Eye Candy and Art in Seattle

Road Trip!

The countdown has begun...it's V-Day Minus 4 (V being V-for-Vacation)!  After about a thousand iterations and gyrations, the current plan is for several of my Seattle artgirl friends (Piz and Quinn) and me to fly to Salt Lake City this Wednesday at the unholy hour of 6am, where we'll meet up with Jamie Johnson and a friend of hers.  I think we're renting a van and then we're meandering our way across the desert southwest for the next two days...or maybe it's one really long day.  I have to confess I kind of stopped reading the planning emails after the first hundred or so. 

To give you a little background...Jamie started with an idea of doing a Sacred Dirt tour.  I'm not sure exactly what that was, but I think it involved meditation, yoga and a deep appreciation for the natural beauty of the desert.  I of course immediately wanted to channel Thelma and Louise with the hope of running into Brad Pitt at a sleazy motel, graciously deciding I'd be happy being either Thelma or Louise providing there was no armed robbery or driving off cliffs at any time during the trip.  Then Jamie, who has an uncanny knack of finding obscure and bizarre roadside attractions found out about some sort of Martian Practice Colony in Huntsville (I think) and an Alien Museum somewhere else and then it took on a whole "Space Oddity, Houston We Have A Problem" flavor.  Unfortunately we had to forego staying at the Drive-In-Motel where patrons can watch movies from the comfort of their beds because it was simply too far out of the way.  It's on the itinerary for next year, though.

So after one or maybe two days of possible meditation, potentially visiting low-rent honky tonks with scarves tied jauntily around our heads, and maybe seeing little green men and/or harassing spacemen wearing homemade space suits, we arrive in either Taos or Santa Fe to meet up with numerous other artgirl friends (including the Minneapolis gals!), most of whom were on the Guatemala trip two years ago, and also on the Guatemala reunion trip last year at the Navajo reservation in Arizona where Melissa and her husband (aka "the vicar") lived.  Even though Melissa and the vicar now live in Santa Fe, we're still going to spend 6 days hanging out on the rez, living in the guest house and doing art in the huge community room in the next building.  Of course that's after 2 days of frantically touring art galleries in Taos and Santa Fe.  Confused yet?  Welcome to my life.

Perhaps I should recheck the itinerary before Wednesday morning.  But then again, I'm sure SOMEONE in our group knows what we're supposed to do and I don't doubt we'll get to the right city by the right time and meet up with the rest of the gang when we're supposed to.  There's a vague plan afoot to pick up fodder for assemblages (sticks, stones, rusty bits, etc.) along the way, assemble said assemblages on the rez, and then plant said assemblages along our way on the return trip back to SLC. 

So stay tuned; I'll be posting pictures and describing the highlights of the Thelma-And-Louise-Sacred-Dirt-Failure-Is-Not-An-Option Desert Road Trip after I return on the 26th.

PS:  Years ago I went to Taos for a couple of days of skiing.  When I returned home, a coworker (who grew up in Europe) asked me how my trip to "Laos" was.  Still seems pretty funny to me...skiing among the verdant valleys of Laos.

I'm Just Nuts for This Squirrel!

I stumbled upon this insanely fun squirrel pincushion on etsy (www.bethsbagz.etsy.com) and before I knew it, I had paypaled it into my posession.  I'm on pins and needles (ha!) awaiting its arrival.  I wonder if its edgy, urban cousins are called "squirrl grls"?

And what about this Geisha?  If it hadn't already been sold I would have snapped it up, too!

What's better than baby toes?

OK, I know I already went on and on about how fun Jamie Johnson's new line of ceramic kitchenware is, but then I saw this teapot and I just had to gush all over again.  Next to baby toes, it may be the cutest thing on the entire planet.

Etsy is great!

I suppose it's time for a little shamless self promotion.  One of the things I love to do is make jewelry out of glass beads, found objects, salvaged jewelry, Boeing Surplus gizmos...just about anything.  My favorites are the funky embellished vintage brass laundry pins (remember pinning locker keys to your towel at the YMCA???) and the more elegant asymmetrical pendant necklaces.  For those I combine 5 or 6 different types of chains interspersed with unique spacers and unusual pendants made out of skeleton keys, crystals, etc. 

I sell my jewelry at local fairs and on etsy, the on-line venue which only allows hand-crafted art and supplies.  It's a great way for cottage industry types to market and sell their art.  Anyway, if you want to see more, you can check out my shop at www.elegantrelics.etsy.com.  But if you become addicted to etsy, don't say I didn't warn you...

I love the contrast of distressed vs. sparkly.  And I appreciate the imperfection of these previously loved items. 

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Having an abundance of cool little bits and bobs, I also put together kits for people who want to make their own jewelry.  Each kit has enough materials to make two very unique pendant necklaces, plus lots of tips and inspiration.

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And now back to our regularly scheduled programming...

Angels

I was absolutely smitten with these wonderful angels made by Nancy Gano.  I took the class she taught at Artfest, but mine just didn't come out as cool as hers.

