and cake. What could be better?











Susan


















Pepa (sorry I have been trying for half an hour to get this picture to come in right ...it won't!







Our "tin reveal" was really a challenge. We were to make something from one of the many craft books we own. We picked Opie and Linda Obrien's Metalcraft book ....that we all love. Here are our creations....
























Penny, Me, Mary, Pepa, Colleen, Penny and me














fun day!

Folio bag

Here is my
lastest design.
It lets me combine
art and function.
I love it when
that happens.

It is Sunday night

Earl is coming home tomorrow from his week working in Corona, CA and Jill just got back from her 3 day trip to Monterey. I had all these big plans for my time here by myself. But of course I planned way too much. But I did get some projects out of the way. I have my tin reveal nearly finished for the CALL girl's birthday party on Wed. I can't post the birthday gifts I worked on because it wouldn't be a surprise if Pepa or Susan checked my blog....so I'll post them later...

We had a great ACT gathering at Jill L. fantastic home in Santa Barbara. It was fun to have a place big enough to put all the ATC out at the same time. We are back to the Good Cup next month.

Other stuff I worked on: mailed off ATCs to Tracie for the swap and 5 more to the show in Ohio.



I got notices posted and mailed out about the altered book class Carol and I are teaching.









I got back the post cards for the Queen of Arts Show to distribute. I finished some bags for Billie at Imagine to look at....But mainly I seem to have been on the computer these last few days. These days I think I spend as much time getting photos worked in Photoshop or write blurbs for one thing or the other or just catching up on other people's blogs and Flickr sites...which is also necessary for an artist....as I do actually doing some art....and I got to some garage sales on Sat. My favorite things I got was 4 bowling pins for $1. , some old tobacco tins, a neat little ceramic boat, a dusty but good paper cutter and an old leather bag. It will be great to throw paint supplies into.

New ATCs

Here are the ATCs (artist trading cards) For Tracie's fabric ATC group trade. As you can see I started out one way, the surfer girl, then went another ( I lost almost half of them in the middle of making them).....Who is keeping an eye on me?....Anyway....I should accept this pattern of always losing things and having to start over as my normal way of doing things. You know what I say ..."If I had back the time I have spent looking for things, I would be 14 years old!" Tomorrow I meet up for our local ATC group and I have not started those yet. Maybe I will make more of these.










yikes

Here he is

Tikiman...or maybe I will rename him. I mention the name "Wooden Eye" and that brought up the old wooden eye joke. It is not politically correct but one of my favorites.

Another first Sunday in Shell Beach

This was the best day weather-wise yet in Shell Beach....and I got 2 paintings done! ...except for some "tweaking". I had no "slaves" to help me. Jill wanted to sleep in! Imagine that! And Earl has been called away on business. So I bought a trolley to help me with the hauling. A dolly just isn't the right thing....well the trolley is not the best either. It is not fond of the uneven ground...like grass. But it was still better than hand carrying some of the boxes I use for display etc. I sold some small items and of course ran right over and bought a tiki....you will understand (those who know me) when I get a photo of it posted...Flickr friend Tara...I think he looks like some of you images....Anyway...maybe this is why I never make any money.

Lots of art challenges are coming up: Fabric ATC's are due over in "Tracie-land", a bookarts show in Ventura that I plan to enter, ATC group is meeting Wed, some birthday gifts, I just got the latest RR self portrait journal ...it's owner is LK Ludwig (It is amazing! I am definitely challenged with this one), I have a tin challenge due for the CALL girl's reveal, Carol and I are putting the details together for our Sept. altered book class and things are really heating up for the Queen of Arts Benefit Show and Sale in Nov......and I need to lose 50 lbs. by Aug 19 for my class reunion....right....hand me another cupcake will ya...



Oh and I am working on some new creations and more of the old stuff too for Imagine in Santa Barbara.





Here is some fabric I painted for scissor maidens.

Went to the LA gift show Sunday

I went with Colleen and Penny. We had a good time and did a little damage.
This nicho is from Ecuador. I had seen it last year and it was sold. But this vendor got it back by some odd reason and I felt it was destiny that I should get it. It is all metal. I love it!



I got a great deal on some hupils from Guatemala. They are wearing out but I still love them.




Then of course I had to get some beads....We talked to a really interesting African bead seller. I learned so much.




We ate at California Pizza Kitchen in Ventura on the way home. Always good.