Do What Inspires You: 'Ta Da!" And Not, 'To Do'

The last day of 2012. A day when many of us look back and wonder where all that time went. What did we do with it? Why wasn't there enough of it to get everything done?

Time to take stock, re-evaluate and shift gears.

One of the best things about starting off with a new year is starting off with a new resolve and making new lists. Whatever it is about last year you can forget about since it is gone, gone, gone!

I had the pleasure this morning of reading two exceptional postings from artists who both have noteworthy approaches to the new year.

From Robert Redus (Noise From The High Desert), he writes:

Reflecting back on 2012, it was pretty certain with few exceptions….I don’t want to sound like I wear nothing but brown clothes everyday of the year. Exceptional things only happen if  1.) You decide to make exceptional things a part of your life.  or 2.)You hand the wheel to someone else and end up where they are going, doing what they are doing and hope that 10-50 is not in the equation. My year was exceptional for what exceptional initiatives I put forward . Most of us would rather watch the alligator wrestling than be wrestling with the gator.

I refined my bucket list this year, and after entering a pie eating contest (#3 on the list) in Pietown New Mexico, coming in 15th place, I realized that writing down what I want to do then checking it off  is much like the 2 years…that’s right 2 years we spend sitting at traffic lights throughout our lives…..So no more bucket list….1-100….just sort of adopted the attitude that I should do what inspires me…take this exceptional life and…live it exceptionally….

So with the new year creeping up on us like a new pair of briefs…we have the what am I going to do with myself reflection asking us…”So what are you going to do with yourself”…I suggest you answer…”Absolutely Nothing”….as planning the fiery car wreck in advance, takes all of the suspense and intrigue out of all of the possibilities.

My New Year’s Resolutions are….none, sure I sat at breakfast with Sue this morning thinking about what I want to do, when in reality  I should be resolving not to repeat what I didn’t want to do last year….so yes, my resolution is exactly that….hands in the air, resolving not to repeat any part of last year but the good stuff….and then I have to decide if repetition of the good stuff is really worth the effort. read more...

And, from Lynette Shepard, guest blogger on 'Celebrate What's Right With The World', she and her husband, Dewitt Jones come up with the "Ta Da" and not "To Do" approach:

New Year’s resolutions can be a setup for judgment, stress, and failure. While the “clean slate” of January 1 can certainly inspire us to set goals and intentions, it can also overburden us with expectation.

I used to approach my list of resolutions for each year with equal parts excitement and aversion. I fretted about what I had not accomplished the previous year, which added stress rather than reducing it. I eventually switched my list of resolutions to a list of intentions. This kinder, gentler list has put me more at ease. Still, I felt I was missing something.

Then, some years ago, Dewitt and I added a new list for December 31st. We wrote “done” lists - lists of what we had already “done” in the year just past. We started with accomplishments, travels, and completed goals.

We made our separate lists; then sat down and reviewed them together, frequently remembering and adding others. Great conversations about our lives and feelings resulted.

It wasn’t long before the list morphed - into what Dewitt aptly named the “ta da” list. It wasn’t just milestones and accomplishments we were re-viewing. Insights, new knowledge, and self-revelations made the list. Life moments that we experienced throughout the year. read more...

So, take note of the exceptional things you've done in 2012. Repeat. Add more exceptional things. Don't dwell on what you didn't get around to do. As Robert says, "take this exceptional life and live it exceptionally".

You know, it doesn't get any better than that.

Happy New Year, everyone!

Mixed Media Event

2013 CREATE Orange County Workshops Posted! Orange County | May 29 - June 2, 2013 | Hyatt Regency Irvine

Discover this exclusive mixed media event that brings together more than 20 of the best artist instructors from across the country for an incredible blend of over 90 workshops encompass the following techniques: Bookmaking & Art Journaling Printmaking & Surface Design Mixed Media Stitch Collage & Assemblage Mixed Media Jewelry

CREATE Orange County Workshop Sneak Peek!

Holiday Party News

 

Date: Wednesday, December 12th at 6:30 p.m.
Location: St. Francis Episcopal Church, Rio Rancho
The church is on the NW corner of Cabezon/19th and Golf Course.

View Larger Map Get Directions View Bird's Eye

Set Up/ Pot Luck/Clean Up: If you have not had a chance to signup for the Potluck or Set Up/ Clean Up Help, please email me at rendancechick@yahoo.com to signup.
Food: I will be creating a spreadsheet in the next couple of days with all the food listed that people wish to bring. If you are not a cooking sort of person, please feel free to bring rolls, bread, or an appetizer/dips and chips. Salads are also great. Please bring a serving utensil with your dish if it is needed.
Drinks: I will have water, lemonade, and coffee (yes, regular and decaf)
Attire: Holiday casual, Holiday festive, etc.

