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| Giving thanks.... November 23 2016 |
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| With Thanksgiving right around the corner it reminds me of how thankful I am to be surrounded by the family and friends that I hold dear. I feel so fortunate to be able to do a "job' that I love that provides me with the opportunity to create art, travel and teach. Having just returned from our art retreat in San Miguel de Allende, I am filled with inspiration and plenty of new ideas to last a lifetime! I am also thankful to all thirty of our students who joined us in Mexico, for many it was their first time there and we value the trust placed in us....Wishing everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving surrounded by those you love.... |
| Off to Mex! October 15 2016 |
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| Fall is here and with it, our annual trip to San Miguel de Allende for Day of the Dead and our Tesoro Del Corazon annual art retreat! This is always such a special time of year and it is a much anticipated event for our guests that join us. Once again we sold out in the first month....so I guess we must be doing something right! Last weekend I held my first boutique/home workshop. It was a lot of fun and I had such a great group of students. Thank You! Looking forward to the next one in March! I also wanted to remind everyone that my first segment on Make It Artsy aired last week on PBS. We don't get it in San Diego but you can watch the episodes online if you go to www.makeitartsy.com They really did a nice job of editing the show...lots of great tips and techniques are shared with loads of inspiration! |
| Fall is approaching.... September 22 2016 |
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| Well the summer blew by with an unprecedented speed! Art Unraveled was fabulous, as always. My classes were great and so was the vendor show. Many thanks to those who support is invaluable to me. The fall promises to be fairly busy. I am participating in the Talmadge Pop-Up art show in La Jolla on Sunday, September 25th. Please email me for more details. I will also be hosting my first boutique/home workshop in early October. It sold out very quickly and I added a similar workshop in the Spring called Hamsa House Shrines. I know these intimate workshops will be a lot of fun and I am looking forward to it. The last workshop I have space for in the Fall is in Fullerton, Ca through Gilding the Lily. It will be on October 15 and we will be creating beautiful mini gothic triptychs. There is a link for information on my Workshops page. And before you know it, our annual Tesoro del Corazon retreat in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico will be here, during Day of the Dead. So many wonderful events are on the horizon. Hope to see you on the trail somewhere! |
| Summertime News July 13 2016 |
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| I recently returned home from a two week teaching trip to Maryland and Virginia. Had a great time back East and managed some sightseeing and museum stops in DC which was fantastic and inspiring. Loved the folks in my classes...just great energy. Thank you to those who participated. I have finally managed some time in my studio to create a few new pieces and am happy to say that Pop Gallery in Santa Fe, NM will be carrying my work. When I visited Santa Fe in May, I stopped in the gallery and just felt it might be a good fit with some of my work....and the owners seemed to think so too! So nine pieces are en route as I type this! I have also been trying to get a few things done for Art Unraveled which takes place the first week of August in Phoenix! I am doing the vendor show which has always been a good show for me....so excited to be teaching and vending once again. Ok, that's it for now....enjoy your summer! |
| On Air! May 18 2016 |
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| I just returned from a whirlwind trip to Cleveland to appear on a new PBS show called Make it Artsy with host Julie Fei-Fan Balzer. The focus of this new show is mixed media and I will appear on three segments demonstrating three different techniques using polymer clay (what else??)! It has been many years since I did HGTV's Crafters Coast to Coast and DIY's Craftlab. I had forgotten how much fun it is to be a part of all the cameras, lights and action! The show will begin airing on September 29, 2016. Stay tuned! |
| Marching along..... March 24 2016 |
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| Since last posting, I taught at Art Retreat in the Desert in Tucson, Art and Soul in Portland and at Katherine England's studio in Fullerton! The new year is starting off with a bang and is not letting up anytime soon! I am now gearing up for the SAMA (mosaic)conference which will be held in San Diego the first week in April. I have a piece in the Mosaic Arts International exhibition which will be held at the Women's Museum in Liberty Station. I will also be teaching a class called Mosaic Mandalas at the conference on Monday and Tuesday and will be taking a class given by Sharra Frank on Wednesday. It will be a busy but exciting and enlightening week coming up. This will be followed by Artwalk in Little Italy the last week of April. It's been a few years since I have exhibited at Artwalk and I am so looking forward to being there again. I will be on Fir Street in spot 726. (right around the corner from Dick Blick) Hope to see you there! Happy Easter, Happy Passover, Happy Spring! |
| A new year! January 16 2016 |
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| Wow, the holidays blew by and we are well into the new year. So far we all think it is already going by so fast! I am just at the beginning of a very busy year with a lot of teaching engagements on the books. At the end of the month I head to Tucson to teach at Art Retreat in the Desert during the fabulous gem show in Tucson. A great time to be there. That is followed by a trek to Prescott to teach at Kat Kirby's studio. Both of these events are listed on my workshop page in case you would like to join me! I have been busily cleaning and reorganizing my studio and can't wait to actually carve out some time to start creating some new work. |
| Dia de los Muertos November 13 2015 |
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| We just recently returned from our annual art retreat in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. Please visit my blog for pics from this amazing event. Fortunately everyone arrived on time which was amazing because hurricane Patricia blew through the day before we arrived! Dia de los Muertos or Day of the Dead is an incredible time to be in Mexico. San Miguel has a variety of events and parades associated with this holiday which is a celebration of the passing of loved ones. Visiting the cemetery on November 1st is always very moving. The grave sites are freshened up with marigolds and other flowers. They also place small replicas of foods and drinks that their loved ones were fond of on the grave site. It is very touching to see family members huddled together around the small, simple burial sites, singing, laughing and crying. The parade of the Calacas or skeletons is a sight to behold as well. It really is a magical time to be in San Miguel de Allende. Our participants this year made incredible Santos figures and learned a variety of techniques that included sculpting with paper clay and pewter metal repousee. Almost everyone wants to return next year so I know we will sell out quickly! Lastly, I am in the process of getting ready for two upcoming local shows, The Talmadge art show and Carmel Valley Artists, please visit the Events page for more info! Happy Thanksgiving to all..... |
| Happy Fall October 06 2015 |
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| We actually had rain today here in Southern California! Loved it...and it certainly puts me in the creative mood that's for sure! First off, I wanted to mention that the 2016 Polymer Clay Adventure is almost ready to launch. It is a GREAT deal at 99.00 for a whole year of online classes by amazing teachers. I am teaching a class called Tiny Tin Shrines. You can find out more information if you to go to my Workshop page, it is the first listing.
In other news, we are getting ready to head to San Miguel for what has become our annual retreat for Day of the Dead. It is such a fascinating place to be during this very special time of year. We are teaching our collaborative project which is called El Santo Real, The Royal Santo (saint). We sold out super early this year but email me if you would like more info or to be put on the interest list for 2016.
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| The end of summer September 06 2015 |
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| How can it be that Labor Day is upon on us and the summer is soon to be a distant memory! The fall always brings lots of travels and this year is no exception. I will be heading off to Minneapolis to teach at Art is You next week. The retreat runs from September 17th-20th. There is still time to register! There is a link to this retreat on my Workshops page for more info. That is quickly followed by a trip to the Institute of Mosaic Art in Berkeley, Ca. the first weekend in October, but more on that later. I have been busy in my studio working on a few new projects including a large mosaic inspired by my recent trip to Europe. I love cathedrals and especially the tympanums-the area that surrounds the large portals, so this piece incorporates a handmade tympanum! I was also inspired by the astronomical clocks inside a few of the cathedrals we visited so those influences are present as well. I will share pictures of this piece in progress on my blog. |
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