My friend Cindi Powell had the idea of hanging them on my brick chimney surrounded by a gold oval frame embellished with a garland of pink roses.  I have the coolest friends...

You never know what you're going to find...

In a very "distressed" cigar box I recently bought at a garage sale, I found this great card.  I wonder what the story is behind it...

Obsessed with birds

Hello, my name is Cindy and I'm addicted to birds.  Not the actual flying kind, but images of birds, decorative birds, birdhouses, birdcages.  I mean, I'm not into birdwatching or learning how to make bird calls; I just like to incorporate birds into art that I make.

At the mother of all Goodwills I found a fun white metal candelabra that I embellished with silk flowers, velvet leaves, pastel tulle, crystals, pearls and little birds decorated with rhinestones and feathers.  Since I wasn't going to hang it, I needed some way to display it, so I plunked it into an old wooden spool I had laying around and now I've got it on a shelf in my art room.

This sassy little critter has a bit of a diva attitude if you ask me...

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And speaking of birds, here's a painting I did (actually the birds are cut out from "complicated paper" I made in an Anne Bagby class).

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And here's a wonderful hooked rug bird made by Mary Stanley with a little "nest" made out of a strand of blue and clear beads...

Yabba Ding Dings

About ten years ago I went on a scuba trip to Roatan, one of the bay islands of Honduras in the Caribbean.  We learned that the locals referred to pottery shards and other artifacts as "yabba ding dings".  Ever since then, I tend to call found objects "yabbas".  Here's one of the best yabbas I've ever found...and it was on a beach less than a mile from my house.  It's a seashell-encrusted fragment of some kind of architectural embellishment, about 10" high.

The Intrepid Beverly Gray...

A few years ago I saw a photo of a purse someone had made from a hardback book.  So I thought I'd try making something similar using this great old green book entitled, "Bevery Gray On A World Cruise".  For a handle I strung small wooden alphabet beads that spell out, "Daring Adventure Girl".  The little "Free Your Art" piece was made mostly out of oddball objects (including a mirrored compact, shells and sea glass) I found while during a long weekend up at Birch Bay, Washington.

Lazy can be chic...

When I redecorated my sunroom last year I went for a shabby chic look.  I really ought to call it 'lazy chic' because rather than patch the numerous nail holes and repaint the walls, I opted to just cover the worst wall with a wonderful old ecru table cloth that I had bought at a flea market.  Someone had painstakingly embroidered dozens and dozens of little blue flowers but hadn't quite finished it, and in fact, the metal embroidery hoop with (slightly rusty) needle and thread was still attached.  So that's how I hung it up...hoop and all.

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I actually found this fabulous semi-circular wooden shutter in the industrial park next to where I work.  There's a custom shutter installation business and they just give their random leftovers away. I embellished the bottom portion to cover the big "SAMPLE" sticker and then propped it on a window sill.  The big white flower is from a shower curtain hook.

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This is a shelf unit that I made out of styrofoam covered with plaster and then painted with diluted acrylics. I made the leaf and vine patterns by hot-gluing thin pieces of foam and cording onto a flat sheet of styrofoam.  Then I attached the shelf by using dowels and copious amounts of hot glue. Being so lightweight, the shelf couldn't hold anything heavy but it's fine for this rose petal-topiary-thing I put in a candle stand.

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And here's a sweet little fake bird perched on a painted metal bucket with a feather and vintage embroidered handkerchief tucked in...

And I really liked this painted glass jar.  I put it, along with a cherub soap dish filled with lavender, inside a wooden planter box that I turned sideways to use as a shelf.

I've got a thing for...

...birdcages.  I don't have any actual birds (my 4 cats vetoed the idea mightily) but I love birdcages and birdhouses.  And I like filling them with odd non-bird things...

Twirling Tassels

OK, so my tassels aren't actually twirling. In fact, I'd probably end up in a full body cast in traction if I tried.  But they are hanging in my little sunroom from a metal candle holder I turned sideways.  And they are kind of cool even if they're not moving.  And I did make them myself.

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Is your refrigerator running?

I actually DO have Prince Albert in a can!  I guess I ought to let him out...

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Rabbits and Cabanas

My wonderful friend, Carla Sonheim gave some of us a quick lesson in basic watercolor painting.  She uses a waterproof pen for the drawing and then adds in color with a simple set of watercolor paints in those little cakes.  She describes herself as "a mother of boys and a painter of girls", and her paintings are about the sweetest things on the planet, without being overly cutesy.  Check out more of her stuff at www.carlasonheim.etsy.com.

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Anyway, here's a painting I did on pages torn out of an old encyclopedia.  I really like the writing in the background; maybe it's because I'm not staring at the dreaded empty page when I start.

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Red and Green...It's Not Just for Christmas Anymore

My kitchen is a minor riot of red, yellow and green.  I'd like to say it's got a cool retro thing going, but really, it's more random than that.  I also wish I could say that I spend hours cooking wonderful wholesome meals for my family, but alas...I do not.  I tend to rely on art in the kitchen the same way I do in the garden...to distract a casual observer from the weeds/take out boxes.

