Stocking Stuffer Boutique

What is a “boutique” anyway? It isn’t a bazaar. Is it like “luncheon” as opposed to “lunch”?

The dictionary uses the words “sophisticated” and “specialized” to explain a boutique. (Nope, didn’t look up bazaar – I saved that for you.)

Sophisticated? Me? har har har har har. . . I’m from Tulare County, a Realistic Regionalist from Ruralsville.

Specialized? Yeppers. I specialize in Tulare County images. Nikki specializes in high-quality hand woven items. Karen specializes in clay mono-prints (hunh?? Guess you’ll have to come see for yourself.) Anne specializes in lathe-turned wooden items. Sam specializes in gourds. We are specialists!

Stocking Stuffer Boutique

Saturday, December 6, 2014

11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

41831 Sierra Drive (at the downstream end of the Kaweah Commonwealth Bldg.)

 

Another Three Rivers art event, on First Saturday Three Rivers!

Perfect Gift Boutique Post-Game

Perfect Gift Boutique Post-Game? Remember when the terms “pre-game” and “post-game” weren’t used? It is a sports/television term. “Wrap-up” also works, as does the stuffier sounding “evaluation”.

The weather was beautiful, so the day after Thanksgiving was a busy one. It was a little hard to be indoors, but I managed to corral my independent streak and behave professionally. The opportunities to interact with and sell to the public are rare, so I need to be focused.

The second day had less traffic, so the conversations were longer. I met so many interesting people, sold lots of art (the hottest item was the calendar), and even did a bit of photography and a little knitting in between.

I know. . . blah, blah, blah, just show us some pictures!

There were eight of us showing and selling out work. We call ourselves “The Kaweah Artisans”, a loose association of makers mostly from Three Rivers, each working in different media.

Sam sits and sews in the sunshine. She is working on one of her fantastic gourds.

Carole works in metal and clay, making whimsical and often highly detailed decorative items. Very unique in the true sense of the word – no 2 are ever the same, and no one else does what she can do.

Told you it was pretty out!

The Three Rivers Arts Center is such an interesting venue. It has stone and wood details all over the exterior. It is beautiful in a rustic manner, using stone and wood that appear to be from the area. I don’t know who did all the work, but I find the place to be simply fascinating.

The Perfect Gift Boutique

First of all, in case anyone is wondering, I am thankful. Very thankful for many things. Didn’t want you to wonder, since I’ve turned Thanksgiving into a commercial here on my blog.

(This is because I forgot to post it on Wednesday. Besides, who reads blogs on Thanksgiving anyway??)

The 13th Annual Perfect Gift Boutique will happen on Friday and Saturday of this week!

Friday, November 28 and Saturday, November 29. Three Rivers Arts Center, North Fork Drive (just across the bridge, first building on the left), 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

These are some of the returnees from previous Perfect Gift Boutiques.

Ahem. Me too, but maybe you figured that one out all on your own. 2015 calendars, paintings, cards, prints, Mineral King tee shirts.

Have a look at some little cuties I’ll have with me – these are original oil paintings on canvas, 2×2″, $15 each.

Bazaar in Photos

I live within walking distance of the Bazaar. This is what I saw on my way to work Saturday.

When I got there, I was relieved to see that my booth did not look like a garage sale., which is a concern each time I set up in a different location. Even though booth sizes are almost always 10×10′, the lighting, the walls, the traffic patterns and the amount of work I have changes, so I don’t have a standard floor plan.

We had steady traffic all day. As usual, it was mostly people I know with a handful of new folks. It is so interesting to me that there are people in a town as small as Three Rivers that don’t know one another! Often it is because they only live here part time and/or they live far up one of the canyons.

There were regular raffle drawings and a live auction. I actually gave a 2015 calendar to the raffle – me, who does not give away her work! Got caught up in the excitement or succumbed to peer pressure, perhaps. . .

It was nice out on the patio. The doors are open all day long, so if it is cold, it is cold everywhere. Back in the olden days when we had winter, this was a cold cold show. Not so this year.

There’s my amazing friend Nikki, weaving in her booth. I am showing this to you so you can see that the Chinese Pistache trees outside weren’t yet in full color, and that there were vendors outdoors too.

These beautiful wood items turned on a lathe and polished to a remarkably smooth sheen will also be available at the next show, The Perfect Gift Boutique, which will be on the Friday and Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend at the Three Rivers Arts Center.

P.S. I sold a ton of calendars, but there are more remaining. Remember, when they are gone, they are gone. $15 includes tax and mailing if you need that done.




Bazaar, Not Bizarre

The annual Senior League Holiday Bazaar will take place on Saturday, November 15 at the Three Rivers Memorial Building from 9-4. Maybe. The marquee in front of the Memorial Building says 10-4. This means that if you come at 9, you’ll get first chance at all the best stuff!

This is how it looked on the morning of Tuesday, November 11. Don’t you just want to come to see the Chinese Pistache trees in full color?

There is a jeweler who brings the cutest Christmas earrings I’ve ever seen and she sells them for a peanut butter sandwich! (This is a figure of speech my Dad used when something was seriously underpriced. You don’t have to brown bag it to buy her earrings.)

Some years there is a fabulous selection of homemade jellies and jams for what it would cost you to make them yourself, MINUS your labor!

My 2015 calendars Beautiful Tulare County will be there, $15 including tax. Such a deal – you might want to buy several (but remember, when they are gone, they are gone.)

I still have some Mineral King tee shirts, a few photo books (Mineral King in Photos – $45, Three Rivers in Spring – $30) and new oil paintings. (This year a few knitted items will be sold by my friend Sophie, a weaver, spinner and knitter of extraordinary skill.)

