Holiday...with Matthew Mead: Halloween: New ideas with you in mind...and a give...

Holiday...with Matthew Mead: Halloween: New ideas with you in mind...and a give...:  We have a pretty amazing black and white Halloween story in the current issue... as well as a circus party, a movie night and a bake ...

Santa is lighting the way to Christmas....

Shhhhhhh..... don't tell anyone that there's 126 days until Christmas and Santa is already gearing up to visit your home. Have you been naughty or nice? There's still time to shape up! If you would like this gourd Santa to stop by your home invite him here.. Lighting the Way Santa

A Hauntingly Fun Halloween Treasure Keep

Just a sneak peek at the newest creation to come out of my studio. I've been storing this box for years, but never got around to painting it with the scene I had intended. I tried ebaying the box plain in order to get it out of my way, but that didn't work either, so I finally said, okay, this just needs to be painted with something fun and frightfully Halloween. This is a large paper mache box, about 12 inches in diameter so it can be used in a variety of ways besides just displaying. You could store Halloween collectibles in it, use the box as a base to stand a Halloween tree in and hang the lid above it for decoration, or even a treat box. For more photos on the painted details stop by my ebay listings here: Halloween Treasure Keep

Happy Monday! Okay, it is for me at least.....

 Oh the joy of listing an item on ebay and having it sell right away! Printed on very high quality heavy duty gloss finish paper, with very high quality ink, this is the last of the series I had printed from the original painting I did. I only have one of the prints left of the above painting so head on over fast to snag this! Prim Pumpkin Pear Print

 A sweet and woodsy gourd Santa, hand sculpted and painted with layers of paints, this little fella is also available here: Northwoods Dreaming Santa
So I'm having a good Monday, mailed off a few pieces that sold last week and today, and this little guy will go to some lucky home so we are starting off the week right. How's your week going?

Autumn Pumpkin, Pear & Grapes Still Life Prints

A 12" by 12" print that's sure to warm your home and delight the eye. Two photos as my camera is having a hard time trying find the right colors...lol. You can find more about these here: MothersDreamRtworks

Hagatha Witchley

 August has arrived with an outlook for back to school and fun holiday times just around the corner. Soooo, I pulled out my gourd collection, which is growing by leaps and bounds, and found this lovely lady just waiting to be brought to life. A gourdeous pumpkin witch isn't she?

Hagatha has made her debut on ebay this week, so scurry on over and learn more about her and how you might be able to have her keep you company this Halloween. You can find her here:  Hagatha Witchley

Windchime Mania

Good Monday morning! I'm running here and there trying to get ready for the big event this week so there's jewelry, soap and jewelry dishes, and now windchimes all fighting for a place to be in my tiny cottage. I went yard sale hunting with some friends on Saturday and came home with a treasure trove of items I could re-purpose into fun and funky windchimes. Score! We must have visited 30 yard sales as we traversed the tiny town of Wallowa, Oregon's yearly community yard sale day. I have been going to bed with ideas romping through my dreams, so it's time to get back to work, but I thought I would share some of the creations I will be selling this week. I hope you have a great Monday!

Broken China Heart Pendants

When we lived in the west desert of Utah we loved to explore the different dirt roads for treasures. We came upon an abandoned dump from an old mine about 8 years ago, where there were remnants of broken china and depression glass, eek! We will never know if someone intentionally broke up the kitchenware but we found fragments of Jadeite and gorgeous depression glass bowls and such. I'm such a collector I gathered up bits and pieces of the most intriguing pieces to bring home and use in some creation or another. I initially planned on creating mosaics with the pieces, but never got around to it. Well today I pulled out some of the pieces and created some pendants for necklaces. The two hearts were easy as the broken pieces already had a somewhat heart shape to them. I'm itching to get them turned into a one of a kind jewelry creation so I'm off to the table to play with beads and chain.

More Creations for Chief Joseph Days

 I have managed to squeeze more jewelry making while trying to spend quality time with Nature Guy. We have gone fishing, got skunked, rats! Took a ride up towards the Hells Canyon Lookout and had a picnic, then collected flat rocks for paving some areas around the deck and garden boxes, yay! Now I'm ready to rock and roll as Nature Guy is on the road to visit his sons.
The bracelet above is created on memory wire using ceramic turquoise beads, red stone beads and bright shiny silver beads. All my pieces are one of a kind.

 Another fun and funky, chunky necklace for rodeo queens or any chic and fashionable lady who loves turquoise colors and silver.

 To mix things up a bit I will have some home decor products such as these re-purposed china dishes that are now suitable for vintage style soap pedestal dishes, or jewelry caches.

