Holiday Tidings

I have been bustling around my house decking the halls and making holiday treats.

In year’s past I have been known to have up to four Christmas Trees up at a time but this year I have kept it to only two. The one room of our house where we gather to play billiards has been adorned with a festive, glamorous and shimmery spectacle perfect for a fun lounge atmosphere.

It’s a more modern spin on holiday décor with a fluffy, shiny silver garland along with some of my hand painted glass ornaments which to me seem like small abstract pieces of process art.

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…and I can’t forget the treats! A recent favorite among my friends and family is fresh homemade marshmallow. I’ve taken it a step further with the addition of our home grown organic almonds and drizzled with dark chocolate; a creation I like to call Craggy Cul de Sac. It also wouldn’t be a homemade delectable from me without the personal packaging to take the gift over the top.

On the Horizon…

Subterranean*-Original Acrylic and Collage Painting on canvas, 24 x 24 inches (60.96 x 60.96 cm)

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Planning ahead with Jessica Torrant, my partner in Fine Art Friday, we hope to bring new artists and their work to the forefront of what can be seen and collected from independent artists.

Under the Silence by Jessica Torrant
Original Acrylic Painting on Gallery Wrap Canvas, 16 x 20 inches (40.64 x 50.8 cm)

We started off strong last month and have built a community of artists from around the web including gathering a new team on Etsy, Finding Fine Art. This group of artists creates work in a variety of media offering gallery quality original art.

You can meet the team artists on the Finding Fine Art team page or search Etsy for “findingfineart” to browse the gallery of work available.

*Subterranean is a glimpse of life beneath the surface.
It is an original acrylic collage painting on 3/4 inch deep stretched canvas. Many layers of paint have been included in this creation along with altered paper (recycled, marbleized magazine pages) and metallic silver ink details. It is 24 x 24 inches (60.96 x 60.96 cm) and has been finished with two coats of protective varnish. It is signed on the front; signed, dated and titled on the back.

Handmade Holiday Goodies!

Come shopping at the Old Fashioned Holiday Bazaar and help support SLO High School Band!

The Happiest of Holidays

Photo by Katie Coordt

Yeah, that’s me…I just love the Holidays. A quick shot snapped unbeknownst to me by cell phone and sent to me sometime last summer as “fodder for blog posts”, gotta love family.

For many families it’s the holiday season that inspires and creates fond memories for years to come. Gathering for meals and performances of The Nutcracker, sitting down to watch Frosty the Snowman or Christmas Vacation, no matter the event they are all surrounded by holiday flare. Sparkling, colorful lights along with the fresh scent from the wreath on the door add to the warmth of the scene. The carefully decorated Christmas tree being the focal point of any holiday celebration is where I gain my devotion to create my hand painted glass ornaments. If one of my ornaments can help recall that special Christmas memory for years to come then I couldn’t be more honored.

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My studio has been turned into a holiday workshop for my one of a kind, hand painted glass ornaments since early fall.

This week sets off the biggest selection of my ornaments available in schemata as well as a few new locations if you want to see them in person.

The Art Works…Paso Robles, California
Paso Robles Art Association Showroom…Paso Robles, California
San Luis Obispo Museum of Art~CraftArt Market…San Luis Obispo, California
The Gallery at the Network…San Luis Obispo, California
Marque…Laguna Beach, California
Moyaboya…Creemore, Ontario, Canada

And for one day only, Saturday, December 4^th…at the Old Fashioned Holiday Bazaar, a fundraiser for the San Luis Obispo High School Band.

CraftArt Market 2010

Shopping for handmade holiday gifts? The annual CraftArt Market is happening now at the San Luis Opispo Museum of Art ~ a showcase of artisans who create high quality jewelry, handbags, scarves, folk art, mini photos, prints and paintings, sculpture, home decor, ceramics, art glass and other handmade fine craft items on sale at the Museum of Art from the day after Thanksgiving until New Year's Eve.

Available in the show are my hand painted glass ornaments and collection of one of a kind beaded jewelry.

CraftArt Market open daily 11-5, Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve until 3.