Donations for Haven House:
We will have a box for Haven House donations at the party. Some ideas of things to bring

• toiletries (shampoo, deodorant, lotion, conditioner, soap, toothpaste and toothbrushes, etc.)
• pesonal care items (combs, hair dryers, nail clippers, etc.)
• baby items (all size diapers, lotion, formula, bottles, sippy cups, baby shampoo and conditioner, nail clippers, etc.)
• PJ's, socks, slippers, underwear (all sizes including children)
• sheets and comforters
• merchandise cards (preferably - Walmart, Target, Walgreens)
• gas vouchers
• phone cards
• paper products (toilet paper, paper towels, Kleenex, copy paper)
• detergent

Centerpieces: Inspiration Jars/Creative Containers

For those of you interested in helping out with the centerpieces this year, I am asking people to create a Creative Containers/Inspiration Jars.

These are containers that you have that you can upcycle, embellish/decorate, make festive, and fill. You can do anything you want to the container to inspire another artist in our group. The sky is the limit here. You can stuff the jars with paint tubes, crayons, paint brushes, sketchbook or journaling ideas on little slips of paper, add a plant to it, a small candle, a balloon, anything that you think will inspire or make someone want to smile or laugh. That way after all the laughter and inspiration, the artists will still have a fantastic container for their studios.

This idea comes from Cloth Paper Scissors (click on the link).

If you want to sign up to let me know that you are bringing a centerpiece, please email me at rendancechick@yahoo.com.

I look forward to seeing everyone there!

Cell Phone Camera versus the new Nikon CoolPix Android Camera

Say, what???

Oh, my...trying to figure out how to use our Android phones (or iPhones) let alone, using the camera feature on it and now there's a camera that Nikon released that is a what??? An Android? Yep. And it's called the Nikon CoolPix S 800cc.

As confusing as this may sound, it really is an exciting breakthrough. But, making a decision on buying a camera these days is so over whelming. The folks at The Camera Store (located in Calgary, Canada) makes life easier for you in this decision making process. Well, they make it easier for you in the information process too since they take us through the paces and features (and explain how it works) on this innovative product. Maybe this is the camera you've been waiting for!




They describe this video as:

Also known as the Nikon Android Camera, the S800c is a camera powered by the Android operating system. The Camera Store's Chris Niccolls takes a look at this cool piece of technology, to see if this is really the connected camera we've been waiting for.

Shot and Edited by Jordan Drake
Filmed on the Sony FS700

The First Annual Sandoval County Youth Art Show

The First Annual Sandoval County Youth Art's Show: a fundraising event sponsored by La Junta Art Gallery, The Town of Bernalillo and the Sandoval County Juvenile Justice Board.

This event is academically focused. The intent is to foster artistic growth In our youth
and support our local art departments. Colleges and art organizations will be present to provide information to all in regards to arts in the community and art education beyond high school.

The event will be catered by the Bernalillo High School Culinary Arts Department. The students participating in this show will also have the option to sell their work.


When? Saturday, November 10th from 1 pm - 5 pm

Where? At the Historic Buildings at Loretto Park (same site as the Bernalillo Wine Festival)in Bernalillo located on 243 S. Camino Del Pueblo in Bernalillo, NM.

The Best of Show and award ceremony will take place at 6 pm at the La Junta Art Gallery

Delma's 64th Birthday

Today would've been Delma M. Petrullo's 64th birthday had she not left us so suddenly at the age of 60. Yet, in the short time that she lived here in the city of Rio Rancho, she left really BIG tracks! Positive ones, at that. She had an incredible way of bringing people together for a single cause and also had an incredible gift of vision for our city and what it can become. She had thoroughly 'infected' my husband, Mark and I with her vision.

And, how I wish she were here to see all the positive changes that have been occurring. The Art Commission that she so dreamed of having is now in it's 3rd year.  Read the rest of the article here...

A Sensible Approach to Writing an Artist Statement

Over the last few years, I have managed to curate a handful of art exhibits. In the process, I ask artists to submit an artist statement. I am always surprised at the variety of what I get-from the all too brief to a novella.

I remember all too well, my own personal struggles in creating my first artist statement and others that followed. Over time, I got better at it-I still have a ways to go as far as arriving at the doorstep of what I think is my 'perfect' artist statement.

In the process, I have read many articles on line as to how to write an artist statement. Half of them make my eyes glaze over and my head spin and find that the writing block is still there.

Cate Prato who is the editor and writer for Cloth, Paper Scissors and Quilting Daily   introduces writer, Jane Davila's ebook based on articles that Jane wrote for Quilting Daily called, "Art Business Strategies".

