Ancestor Art

The Bakersfield Museum of Art is looking for artists to participate in its Visual Arts Festival. This year the theme is roots. The first thing I thought of when I heard this theme was ancestry and I hope to submit a piece.

Works can be no more than 8''x8''. The deadline for entry is April 21 by mail, April 20 in person. Prizes are awarded at the opening reception May 14.

Find out more here.

Red Door Show

On Friday I trekked with Lance and Susan to Oakland for the opening of Small Work for a Small Space, the show I am in at the Red Door Gallery and Collective. I had no idea what to expect. I've been to a few art shows before, so I knew there would be some mingling, some wine and cheese, and lots of interesting art to see. But I didn't know how I would react. I wasn't that nervous on the drive out, which surprised me. But when we arrived, the nervousness started to creep in.

Those old negative messages played in my mind. They said my art wasn't as good as everything else there, that all the other work was more creative and more likely to sell. The messages left me feeling small. I guess I was a small work in a small space too.

But I also felt proud. Proud that I took the leap and submitted my work, proud that it got accepted, proud that I was brave enough to show up and be with my unease. And I learned that the messages can still be there and I can work through them and ultimately feel good about putting myself out there.

I wasn't brave enough to mingle with the other artists, so after a while we left and walked down to the Oakland Art Murmur. I was inspired by the spontaneous music that sprung up, the vegan cupcakes for sale, and the fascinating art in the galleries. I felt uplifted that so many people are willing to put themselves out there and totally be themselves, and that so many other people come out to support that. Thanks to everyone who came to the show and gave their support to art that night.

Small Work for a Small Space

I am thrilled to announce that my collage piece "Repair" has been accepted for the upcoming show Small Work for a Small Space at the Red Door Gallery and Collective in Oakland!

The reception is on March 6 from 6-10 p.m. and I'd love to see you there. You can see the address in the "Events" section of my blog. The piece will hang through March.

This will be my first showing at an art gallery, and it is doubly exciting that this piece was chosen, because it holds special meaning for me. I made the piece last summer while I was learning about Terrapsychology and writing a paper about the local landscape and what it might want to say to us. After spending some time by the side of the road near the former site of the Concord Naval Weapons Station, I heard this: "Repair. Restore balance."

This land, which appeared pimpled by abandoned bunkers, is blocked off by tall chain-link fences. No one can even approach it. It's sealed off from the healing it needs.

Here's an excerpt from the paper I wrote last summer, which had a piece about this land:

"'Repair. Restore balance.' Quite an appropriate message from a land that has been abused and neglected. The Concord Naval Weapons station was established in 1942 to store weapons. In 1944, the marine area was the scene of a massive explosion that killed more than 300 men when a munitions ship exploded. Two-thirds of the men were African American. Surely, this had a devastating effect on the land, and since it became a weapons station it has endured enormous change, death, contamination, and neglect. The Naval Weapons Station was deactivated in 1999 by the military, and in 2007 it was declared 'surplus property,' giving the City of Concord a chance to develop or conserve the land.

What has happened to the land here is truly a microcosm of what has happened to the land across the globe. And our destruction of the land does not just affect the land--it directly affects us."

The City of Concord chose in January to use 65% of the land for open space and parks, with the remaining space going to community facilities, a satellite campus for CU-East Bay, and commercial and residential use. It will be interesting to see how the land feels during and after this transformation.

Berkeley Farmers' Market Holiday Fair

I did it! I survived my first tent experience. It was hard work, and I had to get up earlier than I think anyone should (6 a.m.), but the tent looked pretty awesome once we were done. Lance spent a long time hanging all the photos with fishing wire, but we agreed the effect was great -- it looked like my photos were floating on air.

Luckily it was a sunny day. And I was located next to the friendliest people I could have hoped for. One was a potter who has been doing this for 30 years and had exquisite pieces that I got to look at all day. Another, Jenn Lazarus, had something in common with me -- it was her first tent too! We exchanged ideas and chatted throughout the day and it was lovely to connect with a local artist. The neighbor on my right, Fred, had a display that could have been considered an art piece in itself. He made little boards with stenciled letters and big signs too, and the people just ate them up. It was fun to watch people scavenge for the letters in their name.

