So, a couple of friends of mine have been nagging me, I mean, gently suggesting (repeatedly) that I need to sell T-shirts with my work on them. I finally sat down and opened a Zazzle store where you can do so!
You can go to www.zazzle.com/stephanierubiano to start shopping! I plan on adding more products through the spring...iPhone and iPad covers, water bottles, tote bags, etc., so check back every so often!
So, when I was out in California at Jenny Doh's studio this past January, I met the lovely Harmony Pyper at the book launch. She recently contacted me and invited me to be a part of her Friday Features on her blog. Read on if you would like to learn a bit more about me...or wait for the next post if you don't, lol!
So, once again I have been remiss in posting to my blog. It was a busy week as the weather tried to decide if winter was over yet. The geese flew over one day...
Phineas decided that the couch was much more comfortable than a rainy backyard...
Fiona discovered modeling clay, marveling at how it was never, ever, ever, going to dry out...and now these pieces sit, not drying out, gathering dust...
And I have been working frantically on butterfly boxes, once again taking over the front room...
And the kitchen counter...
But I suppose you are rushing through all of this to see who the winner of Jenny Doh's book, Creative Pilgrimage, is going to be...my handy, dandy name picker-outer helped once again...
And the winner is...
Traci Severson, you are the winner of an autographed (by me) copy of the book and a bit of my art, because as you can see from the previous photos, I have gobs of art just laying around the house...
And last but not least, a touch of spring color for those of you in cooler climes...
Thank you for all of your kind comments and I hope to be back soon!
So, I am thankful that we have an extra day in February this year because I got busy and almost forgot about my three year blog-iversary give-away! How could I? I am offering you a chance to win a copy of Jenny Doh's fabulous new book, Creative Pilgrimage! Lots of talented artists contributed to this book, speaking about their lives, the venues they teach at and a special project.
I have a spot in this book and a project that I just love!
In order to win, you must leave a comment in the comment section on the blog (not FaceBook, please) by midnight central standard time on March 3, 2012. If you share on FaceBook or your blog, I will enter your name again! I will announce the winner on the evening of March 4, 2012.
I know my photos of the book seem self-serving because they are of my pages, but it is dark outside and the photos that I take inside never turn out...again, not preparing ahead of time for this post. Sorry.
Now, you won't win a kookaburra such as this handsome fellow (disappointing, I know), but you may just have a bit of my art tucked in with the book...so comment away and keep posted! I will be putting up some new work as I get ready for my spring show/teaching season!
So, here we go! Every item has a price and a number. Leave a comment about which piece you would like to purchase, making sure to include the number. The first person to do so for each piece will be considered the new owner! Shipping charges are additional. And there will be some other things posted on Face Book after this post goes live, so if you don't see anything you like here, check out my wall (Stephanie Jones Rubiano) on Face Book! Good luck and have fun!
Enameled egg pendants. Hand cut from copper and hand-formed. Layered with vitreous enamels on both sides. Soldered sterling tube for bail. Matte finish. Necklace not included. Originally $80
Sale Price $40
Dichro Diva Pendants. Layered dichroic glass fused in a kiln. Fine silver forms the loops for attaching base metal faces, hands and feet. Curled wire and seed beads accent this piece. Originally $125
Sale Price $50
8x10 Butterfly Box "Call Girl" 2007. Vintage Jell-O mold, metal numbers from cash register wheels, real butterfly wings, original receipt from 1926 hardware store. I love the color combination in this one! Originally $225
Sale Price $50
8x10 Butterfly Box "Fairy Tale" 2007. Vintage typewriter tin, player piano music for background, swallowtail butterfly wings. Says "Telling Tales of the Fairy". Originally $225
Sale Price $50
10x13 Butterfly Box "Stellar" 2007. Vintage tinsel garland, metal star, German glass glitter on wand, rice paper family butterfly wings (some of my favorites!), crackle background. Originally $350
Sale Price $150
8x10 Butterfly Box "Take 5" 2008. Vintage bottle with cool finish, vintage plastic 5, vintage pearl trim, original receipt from 1932, real butterfly wings. Originally $325
Sale Price $125
8x10 Butterfly Box "Childproofing" 2008. Vintage letter press blocks, vintage baby fork, original letter in background, real butterfly wings. Saying reads "Before Childproofing Was Popular". Based upon my childhood experience of sticking a fork in a live socket. True story. Originally $350
Sale Price $125
There you go! Happy shopping and remember there is more on Face Book!
