Featured Artist Friday - Thomas Rice

Welcome to a new feature of my blog: Featured Artist Friday! I'm beginning this series with Atlanta artist Thomas Rice. He's incredibly talented - oils, watercolors, sculpture, and is a much sought after landscape designer. He's also the husband of my husband's cousin. :)

In December at the Fridy family reunion we were treated to a viewing of two of his works en route to their new owners. One was this really cool copper wire sculpture portrait. My photo doesn't begin to do it justice...it's three dimensional and that doesn't show well here against the white wall, but trust me, it is an incredible piece!



The other piece was this fabulous oil portrait:

Thomas has many photographs of his work on his webite. Hop over there and enjoy!

Sew Day!

'Twas the day after Christmas when all through the house,

The quilters were sewing with nary a spouse.

Shelby was tucked in her bed nice and warm,

While Lisa, Bonnie and I sewed up a storm!



Photo swiped borrowed from Lisa



I played the hostess and they were my guests,

Down in my basement....it was the best!

We set up machines, ironing board and three chairs,

And sat down to sew away all of our cares!*

When all of a sudden there arose a slight clatter,

I threw open the bobbin case to see what was the matter.

And what to my bewildered eyes should appear,

But a great big lint ball and thread wad, I fear.

First lint brush! Now oil can! Next, rotary blades!

On triangles, snowballs, and UFO I made!

Not hidden on shelf, but to the design wall**

Now stitch away, stitch away, stitch away all!



Bonnie sewed a gazillion HS triangles!

Lisa's yummy Snowball



I worked on my Storm at Sea UFO







Armed with chocolate and lattes, a healthy lunch too,

(and we had Christmas cookies, oh yes, quite a few!)

With a whole day to play, we had lots of fun,

I was sad when at day's end the sew day was done.

They packed up their cars with their projects complete,

Then scooped up Miss Shelby (that dog is so sweet!!)

And I heard myself say, as they drove out of sight,

"Happy Sew Day to all! Next time...overnight!" ***



(*actually there were to have been four chairs, but our friend Laura lost her beloved dog that morning and couldn't come. Our hearts were heavy for her)

(**really, it's laid out on the table. The old design wall is down and the new one isn't up yet...But who's getting technical here. It's poetry! Sort of... )

(***we have a weekend retreat coming up with our bee...but I don't think I'll get to go -waah!!)

Holiday Wishes

From my home to yours,

Wishing you the best of the holiday season
and many blessings in the year to come!

May you always be surrounded by the ones you love.

I'm Still Here

...and I can't wait to catch you up on all the stuff that's been happening around here. It's been production central, getting things ready for the Deck the Halls sale at Sawtooth and the Winterized Wonders art fair at my boys' school...decking my own halls getting ready for Christmas, and all the usual flurry of activities that go with...processing another contract for a guild lecture...and on and on. I have photos to upload and stories to share. And all of this will be forthcoming.

But meanwhile...life has dealt another harsh blow to Virginia Tech...my Alma Mater. And my heart is breaking for them...the officer senselessly slain and the family he leaves behind...the university population reliving a trauma from which I can only imagine was just maybe beginning to heal, if it ever really can from something so horrific as what they endured just a few short years ago...a young man so broken that he would commit such an act. And for what? Why? So many unanswered questions in this season of Peace on Earth.

I grew up in the town next door. My parents owned a business in Blacksburg. I spent four years learning and soaking up college life there. I worked both an internship and post graduation position in the Planning Department. It's a part of who I am and where I came from.

It's so easy to think that things like that happen "somewhere else"...but reality tells us that it can happen anywhere.

Please keep the Hokies in your thoughts and prayers. It's a great school.


And pray for peace.

Great Info

So...I'm stuck home, recovering from some dreadfully nasty virus (flu? plague? IDK) instead of being in Black Mountain on the annual fall quilting retreat. Bummer!! I'm going to miss that time with my quilting buddies!! I have so much to do but it will have to wait, and that's OK. Meanwhile I did make it downstairs to my desk today (yay!) and found a GREAT email post from Alyson B. Stanfield's Art Biz Blog in my inbox. Her guest Fiona Purdy writes about how to handle requests from charities for donations of your art. It is quite brilliant!

