So I Gathered...

My First Wholesale Sale!

So I had to laugh this past Tuesday as I looked over and saw this on my kitchen counter.  Paul had washed some dishes from dinner and was barely able to squeeze them in...a passel of pixies was in various stages of completion and was hogging the counter space!  I had taken over just about all of the flat surfaces in the kitchen during my creative efforts!  I really need a larger studio...

 

Here are some pics of the pieces (many created with objects I found at the store itself!) I took over to show Steve at Uncommon Objects on Wednesday morning:

                Chairman of the Bored

 

                            Unforgettable

I love using these vintage spun cotton decorations as balloons in my work!
 

                  In Her Sundae Best

 

This one was a favorite and hard to sell...

                                He Was Secure In His Masculinity

                                 Inimitable

 

                                  Incandescent

 

And last but not least, this little guy...which I ended up keeping!  I am just a sucker for the little vintage mercury glass balls!

                            Bubbly Personality

 

Steve selected 7 of the 8 pieces I took and here is one in her new glass display case.  I think this is going to be a very good fit!

 

And I wanted to share a photo with you of the atrium area at the Blanton Museum of Art here in town.  I had not been in for a long time and my breath was taken away when I walked in and saw this...

 

All of these walls used to be white.  Earlier this year, this was installed by an incredible artist,  Teresita Fernandez, a recipient of the MacArthur ("genius grant") award.  This installation is called "Stacked Water" and consists of hand-cut acrylic panels that have been layered upon each other, their color changing from dark turquoise to white as they rise.  When you go up or down the grand staircase, you feel like you are ascending towards the light or descending into the depths of a tranquil tropical sea.  Stunning!  Her other works on display, done in graphite, were phenomenal as well.

I went to attend a tour that centered around the Petrobelli Altar Piece by Pablo Veronese.  It is a fascinating art detective story and if you have a moment, read about it here!  And if you are in town, go and see this exhibit!  It will be open through February, then all of the pieces of the altar will be dismantled and sent back to their respective owners.  At this time, there are no plans to ever have it displayed as a whole again in the future.  How sad that people cannot work together and come to an agreement regarding an artistic masterpiece that should be shared with the world...

                                                                               

Popular Pixies!

So do you remember this sulky girl?  Well, she made it off the counter and into a piece.  I had taken 8 pieces to the Asher Gallery at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft when I went to Houston for the Bayou City Art Festival and Suzanne called me a week later to say they had sold 4.  She knew I was coming back for an enameling workshop and wanted to know if I could bring more work. Sure. No problem.  So everything gets shoved back a week while I try to bang out some pixies in 4 days!  Here are a few....and I thought you might actually like to see some art this go 'round!

 

 

Here is my grouping, looking quite sophisticated in a glass case!

 

And here is a close up...yes, I will slowly be working through the process of changing my name from Rubiano to Shropshire...

 

I went to the enameling workshop and had a great time!  There were only three students, myself, Phil and Gayle, so we were able to try lots of different techniques.  I was very interested in the sgraffito technique where you scratch into the enamel to uncover a base coat ...

 

First, we experimented with stenciling where we sprinkled enamel over flowers and leaves...

 

And the results...pretty nifty!

 

 

 

I forgot to take a picture of this piece after it had fired.  I ended up not liking it, so I underfired a coat of white over it, resulting in a cool orange peel texture...also pictured is  a little flower experiment...

 This is a close-up of a larger bowl that I sifted enamel over and then scratched through to expose the metal.  This was the color it was as it came out of the kiln after I overfired it...very organic and reminding me of a brain coral...

 

Here it is after it cooled...the greens and bronzes became more apparent...love it!

 

Here is a sampling of bowls by Phil and Gayle...can you believe this is their first time to work with enamel?   Beautiful, aren't they?

 An outside shot of the Center...

 

Then it was back home with yet another deadline to meet!  This one was for "A Twisted Christmas: Not Your Granny's Wreath" invitational exhibit from Robot Art Gallery in San Antonio where artists give the traditional wreath their own "twist".

Here is everything laid out...

 

And finished up by Friday, October 30, for the deadline!

 

I wired in vintage mercury glass ornaments and glass raindrops...

And here are some close-ups of the components.  Her title reads, "Despite the season, she was not wreathed in smiles."
 

I gave up one of my vintage mercury glass birds...

I worried all the way to San Antonio that it looked too much like a wreath and that I should have managed a different interpretation.  Oh well, I like it enough where I hope it doesn't sell!  Paul said the same thing!  I dropped off the wreath and picked up the butterfly boxes to bring back for my December shows.  On the way back, I had an epiphany (figures!) of the perfect twisted wreath.  Oh well, maybe they will do it again next year.  Sigh...

I drove straight to Fiona's school to help with the Halloween party for the kids.  They weren't allowed to wear costumes, but they could wear a crazy hat.  Just look at the sheer amount of color in this shot...

 

And any time I think Fiona and I don't look that much alike, I should just look at this photo...

Now I am finishing up a set of Pixies to show Steve on Wednesday morning for possible inclusion in the wonderful wares sold by Uncommon Objects.  Suzanne called yesterday and said they need more Pixies for Asher and to please bring more when I come up in two weeks to teach my workshop.  I have to set up an email sign up sheet for the kindergarten Thanksgiving party that I am now in charge of coordinating (since I was so helpful at the Halloween party!), and start a commission piece.  Hmmm, what else?  There is always something else I should be doing, lol!

Halloween Recovery...

So it was another crazy week leading up to the end of October finale, but that is par for the course for this household!  I splurged on Fiona's costume this year since we both fell in love with the wonderful creations of fairynana on ETSY!  Fiona was an acorn fairy this year, which I found very fitting since she loves to gather the acorns that rain down upon our lawn from our live oaks.

 

So here are a few shots...I can't help loving them all...

 

 

 

Here she is with cousin Ty, looking more impish than fairyish...

 

Here I am with my sister-in-law Gretchen.  She had her M.R.S. degree and Taylor was dressed as an M.D.  I was dressed as a tired mommy...a birthday party, trip to the mall, cul de sac party and finally some trick or treating!

 

Here is Paul with his "style" on that Fiona insisted he wear...that is her ski hat, not his!  What a sport!

 

And the end of a successful evening with her stash!

 

And if you can stomach any more along with the Halloween candy, here are some shots I altered a bit using techniques I learned in Susan Tuttle's workshop and some favorite filters...

 

This filter shows up better if you click on the picture to enlarge it...