Sketch-A-Day Resolution

I am very proud of my progress in my sketch-a-day resolution.  Yes, I miss a day or two, or perhaps a week when I'm slammed with setting up a phantom gallery or remodeling a room in the house.  But I'm always coming back to it and thats what counts.


 Click here to see my progress.

Art Walk Spring 2011

Thank you for coming out this weekend and supporting the local artist.  This was the sunniest Art Walk I can remember in years. 

The Store front in the white building was turned into a Phantom Gallery over the weekend with a handful of artist showing off their work.

 

The lineup was as follows;

HootCulture – Book Safes, Flask, and jewelry

Carrie Abbey-Franzen – Nature Photography and jewelry

Spindle's End- Handspun and knitted goods

Niki Bilodeau – Etched glass ware

Hallie Torrey – Original Watercolor Paintings

Rashel Inderbitzen – Decoupage Boxes for all occasions

LaurelsArt – Handmade clocks from upcycled Records and Original Printmaking

As far as I can tell everyone had a great time.

Front table with clock giveaway promotion.

My clocks on the new grid wall purchased recently from a closing scrap book store.

Some of my framed prints along with greeting cards and book marks

More prints

And more prints

Carries Photography and jewlery

These were the greatest easter item we had in our gallery.  I fell in love with them.

Carries Jewelry 

More of Carries Jewelry

My camera battery started to die and I didn't get any great pics of HootCulture's wares but you can find them on Etsy

Spindle's End wool

I thought it was fabulous of her to bring her wheel.  It was such a learning experience.

Hallie's Water colors I had a hard time capturing.  You can find them on Etsy also.

Niki's etched Glass

Sold like hot cakes

The platter was a favorite

Hallie's table with her watercolor prints

Rashel and her boxes.  Everyone adored these keep sakes and she had great ideas to make personal boxes with stuff you would usually put in a scrap book.

I had a jar of mustaches left over from my wedding I've been trying to get rid of.  I took them to arts walk and charged a quarter apiece.  They flew out the door.  Vendors down the street said there was a flood of mustaches down the sidewalk!

This year I used the front window for display of everyones goods.  It was a great use of space.

These gals played for us and is was absolutely wonderful.  I invited them and their mother back for next arts walk, perhaps we can even set them up inside.  I never got their names :(

The craft table was a huge success.  We had children and adults of all ages participating.  The theme was “make a prayer flag with your wish for the earth”.  We had some great wishes and the pictures tell all.  I will leave the flags up in the store front window as long as the building manager lets me so make sure you stop by to check them out

Our prayer flag collection the community helped us build.

I have set this Gallery up for three years now.  Wow, I didn’t think I had been doing this gig for very long.  Every time I set this space up I add a little bit more lighting and color, and it shows.


The next Art Walk will be in Oct. I'll keep you guys posted.

Olympia's Earth Day Tradition

The Cover of the Procession of Species Coloring Book.  Acrylic painting
on canvas.  The original painting resides in my Niece's bedroom.

Happy Earth Day!

This weekend is Olympia’s Spring Arts Walk and Procession of the Species.  It is traditional to have the Spring Art Walk closest to Earth Day as possible.  This year Art Walk lands on Earth day with the Procession the day after! This also happens to be the same weekend as Easter.  Not so great since this means my husband and puppy will be ditching me for the annual Easter beer hunt in Yakima while I stay in Olympia to be a participating artist, but at least he is able to help me set up.

The Procession is a wonderful and magical event that happens every Spring Art Walk.  The people of the community come together and parade down the streets of Olympia with their costumes and creations representing the four elements; Earth, Air, Fire and Water.  In each group there are costumes, banners, works of art, drummers and dancers.  It is a great event for the whole family.

A Non-Profit organization called Earth Bound Productions is the founder and organizer of the event.  Every year two months prior to the event a community studio is set up.  This studio is big enough to house a batik wing, a dance hall for practice, a luminary section, and plenty of random work space for all sorts of creations.  The bulk of the studio setup and maintenance is done by volunteers.  I have not volunteered in a few years since I’ve become more active in my own arts.  As an artist the two month prior to Arts Walk is crunch time, and it’s hard to spare large amounts of time to volunteer.  

  

Title Page draft

Once upon a time I spent tons of time in the studio as a volunteer.  I also created a coloring book for Earth Bound.  The coloring book was an independent college project I organized.   I illustrated and wrote a story about a boy who discovers the Procession and the community behind the Procession.  I approached Earth Bound with my book and they loved it.  It was a great representation of their event and goals.  So they published an edition for fundraising and advertising to prospective donors.  I have recently found all my original drawings for this coloring book, and a couple copies of the coloring book.  My computer skills were something to be desired back when I first created this book, I look at my copy now and wince.  I could do such a better job with scanning and editing to make the pages cleaner, straighter, and more professional looking.  Perhaps this will happen for next years Procession.  

Along with the large edition of staple bound coloring books.  I did four limited
edition hard bound books. Each one with one of the element pictures on front.