You can read about it here.

It really made my day. I get a lot  of requests. I have a big heart. I want to help everyone that I can. And I've made a lot of art donations. But I don't want to go broke. I don't want my work to be devalued by a low bid. And the fact of the matter is that no matter how you've priced that piece of art or what other pieces of your work have sold for in the past, the only thing you can write off on your donation is the cost of materials. Not your stated price for the completed work. Not the value of your time to create it. Not even the price it brings at the charity fundraiser. Most people probably don't know that...including the ones requesting your donation.

Fiona has a wonderful way to make it a win-win situation. Really...go read her post! What a great idea!

And if you aren't already a subscriber to Alyson's blog, you should be! She's great at helping you find your way through the twists and turns of being in the business of making art!

Catching Up

Things have just been hopping around here lately! What have I been up to? Let's see...

I've been teaching...

 

Altered Surfaces - rust dyeing, stamping, discharging, and gelatin plate printing

(Here Deb and Lynn show off their awesome creations!)


Silk Scarf Dyeing...

I've been making clay buttons...

which have now been glazed and fired and I need to go pick up :)







I've done 2 festivals...

One the weekend of the hurricane and one the weekend it turned cold and rained! LOL! Yes, outdoor festivals are a hit or miss kind of thing. I can't say that it's been a highly successful adventure yet, but it's been on my list of things to try and I want to do a few more before I make a final judgement on their feasibility as part of my studio business. I don't like the unpredictability of the weather...


After all, gallery exhibits are climate controlled! I've had two openings in recent weeks...

"Courage"               
This is a traveling exhibit curated by my friend Kathy Brusnighan (seen left). A gift to the community, these inspiring and encouraging pieces debuted at Circa Gallery in Asheboro, NC on Sept. 15 and will be exhibited in hospitals and galleries throughout central NC through the end of 2012 where the exhibit will conclude at the Center for Creative Leadership. For more information on the exhibit and a schedule of locations visit Art With Purpose.

We all had a great time at the reception! Thanks Circa Gallery for hosting us!

 

(my piece is in the lower right..."Consider the Lillies (Even When the Sky is Falling)" hand dyed fabric collaged to canvas with dimensional flowers)







"Faces"

 
 Another fun reception! This show is at Sawtooth in the Davis Gallery and will run through November 17.





My pieces from L to R:
"Rest" and "Relaxation" (stacked)
"Sam"  (daughter of a longtime friend)
"Faith", "Kay Oss", and "Clara T." (whimsical)
"How Do You See Me?"  (interactive, changeable piece)
 

I've been hard at work on a memorial commission piece...but I can't show it yet...


The boys and I enjoyed an evening at the Dixie Classic Fair. My favorite part...the fancy chickens!

And of course, there have been lots of soccer games...

And baseball games, including a FUN! trip to Myrtle Beach for a tournament at The Ripken Experience!



Well, that's it in a nutshell!
(Did I mention I love coffee?)

:)

Color Me Proud...Uh Huh!

It didn't take long for the youngest to have his sketchbook assignment chosen for the teacher's blog, seen here . This one was illustrating song lyrics of their choice. I think the Zac Brown Band would approve.

The youngest is really getting into colored pencil drawing, which fascinates me. See, in my earliest creative days I was totally into crayons and color, but once I started formal art lessons I was all about pencil drawings. The regular kind - black and white. And ink. Stippling was my most favorite there. Well, until I started painting I guess, and then my love for color kicked back in where it's been happily ever since. :)

Anyway, I'm really enjoying seeing all of the posts on Art Over Time! I love seeing what the kids are doing in middle school art. I hope you will pop over there and have a look through for yourself.

Meanwhile, here's another assignment by the youngest  for your viewing pleasure:

Yep. Mama is proud of her boys!!