Trumbull Art Gallery Opening Reception

As mentioned in the last post, I was trying to get something made for the Trumbull Art Gallery annual regional art show. I ended up entering three pieces and they were all accepted! I was so thrilled! The show was juried by John Vanco the director of the Erie Art Museum. The opening reception was last night and the place was packed! It was difficult just to move through the gallery!

I entered two paintings and a gourd. The paintings have been on here before, but the gourd is new. It was made using the same idea from my elephant piece that was at the Campbell Pottery paper art show.

This gourd took a lot of work as I turned it upside down and cut the top off and moved it to the other side making a lid. The bottom then had a wooden piece fitted into it. A small gourd was added to the lid for the handle. The elephant is carved and woodburned and painted. There is a woodburned design with various animal prints etc.. The body of the gourd has an alcohol dye finish. An inlaid teardrop is on the elephant. The show at the Trumbull Art gallery in Warren Ohio goes on until August 29th.

Don't forget the Lily festival artist reception is next Saturday the 18th at Campbell Pottery. Also that day is the first water fire Sharon of the summer. If you go stop by gallery 29!!

Flowers are all in bloom around here and so beautiful!

There are some butterflies on the milkweed , but sorry to say, I have not seen one Monarch!! Makes me sad , as a few years ago they were covered with them! Please help save them! There are many articles online about what you can do!!

 

It's time for the Lily Festival again!!

It is the time of year again for the Campbell Pottery Lily festival art show! I was so busy getting gourds made for the show in Texas,  I wasn't sure if I would be able to get something done for the Lily festival this year! But I managed to get one gourd done , and it was accepted!!

I call this one " Ode to Lily of the Valley". I also had a wonderful surprise , because someone actually bought it before I sent it to the show! That is the first time that has happened! Thank You, Bob and Sheila!!! The Lily festival runs from July 3rd to August 2nd at the Campbell Pottery Store! The artist reception is on July 18th! Stop on by and say Hi!

My next art project is trying to get something made for the Trumbull art Gallery regional show. I will let you know how that turns out!

We had a wonderful visit from our daughter this past week for a few days and she helped me a lot with mulching flower beds which was greatly appreciated!! We did take time between all  the rain to get a short kayak trip in on Lake Wilhelm!

As you can see, the water was like glass!! A storm was brewing so we did cut our adventure short!

We have really been having a lot of rain!! Hard to find a dry time to mow the grass!

My garden is growing quite well and so are the weeds!! :) 

The hummingbirds have been busy at the feeders and last night I counted 6 at one feeder!!

Seems like all I do is fill various bird feeders! but I really enjoy watching all the visitors!!

 

 

Kerr Arts and Cultural Center Gourd show results!

Hearts Desire

My gourd "Hearts Desire" won the best newcomer award at the KACC Southwest gourd fine art show in Kerrville Texas!! I was very excited to receive this award as it was an honor just to be included in this show! Some of the top gourd artists from the country take part in this show! Another of my gourds, "Imperiled Prince of the North" got 3rd place in the mixed media category!

Imperiled Prince of the North

 

I hope I can actually make it to the show someday! My thoughts are with all those from the area since they are having such awful weather there! Hopefully that weather pattern will change soon!

 

In other news all my favorite birds have returned for the summer! Orioles, wrens, hummers, and even some barn swallows have taken up residence in the barn!! It is such a busy time of year, trying to get the garden in, keep up with the grass ,and get some mulch down around the flowers! I am also working on an entry for the Campbell Pottery Lily festival! We did make a trip to Virginia for my nieces college graduation and have gotten in a few more kayak trips. Also our dear friend and my helper at most of the art shows had emergency surgery and is in the hospital! Thankfully she is doing great and almost good as new!!





Thank you!!

                   I wanted to thank everyone that voted for my elephant piece, "A tear for my Brethren" at Campbell Pottery during the paper art show! The piece got 2nd place!! It is so nice when something connects with others in the way this one has! Thanks again! The show is still on until Sunday if you have a chance to see it!

I hope the new owner enjoys the piece!  Thank you soo much!

I have still been working on gourds for the show in Texas, but I am almost finished! I am really happy with the ones I have finished...pictures soon! Then it will be time to work on entries for the Campbell Pottery lily festival!

We have had a couple beautiful weekends here and my husband and I took advantage of them and got a couple kayak trips in on Lake Wilhelm!

It is a wonderful time on the lake! There are nesting waterfowl everywhere! The camouflage of the geese on their nests works very well! Several times we would be right beside one and not even see it!

Turtles were everywhere sunning themselves on logs!

There were two giant osprey nests on top of dead trees in the water and we got to watch one fishing which was mesmerizing!!