That's why I love this hysterical old sewing needle book.  What more do you need to have a cheerful domicile than Happy Home rust proof needles??!!

One of my kitchen favorites is a painting by my friend, Jamie Johnson.  It's hanging next to a sweet little collage that I got as a "Super Seven" trade at Artfest a few years ago from another friend of mine, Judy Kullman.  I've got a thing for birds...and this silly little yellow ceramic one is right at home perched on top. 

I bought this great decoupaged vase and Big Dreams assemblage at Artfest Vendor Night, too.  If you're curious about Artfest or ArtFiberFest, check out www.teeshamoore.com.

The House of Wayward Cats

The rumors are true...I have four cats.  By some definitions, that's just one short of being an official "Crazy Cat Lady".  But really, why does that phrase get such a bad rap?  Break it down into individual words...crazy (meant in the kindest possible way I'm sure), cat (nothing wrong with them) and lady (a bit of a stretch, but still anatomically accurate). 

I saw a great bumper sticker recently.  It read, "If you don't talk to your cats about catnip, who will?"  Check out this whimsical hooked rug I bought from Mary Stanley at ArtFiberFest last year.  This cat kind of looks like he didn't get the lecture, you know?

But then again, so does this little guy.  It's actually a handmade ceramic stopper that I just plunked in a red candle...                                                                                                          

And yet another cat that doesn't look quite "right"...this one given to me by my friend Kim Turner.  It might have been made by the same artist, but I'm not sure.

And this is Isabelle, doing what she does best...lounging in the sun, admiring the little tufts of fur between her toes.  She's the only female of the feline bunch.

Backyard GART

For some reason, the GART in my backyard is more subdued...mainly white shabby chic and rusty-crusty.  Here's my newest and by far, most impressive (and expensive) piece of GART to date.  It was made by a local artist, Jeff Bowman, who uses safety glass panels from metro bus stops.  One layer of glass is crackled and often a design is stencilled on the smooth side.  He welds heavy frames for the glass, complete with embellishments.  Look at his other cool stuff at http://www.spark-art.net/.

Here's the full piece (with the oh-so-attractive street showing through)...

And an old white shutter that makes a nice backdrop for the lily in bloom.

But wait, there's more...GART, that is

When my friend Tracie Luthi bought a new house not far from mine, this metal plaque was hanging in the kitchen.  She astutely noticed me drooling over it, and graciously gave it to me to grace my garden.

This is a row of old croquet mallets that follow the brick path along the side of my house.

I love this rusty old can with flowers cut from decorative tins and embellished with bottle caps and wire spirals.  I bought it several years ago at the Annual Artists' Garage Sale in Mukilteo.  The little blue chair came from Ikea and even thought it's on its last leg (bad pun intended) it's still gamely holding up for now.

More GART

I like creating little groupings, or "vignettes".  I don't know if that's technically what a "vignette" is, but I just like the word. 

My daughter looked at these photos and said, completely seriously, "Wow, Mom, you made our yard look kind of good."  Ahhh, teenagers...

And just to prove I've got some actual, you know, plants in my yard...

Garden Art or GART

I am not much of a gardener.  At best I am a sporadic weeder and biannual pruner.  But I do like art in my garden.  For one thing, you don't have to water it.  It also distracts from the weeds.  Sometimes I buy or make things especially for the yard, other items transition outside when my house gets too crowded.

A few weeks ago I mentioned to a (male) coworker that instead of mowing my lawn like I had intended the day before, I spent the time on garden art.  "What?  You were working on 'gart'?"  Out of the mouths of engineers, I thought.  "Yes, I was working on my gart."  I liked that.  Gart...it saves a few syllables and it's kind of catchy.  Here, then, is some of my gart.

This is a lovely polymer clay angel I purchased from Dayle Doroshow at Artfest several years ago.  The face is actually attached to a fine chopstick which is inserted into the body.  It's hanging on a segment of green picket fence I found on the roadside.

There's a fabulous place in Seattle called Bedrock Glass (yep, be prepared to have that Flintstones theme song stuck in your head for the rest of the day).  They developed a method for tumbling glass so that it looks like beach glass when they're finished.  It's sorted by color into huge white barrels and you scoop out what you want and buy it by the pound.  You can also buy fused glass tiles:    http://www.bedrockindustries.com/index.html.  This is a fragment that I wrapped with wire and suspended from an old window-less window pane salvaged from a house not far from me.

A friend of mine, Cindi Powell, goes nuts for garden art.  I had just taken these beautiful glass ornaments down from hanging in front of a window in my living room.  She saw them, snapped them up, and hung them from an Ikea curtain rod she plunked down in my front yard.

And how's this for a nifty idea?  I stole, I mean "borrowed" it from Beth Evans-Ramos, one of the co-owners of The Salvage Studio.  (http://www.thesalvagestudio.com/index.html)  She has a fab-o border of plates in sunset colors in the "red-orange" section of her yard.  It took me about half an hour to 'plant' all of these plates.  No worries if one cracks during the winter, I'll just replace it with another thrift store find.  Yes, they're a bit dusty, but I felt a little silly watering my plates...