Life since December has been a busy blur: Holiday Glow Art Sale & Show in December, grandson Jacob born February 3 in Morris, MN, a trip with my parents the end of that month, granddaughter Brooke born in Wichita in March with some post-birth complications that necessitated me staying to help for almost a month, a family meeting in Bismarck, Jacob's baptism, our middle daughter's wedding in MN in June, Brooke's baptism in Wichita last weekend...I'm still trying to catch up!
I've managed to make a few new art pieces, though. I had fun making pottery frames for felted whimsical houses, that I then embellished with beads and sequins. And I've given away many fused glass houses that I've personalized with names and dates. For example, Johnson House, Est. 2010. This week I'm designing fused glass guardian angels. I really like the little kiln we bought this summer!
A class I offered for kids this summer was painting on glass. At our daughter's wedding we didn't have a traditional guest book. Instead we had a large white platter that everyone signed. We used Vitrea 160 glass paints. After drying for 24 hours I baked it in our conventional oven for 40 minutes at 325. Now the new couple can actually use their guest book. It is even dishwasher safe, although I'd recommend washing it by hand.
For my kids' glass class we used the same paints and markers. Be sure to wash and dry the dish ware first, and clean with a cotton ball soaked in denatured alcohol if it is still greasy at all. Don't skip the 24 hour drying period - longer is better if the paint is applied thickly. Don't use a baking pan, just set the finished art on the oven racks. Turn the oven on, when the preheat light goes off, turn on your timer for 40 minutes. After 40 minutes, turn off the oven, open the door. Remove the dishes when they are cool enough to touch. Viola! Lovely art to use, or to hang on the wall.
I'm taking a fused glass class in Winnipeg in Sept. taught by Patty Gray...hope to learn lots and get inspired for creating new art for the 2010 Holiday Glow Art Sale & Show Nov. 12 & 13.
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.
I'm posting more photos of my mini gourd clocks today. I'm hoping to start soon on a new idea I have that will combine my love for felting with ceramics and the images I like of mothers with their children or baby. I'm excited about it, and have been mulling over ideas about how to 'put it all together' for a couple weeks. We'll see how it goes.
We may have our two little granddaughters here for a week or so. That would be fun! We love having them at our house, except it is so quiet and picked up after they leave.
Our Valentine Art Show went well, although none of us sold a thing to anyone who intended it as a gift for their sweetheart. It was really cold that afternoon/early evening, like 20 below zero (F). Maybe we would've had even more traffic had the weather cooperated a bit. We're thinking of trying the same sort of 4-7pm show just before Mother's Day. We had wine leftover so we each took home a bottle!
I picked up my clocks -they'd been showing at the same place since Oct. All my ceramic clocks have sold. Two of the polymer clay clock faces had cracked so that was disappointing. I don't know if I did something wrong when I baked the faces or if the wood base I glued them to shrunk and caused the cracking. I thought the wood was really dry as we'd had it for a couple years. Disappointing but there's a lesson to be learned if I can just figure it out!
Well, the Dec. 6/7 show didn't work out. It was too short of notice for most artists that I contacted. One of the painters suggested having a Sweetheart Sale on Jan. 31. We'll try for that and with our target audience Valentine's Day shoppers. We'll work on it next week and see if it'll be a go or not.
We had a house full of company for Thanksgiving - lots of fun to have family here. The oldest was my dad, 79, and the youngest guest was our 13 month old granddaughter. Every towel in our house was used - I was surprised to find the linen closets empty when everyone left and we started doing laundry.
I have been dismayed because the acrylic spray that I used on my clock and Wino wine charms has remained tacky after 10 days of drying time. I called Krylon and they sent a Min - Wax product that I am supposed to use on top of the Krylon. Three coats with a natural brush and it should take care of the problem. I wish I didn't have to spend the time brushing that stuff on. I guess Sculpey clay has a lot of oil in it that reacts with the Krylon spray - they've had other similar calls. I think they should have a caveat on the can that it isn't good to use on Sculpey.
I had two etsy sales this week so that was fun...Namaste and LOL both sold. I hope to get some more listings up on etsy this week...now's the time for Christmas shoppers to be browsing around.
I've decided to try to put together a Fine Art Show and Sale for the weekend of Dec. 6 & 7 at the Columbia Mall. I'll need to bring between 10-14 artists together to help share the cost of the space. It should be a busy weekend at the Mall, so hopefully sales will be good. I'll need to confirm with the Mall manager on Monday of next week.
I've finally gotten a few new listings into my etsy shop: some nightlights (Christmas trees and other designs) and "Wino" wine charms...perfect gifts and handmade besides! I plan to get some pottery listed, along with a few other items, too. I've been frustrated with my photos turning out bluish or greenish - this after I figured out how to get it focused on things that are close. We are liking our new camera, but I wish it didn't come with a learning curve! It's so hard to learn things the hard way, by trial and error.
After an almost - all nighter, I delivered a bunch of new art to the Dakota Harvest Bakery for a mini - show they are having of my work for the next month or so. I also switched out my pottery in the curio there. I'll be displaying tea cups, mugs (large and small), matching pitcher and salt and pepper set and a small herd of buffalo.
On the wall at the bakery, will be five artsy clocks (including three that glo-in-the-dark), several felted landscapes (including a wonderful summer sunset), a felted mother and child wall hanging that I call "Mother's Love", my Creation weaving, a weaving designed to hang in a window that is complete with crystal beads called "Steely Night" and a landscape called "Moonlight on the River". I used metal warp for that one so it is shimmery like the metal trees that I incorporated to embellish the tapestry.
My art kids have been working on a "horse" unit. Hopefully, most of them will finish their paintings this week. They've been practicing drawing horses, and last week concentrated on drawing the head. Most have chosen acrylic paints to use for their finished work, and they are turning out beautifully. We looked at a lot of horses in art as a precursor to the unit. Lots of famous artists have chosen horses as subjects - they are certainly majestic, elegant animals!
Time to pick apples - lots have fallen off the trees already. We plan to make some pies, crumbles and cobblers to put in the freezer to enjoy later this fall and winter. It is great to be able to go to the freezer and get something nummy, but it will be a long day today!
Kelly in Virginia bought my "Is it Wine Time?" ceramic clock this week so it is winging its way to her this weekend. I'm sort of getting into making clocks - both ceramic and with polymer clay - they are fun!
My Favorites
- books by Harlan Coben
- Chagall's I and the Village
- Our three daughters
- Touring in Japan, Australia and New Zealand
- Floating in the Dead Sea
- My wonderful husband for 33+ years
- "I love you, too, Grandma" by Taylor
- Viewing the sunrise from Mount Sinai
- Van Gogh's Irises
- Monet's Water Lillies
- Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
