Flagstaff Art in The Park July 2010

We always luck out and have the BEST neighbors at our shows! No exception this past weekend. If you're ever in Flagstaff please check out the Art in the Park shows - always July 4th and Labor Day weekends.

Brian & Pauline Vaughn were right next to our tent. They make beautiful, functional and creative fused glass pieces. They are based in Tucson, AZ. You can check out their gorgeous glassware at Tortolita Creations http://www.tortolitacreations.com/

Adam & Becky Frus were right across from us at the show. Adam creates organic, sculptural and functional glass pieces. He also brings his background in Geology to his unique creations. Based in Mesa, AZ you can check out his amazing work at Frus Glass http://www.frusglass.com/Index.html

The other great neighbor we had was Marv Poulson. He is a photographer AND a sculpture from Utah. You can check out his extraordinary photography and kinetic sculpture at Imagedancer http://www.imagedancer.com/

I never tire of the new friends we make and the inspiration from being around their creations!

The Lollicake Company

We met Courtney and her husband at the Litchfield Park Culinary Arts & Craft Festival. What a great neighbor! Her Lollicakes are cupcakes on a stick! Great for housewarming gifts, shower gifts, children's parties, brunches, you name it! Check out her website for more information on this fun and delicious gift idea! www.thelollicakecompany.com

Southwest Arts Festival, Indio, CA

We've had quite the adventure this last week - escaping the snow at home and driving to Indio, CA for the Southwest Arts Festival. It was an experience being at sea level and seeing the beautiful snow capped 10,000' mountains ringing the valley. The show itself had some of the most talented artists in the US. There were lots of fine jewelry artists too - amazing work. Once again we were blessed with great neighbors and made some new friends.

Our morning commute to the show. Surreal. Dessert, palm trees and snow.

Our one neighbor Jack Charney. Jack's not only a ceramic artist but also a writer. His pottery is vibrant, colorful and free-spirited just like him. Please check out his website for more info and his show schedule. www.jackcharney.com

Jack's Acrobats are really cool!

I was really drawn to Melissa Graves Brown's paintings of trees and groves. Colorful Aspen trees reminded me of home in the fall. I hope we cross paths again in the future, I would love to purchase one of her pieces. Please check out her website www.melissagravesbrown.com

Kent Kraus and his partner Susan were directly across from us. New friends from Santa Fe, NM. :) Kent's ceramic sculptures and fountains are flowing, organic, abstract floral designs. I was coveting his bronze finish Calla Lilly Candlesticks. Please check out his website at www.kentkrausstudio.com

It felt so good to get back to Mark's Sister's home after the show. Sam was really happy too because he could play again with his new friend Riley. All three of us are relaxing and enjoying being here - not looking forward to going back to our snowy frozen home.

Gifts of Grapefruit, Tangelos, Tangerines and lemons from Kath's yard. Taking them back to our neighbors that have been looking out for us while we've been gone. I'm used to picking tomatoes and other veggies, growing up in NJ but it's really cool to go into the back yard and pick buckets of citrus fruit off the trees. They're so sweet and delicious too!

So that's it. Don't want to leave but can't wait to get back home and work in the studio again. It was a great trip and an experience from the snow storm before we left, to the show and the relaxing times with Family in Phoenix.

Judy Mohr - Ceramic Artist

We were fortunate to be next to my favorite ceramic artist this weekend at Chris Bubany's Holiday Marketplace at Harlow Gardens. Judy Mohr,from Tucson creates amazing serving dishes, mugs, vases, bird feeders, Ikebana vessels and raku sculptures. Thank you for horsetrading with me Judy - I love to go home with some of your work!

One of Judy's whimsical horse sculptures - with genuine horsehair tail. These are some of her raku pieces.

The hanging pieces are bird feeders. I've had one up for two years now. The birds love it because it's so natural. A branch slides through holes in the feeder and they perch on it to access the feeder. A lot of fun to watch!

Judy doesn't have a website but you can find her work at the following galleries:

- In Tucson - Tohono Chul Park, Old Town Artisans

- In Tubac - Lilly's

- In Sedona - Esteban's, Zonies

- In Moab, UT - Hogan Trading Co.

Chris Bubany's Holiday Marketplace at Harlow Gardens

We enjoyed being a part of Chris Bubany's Holiday Marketplace at Harlow Gardens this past weekend! What a beautiful location at this 70 year old family business. We set up our tents among the nursery plants. Along with the visiting artists there are outdoor sculptures throughout the nursery. What a lovely location and very busy!

Chris Bubany and Sandy Ricker the show organizer. Sandy really took care of all of us and made sure the show ran smoothly. It was a pleasure to be part of it.