Cate writes, "What does your artist statement say about you? Oh, you don't have an artist statement? That says something right there.
A lot of artists don't think they need an artist statement unless they have an art business or plan to show their art. But an artist statement can help you focus on the art you truly want to make and what you want to get out of making it. Once you know that, you can turn to the question of whether you want to sell art at all, sell art online, or if you think your work is more appropriately gallery art."

To find out more about this article and the eBook, you can read about it here....

I love the tips that Cate highlighted from Jane's book-that in itself is enough to get you off to a good start. I also find that for each show and exhibit that I am in, I fine tune and customize my artist statement for that exhibit.

After all, we know that one size really doesn't fit all!

(photo by Paula Scott)

Harvest Artwork Using Fruits and Vegetables

Happy Fall Rio Rancho Artists!

I am very happy that Fall is finally here. I found this cute video to share with you all today from Daily Candy Kids on painting with vegetables.


There is the basic apple and pear patterns but look what you can do with celery,  a potato and okra!

The possibilities are as endless as the vegetable aisle or the offerings at the farmers market.

Expanding on the Golden MXR Post

In a post previous to this, Annette introduced us to a new on line tool that Golden Paints has created to help artists mix paint colors.

After viewing the video that demonstrates this, I would like to emphasize what a GREAT tool this is. Haven't you ever been frustrated when mixing paints to achieve an exact color that you find yourself mixing too much paint in order to achieve the results you are after? Or, ran out of the custom color and did not have good notes on the color mix ratio and experiencing another level of frustration in trying to recreate that custom color.

Now, Golden has made this process as easy as pie...well, I think pie isn't easy to make, so, as easy as boiling water!


View the video here to get a full grasp of what we are talking about-and perhaps get as excited as we are to have access to this kind of color mixing tool:





If you'd like to have new blog postings come directly to your in box (spam free), sign up for the email notification on the right bar on this blog and then you won't have to remember to check in here for new postings.

Golden Artist Colors Fun!

Golden Artist Colors makes great acrylics and a huge variety of mediums to use with them -- creating nearly limitless possibilities with their paints.  They also produce the Williamsburg hand made oil colors. 

Now they have come up with a very handy tool for any painter.  They have a webtool called GOLDEN MXR where you can mix paints and see the results on line prior to using the paints themselves.  Check it out at: GOLDEN MXR

Creating Monoprints Without a Press

Gelli Arts makes 'gelatin' plates that one can easily do monoprints from. Without having to invest much by way of money or equipment. Granted, one can make their own gelatin plates to do this technique with, but the drawback is in the prep time, storage issues and shelf life of a home made gelatin plate.

What's a monoprint you ask? It is a printmaking technique where the image created is an original-instead of printing the image from an inked up matrix (plate), you 'paint' your image on the plate. The results are very different from painting directly on to a substrate and the layers one can build lends itself to some exciting results that are one of a kind.

If this explanation isn't enough, check out this exciting video by Gelli Arts that clearly demonstrates what a monoprint is and how one can achieve exciting results:





I've got a few plates myself and now see that they offer a square size, so I might just have to get that one too. If any of you out there order some too, I say, let's get together and 'play'!

And, for those of you that teach, they also offer teacher kits.

September 10th, 2012 Program

("The Angel of Mesa Penistaja" batik on cotton 24' x 30" by Cathy Haight)

About the image (written by Cathy): "Mesa Penistaja is an area of beautiful badlands southwest of Cuba, New Mexico. A great place for hiking. Cabezon is in the distance." 
Cathy Haight will present a Batik demonstration at the RRAA September membership meeting program.

Cathy began batiking in 1973 when she took a workshop at the Denver Free University. After living on an island in the Caribbean during the '70's, she moved to California and tried to find advanced instruction in batik. What she was searching for was in Indonesia so she sailed there, with many interesting stops along the way. In 1981 Cathy studied with batik master Bambang Oetoro near Jogakarta on the island of Java. There she learned techniques that she still uses today.
 
Cathy creates impressionistic landscapes in both batik (using wax to resist dyes on fabric) and oil paints. Be sure to visit her website to see a good representation of the kind of work that Cathy does.

Cathy Haight in the Cariboo region of British Columbia, Canada doing plein air.

 (image from Cathy Haight's website)

Adobe in the Cloud

 ("In the Cloud" copyright Paula Scott: Molokai Girl Studio)

Say you always wanted to get the 'whole enchilada' to Adobe's Creative Suite but find it impossible to cough up the green stuff to pay for it. And maybe your computer doesn't have enough memory to install the program anyway. But, what if I told you that now there is a way to have access to that 'whole enchilada' at an affordable price and you wouldn't need to do a thing to boost your RAM-would you be at least somewhat interested? Oh, wait-and you can do a month's worth of a free trial version of said 'enchilada'. Now, are you interested?

