So proud o' my friends...


Brent's winning piece.




Vikki's beautiful cakes.




And Brent and I taking a little break.

Two and a half weeks of work were put into this project. Not only did this project need the cutting of twenty seven blocks, but a huge amount of thought and research, a great deal of steady hand for the actual printing, and a little math. Today was my interview for Eye Gallery. I finished the piece in time for the photo shoot, though it is not the final printing I will do. I plan to make 15-20 37"x20" posters and a number of printings of individual blocks - all that plus an ABC book printed with text and the blocks themselves and stitch-bound. I guess I should explain the project before I confuse you with my ambitious printer behavior. This artwork includes 26 blocks each representing a letter of the alphabet through a noun of Bakersfield. Example: A is for agriculture, B is for Buck Owens, C is for Clock Tower. I am proud of my accomplishments, even though my odd perfectionism is forcing me to make about four of the blocks over completely (trust me, they need to be redone). The final printings will be available for sale after September 11th, the day of the Eye Gallery opening at the Bakersfield Museum of Art. Individual prints and books will be for sale on my Etsy site as soon as I can start all that up (right now, my Etsy site is highly neglected). So, here is the first printing - a horrible quality photo as I am only posting them because BT wanted to see (and also because I want to brag). See if you can figure out each block. Pretend it's a game. Don't mind that I positioned two the blocks incorrectly (a fact I only realized as the Bakersfield Californian reporter pointed it out). I'll post better photos as I take them.




AND... Vikki's Eye Gallery piece features my bicycle, Henry. She did a lovely job capturing his regal essence. Enjoy it here. As we say, with much anticipation, "Tonight...we ride!"

My Visual Arts Fest piece... red dot and all.
What's next: Upholstery 101, oil derricks, and Paper Palooza.

And check THIS out: http://surface-gallery.blogspot.com/ Go, Vik and Yvonne!! Opening August 1st - featuring the work of Vikki, Yvonne, Brent and myself.

Feeling domestic, I put on some traditional house-cleaning/cooking garb and set myself to work creating a nice home-cooked meal for my family. I love cooking, but have experienced much absentmindedness while doing so, and, as frustration ensues, I most often give up or send myself to the pantry crying. This was no exception. I had prepared a Mediterranean-themed meal: Lamb and potatoes in lemon juice, Mediterranean salad, tirotipakia (cheese triangles) and semolina pudding. Reading the directions, I set the oven to 180 degrees and readied the lamb. Five hours later the lamb was lukewarm and barely cooked. Upon checking the recipe again, I noticed the 180 degrees was Celsius, not Fahrenheit. An hour later, after setting the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, the lamb was tender...I'm supposing that's what happens when you slow-cook meat for six hours. Despite the delay, I was proud of my meal.

It seems to be art show season. Perhaps it's because it's nearing summer, but all of a sudden deadlines have approached. I managed to have two pieces finished, framed, and matted in time for submission into the Bakersfield College student art show - both of which were accepted and displayed at the opening last Thursday night. And, I also managed to quickly finish three submissions for the Visual Arts Festival small works show. This year the pieces had to be only 5 inches by 5 inches square, which seems smaller than I have ever worked. The three, all figures in charcoal (my favorite) were judged and one of the three were accepted. This is WONDERFUL news, seeing as how last year neither of the two pieces I entered were chosen (and I had high hopes). My concern was I would have yet another blow to my ego, but I have not. The piece that was accepted was my favorite and the other two - quite frankly - I was not very proud of. The piece, titled "Figurative I" (I hate naming works of art) will be displayed May 22 - August 28 in The Bakersfield Museum of Art's Cunningham Gallery. The reception will be on the 22nd and there will be wine, cheese, and dressing up of course.

I have remained busy, sewing like a fiend when I am not painting and drawing like a fiend, readying myself to launch a hefty-sized Etsy site. A few months ago I put my felt pins on the site, but decided to refrain from too much self-promotion until the site had more to offer. So, my date for launching: May 18. By then I will have included the bags and whatnot I have been busying myself with. Enjoy.

A little more self-promotion: I am running a week-long art workshop for children entitled "Thinking Artfully" along with a summer-long weekly class on seamstressing for children. See more information at the Studio7 blog. http://studio-seven.blogspot.com

My newest venture into the world of selling my bits: Etsy. I now have an Etsy store where my things can be purchased. I'll be putting prints, paintings, drawings, pins, wallets, pouches, jewelry, and whatever else I think to make on Etsy for sale. Of course, everything will be individual and affordable and a 100% Liz-made item. So, check up on my Etsy site every now and again and buy my stuff.
http://lizismyname.etsy.com

After being displaced in early December, Vikki and I have rather miraculously found a new studio: two doors down from the original Studio 7. Our next studio show, tenatively scheduled for August 2008 is in the planning as well as many other little bits. So, keep on the lookout. If you would like to be on Studio 7's mailing list give me a clickity-clack at lizismyname@gmail.com.