Buddy in Pink and Orange

My online 6- week Art Quilt class started yesterday on joggles.com. Barb tells me I have over 30 students, but I haven't met them all yet. Here's a sneak peak at the project for lesson 3!

flowers from husb

Casual pencil sketch.
Hey, my Mundo Lindo kids art program was front page news in our local paper. Read the article here.

Me Today

This morning we had a reception for Session Two of Mundo Lindo. You can check out the rest of the photos here.
This is me, at 57. Did I mention today is my birthday?

9/29/50

September 29 is my 57th birthday. gosh, I'd love to have 57 comments on my blog!

JaneVille Gazette

Battling Moleskines: ProAm
Watch out Danny, I'm coming to your hood! October 10-12, 2008, I'll be doing a 3 day mixed media workshop at my friend Jan Phillips' place in Lake Bonaparte (90 miles north of Syracuse, NY). Needless to say it's in the planning stages, but at this moment, I'm thinking I'll do a mixed media thing with watercolor sketchbook/collage/cloth. I'll keep you posted!

PR Squared
Other news, I'm now on the board of directors of the San Diego Watercolor Society (SDWS), as the Communications Director. (It's a volunteer position in charge of PR, with an all volunteer non-profit.) SDWS has over 750 members, and is one of the most respected watermedia organizations in the country. Among other things, they offer great workshops in gorgeous San Diego! I'll let you know when they post the 2008 workshop schedule, for you out of towners. So, join already!

Rona Barret Junior
And, I'm way busy creating top-secret artwork for a project for Elin Waterston & Jane Davila, but that's all I can say!

"JaneVille Gazette" is a VERY subtle tribute to one of my fave's Mistress of Longears. Email her and tell she needs a blog too!

Olives and fundraisers

I picked up the olives on my walk this morning. Spent the day working on my online art quilt class, as you can see by the quilt sketches.

Husb and I want to invite you all to the San Diego Brain Injury Foundation fundraiser on Sunday, October 21 from 1:30-4:30 in La Jolla, California. You find out more details, buy tickets, or make a contribution. Husb will have 3 of his paintings there for sale, as they are showcasing brain injury survivor's artwork. Tickets are $50 each. Thanks.

Danny's back!

Danny Gregory has been on a l-o-n-g summer vacation and he just posted after nearly 2 months. AND, he mentions me in his blog. Well, I know he's talking about me, because I'm one of the fifty artists he invited to be in his new book (to be published Fall 2008) entitled “An Illustrated Life: Drawing inspiration from the private sketchbooks of artists, illustrators and designers.” I can't even describe how meaningful this is to me. He even interviewed me. WOW.
Plus I did nearly 108 Surya Namaskar C's today at the yoga autumnal exquinox thingy. What a day.

pumpkin from pamela

I was all set to paint this in my moleskine watercolor journal, and I had no more pages left---so I did it in my moleskine sketchbook, using water soluable crayons. I even drew across the crack.

10 North

Oh, and I did create a new blog (and this postcard) for the art group I'm in!
10north.blogspot.com

I promise, a sketch tomorrow!

I've had a busy week. I've been invited to participate in a book to be published by interweave press/quilting arts/cloth paper scissors. I'm creating a top secret project and will write a how-to article.
Also, I'm working on my shoe for the joggles challenge. You can do one too.
Plus preparing for my online art quilt class, two workshops next month and I'm a board member now for San Diego Watercolor Society.
And, Pamela gave me a pumpkin that she grew herself, and I haven't had a chance to sketch it yet!
All good busy though.

Mundo Lindo

I've just got to post this from my Mundo Lindo classes. That's her puppet, "Super Gal" and she's painting a portrait of it. See Mundo Lindo for the completed paintings. And, the kids did a puppet show too.

my bracelet

Art reception last night, so I had time to sketch my bracelet and 2 peanut m&ms. And look, I'm a hand model too!

Today

I spoke today, at the Escondido Arts Partnership. The subject was "marketing for artists." I spoke about an hour and there were about 30 people there. Of course, I told them about this blog. I wonder if they'll see themselves in this photo and comment!

Super Hero Puppets

Sometimes I can't resist posting something from the Mundo Lindo kids. Here are the super hero puppets they created yesterday. See their written descriptions here on my Mundo Lindo blog.

My childhood home 2007!

My childhood friend, Karen, sent me this photo of what my house on Greenwood looks like today. Wow! thank you Karen! My brother recalls that my mom bought this house for $11,000 in 1952ish. Maybe my sister, the real estate agent, can tell me what this house would sell for today.

A Day in the Park: Yoga & Art

September 1, Ileen (yoga) and I (art) taught a lovely all day workshop "A Day in the Park: Yoga & Art." Here's the group.
(That's me, front row, far left in my new tie-dye pants by Judy.)

Thank you everyone! It was a wonderful day!!

A Day in the Park: Yoga & Art

We really spread all over, with our yoga and our sketching activities. Even though it was Labor Day weekend, the park wasn't crowded at all.

A Day in the Park: Yoga & Art

Kat drawing.
Among other gems of fantastical intellectual insight, I told the class about my sketchbag and where they could order it. Also, my fave travel brush. And, my upcoming workshop at California Center for Creative Renewal "Painting Your Journal" on October 13.

A Day in the Park: Yoga & Art

Inland it was very hot, like 102, but we were just a block from the Pacific Ocean, so it was perfect. (Bella the dog, served as model and companion.)

Is this true for you?

Grenville Kleiser wrote

"Down deep in every human heart is a hidden longing, impulse and ambition to do something fine and enduring."