"Adobe has released Adobe Creative Suite 6 and all-new Adobe Creative Cloud. Creative Suite 6 is a killer release with hundreds of new capabilities. Many Adobe customers are excited about it, but some still have questions, especially about Creative Cloud."

READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE HERE...

I hope you do read the article. It addresses a lot of key points that a potential buyer would have. I myself have downloaded it and now I have the whole enchilada for a mere $29.99 per month-at least for the next year.

I also hope that you at least download the free trial version and play to your heat's content for a month. It's a great way to find out if you really wanted that 'whole enchilada' to begin with!

Good News! The Arts Are In Good Health

Don' feel quite so bad about the economy and it's affect on the arts. Here's why:

2012 National Arts Index

Americans for the Arts 2012 Index report delivers a 2010 score of the health and vitality of the arts in the U.S. The arts turned a corner in 2010 with a slight increase, following two years of recessionary decreases.

To read the entire article and to download the report, go here...

Copyright Notices-Should You or Shouldn't You?

From "Plagiarism Today"

Why Bother With a Copyright Notice?

Written on: June 27, 2012

 

On the surface, a copyright notice seems like an anachronism.
The law hasn’t required such a notice for decades (in the U.S.), the structure of the modern copyright notice was developed well before the Internet and few people seem to notice them, beyond the presence of the date.
So why have a copyright notice at all? Why, as I discussed previously on Performancing, take the time to learn how to write a proper one and append it to your site?

READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE HERE...

Making Good Use of Your Face Book Page

To not use all the wonderful handy tips that Alyson Stanfield shares with all the artists out there would be a crime. I know many artist don't know how to use Face Book as a marketing tool. Let alone, navigate it's functionality. Here are some great tips from Alyson:

5 Actions to Rock Your Facebook Page

by Alyson Stanfield on June 4, 2012

Here are four things you can do to distinguish your business page on Facebook from your personal profile. These actions (especially #4) should give your art business a boost in visibility on Facebook.

1. Schedule Your Posts

You can now schedule posts on your page. I think this is a game-changer!
If you’re like me, you often think of 3 or 4 things at once that you want to post to Facebook. But you risk annoying your fans if you post them all at once.
No worries. Use the scheduler.
To schedule a post in a status update, follow the instructions in these two images.

READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE HERE...

100 Ways to Creatively Reuse Old Magazines from Always Chrysti

Do you have  piles of magazines that are doing nothing but collecting dust?
Ever wonder what you could do with all of them? Here are 100 ways to creatively reuse old magazines.


Always Chrysti - Always Chrysti - 100 Ways to Creatively Reuse Old Magazines

Alyson Stanfiled's Tips on How to Engage More Fans on Facebook

Alyson Stanfield, the Art Biz art coach explains how to engage more fans on Face Book and how to make it work for you-the artist. These are tips that she learned, tried, found them to work and has passed these tips on to you.

How to Engage More Fans on Facebook

by Alyson Stanfield on June 25, 2012

Last month I listened in on Mari Smith’s free webinar 10 Essential Facebook Money-Making ‘techie’ Tips.

At the time of the webinar, I had a fan engagement ratio of less than 1%. I had 6962 fans with only 74 people talking about my page.   read the rest of the article here...

Santa Fe Symphony Violin Art

The Santa Fe Symphony is auctioning off some amazing original art on violins. The event is Oct 5th and supports the musicians of the Santa Fe Symphony.They approached professional artists in all mediums -- beading, carving, metalwork, painting, etc.  and gave them a basic violin to work from, with no limitations.   This video show the incredible work donated, and is an inspiration to creating your own unique masterpieces.  Enjoy!

Click Here for a Video Preview

Great Advice: 10 Steps to Better Art Show Sales

Carolyn Edlund, author of the Artsy Shark (site for emerging artists) has a valuable list of what we all should do when we are in an arts and/or crafts show. All distilled in to 10 easy steps for us to take.

(image from Artsy Shark site)

Want to increase your art sales at fairs and festivals? Here are ten tips to make the most of your show:  read more here...

August 13, 2012 Program

The program for the August 13, 2012 membership meeting will be presented by RRAA member, Anna Doo.

Anna Doo, a photojournalist, graphic designer and website designer, will
share with us some tips and topics that you should know if you are thinking about
creating a website for your art and or small business. Anna is a pro who
knows how to communicate technical issues to people who are not techies!

