SPRING IN THE AIR

 
Spring is definitely in the air though the calendar has not quite caught up yet. Birds are all a-twitter from early dawn to dusk and even beyond. The hills are greening. Buds are sprouting in a vast array of color everywhere. Nature is creating its best for us these days. Gotta love it!!

I'm excited about spring and all that it brings of course. I will be participating in the Spring Fling weekend at the Sawdust Art Festival April 4-6 and have several monthly workshops upcoming as well as a Torn Paper Collage class for Sawdust Art Classes in May. 

Things are coming up roses, as they say :)

RESISTANCE AND READINESS

 I'm not sure at all why I am so resistant to writing this blog of late, but there you have it...I AM! "Write blog post" appears on each day's to-do list, but just never gets checked off, sadly. Sure, I have a few excuses like seeing double for most of a month and then struggling with reading with new lenses, but.... There should have been a way around it. I just couldn't find it.

There is also the very real fact that it is just a bit over a month until the Winter Fantasy and I had only ideas that needed work and hopefully to come to fruition. Thankfully, a few have done so and I continue moving forward on many of them. 

Then, there's a large capacity (for me and my space) workshop coming up in a week and a half. Thrilled to be able to create with a wonderful group of new and former students, there is still a lot to get done to make sure that I have all the materials needed for this great five hours of creative time.

OKAY. I guess that's all of my excuses and they have managed to make up a blog post 😜 Here's to next time.

YOU KNOW IT'S SUMMER WHEN...

 

...the festival season in Laguna Beach begins. And this is the week! Preview nights for Sawdust Art Festival, Art-A-Fair and the Pageant of the Masters make for a busy week.

Planning has taken place often for months as readiness varies among individuals. I found myself oddly blessed to be house-bound with Covid, which gave me many hours of art play in March/April that I might not otherwise have had. I wasn't sick...just kept getting positive tests so, with nothing better to do I played and played. And of course my crow friends showed up often in that play.

If you're around be sure to come see me at the Sawdust at Gallery Wall 11. 

WHY IS IT ALWAYS SUCH A SURPRISE?

Hundreds of cards printed, assembled and packaged. Many prints matted, packaged and priced. Originals framed and priced. A booth or Gallery Wall to clean, paint, repair, and get ready in myriad ways to show all of this. Getting ready for any showing of art, let alone a 66 day summer festival is always a surprising amount of things on a long and ever longer to-do list of things needed before one can even begin to think "ready." And I have probably omitted so much, this being only what a mixed media artist might have on the list. Think of the jewelers, the sculptors, the photographers, fabric artists and others, many of whom may have to rely on the timing of printers and such. Just writing this wears me out. But in the end it is always done on time and so very worth it. 

So if you are reading this, come to the summer Sawdust Art Festival in beautiful Laguna Beach and see what everyone has created and how each has mastered the long to-do list.

June 30-September 3

www.sawdustartfestival.org 

AN APPRECIATION

some art from 5/7 workshop

 Lots going on as spring sets in and summer approaches way too fast. 

Even while creating new pieces for the summer festival season I took time to check the calendar and have set dates for workshops through the end of the year. These workshops so feed my own soul that they just have to happen 💓

It does not escape me that I am super fortunate to have regular students who are wonderful and super gracious with new students. There are so many instances in life when the "regulars" are perhaps act a bit proprietary when newbies show up. The welcoming attitude of our regulars is a blessing indeed.

WHASUP?

 Seems like forever since I've contributed anything to this blog. So "Whasup?" seemed the appropriate heading.

So what IS up? 

I have had a couple of really fun workshops filled with not only enjoyment galore but lots of experimenting and learning through the exploration. Fun!

One of the techniques tried was transferring a magazine image using Gelli plates. This opened up several possibilities, including the one pictured here.

Also, what's up is getting ready for the Sawdust Art Festival's Winter Fantasy. I've been at work on some original pieces that can be super affordable for holiday giving and am excited about the result. There are parking challenges for this year's Winter Fantasy, but they are not insurmountable and the city and Sawdust staff are hard at work to create transportation opportunities so don't be daunted...come see us weekends November 19th thru December 18th.

IS SUMMER OVER?

 The weather doesn't tend to answer that question in the affirmative. But those who are doing the art festivals here in town are thinking that day is REAL close.

Festival season starts winding down this coming Sunday, August 28th, when the Sawdust Art Festival shutters for the season.( If you need tickets for this final weekend, email me at cherril@cherrildoty.com)

I'm thinking that it is getting close to time to hit the road for a short road trip (hence the picture here) And workshops start up for me again on September 18th (almost full) so plenty to think about.

What are your plans?

WILL THERE BE CROWS...?

The blank gallery wall at the summer's art festival awaits. Shelves and signage and more will go up on Tuesday awaiting the fill with art work on the coming weekend. 

The festival gates will open to the public on June 24th at 11 am. You can check out the scheduled hours and events at http://www.sawdustartfestival.org

Will there be crows? Well, I guess you will have to show up to find out 😀 Let me know if you want tickets placed at the box office for you.

JUST DANCING

 Just call me twinkletoes, I guess. After writing that last blog a few weeks ago, I was blessed to receive a lovely email from a former student, who had started, along with her sister-in-law, to play in mixed media years ago when Suzette and I taught weekend workshops at the Sawdust Art Festival. 

They have gone on to take more classes from Suzette and me after we moved them here to my studio, but not for several years. They went on to take workshops from a lot of other instructors and are quite addicted. I would love to see what they have created by now as I'm sure they have gotten quite good at it. That's one of the beauties of mixed media play...the vast array of possibilities.

So, yeah, I'm dancing for joy that we were able to start someone on this wonderful path of creativity. And of course it's super to receive a note from someone like that. Purest joy! So, play me a tune, Piano Man.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

I am currently working on spring cleaning at my house, but in between...a little bit of art play is called for. And so I am offering up these five cards for your preview and the opportunity to rank them according to your favorites. This will help me in terms of production for the summer Sawdust Art Festival this year so your input is greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance 💓

 

WINTER FANTASY FUN

thru december 19th

This is such a great opportunity to buy from your local artists, support them, and give unique and interesting personal gifts to family and friends. There is a lot to do besides purchase gifts too...entertainment, good food, music, Santa, holiday decorations. Check it out and come to Laguna any time the next three weekends.

www.sawdustartfestival.org