One of the best things about being in Wallowa County in the summer is a possibility to find fun vintage pieces that can be re-purposed and useful. I will share more of my fun finds soon so stop by again when you can. It's time to head to the studio to sculpt so here's to a good day for all!

Chief Joseph Days here we come!

It's almost rodeo time again, and one of my best childhood friends and I are taking the challenge to have a booth at Chief Joseph Days  . If you have a moment, take some time to check out the goings on for Chief Joseph Days. It's the biggest event around and draws folks from all over the world to come see the wild bucking horse stampede, the PRCA rodeo events, and dance the night away. The Nez Perce set up teepees outside the rodeo grounds and have dance demonstrations among other things, along with everyone who can find a reason participating in the kiddie and grand parades. It's with a bit of trepidation that we do this, especially for me as I've not tried an outdoor venue like this before. Luckily for me, Teri is a pro at this sort of thing.
Teri is the owner of Calamityville Mercantile, a fun and very cool vintage cowgirl "chic" sort of shop with western treasures galore! She also creates hand woven saddle cinchas, and does beautiful work. Her hubby is a saddle maker among other things and they live out in the farm/desert country of southern Idaho in an idyllic location surrounded by fields of green and fresh produce everywhere to be had. Click on her link and see what's going on out in her shop.
So I'm going to get my cowgirl on, and get to  making some fun jewelry, and home decor, including gourd country critters, and some art pieces (hopefully)....lol.

Sunflowers and Abstracts...

 Or is that abstracts and sunflowers? A long long time ago, in a land far away..... I started taking commercial art classes. One of the tips the professor gave us as artists was to build a file of favorite photos, so the sunflowers are an attempt at a pastel of sunflowers from a photo I've toted around for years.

I can sure tell the difference in papers I'm using. My textured, colored pastel papers are in Utah so I'm trying something else. The smooth surface isn't quite as fun to work with as the color wants to slide right off the paper. With each layer of sealer spray I've been able to build up some tooth though and the color is sticking better. This was a loose and easy painting, not too detailed as I wanted something fun to play around with and didn't really want to get bogged down in detail.
The abstract is just that, a fun textured painting that will look great framed. It's so nice to be getting some creative time in! Now, back to work.

Wallowa Valley Festival of Arts Success Story

 What an incredible show it was this year! I won a ribbon for the above piece, and it was one of the first pieces sold at the opening night reception Friday night. I was/am so tickled! I had a fun time Saturday as I was asked to demo my sculpting and textured art skills. The textured art demo was the most popular, with people of all ages watching and asking questions. One lady asked me if I considered what I do fine art or a crafty thing, and so I to pointed out to her that the above piece was accepted into the show and it is a fine art show.... she didn't ask any more questions after that, but I'm not sure what I could have said otherwise. The look on everyone's faces when she asked the question was funny, some shocked, some frowning, some with a wondering look, but when I answered they all nodded yes and smiled. I hope I wasn't too harsh as I said it gently, but firmly. The sculpting demo was fun as well and I was asked to join the quick draw next year to sculpt a piece with the idea that it would be sculpted to a finished stage, and painted later, with an example of what the finished piece would look like so folks bidding would know what they could expect. That will be quite a challenge as we have an hour and a half to finish a piece, so I had better settle on a theme and practice now.

 Sunday when I went to pick up my art, I found out that the same person who bought the one piece, bought my chicken as well, score! I hear she is a very nice person so I look forward to getting to know her.

To top everything off my silent auction piece sold as well, to a local chef, and this year half of the sale price goes to the artist, whoohoo!
All in all, it was a very good year for me, and I'm thrilled! After not working all year, and not really having much artistic time it was a sweet gift from above. I know where my blessings come from and I consider this such a blessing!

I'm still around, and here's a painting to prove it!

I was beginning to wonder if my blog would still be here when I checked in again. It's been a long process trying to recover from my physical fall apart, and I'm still on the mend, but thanks to modern medicine and prayer, I'm getting there. Silly me, I found out that I need to pray for myself as well. :-)
Anyhew, back a while ago I started this mixed media painting on a canvas board. I have only been able to work on painting when I'm at the apartment so this has been waiting for the final touches. We are in the middle of a dual move, some stuff going north, some stuff going east, but with me down it has been necessary for me to stay in town to see the doctors and go to PT twice a week. Our move deadline is looming so here I am, trying to pack and not throw my back out again. It takes some thought to get things sorted and organized, which I'm not right now so I'm glad you can't see the place, it's pure pandemonium. Trying to paint in chaos is not a strong point of mine, but I'm learning to change my way of doing things to live in the moment so to speak.
What does all that have to do with the actual finished piece, probably not much....lol. I used acrylics and stamps and various other items to create texture and design. It was rather freeing to play around with the different colors I had chosen for this. Have you tried a new technique or style lately for the fun of it?