Some of the topics will include:

How to decide if you really need a website
How to hire a website developer or designer, including questions you
should ask and expect to have answered.
What are realistic timelines?

Can you do your own website?
What you should be prepared to provide for your developer.

Plus, much, much, more!

This event is free to the public and you need not be an RRAA member to attend. Feel free to bring a friend!

Great Article on: PHOTOGRAPHY & THE LAW: Fair Use

I ran in to this great article on the JPG blog in regards to fair use practice in regards to photography and the law. All of us have much reservations (some more than others to the point of non-participation) about posting our images on the internet. A double edged sword as once you do, you feel that your images are vulnerable to internet 'pirating' whether it is intentional or not. Yet, we all know that this is one of the best ways to get your work 'out there'.

"Posted by Mickey H. Osterreicher — 19 Jul 2012

Photography & The Law: Copyright and Fair Use

It is fair to say that millions of images have been posted on the Internet since the first photo was uploaded only twenty years ago. In light of that fact I think it is important to have a discussion about "fair use.""

READ MORE HERE...

Announcing: ArtSpark ISEA Event 9/17/12

Attention all artists and art organizations in the Albuquerque/Rio Rancho metro area: a major and relevant symposium in our neck of the woods:

" ArtSpark is happily teaming up again with Aspiration Tech on September 17, 2012 in Albuquerque (right before ISEA opens).  We’ll co-facilitate an entire day of opportunities for learning and sharing across artistic disciplines and communities, including small group discussions, case studies, interactive brainstorming and hands-on training.   Topics (many suggested by ArtSparkers) on the agenda so far:

1)   Which social media channels work best for me, especially for visibility and audience development/engagement?

2)   What are the pluses and minuses of online fundraising platforms like kickstarter.com and indiegogo.com?

3)   How can I effectively track my goals and activities, including work flow?

4)   Five questions I’ve been wanting to ask another artist (about anything!)

5)   What does “sustainability” really mean for me as an artist and/or arts organization?"

READ MORE HERE...



Be sure to put this down on your calendar! We do not often get opportunities like this in our neck of the woods!

52 Blogging Topics for Artists by Barney Davey

Ever wonder what to write about on your blog? I just found this article by Barney Davey and wanted to share.
Have a great Monday!

www.artprintissues.com

The 'Why" Behind Why Buy Art?

Was it back in the '70's or '80's that people justified buying art because it was an, 'investment'? I don't know when that was, but I do recall that position as to, why buy art'.

From The Economist, comes an article about the motivation behind buying art, based on
a new report (Barclay Bank) entitled “Profit or Pleasure? Exploring the Motivations Behind Treasure Trends”, only a tenth of those questioned said they bought art purely as an investment, whereas 75% cited enjoyment as the key. The study is based on interviews with 2,000 rich people in 17 countries. Read more here...

(image from artasmoney site)

Xanadu Gallery's Art and the Internet Survey

Xanadu Gallery in Scottsdale also runs a very informative blog that reaches out to artists everywhere. This is one of the unique things about this gallery-the fact that it takes on a level of art activism and advocacy for the sake of the artists.
Recently, they launched a survey in "an effort to help artists better understand what other fellow artists are doing on their websites. They had a great response to the survey with 749 artists participating. They had a pretty geographically diverse group of respondents, though most came from the U.S. with slightly stronger participation from Pacific and East Coast artists (which probably makes sense considering the population distribution of the country). Their respondents tended to be older than 45, and a strong majority of the participants were female."
All in all, much like the demographics we see within our art association. So, I would hope that you will find their survey results to be very insightful and useful.
They broke down their report into two sections-one was the preliminary results and the other focused on specific information as to the artists who DO have websites and are very successful and identifying what it is that they do to obtain their sales goals.
So, whether or not you like the internet, it is here to stay and it is a very valuable tool in marketing yourself. Not to mention that much of it can be done for free or at a very low cost. It does involve sweat equity though.
To read the first portion of the survey, the preliminary results, go here.
To read the rest of the results of the survey (about those artists who are successful on the internet), go here.

Image pictured here is from Xanadu Gallery's blog showing when the artists surveyed first launched their internet site:

Earth Without Art

Need we say more?

(from artpromotives)

A Visual Artist's Guide To Estate Planning

Something that we artists do not give much thought to-estate planning.

The Marie Walsh Sharpe Art Foundation offers a book (also available as a PDF) that is intended to be a comprehensive handbook meant to aid artists in planning their estates-practical and legal issues.

If you don't want to miss out on future articles posted here at the Rio Rancho Art Blog, be sure to sign up for the email subscription box on the ride side bar on this blog! Safe and secure-no spamming and no sharing of the email address will take place as a result of your signing up!

