April 29, 2006

Whip up, friends and family

Our gallery front door - do drop in? Click for a larger image...Edibeth's encaustics to the left... what is left of them! We sold six of her works in this exhibition with a week to go... extention of exhibit official!

Wow! It has been a great productive week here at the studios and my little diversion craft last weekend won a prize at Whip up! I couldn't be more surprised nor pleased as I adore that blog. My entry for "your surly side" and four others won new books on surly side cross stitch. How cool is that? Major cool! The computers have been abuzz with so many project lately, but most pressing was finishing the design of our new brochure of summer classes and last minute additions make dear husband surly! But it is all for good as they are done and winging their way to everyone in a matter of days... if you are local and want one, just ask! Raku and Pit firing workshops, painting on silk, fabric surface design, art camps for children and one more new exciting class for adults: Creativity Class! Yes, time to put aside your fears and get in touch with your creative side! So lots of play is in store for everyone this summer.
So many blog - ites have been posting so many beautiful things that I have been so inspired this week too. Ulla, with her eye for everything beautiful, Andrea and Andrea with their stunning paintings, and Corey with her stunning images! (keep an eye at artstream in the late autumn for her photographs!) Local friends have been completing a lot of artwork for upcoming shows and I will be snapping some shots of them this week.
We have also been slogging through images and ideas for our online shop! Yes, artstream will have a shop very soon (I know I know I said this a week or two ago...) where you can buy beautiful one of a kind art pieces just as you can in the shop. Stay tuned... I have also been
preparing for our huge Emerging artists and their Mentors exhibit in two weeks, which has been exciting and draining all at the same time.
Fortunately daughter #2 has had this week off so I took the week off too and we have had the joy and pleasure to be remodeling her bedroom! Layers of fabu old wallpaper scraped off to reveal years of design - mad for plaid, red cowboy color paper and on the last bottom layer - an aquamarine background with people in yellow ski suits swooshing down the mountain to the sea where others in 50's beachwear were motoring around in huge power boats! If only I could recover the paper, what a collage THAT would make! Choosing paint for a 12 year old - especially one who knows what good art and not so good art is tough. Yes, it took a few trips to the paint store, but we have secured the perfect color, and two shades and tints of it to make the room sing. When it is done, we will take photos! The sun continues to shine, so today will be another opportunity to get outside! Enjoy your Saturday!

The word for the day is ... deliver ... as in really good take-out, the goods, and us from evil!

6 comments:

andrea said...

I love that your gallery is both inviting and yet very sophisticated, and I love browsing the artstream website: do you do all the web design or your husband? And how on earth do you have all the energy to do the million and one things you do? I get tired just reading it. You must never sleep or else have an army of elves working for you! :)

Susan Schwake said...

tee hee andrea IF ONLY there were elves or at least a new cleaning person! i do not do the design of our artstream site, just design input. that is my husband's area of expertise. he has been freelancing as as designer - web.new media, print and trade show for the past 19 years. He taught design in his native Germany for 10 years at the University of Muentser and is passionate about good design. I give my layout ideas for our brochures and input to his work when he asks for it, and sometimes when he does not. We are in the midst of designing the ineterior of a new resturant directly across the street from us. He will do the logo and print media items, we will both do the lighting and interior design work. Some days are more full than others, we work both at home and at the studio so it is ongoing. We take a lot of breaks! We are lazy and we are busy, we know how much we can and can not do each day. We have a wonderful partner in business, Mary Jo who also contributes so very much to the design and business end of our adventures. It works. We are do- ers. Looking back at the single 8 films of my childhood, I was always the one running in and out of the frames and I guess I just have always been the busy one. (just ask my mom...)

Anonymous said...

Congratulations on winning Whip Up!! I was so happy when I read that post too!!!

carla said...

Wow! You have so many things going on! Your gallery looks so wonderful...I know that i am going to have to find a way to make the drive to visit it over the summer.

Anonymous said...

I am so impressed by the variety of classes you offer. To have both clay-work and photography is no mean feat. Both require special equipment and space... Congrats on your Whipup award - it was a fabulous entry! so will you be selling it in the gallery soon? Good for you in tackling your daughters bedroom, what a history on those walls... My little one has old-fashioned flower wallpaper on her walls that need a new face lift too. Can't wait to see what the two of you dreamed up. (I think if I gave my daughter full freedom in colors she'd want a different bright color on each wall)

Tongue in Cheek Antiques said...

I agree with everyone here, you amaze me speedy mouse! You do it all and seem to never tire!!
Thanks for the compliment!
Congratulations on the award ..you should win an award for being a whipper snapper, you amaze me...oh now I know the word I have been searching for...Energized Bunny- whipper snapper- compliment giver- and Extrordinary Woman!