I had some things happen that I didn't expect. One was getting teary when I sold my Mount Diablo collage. It was the first mixed media collage I made and it had such special meaning to me. Lance said later he was surprised I sold it. I knew that it was meant to go off into the world and be seen, but I didn't know that I would get choked up when it was time to say goodbye to it. I had to have a moment of mourning.

The second was connecting with a fellow consciousness student and photographer. We chatted for a long time about putting yourself out in the world, creating an art community, and including consciousness in art. This is why doing show is so important...it helps me avoid being isolated and hermit-like!

I learned so much doing this show, and I'm glad I get another crack at it in two weeks. Let's hope the weather holds!

Grateful

I am feeling quite grateful for many things in my life right now. Friends. Family. The rain. My cozy house. The super-fuzzy and warm pj pants I bought this week. Being an artist. Being a student. Being surrounded by amazing nature. Having access to talented healers. I am truly blessed.

I've been so busy this week I forgot to update about the Sonoma show! It was an incredible gathering of talent. It's a miracle I didn't spend my earnings from the last two months buying something from each person's table. I hope Tara organizes it again next year.

I did pick up a kick-ass journal made from the cover of Madonna's first album. It was made by Vinyl Frontier, a fabulous shop that takes old record covers and turns them into journals made with 100% recycled paper. I can't wait to use it.

I also got a cute little four-pack of pins from Caitlin Kuhwald who creates some of my favorite art on Etsy. The pins I bought were illustrations of an owl, a rabbit, and two deer. She does portraits of people like Ira Glass and Audrey Tautou. There is something magical about her illustration style, and I'm so glad to have met her.

Now I have a little more than a week to prepare for my biggest show yet, the Berkeley Farmers' Market Holiday Crafts Fair. See that image of a tree in the lower left-hand corner of the postcard? Recognize it? It's my oak tree picture! I'm so thrilled that I am featured on the postcard advertising the show.

At this event I'll have a tent! I feel so official. It's definitely going to be a whole other world. I'm bringing out the big guns, kids. And I have a really good feeling about it.

Sonoma Show

It's almost here! The fabulous Sonoma Valley Holiday Artisan Faire is only six days away! This is a group of eclectic and talented artists, most of them from Etsy and all of them from the Bay Area. I am thrilled to be taking part.

I will be selling original collages, 8x10 prints, 8.5 x 11 prints of my collages, 5x7 note cards, and note card packs! My note cards are made with 100% recycled paper, and all my prints are packaged in biodegradable bags.

I am also doing a raffle to give away a framed and matted print of Big Sur...so make sure to stop by my table!

Let It Rain

If this rain keeps up, our lovely rolling hills will soon be this green again!

I am appearing here quickly to say that my first event this weekend was a success. I was pretty nervous about it, and I am happy to say I survived. People came despite the big rainstorm and enjoyed the hot cider and fabulous offerings.

I sold a framed and matted print of the photo above to a woman who is giving it to her husband as a surprise 35th wedding anniversary gift. That just warms my heart...I am so happy to be able to share my work with someone who loves Mount Diablo as much as I do!

Getting Ready

I had no idea how much time and effort prepping for shows would be. Of course, I've read about it in forums, and heard about it from other artists, but experiencing it is a whole other story. Last weekend I began putting together the note card packs I'm selling (which will soon be featured in my Etsy shop as well!). Here's what my dining room table looked like before I assembled them:
I am really excited about how these cards came out. I've mounted a lovely 4x6 image onto a 5x7 100% recycled-paper card that is blank inside. I think they will make delightful gifts. I have six different groups of cards, including food, trees, water, and three different flower groups. This is what the final products look like. You'll notice my creativity altar made of stones in the photo too.
Today I went to the EBAG site in Pleasant Hill to hang my giclees. I have two giclees hanging in the second site next to Daphne's Greek Cafe on Crescent Drive. I tried to get pictures of the display, but the sun wasn't cooperating. I do have images I took at home, though. I am really happy with how these look and I think I'm going to start offering these in my Etsy shop as well. I am definitely going to have them on hand at my art shows in November and December.

I can't believe I only have two-and-a-half weeks left to prepare for my first show...there's so much to do! But, although I am feeling the stress, I am also feeling incredible excitement about this new adventure I'm on.