For me, I don't necessarily set out to do fine and enduring work, but I’m proud to say that some of my days are spend doing just that. Teaching, for instance. Volunteering for San Diego Watercolor Society, San Diego Brain Injury Foundation, Southern Caregiver Resource Center come to mind.
How about you?

O

This week I'm doing a project based on Nature's Alphabet with the Mundo Lindo kids.

Urn for my Ashes

Not to worry, I have no plans to use this for 30-40 years! Completed this in a workshop on Sunday. I made it from clay, fired it in a kiln, and then painted it with acrylic paint. I plan to put my directives in it, so that my loved ones know what to do when I die. You can see my friend's urns here, on Kat's blog. She created and led the workshop.

And to let my brothers and sister know where to find it--it's in the dining room.

3 Leaves

You are all invited to a reception and to see my artwork! I'll be debuting my Pomegranate Series (3 Leaves is one of them) and my Organza Shroud series, and I'll have other artwork too.
September 9, 4:30-6:30 pm at The Ink Spot, in downtown San Diego.

fortune cookies predict new kitchen countertop

more for orangepapers and fruit stickers!

kitty kitty kitty

Here's one of my painted quilts. This lesson is going to be included in my joggles.com online Art Quilt Exploration class.

Pom Seeds

Another of my pomegranate series. (9x12")

Cyclamen

Yellow Bird

Registration for my online Art Quilt Exploration is on Joggles.com now. The 6 week class starts October 4th.

And, we've still got openings for "A Day in the Park: Yoga & Art" on Sept 1 in San Diego.

E

There's an exhibit at the Escondido Children's Museum called "Discovering Nature's Alphabet." I met the photographers today and got inspired to try it myself!

F

J

O

S

Y

camping

Husb and I camped overnight at San Onofre State Beach, San Mateo campgrounds, in Southern San Clemente. This tree was in our campsite.
The campground hosts, Anita and Pete, invited the orange county stargazing group to bring their giant telescopes, so about 50 campers gathered at 8pm to look at the moon and jupiter. Very fun.

berries from our campground

It's really warm inland San Diego, so the temperature at the beach was perfect. I love the San Clemente Pier area because there's so much going on. Surfers, swimmers, people fishing off the pier, food options. Plenty of walking either the beach or the pier. Gorgeous spot!

cocktail hour in san clemente

San Mateo Campground was 1-1/2 mile hike to the beach (and coincidently, 1-1/2 miles return hike) and we walked on the beach, AND I did yoga that morning. phew. Our reward was 1/2 price cocktails overlooking the Pacific Ocean at San Clemente Beach!

husb sketching

My sketchbook in the foreground and husb sketching at our campsite right after breakfast.

winter poms

One of four finished pieces in the pomegranate series I started in Traci Bautista's workshop in July. I'll have them framed and up on my website for sale soon.

Husb sketching

I mentioned Husb and I scoped out the location for 'A day in the Park: Yoga & Art" and here he is sketching.

fruitsticker FRUITsticker

Another gem added to the fruitsticker group Also included in this are a couple of my hand-carved stamps.

Workshop test-run

Ileen and I are teaching a workshop entitled "A Day in the Park: Yoga & Art" on September 1 in San Diego, so I went to the park for a test-run. (Email me if you're interested in signing up for the class!)

Oh and check out yours truly on RB Yoga Studio!

page 2

Page two of my test-run. Husb was ready to leave, so I didn't get to finish this one.

JazzCat

I'm teaching an online Art Quilt Explorations class. Check it out You can register now, and class starts October 4.
I've taught a 6-week class for 2-1/2 years through the Oceanside Museum of Art School of Art, and each time I teach, I add new lessons and techniques, and have many return students. Now, for the first time, I'll be teaching an online version.

Pinwheels for Peace project

Check this out Pinwheels for Peace and make some pinwheels to display on 9-21-07, which is International Day of Peace.

image ©2007 Ayers and McMillan

completed boxes 2 & 3

Geez, I look like a bird watcher..not that there's anything wrong with bird watchers! Anyway, I finished utility boxes 2 & 3 today, in SE San Diego.

tom sawyer-ette

A fellow from the neighborhood wanted his daughters to experience painting a utility box, and encourage them to volunteer in the 'hood and take pride in it. So, of course, I gave the brushes and didn't even charge them. ha ha.

terracotta banks

gosh, I feel like I haven't been keeping up my sketchbook. It's not like I haven't been making art; but I do feel bad for not keeping up my journal practice. I did some sketchbook paintings at our last san diego sketchcrawl, but frankly, they were too ugly to post!
Oh, and these are little terracotta banks that I should be putting money in, instead of drawing them. Unfortunately, they're empty!

BeBop and Buddy

Our little guys.

utility boxes in the AM

Blank "canvases" this morning at 9am.

utility boxes in progress in the PM

I worked from 9am to 3pm on these today. Going back on Wednesday, then I'll be DONE with this phase of my career for a while! It's hard work!

Joggles Shoe Challenge

Fellow artists, I’ve recently become affiliated with Joggles.com. (I’ll be teaching an online art quilt class, starting in October.)http://www.joggles.com/shoe-challenge.htm The due date November 17.
So, now I’m off to find my shoe!

childhood home

2091 Greenwood Ave, San Carlos, California 94070. I ordered this photograph from the San Carlos Museum! (the photo was taken in 1946, of course decades before I was born....) I lived in this house until I was about 13 years old. I remember so many of the details... The house is still there, last time I checked.

On another entirely different subject, I'm going to be teaching an online art quilt class! I've spoken with Joggles.com and my 6 week class will start October 4th. The class will be announced in about 2 weeks, but you heard it here first!