Trash To Treasures: A Call for Recycled Art Entries

The Idalia Road Marketplace broke an attendance record on the weekend of June 23rd with their Lavender Festival. In spite of the record heat-a weekend for records, I guess!

It's safe to say that they are finally picking up momentum on their audience and attendance-it will only get better. And, kudos (and congratulations) to them for managing to build and survive during a sluggish and damaged economy!

With that said, don't miss out on their event on July 21st: the "Trash to Treasures" featuring art made from recyclables:

(image from the Idalia Road Marketplace vendor newsletter: no attribution given)

July 21st

The 3rd Annual Trash to Treasures Recycled Art Contests. It's always fun and interesting to see what amazingly creative concepts people come up with for this event.  

If you, or someone you know recycles, reuses or re-purposes something to make something else have them get in touch with us and enter the contest today! If you are an existing Vendor with a great idea for the contest you can enter with just a $5.00 Entry Fee.

There will be prizes for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place. On-site we'll be hosting Waste Management and Rio Rancho Community Services. Make plans today to be a part of this event.

For more info, contact Mark and Phyllis at: idaliaroadmarketplace@live.com

 

Momma Always Said It Was Dangerous to Doodle!

Doodling-a universal and age old art form. I see cave paintings and petroglyphs as 'doodling'. It's a great way to pass the time and it reduces your cortisol levels (the measure of stress). Which would explain why, when you get to spend a nice chunk of time doing your art, that you feel so euphoric afterwards.

You Tube has a lot of folks that have a 'channel'-it's like their own site on You Tube for their videos. Mine is: pmondoy (which goes to show you that when I first set up my You Tube account, I had no idea what I was doing!). Who would ever randomly search for, 'pmondoy'?

I digress.

Back to the subject of doodling. There is a channel called, "Miraculous Mosquito"-which is a channel dedicated to doodling and Zentangles. Check it out:




In fact,if you would like to get notification of when a new video is posted, click on 'subscribe to this channel' and don't forget to check the email notification box!

Bartering the ARt of Medicine for the Medicine of ARt

O+'s efforts is to connect uninsured artists with necessary health services; it's all about fostering sustainable creative communities.

 

About the O+ Festival

The O+ Festival is a festival of art and music wherein artists barter their contributions directly for medical, dental, and other wellness services from art-loving health care providers. You can read more about the O+ Festival and how you can get involved here.




The First Annual O+ Festival from O+ Festival on Vimeo.


If you don't want to miss out on future articles posted here at the Rio Rancho Art Blog, be sure to sign up for the email subscription box on the ride side bar on this blog! Safe and secure-no spamming and no sharing of the email address will take place as a result of your signing up!

July Membership Meeting Guest Speaker: Sharon Bloom

(The Dalai Lama encaustic portrait by Sharon Bloom)

Have you ever wondered if encaustic art was for you? Or what it involved? Now, here is your chance to find out more about it! 

Sharon Bloom will be doing the program presentation on encaustic art at our July RRAA membership meeting. 

Sharon will be doing a powerpoint slideshow and she will also have with her materials and examples to show the group. Sharon will also discuss the history of encaustic, different ways it is used today, and safety concerns when working with beeswax. If you were wondering if working in encaustic was safe, expensive, difficult, etc. be sure to attend July's membership meeting and find out!

About Sharon:

Sharon Sperry Bloom is an Albuquerque painter and photographer specializing in encaustic painting. She is a passionate proponent of artistic self-expression and enjoys working with both emerging artists and with career artists who are exploring new paths. Her work is currently exhibited at the Encaustic Art Institute.

("Crane" encaustic art by Sharon Bloom)

RRAA monthly membership meeting time and location can be found on our 'membership meeting' page of this blog. You need not be a member to attend and there is no charge (although we hope that you will become a member!).

How To Send a "Take Down Notice"

 (Internet Pirate Flag by Joshernaut at Deviantart)

So many artist's are very hesitant to post any of their work these days on the internet for fear of their image getting 'pirated' and published elsewhere without attribution. This is especially problematic for photographer's.
What do you do? Sending a 'cease and desist' note to the webmaster never produces your desired result.

Carolyn E. Wright has posted an article called "How To Send a DCMA Takedown Notice" in Legal Matters that explains very well how to proceed when you see a copyright infringement of your work:

Copyright infringement on the Web is so pervasive that it’s easy to resign yourself to it as a fact of life — something out of your control. When photographers send cease-and-desist letters and/or demands for payment to infringers, these are often ignored, which can be very frustrating. But there is another solution, thanks to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA): you can send a takedown notice to the infringer’s ISP. Here’s how to do it (read more here).

Ever wanted to make your own watercolors?

