The last preparations for the open studio were completed, of course, minutes before
guests were invited to arrive. The morning found me banging signs onto the
telephone pole at the end the road, putting my temporary sign up at the end of
the driveway (still need to make my RavenWood sign!), heating cider and putting out
snacks. The week before was spent framing small work and organizing piles of all the
rest. It was an interesting review of almost a year's worth of work.
Pasha kept me company in the studio all day one day, doesn't he look better?
Today he's a tad off again, hoping its just a down day... Thursday we go
back for more acupuncture and a progress exam.
A few inches of snow graced the forest the morning of the
open studio... a nice bit of enchantment for the day.
I had a small, but steady stream of visitors. I was busy answering questions,
doing a painting demo and packaging up sales, and I completely forgot to take
photos of the studio with anyone in it! A few folks had great questions and
seemed to really understand what I am after with the work. Mostly the work
has been seen by you all here, folks on Facebook, and friends who have
visited the studio. I enjoyed hearing the stories people read in my work and a
number of small sales helps a lot to get through the dry month before school
starts again.
doing a painting demo and packaging up sales, and I completely forgot to take
photos of the studio with anyone in it! A few folks had great questions and
seemed to really understand what I am after with the work. Mostly the work
has been seen by you all here, folks on Facebook, and friends who have
visited the studio. I enjoyed hearing the stories people read in my work and a
number of small sales helps a lot to get through the dry month before school
starts again.
My students this semester produced some wonderful work. Yesterday was the last
day of classes - a somewhat grueling day of final critiques, and a messy commute to
get there. The first photos are final artist's boosk from my 2-D Design and Color class,
the the rest are from Exploring the Natural World/Mixed Media class. (remember to click
to see larger)
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| Mia with her henna-inspired animal designs |
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| Nina with her color theory mandala book |
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| Katlyn's book of seasonal papercuts |
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| Kelsey's dress inspired by pinecones and the layering of nature |
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| Allie's exploration of the elements in mixed-media collage |
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| Galen's collages based on the book "The Four Agreements" adapted for nature |
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| Courtney's woman in tree |
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| Katie's decomposing cow mixed-media with rusting and burning |
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| Isabel's installation - mixed media with maps and rusting |
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| A detail of Isabel's piece. I quite enjoy this one! |
In the November days before the snow came, a magical
day of blue mists captivated me and made driving about
doing errands rather dreamy!
And on my shelf, a new owl has come to rest, brought by some visitors.
Owls, both alive and imagined, seem always to find me. I'm hoping to
be one of the lucky ones who sees a snowy owl as many have been
sighted nearby this year having journeyed south in search of food.
36 comments:
your work, pasha looks more allert the visitors and you certainly will see the snowolw!
all in your world looks wonderful!
i would have enjoyed coming to your open house!
how nice that people were interested in your process.
wishing you a snowy owl visit!
Sorry to have missed your open house! The set up looks so nice and the cookies delish :-). I agree that taking the time to display everything and frame things makes you see all you've created and accomplished in a fresh light.
You have a wonderful eye for design and display. and it certainly shows in your studio open house and in your students work. That must feel wonderful and give you a great sense of accomplishment. Everything is beautiful.
Lovely to hear Pasha has more good days than not. Your studio looks so inviting and comfortable.
It is so wonderful to see the work all laid out and the framing is very good, have been fantasy shopping my way through your trees.
I wish I lived closer...I would have liked to come to your open house...
I would like to have been a young college student in your class. It all looks like a dream come true.
Oh and the drive...oh my!
What a wonderful post! I so wish I could have come to visit you in your studio. Your students have produced some really nice work. (you must be a terrific teacher! ;)
I surely hope I do, Yvette!
Thanks Tammie!! I do hope to finally see the owl of the north! Snowies and great grays are two kinds of owls I really want to see someday.
Good ol' Williamsburg General store supplied the cookies... baking was not on the list!
Thanks, Gwen. I always love seeing student's final projects, I definitely feel proud.
Ha... fantasy shopping... I do that all the time!!
I think I'd have had a full house if blogfollowers all lived nearby... I still feel a bit hidden in these hills, but slowly people are finding me!
I'm a very proud teacher, that I know!!
thanks for all the magical sharing of your art and world Ariel sends warm summery purrs to Pasha
Open days are traditionally prepared for last minute!!
Glad to see you had a good day.
Good to see Pascha looking well. Cats assimilate one in their lives so that they feel permanent in ours....
VA - congrats on the open studio - always a lot of work but also joyful. Hope P is better. Such creative work by the students. The winter light is offering some magic. Go well. B
Oh, how Pasha would love to be in warm, summery weather! He says he would reciprocate, but doesn't want to send freezing cold winter purrs to Ariel!
Deadlines are a good way to get things done!! And it was a good day, thanks gz. And yes, Pasha surely has me hooked!!
Hi Barry, hope you are enjoying your winter wander over here!! You picked a cold December to come up over. Looking forward to seeing how a year's exploration with this new work will look in a winter's palette again. Maybe some full moon night paintings, we'll see!
Enjoyed seeing all the artwork - yours and the students. Very wonderful. :)
Sending warm thoughts and I hope all goes well with Pasha's treatment and check up tomorrow.
Hugs from the prairie where hungry coyotes howl!
Glad to hear you had a good open studio. Wish I could have attended!
What an inspiration you are to your students. They're doing some wonderful work.
Pasha's looking majestic, as ever. Hope he's doing alright. So good to hear you've got a good naturopathic practitioner. (Can't imagine acupuncture on my Molly, though - would certainly result in cat-upuncture of the poor person trying to administer it!)
So lovely to see your work (and Pasha) ready for open studio and feeling a heart tug to be there. I know I would have enjoyed meeting you and seeing all you do face to face.
Your work looks so lovely framed, what a cozy looking open studio!
what a lovely show and sale, and Pasha looks to be better too and enjoying the ambiance as well. I know how much work it all is and it looked so splendid... if I don't pop back before then, Have a blessed Solstice, dear Valeriana... xx
even absent sales, it can be satisfying to see one's work laid out... but I'm glad you had sales, too! looking at your November pix, I am so struck by your affinity for and with trees... thanks for all the pictures.
Wonderful to see glimpses of your studio set up to welcome visitors, ( so would have loved to have been there), the students work and those dreamy images of your day out ...so atmospheric Valerianna... and so like somethings you'd paint
Methinks your internet connection is down as my search for your activity online is not bringing results and you were getting such a lot of snow!
Sending my very best wishes to you this Xmas Day.
Hope you are warm over there... and surrounded by all that you enjoy and with time on your hands to make and read! And relax!
S
Hungry coyotes here, too!!
Thanks, Lynn, yes, great students this semester!! Pasha is up and down, but purring and cuddly always.
Oh, how wonderful it would be if we could all flit around the world and visit open studios! How richly inspired we would all be to see the work in person!!
Thanks, Uma!
Thanks Cat, I'm awfully behind in responding to these last few comments. Solstice has come and gone and its now Christmas evening! Hope you had a merry one.
I'm happy that my love of trees translates in my work... and, yes, sales are useful and very needed!!
Thanks, Sophie, here I am!!! Safe and well and no snow left at all, I've just been busy with other things.
a toutes les artistes..je souhaite des belles fêtes et une heureuse année 14!
je mettrai la belle robe en papier pour aller au bal!
I love your studio in the snowy woods - its primeval and the pot bellied stove. I especially liked seeing you were having a cup of tea and cake:) Simple pleasures - thanks for sharing your art world:) Alison
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