There was also a tree or trees just full of cormorants!!

These days spent in nature do so much for my state of mind and wellbeing!! We all must do everything we can to preserve these places for ourselves and future generations!! Hope everyone will do something this year to help the environment and the creatures on this earth!!!

HAPPY EARTH DAY!!!!!

Busy few weeks

I have a lot to talk about this time because the last few weeks have been filled with highs and lows. The first high was our wonderful vacation to Vieques, Puerto Rico! This was our second vacation on the island, and I love it even more! The beaches are sooo beautiful and not crowded at all. We liked it so much last year, we asked our kids to go this year so we could make some wonderful memories!! We stayed at a beautiful estate called El Cerro, which has 3 houses and 30 acres. With our family and friends we had 14 people, which fit very comfortably on the property!

                                             The main house! Looking up from the pool.
The views from this heaven on earth are breathtaking in every direction! We spent days at the beach and then some time at the pool or going out for music and dancing or playing cards. I hope everyone enjoyed it as much as I did!!

Besides the beautiful creatures in the ocean, there are lots of free roaming horses on land and quite a few stray dogs. They do have some humane associations trying to help out the horses and dogs and cats.

All too soon, vacation was over and it was time to say goodbye which is always hard. Our kids returned to their homes on opposite coasts and we returned home to PA. Before we left I was having a hard time deciding what to do with my 16 1/2 year old Jack Russell , Ringo. He has been in failing health and completely blind and almost deaf. I wasn't sure he would last the week of vacation, but he did! I was happy to see him up and around and wanting his dinner and breakfast as usual. He also had a skin problem on his head that made it ooze and scab and nothing we had tried would stop its spread. He ate all his food still, but was nothing but skin and bones! I  had been cleaning up accidents in the house frequently for the last year but then he started to lose control of his urine and would drip on himself. So sadly I made a vet appointment knowing he would probably not come home alive. It is so hard to know if you have picked the right time, to save suffering but extend life as long as possible. But sadly with the vets advice we lovingly said goodbye to Ringo. He was a good little dog and will be greatly missed.

Sweet Ringo

Two days after losing Ringo , it was time for the opening reception of the paper art 2 show at Campbell Pottery. I was thankful for the distraction, and looking forward to seeing the creative artwork using paper. I was amazed by all the ways artists made beautiful art using paper. I think everyone should go and check it out. I was also thrilled to discover that my elephant piece was sold! I had several people come up to me and comment on the piece which was just wonderful!

So my life the last few weeks has been a rollercoaster of happy and sad, I guess a true example of life in general! Until next time......

 

Paper art show at Campbell Pottery

 Chief Paper feather

" A tear for my Brethren"

As promised, here are my two entries into Campbell Pottery's Paper Art Show 2!  The first one is a gourd mask. Usually I make these  with real feathers, beads etc. but in keeping with the theme, I made all the decorations out of paper. The elephant is made on several sheets of watercolor paper that is carved and woodburned! A small sea glass teardrop is added . It has been varnished so it can be displayed free of glass ,so the texture is easier to see.

I have been busy working on gourds for the gourd show in Texas, and I am making slow progress. Still busy with the horse gourd but on the final stages now.

Here is my little studio buried behind one of the huge snowpiles we accumulated this winter! I am happy to say our weather seems to have moderated a bit and the piles are starting to melt! Happy to see them go!! I even saw a robin and a red winged blackbird yesterday!!! Can Spring be far off???



Snow and KACC gourd show!!

It is winter here for sure!! Our dog Shelby loves the snow but I must say, I have had enough!! I am longing for green grass and flowers and warm sunshine!! I haven't seen this much snow piled along the driveway in a long time! This kind of weather does afford me more time to work on art projects! I was invited to the two invitational art shows that Campbell Pottery is having this year. One is Paper Art 2, which will start March 28th, and another in October. I have finished my entries for that show , but I will wait to show pictures closer to the show. I was also thrilled to learn that I was accepted into one of the most wonderful gourd art shows in the country, the Kerr Arts and Cultural Centers Southwest Gourd Fine Art Show!!  in Kerrville, Texas!! I can send up to 6 gourds for the show from May 21st to June 28th. So I have been busy coming up with designs and ideas for gourds for that show.

This gourd may be one I send with a few more additions.

This is an extensively carved gourd I have been working on recently.  On another note,

I did get to photograph quite a few dogs in the last month to use as reference photos. A friend had a litter of golden Retriever pups that she was nice enough to let me photograph and my husband and I also went to the dog show in Erie and took photos!! Fun!!

Hopefully the next time I write here the snow will be gone and it will feel like Spring!!

I think the birds at the feeders outside agree!!