The following tutorial would be a fantastic project for anyone working in watercolor. Might I suggest Duff Goldman's Color Gels for the food coloring portion of the recipe? The colors are fantastic.



{Tutorial} Color Your World
 with Handmade Watercolors

Dear Delma...

It is hard to believe that 3 years ago today around 7 a.m., I got that dreaded phone call from Debbie Moore telling me that we had lost you.
Even though I knew you were going to leave us, it didn't make it any easier or lessen the blow.
But, I think, 3 years later, you would be proud of how the art organization that you founded, Rio Rancho Art Association, has matured and the direction that it is taking.
The community outreach programs that you wanted to see happen (and we have a handful of outreach programs!) has been happening and is gaining momentum. 
You would also be proud of the people who keep coming forth to volunteer-we actually have many more new faces that step up to volunteer. Gone are the days when it was the same small and weary cast of characters who were always the ones to volunteer.
And, I think you'd be most proud of the direction RRAA is going in-we are about to file for our non-profit status (although, I am still holding my breath). I believe that soon, we really will, once and for all, have that non-profit status that you so wanted to see happen for RRAA.
Keep rooting for us from where you are. You are missed by many.


Hugs and much love,
Paula

 

How To Photograph A Lunar Eclipse

 Have you been frustrated with your attempts to photograph a lunar eclipse (or wanted to but didn't know how)?

Nikon, Inc. has a great article written by Fred Espenak that breaks it down to the simplicity and science behind doing this.

(image: © Fred Espenak)

You can read more about how to do this at Nikon's blog site (use the link through to get to it).

Coffee Cup Shoot Out-Ready, Set, DRAW!!!

The Rio Rancho Art Association is partnering with Rio Rancho Go Local for a 'coffee cup shoot out' on Saturday, June 23rd from 10 a.m. -11 a.m. This event is free and open to ages 8 years to 99 years old (exceptions will be made for centenarians though).

How does this work? Cafe Bella Coffee will supply the blank coffee cups (Eco-friendly) and pens to draw with. Rio Rancho Art Association (RRAA) will supply several artists to assist you in getting a design to draw on your coffee cup. The possibilities are limitless!

To get an idea of what cups can end up looking like, here is a Flickr Photostream from someone who is obsessed with drawing on coffee cups:







And,while you are there, stop by and visit the local artists at the Rio Rancho Go Local Art Expo out on the sidewalk (from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.)

If you are interested in being one of the artists at the Art Expo (no fee to participate) send your bio and logo to: info@cafebellacoffee.com or go the to Rio Rancho Go Local website for more info.

Paint With An Artist At Esther Bone Library

Submitted by Sue Hanauer

Paint With An Artist Was Great Success!!

(to view this full screen, click on the box on the bottom right corner of image)

Paint With An Artist (PWAA) on April 28 came off as a huge success, not only for the artists, but for the participants, the library, and the community. I want to thank Robert Nankin for faithfully calling the participants to get them into the library and to the event. He does a wonderful job for this community.

AND all the artists showed up! I am so happy about that I can’t express my thanks with words. PWAA was awesome and it’s thanks to the artists, some of whom didn’t really know what to expect.

We had more people come than who signed up, which worked out OK. Even I was able to participate by taking a couple boys and making Origami birds with them, so their mother could finish her pastel she was working on. The boys, Eric and Bobby, finished their project with Arlene Weixel and were bugging their mother so she couldn’t concentrate. So even though I didn’t sign up as an artist (how does one actually teach what I do?), I was able to do a project with the kids anyway.

There were more adults than children who wanted to learn. I thought we would get more children, but it seems PWAA presents an opportunity for adults to learn something they always wanted to know. That’s why the age range is 8-99 on the sign-up sheet is so important.

We ended up with 31 participants and 9 artists. I brought a lot of art supplies that people have donated and lots of them were used. The only expense for the RRAA was the 8x10 canvases I purchased. I bought 20, because that’s how many were signed up. I had one left over, because it turned out that several artists weren’t using canvas, but were using pastels, drawing and watercolor. It worked out so well.

We will be doing this again in the fall, October 13th which is the 2nd Saturday of the month. Space is limited, so be sure to sign up for it!