So, I am fortunate enough to be able to sell most of what I create. However, there always seem to be a few pieces that don't find homes during my time selling at different venues. I cart these pieces around, sure that I will find someone who treasures them. Well, I am tired of carting and they are taking up room here at the house! So, in an effort to share the love and perhaps clear out a bit of much needed space, I will be having a sale beginning on Sunday evening at 7 pm (Central Time). Butterfly boxes, fused glass jewelry, enameled egg pendants and whatever else I can dredge up from the depths of storage! Prices will be marked way down to help the artwork move along. Here are a few shots of work that I hope will be leaving my home very soon...
The images will have a number under each piece. Leave a comment stating what you would like to purchase, making sure to include the number. First come, first served! First comment to mention a particular piece will have the opportunity to purchase it. I will send Paypal invoices out to those who decide to buy something. So, feel free to share this info, or keep it to yourself until you have made your purchase decisions. No one is judging... ; )
Oh, and remember to check back later in the month for a Blog-iversary give away of a signed copy of Jenny Doh's Creative Pilgrimage book that has a project of mine in it!
So, way back when, I received an email from Jenny Doh, inviting me to contribute to a new book she was working on about art retreats and the instructors who taught at them. The working title was Creative Pilgrimage and I sent in a new project (developed specifically for the book) and filled out the questionnaire. Months later, I was at ArtFest when I received an email containing the beautiful preliminary layout for my section of the book. I thought to myself, "This is going to be a book full of eye candy! And informative to boot!" I couldn't wait to see the rest!
Well, the book was released on January 1st of this year! Jenny decided to host a launch party at her new studio space in Santa Ana, CA and I decided that I just had to attend!
I flew in and Jenny and her friend, the lovely and talented Cynthia Shaffer, squired me around downtown for the day. We did some antiquing and had dinner at an incredible Mexican food restaurant. By the end of the day, I felt like I had known these two amazing ladies for years...or maybe that had something to do with the amount of tequila imbibed! The next afternoon (after a silk-screening class and romp through an art supply store), we set up for the party. Here is a peek at the studio space...
And here is Jenny, designing a new welcome sign on the chalk board...
Kim Caldwell of Artistic Bliss was in attendance as well, conducting a fun and beautiful make-it-and-take-it bracelet. Here is a shot of the three of us before the festivities began. Thanks for the photo, Cynthia!
I owe a huge thank you to Jenny's beautiful family for making me feel so warm and welcome in their home during my stay. And that is a potato tornado Jenny's husband is holding, just in case you were wondering...
I wasn't prepared for the sheer number of people that came through! The launch party coincided with an art walk that was taking place that evening in the building where the studio was located. We were packed most of the evening...
I met so many new people and had a great time chatting about art. Here is a picture of Cynthia and Jenny taking a well-deserved break outside of the studio...
The next day, Jenny, Cynthia and I ran around the town gathering a few necessities for an encaustic wax set-up. We then proceeded to spend a few blissful hours playing with wax in Jenny's home studio (I COVET her studio room!) I think I might be coming back out later in the year to teach some classes at Jenny's studio, so keep your ears open...and don't be afraid...
Oh, and remember that February is my blog-iversary and give-away month. I am thinking that a copy of Creative Pilgrimage needs to make its way out into the world...
