taos

i got back from new mexico today.  it is always a constant source of beauty and inspiration.  here are a couple of photos (thanks, tina) to let you see some local color.  the drive is about 4 and-a-half hours from denver, and i always think it's long.  that is, until i get out of pueblo, and the sky opens up my body and soul to another place altogether.

i went to new mexico for the first time about 20 years ago.  and the magic has not faded.  sometimes i feel like this northeastern white girl should feel like a stranger in a place so far removed from my upbringing.  but somehow i feel so at home with the landscape.  so i am selfish, and i soak it in.

here you go:

santuario de chimayo

offerings at santuario de chimayo

rancho de chimayo

san geronimo chapel, taos pueblo

cemetery, taos pueblo

question: what do these have in common?

answer:  you can eat them at our show tomorrow!!

if that isn't a reason to come, i don't know what is!!

Show runs May 20-May 28, 2011

Reception: Friday, May 20, 2011, 6:00-9:00 pm

New Works, Good Company, and Twinkies!

Sk3tchbook!

5743 S. Prince Street

Littleton, CO  80120

facebook and beef

beef

i finally sucked it up and did a facebook page.  this is a bit unsettling for me.  i am a pretty private person, and putting out all that information for everyone to see is hard.  but i figured that since i have websites, a blog, and an etsy shop, it couldn't be so bad.  i guess in this day and age if someone wants to find out all about you, they can easily get the info, even if you aren't on facebook.  besides, since the end of the world is only 2 days away, my information really doesn't matter, does it?  it's been interesting, this facebook thing.  it really makes one think about how we are all really connected.  my goal with facebook is to renew some lost friendships (some good, some not so good) and to find some great art. oh, and hopefully others will find my art! 

 i think when you are nearing 50, as i am, something pulls you to bring back the people who made you who you are.  and that means welcoming the people you were good to, and making amends to the ones you weren't.  i have several in both categories.  so if you are one of those people on either side of the line, let me know how you are.  i am a pretty nice person now that i have grown up and know how to act (most of the time).  

okay, now on to the beef section of this post.  above is a new print.  it's on a half-sheet of 90 lb. hot pressed watercolor paper.  printed using oil-based block printing ink in lots of layers.  part of my "diagram" series for the show at shy rabbit in october.  would love some feedback.  and i can take it if you don't like it!!  it's kinda like friendship.  you need the good with the not so good to learn how to act.

class of 1954

i have had a class photo of junior high students from 1954 in my collage material box for a couple of years.  recently i unearthed it and started playing with ideas for a new box.  i have a vintage orange barbie dress in my collection, and thought that a print involving class pictures from the same era might be a good match-up.  at the studio the other day, i started experimenting with the idea.  i didn't get a good print for the assemblage box, but i do like the print on its own.  now i am working on a whole series of prints based on the idea.  i like the play of foreground and background playing a semi equal role.  this one has 6 layers of color.  yellow, orange, khaki, brown, blue, and white.  i am making these small, as i think it would evoke a more "mug shot" look.  a group of them together in the same frame might be an interesting display idea.  by the way, the scan shows the paper as slightly blue for some reason.  it's actually off-white.  

finished a new assemblage box!

i finished this box this am.  it's got a lot going on, but i think it works together pretty well.  the papers are all hand-printed, and the objects culled from my vast collection.  it will hopefully be a piece in the show i have at shy rabbit in october.  it's 11x14x2 inches, and can hang on the wall or sit on a ledge or shelf.  i haven't thought of a title yet.  any ideas?

please come! we'll have twinkies! really!!

Once again, it is time for our annual May show at Sk3tchbook!  This year our theme is "Up Close", and we are all featuring new works that are small and affordable.  The idea is that the pieces in the show are chock full of details for you to discover. We will be transforming the shop with fun decorations (hint:  we have ordered over 100 magnifying glasses for the occasion), and will be providing an amusing mix of munchies on reception night.  We are also celebrating the fact that we have just completed our second year (can you believe it?) as the Sk3tchbook team.

We hope that you are able to make it to the reception on Friday, May 20th from 6-9pm. If not, remember that the show will be up for an extended time period for your enjoyment.  (Just remember we are closed on Sundays and Mondays).  Once again, we have partnered with several Littleton businesses so that there will be several shops open on reception night.

Please see below for more information about the show, and don't forget to check out our website, sk3tchbook.com for store info, directions, and links to our blogs.

See you soon!

Teresa, Tom. and Ruth

Owl with Sweater Vest by Tom Sarmo

Up Close

New Works to Perceive, Peruse, and Ponder

Show runs May 20-May 28, 2011

Reception: Friday, May 20, 2011, 6:00-9:00 pm

New Works, Good Company, and Twinkies!

Sk3tchbook!

5743 S. Prince Street

Littleton, CO  80120

Willow, Susan Montague Watercolors, The Pink Attic Cat, 

and many other shops will also remain open late for this special evening

unfurled

parasols 1

here you go.  

parasols

new collage idea.  kinda evolved from the garden theme i was pondering.  i spent the morning painting various papers in purple/plum/orange/yellow-green.  i am excited!  i'll post the results when they come to fruition.  or should i say unfurl?  inspiration from lots of places...the drink umbrellas i glued in an old sketchbook, sea urchins, coral formation from a book john gave me on geology, and of course circles.  circles show up in my work over and over and over.

riding on the circus train

high elements

through the hoop

two new collages.  both are 5x7 on board, and are matted up to 11x14.  they are framed in black gallery frames.  the images are from a 50's book called "circus time".  the illustrations are hilarious!  background is collaged from various vintage ephemera including a sleeve from a 45 record that came from eastern europe.  the maze is from a kid's puzzle book.

i am finding that i really like to use canvas board for these.  it's sturdy, and comes in standard sizes.  and you can either pop them in a frame as is, or matt them up in a bigger frame for more drama.  

we are busily working on the decorations for the show on may 20th.  the show is called "up close", and we purchased over a hundred magnifying glasses that we will hang and place all over the shop.  and if you haven't heard, the party fare will be twinkies.  yes, twinkies.  don't worry, though.  we won't be deep frying them.  

ok.  that's all for now.  gotta go do some spring garden work.  we have recently replaced all of the concrete pavers in our yard with real boulders.  it's looking really nice.  we are slowly working on contouring the beds so they have a more natural look.  i seriously love gardening.  this didn't happen until i was over 40.  my younger self was too busy and hyper for gardening.  now it's my zen time.  nothing like getting your hands in the dirt.  in the warm months, my favorite thing to do is pour a glass of wine after dinner and take a loop around the gardens to check on the plants.  they are kinda like children.   john and i move from plant to plant and survey their growth and development.  it really makes us smile.

i have some ideas for the next set of collages.  hint:  garden theme.  not too literal, though.