Below are some quotes from the artists:


"This was a great review for me and forced me to go over the steps I was taught when I was first learning to paint. If you feel that you are above review you are in trouble as an artist!" -Carol Larson


"It was so much fun I would do it again. I do not know about others but I learn by teaching." -Ray Huffman

"I had a great time and I know that my little students liked getting to work with a "real" artist. I talked with Ambrosia and her mother, London and they told me that there are just not enough events like this around the community and that she and her fellow home schoolers love getting to do stuff like this. They were both just so thankful that I would take the time to come out and help the kids and adults be more creative."-Paige Bacon

"A home schooled girl seemed very interested in talking her teacher/mother into
attending museums and art shows."- Joe McDonnell

And the thank you sent to us from the library manager, Rob Nankin really summed it up perfectly:

"I want to thank you for coordinating the Paint with an Artist program
at the Esther Bone Memorial Library on Saturday, April 28th, 2012. The
event was a big success that generated much good will for the library,
the art association and the city as a whole. This is the type of event
where everyone was made to feel welcome and cherished no matter what
their level of creativity was.  It was a wonderful inter-generational
event as well with children as young as 8 years old to adults and even
one woman who turned 80 on that day.  In addition the program also
involved some special needs people who were so pleased to be included
and then created beautiful works of art. Thank you and I look forward
to many future cooperative events with the Rio Rancho Art Association." -Rob Nankin
 
Thanks again to all you artists who participated and to Paula who took pictures, because I forgot the camera...again!

Sue Hanauer,
RRAA Community Outreach

It's All In The Details...

Any great art design has great attention to details-whether it's a photograph, a sculpture, a painting, or jewelry.

Lexi Erickson is a contributing editor for Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist and Jewelry Making Daily. This is an excerpt from an article she wrote for Jewelry Making Daily, "Metalsmithing Details: Designing Interesting Pendants"

Her motto: "The back of the piece should be as interesting as the front of the piece," and you have the basis for a delightful array of design ideas. Therefore, the bail can be a richly designed little secret treasure that only the wearer knows about. That's not always the case, as it seems like anytime anyone looks at one of my pendants, the first thing they do is turn it over and look at the back. So I like to make the back interesting and beautiful, too."

(image is Lexi Erikson's Star Shaman 

pendant and Lexi owns the copyright to this work)

Lexi says that if you can make the back a bit more detailed, reflecting the spirit of the piece or the design on the front, it makes the back more interesting. Here, she used a Native American sign as an extension of the bail on her Star Shaman pendant.

You can read the article in its entirety,  "Metalsmithing Details: Designing Interesting Pendants (and Speaking French) with Lexi Erickson" over at the Jewelry Making Daily Blog.

For more great metalsmithing tips, techniques, and projects, check out the jewelry-making tutorial DVDs and video downloads, and learn from Lexi herself in her Metalsmith Essentials DVDs, How to Solder Jewelry Vol. 1 and Jewelry Etching on Copper.

Rio Rancho Art Association Members,

If you are interested in finding new material for your art, I did a trip to Quemado that was very interesting. It was organized and guided by Ranger Jen and is offered every second Sunday of each month. I found it through meetup.com Arts-New-Mexico. (Check out meetup.com online- there are many groups that you might be interested in as well as this one) You meet up at the Ranger Station 9 miles west of I-40, (the Quemado exit off I-40), Highway 117, at 9:00 and Ranger Jen caravans us to various sites around the Grants area and the Quemado National Conservation Area. It doesn’t involve a lot of real strenuous hiking to get to the sites, most are very close to parking and there are facilities as well, but does offer you an awful lot of great vistas and close-ups. The guided part of the tour only lasts 3 hours (way too short!), but the group may stay as long as they'd care/need to.

It has been suggested that if a lot of the Art Association members would be interested in making this trip that instead of carpooling, we could take a Parks and Rec. bus if that would be available. Ranger Jen was excited by the possibility of an having an actual art association visiting there and would tailor our visit accordingly. And, for anyone who wanted to, for just the cost of a Cibola Arts Council 1 year membership of $25.00, the National Parks Service and the Bureau of Land Management encourage you to enter any past, present or future work highlighting the malpais area, including La Ventana Arch, Sandstone Bluffs and the lava flows, to hang for sale at the Double Six Gallery in Grants to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the establishment of El Malpais as a national monument and National Conservation Area. The exhibit will draw lots of statewide and national attention. Deadline for submissions will be August 17, 2012 and the show will open September 4th and run through December 31st, 2012. Information and membership forms are available at: cibolaarts@7cities.net  Their phone number is 505-287-7311, Robert Gallegos. Website is cibolaartscouncil.com

There are probably other National Forest and BLM offerings available as well and I will check and see.

As an aside, the trip turned out very profitably as well, as I did have to make a pit stop and chose the Route 66 Casino. The jackpot I hit more than defrayed the cost of the trip! So, the possibility of an art excursion could be combined with a casino/buffet type of thing!

I have attached several pics of the area to give you an idea of what you might find there.

Anyone who is interested, start talking it up with Annette Kingman and we'll see if we have enough interest to make it happen!

Hopefully I haven't forgotten anything!

Joe McDonnell