Abortion, Visual Art, Weaving Coasters

Some babies die by accident, none should die by choice. Wake up, abortion supporters in this country...let's not kill our youngest! Life is a miraculous gift and there are so many couples who cannot concieve. Let's encourage and support pregnant women so they follow through, carry their babies to term and give them up for adoption...bless the lives of couples who are suffering heartbreak and heartache and emptiness for want of a child. Give the gift of live to them!

Another topic: school starts soon and that means new art will be created by lots of kids. I'm excited to get my students started! We will start on Sept. 14 - I just can't decide if I want to start with some basic color theory or the principles of design. Actually, we'll probably review the art elements first and then go from there. I have lots of returning students and a few new ones, too. It is always fun to have new students as the group dynamics change and that is fun for all.

I've got a set of coasters on my table top loom...plan to get those off the loom this week and knot up or sew the edges, depending on how my time goes the rest of the week...my 'list' is long! I really want to get a denim rug woven on my floor loom, too but it needs warping first and that is SUCH a big job! I almost feel too old to get down on my hands and knees to get it done. I wonder if I can pay someone to warp it?

Last night when I was walking the ice cream truck came down the street. It had the music blaring to alert the kids that it was in their neighborhood. The not-so-seasonally appropriate song it was playing? Silent Night!

Our rabbit trap has not been successful all summer...but our window well was. Eric found the fur and skeleton of a dead rabbit in the window well last week. One down, 10,000+ to go!

How to travel 3,600+ miles in 9 days, Falling Water by Frank Lloyd Wright, Pennsylvania's attractions

How can you travel over 3,600 miles in 9 days? Sit in your vehicle and drive like madmen for over 12 hours every day for 3 days! Stop to pee, grab a DQ blizzard and burger and get right back in your car. Drop lots of money at the toll booths. Arrive at your destination. Take 3 days off (go shopping, head to the beach). Drop off your Uhaul trailer - if you've had the non-joy of pulling one for the first 1,800 miles. Then get up and head back towards home, repeating the process. This whole business is easier if you have made hotel reservations each day before arriving at your rest stop. It is definitely not fun to drive around looking for a hotel after you've already been in the car for 12 hours. Have GPS or a AAA TripTik so you know where you are going. Have a bottle of Ibuprofen handy because your head and back and butt will ache like never before. Carry a TENS (muscle stimulator) unit with you so you can use it at night in your hotel room. Carry lots of Butterfingers to satisfy your sweet tooth and lots of sunflower seeds to help you stay awake!

We just returned home from a grueling drive out to the East coast to move our youngest daughter to New Bedford, MA for graduate school in ceramics. The U of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, has a good program that she will begin this fall. It was fun to get her settled and acquainted in this former whaling town...now in a large metro area, including Fall River and Taunton.

On our way home we took a detour south and stopped for an afternoon in Gettysburg to do a Battlefield Tour and to see Eisenhower's farm, situated right next to the Gettysburg battlefield. Both were well worth the extra driving time... The next day we stopped at the Kaufman vacation home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. The Kaufmans founded a department store chain, headquartered in Pittsburgh. This home was almost unbelievable. I'm still marveling at the beauty of the home in its natural setting over the water falls, as well as the cool design features that Wright included. All the furniture was built in as the home was built. There are multiple decks, in the sun or the shade, so everyone could be happy!

We loved Pennsylvania - there is so much to see and do, that we'd love to go back for a 2 week vacation some time. We had no time to see Amish land, Hershey, Pittsburgh or any of the historical attractions in Philadelphia. Driving through the tree covered mountains, in misty fog, and crossing multiple bridges was relaxing and so picturesque! We want to go back!

We had a painter working inside our home while we were gone so it was fun to get home and see the changes...now new flooring and some new furniture and this old home will be spiffed up and ready for a new school year.

Kiln motor blows, kids' pottery, Bismarck art show and rabbits avoid the trap!

I can't believe we already needed to replace the blower motor on our kiln vent. It only lasted 3 years. The amount of rust and junk inside where the vent hose connects to the motor was crazy! I wonder if it is normal? I fire to cone 05 most of the time, with occasional firings to cone 5 and 6. I was shocked to find out that a new motor would be $85, plus the gas to drive 144 miles to pick it up and bring it home. When I told the guy I thought it would cost about $15- $20 he looked flabbergasted. I don't shop for motors very often...

Anyway, the kiln is full of really precious pottery - made by kids age 3-1/2 to 13 years. I can't wait to see how it turns out. Hopefully, nothing will come out cracked. I always tell the kids cracks are possible and to not fall in love with their pieces until the pots are out of the final firing.

I've made a lot of new pieces for the Bismarck (ND) Art Affair on the Capital Grounds next weekend. I hope the weather is great, not too hot because then the shoppers stay home and not too windy because then stuff gets dirty and blows over. I also hope the mosquitoes are under control - last year they were FEROCIOUS! Check out my new work - we'll get it posted to my shop (www.jackiesart.com) the middle of August.