Small Treasures

Earlier this week I was a member of the volunteer group to hang this year's Small Treasures show for the Paso Robles Art Association. This spectacular fund raiser features a gallery full of 8 x 8 inch (20.32 x 20.32 cm) original artworks along with several small 3-D creations (only rule is that it fit in the gallery gift bag)~each piece of art...only $100. This year's show started off with 165 pieces that will continue to be added to as artwork sells. It's a fabulous variety of styles and subjects worth taking a look at. The show runs from now until December 12th in the Showroom.

My contribution to Small Treasures~

She's Not Interested-original acrylic on canvas, 8 x8 inches (20.32 x 20.32 cm)

Hand Painted Glass Ornaments~Set of 5

Finding Fine Art

You never know when or where you will stumble across that artist whose work you just click with.

The Process-Original Acrylic Painting by Jessica Torrant

This week I joined artist Jessica Torrant, in her effort to promote Fine Art Friday, a movement celebrating and sharing independent artists online. In just a few short days we have taken what was the simple thought of sharing some of our favorite art on twitter, and hoping others would tweet along with us, into a grand plan including a dedicated blog, tumblr, Flickr Group Pool, Etsy Treasuries as well as its own twitter profile.

We encourage artists of all media to join in sharing in whichever form they choose and we REALLY encourage art collectors to have a look at what’s being shared.

To kick off this Fine Art Friday I am sharing a few abstract paintings I found while browsing Etsy (and one of my own…).

1. Spanish Symphony 2 by Brian Elston 2. Sinking by Michelle Daisley Moffitt 3. Storm Lancaster Avenue by Victoria Webb 4. To Protect by Linda J. Monfort 5.Cycles of Secrets by Tammy Ricker 6. From Below by Sarah John Afana

Trick or Treating shouldn't be just for little ones...

Never Grow Up~iPhone Photograph from #Mailart Series Being Human in Time

Apparition ~ iPhone Photograph

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After the little ones have gone to bed and left their coveted stash unattended is the perfect time to raid the booty of all of YOUR favorite sweets along with some extras to add to this delectable cookie...Blowout! This particular cookie has become a yearly splurge ever since my mother gave me a copy of Lee Bailey's Country Desserts. It is what every peanut butter cookie strives to be with the addition of dark chocolate chips, honey roasted peanuts and chopped miniature peanut butter cups (pilfered from the Trick or Treat bucket). And like all the creatures you see on Halloween, don't be surprised if all these cookies disappear overnight.

Start Your Christmas Dreaming

I have been busy, busy preparing for a hopping holiday season in schemata. With a few hundred hand painted ornaments now ready for upcoming shows, galleries and online browsing I am happy to share some handpicked sets. I personally went through all my finished ornaments and mixed and matched a few coordinated collections to make your holiday trees the envy of all your friends. These sets include four or five various shapes and sizes to give you a well rounded showing of my creations. They come thoughtfully packaged in an attractive clear paint can for storage or impressive presentation for gift giving.

Look for more sets to be available next month at the Paso Robles Art Association’s show Small Treasures and keep updated with all my craftiness with SchemataCraft on Twitter.

Speed

Speed the latest exhibit in the Showroom gallery for the Paso Robles Art Association is a juried show featuring artworks reflecting the pace of life (fast or slow). This may include: the speed of objects, a long boring lecture, clocks, calendars, snails, cheetahs, lazy afternoons, race cars, food left on the stove, etc. Exhibit runs October 7 to November 7.

My original acrylic painting Sudden Rain from my Umbrella Series has been chosen for display. She is a paused moment of a little black dress laden girl caught in a shimmering sprinkle.

  
Sudden Rain~original acrylic painting with metallic silver ink details on stretched canvas,
18x18 inches (45.72 x 45.72 cm) framed in black wood

Waiting on the Waves

My local strip of California beach is notorious for small summer surf and I couldn't be more excited for the fall waves to be rolling in. With sizes of 5-6 ft waves making a morning search for the perfect wave a welcome retreat.

Waiting on the Waves is an original oil pastel drawing on archival watercolor paper;
8 x 12 inches (20.32 x 30.48 cm).
Original drawing available in my Etsy shop; prints available on Imagekind.

The Sketchbook Project

Art House Co-op has become an intriguing place to find creative inspiration and an exciting variety of artists work to browse. I’m joining in the fun with their latest BIG event The Sketchbook Project~Tour 2011.

It’s pretty simple…sign up, pick a theme, when your sketchbook arrives~FILL IT UP and send it back. All the sketchbooks collected will go on tour across the United States in 2011 for anyone to see and when the tour is over they will be on permanent view at the Brooklyn Art Library.

