Sale

I wanted to let everyone know that there is a sale through Fine Art America for 15% Off All Frames, Mats, and Stretched Canvases. “Fine Art America is pleased to announce our first-ever online sale.   Now through November 8th, all frames, mats, and stretched canvases are 15% off.” For more details on the fine print of the sale click here.  To visit my on-line galleries directly, click here. Don’t forget to enter the promo code FALL09 (see details on the sale link).  Happy shopping!  Sales everywhere….can you tell that December is just around the corner?

An afternoon in Torrance

I comment quite a bit to my husband about there not being any fibery type of events to attend in southern California.  Well as luck would have it I stumbled across the Southern California Handweavers’ Guild Spinning and Weaving Festival while doing some on-line searching.  I decided I really needed to make the trip north to Torrance and give the So Cal fiber scene a shot. The location at the Torrance Cultural Arts Center was easy to find and there was plenty of free parking.  The line to pay the 5 dollar admission was short and I was instructed that there were 3 separate rooms for the event.

I figured I would make my way into the closest room first and headed through the first door.  The first booth I encountered when I walked through the door had beautifully hand crafted hats and yarns on display.  I conversed for a little while with the lady behind the counter, then being the blogger(and shutterbug) that I am, remembered that I had brought my camera with me to document this momentous so cal fiber event.  I asked the woman behind the table if I could take a few pictures and she said she would ask the owner.  The woman from behind the counter went to the owner and asked if I could take pictures and they spoke back and forth for a moment as she pointed me out to the owner.  The owner glanced at me, turned away and they spoke for another moment. The  woman very politely came back to me and said that the owner did not want me to take pictures and then thanked me for asking. So that was my introduction to the the Spinning and Weaving Festival.  Shut down by my local(since I live in the county they are from) fiber people. I remembered how friendly all the fiber people in Maine were just last month. I wondered if all the vendors at this event would be the same way as the owner of the first booth I encountered.  I put my chin up and continued through the event. I realized I do have the ability to write and describe an event even if I don’t have photographs of certain things.  Persevere my blog followers and read on because the event gets MUCH BETTER!

Continuing into the event there were booths with beads and buttons, roving, hand-spun yarn, hand painted yarn, commercial yarns, you name it this event seemed to have it! At this point I still had not gotten the nerve up to ask about more photos of anyone. I noticed a sign on a little booth tucked in the corner of the room for  Fiber Arts in Whittier.  I decided to check out that area of the room and boy am I glad I did! I noticed a woman sitting in front of a spinning wheel while using a paperclip to demonstrate spinning.  She asked the woman that she was demonstrating for to grab the center of the single ply that she had spun.  The woman obliged and then the demonstrator took the two ends together and the yarn spun around itself to form a two ply yarn.  I watched and listened to this woman until a moment came for me to have the opportunity to speak with her.  She is a vibrant wonderful soul that is eighty-nine years old. I didn’t believe her when she told me her age and I asked her if that was REALLY her age.  She confirmed it.   This breath of fresh air is a spinner named Mary Frances Eves. I cannot fully express just what an impact this woman had on me. Not only did she pick up my spirits from my first impression of this event she renewed my hope of finding a friendly fiber community in southern California! She is a retired school teacher that is now a professional clown.  She graduated from Clown College and everything.  She consistently made me smile as she told me stories and jokes and gave me a tremendous joy to be alive. She explained that she has grown her own cotton to process and spin so she could make a garment (I  believe she said it was a sweater).  She had a lined handbag that she had made from spun dog hair that she had dyed with Kool Aid.  She won a prize at the county fair for that piece.

I asked Mary Frances if I could take pictures of her spinning and she said “Sure, why not?”. Mary Frances you are a joy to be around. Simply by typing the word ‘joy’ I  remember your “pride and joy” and it brings a smile to my face!

If you look at the empty chair beside Mary Frances in the photo you can see a small glimpse of her bag made from spun dog hair.  Spending time with her lifted my spirits and I feel so inspired by her. I hope everyone reading this has the opportunity to spend time with her someday.  I hope to see you again!