Here are a few photos from previous years.

@0c*wNSzRya^

 

Nikki Crain at her loom

The 2015 Calendar is HERE!

The new calendar for 2015 has arrived!

 

These are my best oil paintings. Sort of. My best oil paintings that fit the calendar format and fit the months. Sort of. The best blend of my best oil paintings that sort of fit the calendar format and sort of fit the months.

It is called “Beautiful Tulare County”. (Stop laughing – there is lots of beauty in this rural place in Central California and it is my job to find it and paint or draw it!)

$15, includes tax and mailing to you!

Want one? There are several ways to get one.




1. Use this Paypal button and your Paypal account.

2. Mail a check for $15, made out to Cabinart at P.O. Box 311, Three Rivers, CA 93271

3. Come to the Senior League Bazaar on Saturday, November 15 at the Three Rivers Memorial Building from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and get yours there.

4. Call me with a better idea – maybe we see each other on a regular basis and I can just bring it to you.

THERE ARE ONLY 100 AND WHEN THEY ARE GONE, THEY ARE GONE.

Ahem. Excuse me for shouting. Sometimes I get excited when I see all my best work together in one place and then think you all might like it too.

A Well-Organized Show in Visalia

The organizers provided pop-up tent-tops, lunch and handled all the filthy lucre.

I began the day with high expectations and much optimism.

The pop-up tent was 10’x10′ in theory. In reality, it tapered inward, so instead of fitting all 6 of my display screens, only 5 would fit. So, quite a few paintings didn’t make it. Still, I have a TON of paintings.

There were 3 or 4 blocks of these tents with umbrellas in the middle of the street, because it was hot and shade was very welcome.

After setting up, I went exploring down the street. (or was that up the street? I walked North on Garden, so I think it would be “up”) This is GORGEOUS work by my amazing friend Nikki.

This was a simple booth with 3 different books for sale. (Hi Carole and Irene!) I thought the display was EXCELLENT. I wonder who won the best booth prize??

An hour before the show was advertised as open to the public, there were VIP guests. Except there weren’t. It was a nice idea, but just meant we had an easy first hour.

Then the public began to arrive. I saw many old friends, former and current drawing students, met new people, and had my sister with me for about 2 hours.

People were nice, and many of the comments and conversations were either puzzling or funny.

“I have 2 lemon trees in my back yard.” 

“Oh?” (What is an appropriate response? “Great! Want to buy a painting of a lemon?”)

Or, “Oh my gosh, I thought those were pictures!!” (usually pronounced “pitchers”)

Couldn’t really say what I thought, which was, “They are pictures. Did you mean photographs?”

“Oh my gosh, that’s $50??!”

“Uh, yes, it is an original oil painting, Doofus.”

Nope, I didn’t say that either.

In conclusion, I don’t think my work is suitable for a street fair in Visalia, no matter how well organized it is.

Visalia is the largest city in Tulare County, and it would be good to have my work in a place with a greater population than Three Rivers. However, I don’t know what would be the right venue.

More will be revealed in the fullness of time. . .

Taste The Arts

 

Blooming Oranges #2, 8×8″, oil on wrapped canvas, $125

Taste The Arts

Saturday, October 11, 2014

11 AM – 5 PM

Downtown Visalia 

 

Taste the Arts is the name of a street fair type event in Visalia. It is very extensive, with lots of opportunities to try different methods of making art. There will be demonstrations in  spray paint, stenciling and murals, along with lots of artists exhibiting and selling their work.

Here is their link: Taste The Arts

I participated in an early version of this show about 2 years ago. The Arts Consortium is the most organized group I’ve ever had the privilege of working with, and I expect this event to be great!

Painting for a Show in a City

With the first fall show coming on October 11, the pressure is on to get some paintings finished, signed, dried, scanned and varnished. Let’s see what is in the painting workshop.

Yikes. This photo shows me that my Mineral King mural needs to be freshened up. Wouldn’t it be fun to repaint it every 3 months to reflect the actual season? Forget it – I have to finish paintings that can be sold!

I had no trouble finishing these pumpkins. The bridge might be finished. The poppy fields are rough – this is after one pass over the canvas. The orange wants a few more blossoms.

I thought this would be too hard, because it is a challenge to turn 2 rectangular photos into one square scene, and real life is very messy so I’m trying to clean it up here. The rocks and background trees have been really satisfying. I love detail – did you know that?

On the advice of a trusted friend, I added more foliage to the poppies. It probably isn’t enough to suit her, but I like it. Those 4 orange poles will become The Four Guardsmen, 4 sequoias you pass among as you enter Sequoia National Park from Three Rivers. There is Farewell Gap (Mineral King) as it appears in early fall – leaves changing a bit, no snow, and very low water. Getting the water and rocks to look right is stretching my limited abilities. And the bottom scene is the trail to Farewell Gap. The light was wonderful that day! It isn’t finished in this photo.

Upcoming Show: Taste the Arts, Saturday, October 11, 11-5, downtown Visalia on Garden Street from Main to Oak Streets. (no idea where I will be – I’ll just follow directions like a good soldier when the time comes.)

Woohoo, world, I’m going to the big city of Visalia to meet some people and sell some art!

Yeah, I know, I really don’t get out much. Visalia is the county of seat of Tulare County, population around 125,000. “City”? It is to me! Three Rivers is 35 miles east and has about 2500 people, including all the part-timers. Just sayin’ so you can keep things in perspective from where I live.