Probably not surprising to some who know me but my theme of choice for my sketchbook is “Make Mine a Double” so come back again when I have some drawings to share from the pages of my book (and I’m sure a few recipes for tasty concoctions).

  Bloody Mary’s at Legends of San Francisco at SFO
(What do you do while waiting for your flight to Vegas?)

I Madonnari Festival 2010

Tools for this weekend’s warriors.

It's a perfectly breezy weekend in San Luis Obispo and the artists have gathered for street painting in the Mission Plaza downtown. The I Madonnari Festival allows artists of every age to enjoy a space and express in bold vibrant color.

I strolled along the plaza yesterday in the late afternoon and found many images well on their way of completion even though the festival still continues today.

Some of the highlights from the children’s paintings…

I Madonnari Festival downtown San Luis Obispo, September 11-12, 2010.
More images on Flickr.

Do You See What I See?

The Showroom for the Paso Robles Art Association is currently a showcase for abstract and non-objective artwork titled "Do You See What I See?" Part of the fun of this show is featured in the wall tags that are hidden from the viewer allowing them to interpret the work how they want to without being swayed by the title.

Included in the exhibit is my original acrylic collage Fortune; a piece that incorporates altered, recycled magazine pages in a kaleidoscope pattern.


Fortune is a work on paper, 10 x 11 inches (25.4 x 27.94 cm). It is matted and framed in a perfectly coordinated gold and teal with UV protective plexi-glass.

Summer Blues

So. It's 106 degrees here today and I am focused on cold-weather accessories and holiday decorations...what's wrong with this thought process. I'm an organizer, a devote planner and lover of the perfect presentation~none of which happen at the last minute.

Hence the look ahead at what in a few short weeks will be on everyone's mind~fashionable, unique fall accessories...

I present to you my latest hand knit scarf Blueberry Puree created with a variety of yarns and fibers against a 100% pure Merino Wool body.

 
Speaking of "blueberries", need a tasty accompaniment to your morning coffee? Nothing beats the softness and pure summer flavor of fresh blueberry scones...

 
Okay, back to work now...I have been loading schemata with a rainbow of new hand painted glass cube ornaments...you know, there are only 122 days until Christmas?

Diving Deep

Diving Deep into another world; a world filled with colors and patterns that provoke and intrigue.

Many layers of paint have been included in this creation along with altered paper (recycled, marbleized pages of National Geographic), and black ink details. The composition for Diving Deep was inspired by one of pages of National Geographic after the marbling process.

 
Altered magazine page that inspired Diving Deep

A closer look…

Today’s Lesson…

As summer is winding to an end and the kids are heading back to school I think it's important to keep the creativity and exploration alive, especially with many school budgets having to cut arts programs in schools. A couple of summers ago I had an amazing experience teaching art to kids through the Summer Art Camp at SLOMA. This is a project I develop for the classes and hope it inspires you to take the time to encourage and educate with your children.

 
First, do a little research. Learn what you can about Cubism and some of the artists that developed it such as George Braque, Pablo Picasso or Juan Gris; share some of their paintings with your kids.

What you will need:
Colored Paper
Pencil
Straight Edge
Color Pastels, Chalks or crayons
Still Life Subject...I used a Guitar Hero Guitar
I chose a Guitar Hero Guitar for a couple of reasons; the kids recognized it and were excited to use it, it has a simple shape with little to no details so the drawing would be simple as well and they wouldn't get bogged down it the specifics and it was a nod to the many cubist artists that included stringed instruments in their images.


Part of the project also included an exercise with the color wheel and recognizing analogous colors-whatever color of paper the students were working on determined the entire palette for the drawing. For example; if drawing on blue paper the drawing included greens, blues, purples with the addition of white, black and gray. (A few of the students added a pop of an opposite color.)

Start by drawing the basic outline of the object with a few details-keep it simple.
Next, using the straight edge, draw lines across the paper at random angles and intervals.
Now using the pre-determined colors start filling in the shapes created by the drawn lines. Try not to use the same color next to itself and feel free to only shade the shapes starting in a corner rather than coloring in completely.

If necessary, as the page gets filled with color think about shading around the subject to help it pop out.

 
Here are some of the finished drawings from the 7-9 year old class...