I could have easily spent ALL day with her but there were other people waiting to speak with her as well so I decided I should continue to make my way through the festival.

I do have more to write regarding the festival and I will post more in the next few days.

I have decided to join the National Novel Writing Month for November. I will probably refer to it as NaNo or NaNoWriMo from here on out.  Since I have already missed a few days this month and I still have not written one word for it but have written over one thousand just for this blog post I figure I should go meet my word quota for NaNoWriMo for today.  If I write at least two thousand words a day then I can make the deadline at the end of the month.  Check out the site all you budding or would-be-writers.  It costs nothing to join and gives you a sweet little kick-in-the-behind to try living a dream.

Happy Halloween!

It was a spooky and somewhat sleepless night as the clock struck mid-night and Halloween began. Illuminated by the pale blue glow from my computer screen I typed away. I seem to spend many nights that way.  Now it is the morning and I am back typing away. Not quite sure what this day will bring and not placing any expectations on a particular outcome. At this moment I am leaning towards wanting to paint today but I was also really wanting to spend the day at the zoo.  We will see what unfolds. What are YOU doing for Halloween?

Thought I would share some fire dancing with you. Trick or Treat?  I definitely think TREAT!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Denise, Thanks for reading.  Sorry I was not able to meet you at Kenyon’s but I am sure we will meet in person one day!

Thinking of Rhode Island…

My heart was in Rhode Island this weekend at the Kenyon’s Gristmill Harvest Festival. My body, on the other hand, was sick in California! Sinus problems seem to be going around judging by the amount of sneezing I hear coming from my neighbors. I was still debating if I was going to make the trip on Friday morning but I was feeling a bit run-down and decided against the long flight. I did manage to attend a local art and fashion show on Saturday night called Night & Day. It was a fun night. I would give you a link but I do not believe they have a website. I guess the fresh air must have been too much for me LOL as I spent all day Sunday first sneezing then sleeping from allergy meds.
BUT on a much more pleasant note…I WAS just recently in New England! I had planned to make two trips to Rhode Island in October, but only my first trip came into fruition. It was an amazing trip. Last year I had been too early for the fabulous, and might I add legendary, New England Fall Foliage. This year I watched the weather reports, checked in with my family and friends back east, foliage reports and updates on the web. I took an educated guess, put my cards on the table, and booked my flight. As luck would have it, my timing turned out to be perfect for amazing foliage! I gratefully began my journey by heading to Maine with Christian. He is a great friend that was totally up for an adventure, we spent several days exploring northern New England for foliage areas to shoot and had tons of time to catch-up as we hadn’t seen each other in awhile.   We found a great little restaurant to have lunch, and surprise surprise they had a lobster lunch special!(I think 9 out of 10 restaurants had a lobster special on their boards!)

Toni, who lives in Maine, had some great insights into the coastal areas of Maine that were in beautiful color. Guided by Toni(thanks Toni!), Christian and I stumbled upon the 3rd Annual Pumpkinfest in Damariscotta. What a lively little town! Giant pumpkins lined the streets waiting to be carved, decorated, and painted.  Here is one of the entrants for the competition.

There were many artists working on carvings and here is one that I particularly liked the direction I was seeing it going.

The artist working on this one is a designer.  She has some great clothing designs on her website but I think many are sold out right now. She does have some jewelry currently in stock and it is sure worth a visit to her website. I’m sure she would be happy to answer any questions you have regarding her designs!  We were asked if we were going to stay for the Pumpkin Regatta….that’s right, the Pumpkin Regatta! We didn’t stay for it but I found pictures on this blog for the http://damariscottapumpkinfest.blogspot.com/. They actually carve out huge pumpkins to make boats. It is definitely worth a look! They also have links to some great pumpkin recipes too!