So, it is now November. My last post was in February. At least I am in the same year! I fully intend to blog every week. I take lots of photos and things happen in life that I would like to share. It is just that when I think about posting, I also think, "I can do that this evening after this crazy day is over and I have some time to myself". Yes, I have been thinking that same thought for MONTHS, as is evidenced by the cobwebs and dust present on this blog. I had almost forgotten my password to log into Typepad. By the time I get to that point in the evening, the last thing I usually want to do is sit down at the computer. I think about all of the photos I want to upload, how long that will take, composing the post itself, and suddenly it all seems to be a very daunting task and I think to myself, "I will do it tomorrow." Just like I will start eating better, go to the gym, sew that button back on Fiona's shorts, clean the fish tank, etc. Procrastination seems to be a huge part of my life. So, I have decided to start creating short posts with just a few photos, so this won't seem like such an onerous task. We will see how that experiment goes...
Here are a few things I have been working on. This little owl was all crowned and ready to go, but still seemed lacking. I came across some metal tools for doing the soft sheet metal repousse (sp?) and voila, instant textures for my backgrounds in my encaustics! I am completely addicted to this now!
Here is another piece I created in the last few months. I printed one of favorite antique images on muslin, accented it with some free motion stitching, then added encaustic wax around all of that. I am intrigued by the juxtaposition of the thread and the wax. I think there will be more of these in the near future!
And a close up...
There. That wasn't so bad. I have the urge to keep listing photos and start talking about all sorts of things, but I am going to stop now, in accordance with my new efforts and reducing my desire to procrastinate. See you soon...really, I mean it...
So I plugged the 48 entries into my trusty drawing machine once she got home from school...
and here is her output:
Kari was the first name she drew, then drunk on her own power over other people's destinies and the sheer excitement of it all, she asked to pick another name. Since I had two pieces I decided that she could choose a second name, which was Beth Bricker! So Kari, since you were selected first, you have first pick. The piece that was not chosen will go to Beth, should she choose to accept it. If, for any reason, Beth does not want the second piece, I will draw another name. Thanks to all of you who participated!
So I will be teaching in Portland at the end of September/beginning of October at Art & Soul! If you haven't attended this event before, you need to! Lots of amazing instructors and enthusiastic students make for a heady mix of creative energy that lasts for a week! To introduce you to some of these fabulous instructors, we are having a blog hop...so read on and start making a list of the workshops you want to take as you visit their blogs! And I apologize to the artists for not putting photos with their links...I am not tech-savvy enough for that!
Jane Robberstad does amazing things with fabric...I would love to take her fabric birds class!
Elizabeth Kettle wants to teach you how to create unique and beautiful decorated fabrics to use in your work!
I have been a long time fan of Ingrid Dijkers...check out the amazing art journals she is famous for!
Create larger than life flowers and birds with Marcia Schultz and learn some nifty resin techniques!
Kari McKnight-Holbrook will brighten your world with her eclectic art journals!
Karen O'Brien is another favorite artist of mine...you will love making artist blocks like the ones you see in the Art-O-Mat vending machines!
Jane Davies will teach you how to make your own scrumptious collage materials with various techniques!
Aaaand, last but not least, our intrepid Art & Soul producer, Glenny Moir, works her tail off to bring you all of these opportunities to meet and work with all of these artists!
There you have it! A list of must-see blogs to give you a feel of what you are in for if you attend Art & Soul this year! As for me, I will be teaching classes such as House of Cards where we alter cabinet cards and build a house with them! The following are pictures from the workshop I held here at my house this past weekend! We had a blast, so you should seriously think about joining me this fall!
Laying out the materials and collaging away!
This looked like a baby Elton John to me!
And I loved her overall house of oddities!
A rather Poe-esque mansion...
Starting to stitch the house together...
Love the black gesso used on these walls!
And here is a finished house!
I will also be teaching Bedazzling Butterfly Boxes, Over the Edge collages and Marvelous Mica ATC's! So check the Art & Soul website out and plan a trip to fuel your creativity!
Oh, and don't forget to leave a comment on my previous post for your chance to win an encaustic house collage! The deadline for entry is midnight PST, February 22!