Victorian Hair Art

Today I was supposed to go to DUP with my mother-in-law where they were sharing information about human hair art. We missed it because I can't drive right now due to medication induced fog to help me with pain. Thank goodness this is temporary as I don't like being foggy, but the meds are sure helping until I can get PT. I'm such a lightweight, but I digress.
DUP or Daughters of Utah Pioneers meet once a month to share history and information on all sorts of things related to their ancestors. Years ago my husband took his daughter and me to the Pioneer Museum where I was first exposed to hair art. It's amazing what folks will do to be creative or come up with ways to remember those who have gone before them. I was fascinated by this art form, as it, at least to me, was unique. Some of the flowers and such were quite intricate. Many were preserved under frames and glass. My husband shared with me that his dad's mom showed him some little vase like vessels made from family members hair, and she was able to tell him whose hair it was. No one knows where they went to after she passed away, but wouldn't that be an intriguing bit of family history and a unique memento to pass along?
At "The Constant Gatherer" blog by Katie Runnels, you can see some amazing images of this art, as well as glean more information. Have fun, and let me know what you think!

Virtue.... a finished WIP

I'm still in my jammies as I have been working on this and getting the photos and entry done, whew! I can go on vacation with peace of mind now. At 32 inches tall, she is the tallest/largest sculpt I've done to date. She is made from a total of 5 gourds, one for the body and two for each of the arms. No baby though. I had to remove the baby as it was looking more like a cocoon from outer space than a child, even a folk art one...lol. This is a bit different than I had planned for her dress as well, but sometimes things change as we go along. Now, to wait and see if I've been accepted.

Here's a closer look at her base. I tried to achieve a turquoise stone look to the panels on her dress. I hope that will show up in person. Photos are hard to take here.

Another one of my entries for the Wallowa Valley Festival of Arts. A mixed media abstract.

I know I've shared this before as well, but here's "Who's Chicken?" again. Now the waiting begins. Will I be accepted? I hope so as I'm supposed to demo my sculpting and I usually volunteer to help. I do enjoy this show, but will be looking for others to enter as well. They are great experiences and you can get good feedback on where you need to improve. If you haven't entered a juried show before I urge you to give it a try. You never know!

Large Gourd WIP continues She has hair!

 I finally got to the first layer of her hair yesterday and then had her baking in the warm car for most of the day. I added more bulk to her hair and have now stuck her head in the oven to dry. That can be a tricky thing, as she is very large, but it's working.

I'm still thinking she needs a tad more height to her hair to give her a balanced look. What do you think? I need to finish the sculpting and get her drying today as I have two days to sand and paint her. What do you think so far?

Manfred the Moon and Stars....

Manfred the Moon and Stars, is busy shining to win your heart. He's starry and bright, and loves the night. Won't you take a look and see if I'm right?  EBAY

Gourd Art doll WIP continues....

 I've been working away on this piece today so I'm getting much closer to having her ready to paint. I know, it doesn't appear that way, but trust me, there's more painting than sculpting in the future for her.

A bit rough here and there, and yes, she will have hair...lol. It helps to let each step dry a bit. So I'm off to prep dinner to take to hubby; he has a soccer game to supervise. I do need a break and then back at it. I have one week left to finish this...think I can do it?

A Santa a week....

A Santa a week keeps the blues away..... Well okay maybe that's a stretch, but you know, you can't have too many Santa figures in your collection can you? I think not! So, I'm on a mission to list a new Santa each week to entice you to add to that collection of handsome and jolly fellows. This gourd Santa is 13 inches tall and I've signed and dated him. True confession, I have a sweet buyer who has been so patient with me, and she knows who I'm talking about.... Somehow I let two pieces she's purchased get out the door without a signature on them, ugh! I will make it up to her though as she hasn't put up a fuss and deserves better. I promise this fella is signed though as I made sure before I listed him....lol.

So, if you are interested this handsome gentleman is listed here: ETSY

Mother and child WIP continues...

 I have a head now, yay! Not perfect yet, but on the way. I've discovered that the fore arms will have to be made of something other than gourds, they weren't working out, but hey, that's what the creative process involves, learning and changing an approach.

No, my house doesn't have stuff laying all over, the soup can props her body so she can dry over the air vent. See how big she is? I better get cracking here, she's still got a ways to go and I have two weeks to do this in.