I also popped into a local little yarn store called Pine Tree Yarns. If you are ever in Damariscotta you should definitely pop in and check out this store! Loaded with local Maine Fiber and a delightful array of hand dyed fiber. Unfortunately I cannot find the card for the wonderful woman that was working the store that day! I believe she said it was run by 5 fiber artists(I should have taken notes, forgive me if I get the info wrong, but feel free to contact me for corrections). The woman working that day specialized in weaving. She told us about a nearby Art Walk and a great fiber studio so we headed to Topsham to check out the Maine Fiberarts. The sun was setting as we arrived in Topsham so I couldn’t  take any more foliage pictures.

I love to do fiberwork although I would definitely say I am a novice in that department. I had a great time at the Maine Fiberarts studio, another place you should definitely check out! They were so knowledgeable and friendly! I wish I was closer to attend their events!

Well time to go make some dinner!  Much more news to come!!!!

Netherworld

Who is this costumed couple?

It is Varuna & Michelle Darensbourg! This special moment was captured by Steve Magana(thanks Steve!). I will be busily working away on the computer this week.  Not only do I have many updates regarding the Netherworld Art Show but I also have a few changes in store for this website. I have a large new body of work some of which I will be making available on this website as well as adding different images to my Fine Art America on-line gallery.  I just returned last week from a photography trip traversing New England. So for those that love photographs from New England, particularly this time of year, you are in for a treat! The timing of my trip seems perfect as I just heard they had snow, wind, and rain  there the other day knocking down many of the leaves!  I was able to capture the quintessential New England Fall Foliage.

Sunday

Plenty of news to share about the Netherworld Art Show.  Opening night was amazing with tons of people and loads of costumes!  Fantastic food & libations. Videos & photographs coming soon.  I will post more over the next few days.

Preparing for the Art Opening…

As I slowly free space up on my computer, I get closer to October 16th.  That is the day or should I say night that marks the Artist reception of The Netherworld Art Show.  The show is taking place at the San Clemente Art Supply’s Green Flash Gallery. The shows are up and down in a flash…literally!  The show opens on Friday the 16th from 6PM-11PM featuring a catered artist reception. Additional hours for viewing will take place on October 17th from 10AM-5PM and then the show comes down. With the show being the main thing in my life and on my mind right now, there will be many blogs about the show and updates between now and then.  Only two weeks to go! I am figuring out the final touches on my costume for the reception.  Maybe not as crazy as some of my costumes of the past but still a fun one. No frozen pieces of ice hanging off my face and hair!  I might post a few sneak peeks of my costume before the Artist reception…..maybe…..  Hope you can join us that evening!

Sad news…

My computer is clogged up at the moment with tons of artwork.  I need to clean house a bit and make room so my other programs…including this one run smoothly. Might take me a few more days to post.  Sorry for the delay!

Johnny Cakes & Buddha

What do johnny cakes and buddha have in common?  That is how I started my morning!  As I think everyone realizes, in the States especially, it is 9-11-09.  Yes, I know where I was when I first heard the news. On this day especially, I am focusing on joy, contemplation and remembering to honor each of us those living and those passed.  Sometimes it takes a specific occasion for us to pause in our lives and give a moment for gratitude, reflection, and remembrance.  

I started my morning thinking of the red, white and blue and my roots…which stem from New England.  I dug out my Kenyon’s Johnny Cake Cornmeal and then remembered that I had some Kenyon’s Red Cornmeal.  I used the recipe off the back of the Johnny Cake bag and made Red, well more pink, johnny cakes.  They sell white, red, and blue cornmeal so if you are looking for a patriotic meal I suggest red, white, and blue johnny cakes. Make each batter separately and you can mix the finished johnny cakes on a plate….YUM!!!!!  Unfortunately we used up all of the Strawberry Rhubarb Jam from my last trip to Kenyon’s. As I was only making breakfast for two, I just made red ones today but I have made the white ones and blue ones too! ***NOTE to my Gluten-free friends, Kenyon’s has a disclaimer on their website regarding those with food allergies. As those with food allergies know, always read the fine print. ***

I personally LOVE Johnny Cakes made from KENYON’S Cornmeal and make them often…I might be  a little biased  because I grew up in R.I.  All I can say is Yummy!

Here are a few pictures:

So that was breakfast, where are the buddhas?  I sent out a new e-letter for my on-line gallery.  Here is the heart of the letter:

If you would like to receive future emails please contact me. 

