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!
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 just waiting for the kids who are signed up for my class: Fancy Hats and a Tea Party, too. Five little princesses will be here to decorate hats with ribbons, bows, beads and glitter. We'll feast on cookies, mints, chocolate and lemonade. I am skipping the cucumber sandwiches because I think they'd suffer rejection!
This afternoon a group is coming to learn how to draw faces. We are going to work on white boards first and then do a final drawing on art board with conte' crayon or charcoal...their choice.
This past weekend was the annual art fest here in Grand Forks. There was a wonderful turnout to celebrate the great weather and admire and buy the work of the talented artists who participated. Our daughter, Amy, had a vendor booth and was a demonstrating artist. I was a proud mother! You can check out her work at www.amyuthus.com!
Next weekend I will show and sell my art at River City Jewelers downtown...part of downtown's Art and Wine Walk. I hope we are blessed with crowds of people and good weather, too!
Tired but energized - that is the end result of four days in New York City. Such fun at the MOMA - seeing the great paintings and sculptures, taking crazy photos! The Lion King is absolutely THE best - worth a trip to NYC just for that show! Now I'm trying to get caught up on art registrations, email, laundry and other mundane things you get to forget about while on vacation!
I'm soon off to NYC with our daughters - we are seeing some of the sights, the Lion King and hopefully, some famous art, too. We are tying in a visit to New Bedford, MA to apartment hunt for one of our daughters. Hubbie is staying home to work so we have money to spend on our trip!
We had a great week with our granddaughter, Taylor. We played Wii bowling and she got 171. Pretty good for a 3 year old! She beat me by 20+ pins! We traveled to Minneapolis over the weekend to celebrate our nephew, Brandt's wedding. It was beautiful and we were thankful we could share time with them.
Gotta pack - hoping to get back to art making when I get home! God bless you and yours!
We purchased a SLR camera, gray background paper and a set of lights and filters...a huge investment but hopefully, it will enable us to step up the quality of images we use on my website, etsy and my blog. Also, hubbie wants to be able to do some astrophotography!
The kiln is running with the last of the kids' pottery being glaze fired...always sort of sad to have a school year end and know when they come back in the fall they'll be a little more grown up. And too soon they'll be gone.
I'm dreaming about my next big ceramic project. I'm using a beautiful cross section wood plank, with ceramic puzzle-type pieces around it and diamond willow legs, bluish glazes, I think. Haven't quite decided on that. I may go with more natural earth colors. I can't wait to get started on it!
Housecleaning and grocery shopping today - company coming for the Memorial Day weekend. It is always fun to have family here. Random thoughts while cleaning: remembering the veterans and those currently serving in the armed forces, with thanksgiving for their bravery, sacrifices and patriotism. Also, remembering little babies killed by abortion because no one is protecting their right to life. How can we protect unborn eagles, nesting bird environments, whales and other living creatures and kill our own babies???
My art kids were really curious about how we would turn pantyhose into sculpture (most of them didn't even know what pantyhose are - I asked them to check with their moms and bring in any old pantyhose with runs!).
We used a 3 foot length of strong yet bendable wire (it has to be able to hold its shape), one leg of pantyhose, white glue, Gorilla Glue, one inch foam brushes, a small block of pine wood (about 5 x 5 x 1), dried split peas, white rice, chow mein noodles and black eyed peas, big wood beads (you could use big bright colors ones, instead, and glue them on after spray painting) and spray paint (I favor gold and silver because they are so 'showy' for the kids). You'll also need a drill for drilling two holes in each wood base.
Before the kids arrived (actually the night before) I used gorilla glue to secure a wire (each end of it) into each wood base. Be sure to moisten the drilled hole in the wood with a drop or two of water before you apply the glue to the wire end and push it into the wood base. I pushed it all the way through the wood and bent it back underneath to secure it well.
Each student put the sock on their wire, pulling it over the top of the wire, down the length of the wire, and stretching it to pull it over the edge of the wood base all the way around. Then they pulled on the wire to bend and curve it - until they were pleased with the shape of the sculpture.
Next step: paint the whole thing with white glue. Let it dry and paint it again. Let it dry and paint it again! Lastly paint areas of it and place or throw (the most fun!) peas, beans, chow mein noodles and rice at the gluey areas. Some of it will stick. If you have too much glue some of the dried 'textures' will slide with the glue as it runs down, creating a nice line! Glue big wood beads for feet on the bottom corners - or all the way around - of the wood base. Let the sculpture dry again.
Take it outside and spray paint - voila! An wonderful abstract sculpture that was easy, messy and fun and inexpensive to make!
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