We haven't trapped a single rabbit, despite my husband's best efforts. Someone in our neighborhood told us it is impossible to trap them in the summer because there is so much for them to eat that they aren't the least bit interested in the bait (even though it has been delicious spinach and peanut butter!) in the trap. Eric dug up 48 feet of zinnias that the rabbits chewed down to nothing. I miss the flowers that are usually so colorful by this time of year. Darn rabbits!

Visual Art, Pottery, Oil Painting, Virtual Visits, Google Street View

I got this info from my art teacher exchange site. This site has ideas and help for teachers in the visual art field. I thought it was really interesting and fun and am passing it along.

"Need some inspiration for your summer art and travels? Or are you having a
"staycation" this year? Here is an interesting site to rev you up:

http://virtualpaintout.blogspot.com/ This is a network of artists who
virtually visit predetermined cities all over the world each month and paint
or draw from city views that appear on Google's Street View. They then post
their work on the blog. Interestingly, Google has given its okay for the
artists to use screen shots of the views and sell their work if Google is
credited in the labels or descriptions."

I went to the site to check it out and it's worth a look. I may use it with my students this year.

I'm working in my pottery studio today making 'garden guests' or 'patio pals'...I can't decide what to call them. They are little creatures like slugs and lady bugs and cats and puppies that hold terra cots pots. Which name do you like best?

How to catch a rabbit, new pottery design, other random thoughts

How to catch a rabbit? We don't know! Two nights in a row we have tried and each morning the trap was empty. Tonight will be the night, though! There are lots of hints on the internet, like wash the trap and get rid of any human smell and then handle it with gloved hands, use apples and peanut butter for bait - cut the pieces small and make a line of bait leading into the trap, and set it in the path where you know they run. We have your number, neighborhood rabbits!

I've been working on pottery for the garden this week - new designs that I will have for sale soon on my website and etsy and also at the Capitol Art Fair in Bismarck, ND the first weekend in August. The first of them are in the bisque kiln right now - hopefully, I've figured the size correctly and they will indeed hold flower pots after firing. I hate doing the math to figure out the shrinkage, so I always just guess...dumb, I know.

I'll be in the kitchen tomorrow preparing a lot of food for a family reunion we are having this weekend in honor of my dad's 80th birthday. He is still working every day, even though he is retired...taking care of property and other investments, doing the yard work and vacuuming since my mom can't manage that any longer. I hope I'm still as blessed when I'm 80!

Visual Art and Wedding Gifts

Visual art and weddings - do they go together? Yes, of course! What bride and groom would not love handmade, one of a kind art for a wedding gift? So many times wedding gifts are chosen from 'big box' stores where the couple has registered. Sure, these gifts are needed and wanted. But if you really want to give a special twosome a gift they will remember, think about choosing a gift made by one of your local artists, or shop online.

The Internet has made this sort of gift giving practical. There are virtually no restraints because of distance - gifts can be chosen from nearly any where and shipped to almost any where else because of secure Internet shopping. And more and more artists are finding that it is almost necessary to have a presence online...so the selection of 'handmade' has never been better.

I have lots of handmade items that are perfect gifts for bridal showers and weddings. Some items, like my sculptures, weavings and tapestries, would be perfect for decorating a new space and other items, like wine charms and pottery, are functional, handmade pieces! Check out my online shops at www.jackiesart.etsy.com and www. jackiesart.com. I will be adding more items to both shops in about 10 days - everything I make is handmade from start to finish so you can be assured that your gift will be treasured and appreciated in the years to come! Happy shopping!

Pekin Art Show, Walter Piehl, Art and Wine Walk, How to Clean a Gourd

I'm excited for tomorrow - Pekin, North Dakota, a small town in the eastern part of the state, is hosting an artists reception. They are hosting their BIG art show and sale this weekend and the reception is a nice preview event. Wine and snacks will be served and Walter Piehl, premier cowboy artist, will be there. He is the judge for the art show. I wish he'd want to do a little art trading!!!

The June Art and Wine Walk was last Saturday - I had good success selling at River City Jewelers so that was awesome. I said goodbye to my grain bin piggy bank - the one with the skunk skulking nearby! It went to a good home - the editor of our local newspaper and his wife bought it. They live in the country and it seems they have a real life quonset, complete with a skunk family, on their property. Now they have one for inside the house, too!

Our daughter, Jennifer and two granddaughters were here for a long weekend. We LOVE having them and miss them dearly when they go home. They provide us with lots of fond and fun memories!

Since I've had some inquiries on my gourd art, I thought I'd share my best tips for cleaning the hard shell variety, once they are completely dried out. I take a large plastic tub, fill it half way with hot water and detergent. Add a bunch of gourds and lay old wet towels on top to try to weight them down so they stay in the water. Add more water till the tub is full. Put the lid on and wait overnight.

The next day, take the gourds out, one at a time so they stay wet. Use a copper scrubbie to remove the white and black molds, under running water. I wear rubber gloves because I think it is sort of a gross job. If some mold is stubborn, I use a butter knife to scrape it. Rinse. Set aside on a towel to air dry. Be sure there are no holes, where birds have pecked at them, or mice have nibbled, before you put them in the water to soak.