Keep Breathing…Summer has provided me with a wonderful amount of contemplation time. Contemplation of where I am and where I am going, while staying in the present moment.

I am extremely grateful for all of you in my life and the wonderful blessings that come my way on a daily basis. Several of you have inquired about the series of contemporary Buddha heads that I made this spring….wait no longer! This month I am featuring those paintings. In the future I will also be including additional images based on Buddhist imagery; some contemporary, some traditional.

Thank you for all the support and feedback during my on-line gallery launch. It was a huge success and that was accomplished through all of you! 

I will continue to include new images in my on-line gallery between these email announcements I send out. So please feel free to view all my artwork by selecting the various gallery tabs on my FAA (Fine Art America)home page. 

OTHER NEWS: 
Come Celebrate the Spirit of October with an adventurous group of artists in San Clemente, CA. The Green Flash Gallery hosts THE NETHERWORLD SHOW. You can go to the link provided below for updates, more info, and to sign up for announcements regarding this fun-filled event. 
October 16th, 2009 from 6PM-11PM Artist Reception for the Netherworld Show. Costumes encouraged. 

**If you can not make the opening, watch your email in mid October for the latest release of prints available through FAA of my pieces from the show! ** you must sign-up for these emails

http://netherworldshow.wordpress.com/ 

I am excited to say that The Sydney Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Show debuted at the Powerhouse Museum in Australia. I contributed 3 pieces of coral to the exhibit but was unable to physically attend the show. There is a slideshow that was lovingly composed by Kaz. She was another artist that contributed to the coral reef exhibit.
The Sydney Slideshow is available for viewing through my weekly blog on my website below. 

If you are receiving this email letter, it means our paths have crossed during my journey. I maintain my own mailing list so if you would prefer to not receive these updates, just reply to this message and ask to be removed. I do appreciate hearing from all of you and welcome feedback. 
Of course if you know someone that you would like to share this email with you have my permission to forward this along to them. 

Thank you for joining me on my artist journey! 
Blessings, 
Michelle

September…the countdown is on!

September 7th!  Wow! The time is flying by this year. I have been experimenting with my new(gently used) bread machine.  I have been adjusting recipes to utilize non-wheat recipes.  I tried a combination of Gluten-free all purpose flour mixed with cornmeal and increased the liquid in the recipe but I found out I need to increase the liquid even more.  The consistency was very nice but there was not enough liquid and the result was  a loaf of bread that still had some dry flour areas marbling the loaf.  Next time I will increase the liquid.  How do I know the liquid needs to be increased?  Well, I purchased a package of Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Hearty Whole Grain Bread Mix. I made the mix according to the directions and watched the consistency of the dough as it progressed through the kneading cycles.  Getting to see the consistency of the dough is what let me know that I can increase the liquids even more in the recipes I have been adjusting.  This loaf was wonderfully moist.  I usually avoid food that has caraway seeds in it and if I had noticed that this mix had them I probably would not have bought it.  Fortunately I did not notice until I was home.  I made the bread anyway and I really enjoy the flavor of this mix….caraway seeds included!  The bread slices wonderfully thin and holds it shape making a wonderful toast. I was delightfully surprised by this wonderful tasty, flavorful, and  hearty bread!

One the fiber front, I am working on my first lace piece in preparation for a much larger lace project.  This is a great learning experience for me. I am learning new techniques and chart reading.

I have been diligently painting in preparation for the Netherworld show next month.  My friends and family keep commenting..”I see you have been painting a lot…”  The answer is a resounding YES!  Ultimately this means I will be held up in my cave until I am fully prepared for the show.  So you all have about another month before I will start to emerge from the cave.  Know that I love you all but this is something that I must do.  Just because you might not hear from me doesn’t mean you are forgotten.  I just have a deadline.  Feel free to shoot me an email if you want to say hello. 

I have pictures to include in this post but my computer is not co-operating at the moment so those will be posted when my computer and I are once again harmonious.  I can be very demanding of my computer.

Hope everyone is having a great long weekend!