Some of Chris' beautiful colorful pottery! So many different designs displayed through the middle of the nursery. Please visit her website for more information http://www.chrisbubany.com/

Harlow Gardens is a destination for Tucson Gardeners - every inch is full of beautiful plants and gardening accents. If you're ever in Tucson please check them out http://www.harlowgardens.com/

Art For Sedona's Sake Artists

You've heard me talk about my friend John Wdowin of Natural Nook before. He creates beautiful organic wooden vases that hold water. We have a lot of show acquaintances but he has become a great friend over these last couple years. We have one of his vases that we bring to every show with us - it's great, being wood it can bounce around in our travels and not break but it is still elegant and gets compliments every where we go.

John doesn't have a website but you can contact him for his show schedule at naturalnook1@hotmail.com He lives in Mesa, AZ in the winter and does private showings. May - Oct can be found in NY state at shows. Please contact him for his east coast show schedule or for a private viewing.

Sumac vessel in foreground. I love how he sometimes keeps the bark on his pieces. You just have to see them in person to feel the warmth.

Turned burl vessel inlaid with Arizona Turquoise.

Birch Vessel inlaid with Arizona Turquoise.

Art For Sedona's Sake - Artists

We were just at our last show in Sedona for this year and I wanted to talk about some of the great people we meet. Chris Bendele and her sister Glow Ybarra of All A Glow Jewelry create beautiful beaded jewelry and are terrific neighbors! Please check out their website http://www.allaglowjewelry.com/

Greg Anderson, also a great neighbor creates beautiful mixed media, southwestern wall pieces. Greg has just started making gorgeous enameled copper jewelry. It's neat to see someone transitioning into a new media and so excited and inspired by it. I expect to see some amazing pieces next year when we're neighbors again. Greg doesn't have a website but you can reach him at artgreg@ymail.com for his show schedule.

Thom & MJ Stanley are our favorite show promoters. They really do care about the artists at their shows. Thom also has another passion - his eclectic newspaper - please visit this link to check it out http://www.sedonaexcentric.com/excentric/home.php

Flagstaff Art In the Park - More Artists

Here are three more artists from Flagstaff Art in the Park. KimmBerly Ioane creates colorful figurative raku vessels and wall hangings - you can contact her at 928-486-3264 for her show schedule and gallery info. Dante Fraboni crafts amazing outdoor floral sculptures out of steel - you can contact him at 520-977-8460 for his show and gallery info. Pam Reinke - writer and illustrator - creates fun and uplifting wall hangings. You can see her work at http://www.piperrainpress.com/

It's so inspirational to be at shows with such friendly and talented artists.

Flagstaff Art In the Park - Artists

Had a great show this weekend in Flagstaff. Saw some show friends and met new ones! Stuart Wolf and Bonny Waters, the show organizers and participating artists themselves put together such a classy, juried, made by the artist/no resale event. It was such an eclectic mix of different mediums. We are honored to have been a part of it. I want to spread the word about artists we meet so please check out their stores/websites.

You can find Stuart's beautiful organic raku and functional pottery in Flagstaff, AZ - please call 928-556-9498 for directions to his gallery. You can see Bonny's gorgeous lampworked jewelry at http://www.beadsbybonny.com/

We also met Ashley Chamberlain, a furniture maker. Her pieces are rustic/refined, made out of reclaimed wood - with bright layers of colors. Please check out her website http://www.acdesignetc.com/

Jewell's Fine Art Festival, Torreon Resort

We had a great show this weekend - Jewell's Fine Art Festival at Torreon Golf Resort, Show Low, AZ. We battled strong winds but a beautiful location and wonderful artist neighbors! Here are some new friends and great artists!

Pat Reddemann is a wood artist. She makes the most beautiful Ikebana vessels. You can check out her work at http://www.patreddemann.com/ Not only is she a talented craftswoman but she was great to have as a show neighbor!

Gabriel Ayala of Coyote Creek Copper was across from us. We run into each other at a lot of shows - he attends 40 a year! He and his wife create beautiful hand hammered copper wall sculptures. You can find Gabriel's work at

http://coyotecreekcopper.com/index.html

We have a new friend Miles Roberts - a ceramic artist - shown here with his stoneware vessels. He fires wolf hair into the outer finish of his pieces. They are so elegant! You can see more about Miles at http://www.arizonaclayworks.com/Hair_of_the_Wolf.htm


It makes a show so pleasurable to be at when you have such friendly and talented artists surrounding you!

Renaissance Wax/Polish

We discovered this great product that I use on my charms. Sterling Silver naturally oxidizes. On top of that I add layers of patina - further oxidizing it. After I get the surface colors I like I remove the top layers creating a relief. After throughly washing in dawn with a brush and steaming clean I let dry in the sun. When completely dry I apply Renaissance Wax to the surface (a little dab will do ya!) and let dry again. This protects the colors I've created and prevents further oxidation. http://www.restorationproduct.com/renwaxinfo.html When we're at our shows I pass on this info to other artists and customers if they're interested. It's a great product that can be used on soooo many surfaces. If you visit their link it tells you more.