Welcome Friends!

I had two friends visit me at my new studio last Wednesday - and they both brought me goodies! Dawn brought me two babies to add to my menagerie of sorta creepy dolls. I love them! (At first I thought they were a little too cute, then I saw the rolled up eyes and the leather armatures for knees and realized, no they fit right in.)

My other visitor was Susan, the whirlwind behind a budding business: Perfect Pairings for Conscious Singles. Susan just returned from spending two weeks in St. Thomas (the tropical island paradise) and brought me some found seed pods. My friends really know what I like. Stay tuned for more on Susan. For one thing, we're planning to collaborate on a class she is launching and for another, it looks like she'll be using Alley Art Studio as the location to teach her classes. Pretty exciting time for both of us.

Time for Play

My daughter Amy, and grandsons Emmett and Jackson drove from Portland to Salem this morning to 1) see my new studio and playhouse, and 2) to make some art. What a great way to start the week.

Emmett chose to paint some wooden blocks.

Jackson wanted to experiment and create with Paperclay.

Amy started by applying gesso to a wooden board.

I hopped around getting supplies together, pausing for a quick photo.

Then Jackson discovered one of my old typewriters.

Amy discovered my alcohol inks and applied them over her gessoed board, added some rub-on images to a large glass lens, and presto! a finished piece of art in less than an hour. Amazing.

Jackson had fun exploring the drawers of my many treasures.

And me? I got a board gessoed and picked Amy's brain for some possible topics related to social justice for a piece I'm doing for a show at the 100th Monkey. The piece is due NEXT WEEK, but a seed has been planted . . .

A Gift

From Kathleen. Thank you.

Go with the Flow

The recently completed Alley Art Studio was initiated on Sunday afternoon with Elizabeth Hartshorn and Cindy Lommasson using the space to launch their new class, Go with the Flow. The class is described as A Mindful Meditation Experience through Chinese Brush Painting. Cindy is an art instructor at the Lotus Blossom Art Studio in Portland and Elizabeth is counselor and wellness coach with Full Circle Counseling in Salem.

Here is Cindy sharing some of her brush painting portfolio:


Elizabeth and Cindy preparing for the class:

Glimpses of the class:

Here is what Elizabeth and Cindy have to say about their class, Go with the Flow:

No art experience is necessary for this class, and every skill level is invited to join. We provide all supplies for the session, along with caring instruction on becoming more mindful and slowing down. In this class you will: Relax, become more present, reduce stress and let all your worries flow away with the stroke of a brush. Compliment your health and wellness plan through the medium of art and breathwork. Create simple and beautiful art. Cost: $55 per session, pay as you go or pay for all 3 sessions discounted at $149.50. Fall groups are forming every 3 weeks beginning September 27, 2009, Sundays from 2:00-3:30 p.m. Location: Alley Art Studio, 1561 Bellevue, Salem, OR.

If you are interested in taking the next round of classes, call 503-588-2113 to register or receive additional information.

PS I'm getting to sit in on the first round of classes in exchange for using my studio. How cool is that??!!??

Garage Sale Vortex . . .

. . . or how I spent my Saturday in Portland!

Booty Bounty

Several people have asked me to share my booty bounty from my trip through eight states on my recent road trip. Ask and ye shall receive. It may not seem like a lot, but since we drove through the states and were flying home, I had to be aware of my space limitations. You can be sure that I was stopped going through security and the TSA left notes in our bags that they had been checked. I can't even imagine what was going through their minds as they looked through my crazy things! Here is a glimpse of my bounty (and you can be sure that the little wrapped packages held some delightful finds):