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!

Redbud Festival 2014 in Photos

Redbud Festival in Three Rivers was on a new weekend and in a new location. It was walking distance from home for me!

Bye-bye, studio, I have to work somewhere else today.

Does your commute look like this? It is WONDERFUL to walk to work.

Most exhibitors parked at the Presbyterian Church. Me? I took this shortcut across the field. It was a trail, but got turned into a bit of a road when the neighborhood got a new water system.

It brings me to the backside of the Memorial Building, where there is a dude on the roof, and the cars match the fire hydrants.

Vendors were setting up their pop-up canopies in the parking lot. I was very thankful to have an indoor space, because it got hot out there on the asphalt later in the day.

See? lots of hot pavement.

BJ is from Tulare and he has BEE-YOO-TI-FUL rustic furniture and very cool yard ornaments. I was briefly tempted to get some quail, and then decided it is dumb to put metal quail in a yard full of live quail. I try to not be dumb whenever possible. It’s dumb to be dumb. Don’t be dumb. Dumb dumb dumb.

There. Have I wrecked the word “dumb”?

Perhaps it would be good to continue this tomorrow.

Redbud Festival Returns

I wanted to say “Redbud Returns” for alliteration, but didn’t want to confuse you any more than already.

What? You confused?

Maybe not you specifically. The general population has confusion about the Redbud Festival in Three Rivers. Let’s tackle this as a FAQ session.

1. Will the redbud be in bloom? Nope. It blooms in March.

2. Why is it called the Redbud Festival? Because that’s the way it is. It was established in the 1970s, and maybe they held it in March. I don’t remember.

3. Why isn’t it at Ardfarkle’s anymore? Because Ardfarkle’s doesn’t exist anymore.

4. But I liked Ardfarkle’s better. Do you have a question for me?

5. Why is it at the Memorial Building this year? Because that’s the way it is. The Memorial Building is a lovely location, a non-dusty place with both indoor and outdoor booth spaces.

6. Did you say the Rosebud Festival? Nope. It’s the Redbud Festival.

7. When is it this year? So glad you asked. Here is the official poster, beautifully created for you by the talented Karen Kimball.

Preparing for The Redbud Festival

The Redbud Festival is an annual (except when it isn’t) event in Three Rivers, held in May. It will be on Saturday and Sunday next. I’ll give you the specifics in tomorrow’s blog post.

Meanwhile, back at the workshop:

Oops. I’m sorry. I went for a walk. Here, look at the paintings in progress:

I already showed you this, right? But I just noticed that I transposed 2 numbers in a friend’s phone number on my chalkboard!

Cool fence, eh? The yellow stuff is some sort of fungus. It matches the fiddleneck. Oh wait, I’m distracted again.

You’ve already seen this too?

Okay, let’s go for a walk.

Wait, I keep showing you photos of this scene. Sorry. Guess I’m just really distracted today. Lots of work to do to prepare for Redbud Festival.

Stocking Stuffer Boutique

12/18/13 – CALENDARS SOLD OUT!

12/11/13 – THREE left

Now there are 4 calendars – 12/10/13

ONLY 8 CALENDARS REMAINING ON 12/9/13!

Calendar Update – there are only 25 remaining and when they are gone, they are gone. First come, first served – no payee, no sendee. 

A little history:

There is an ever-changing association of artists and crafts people that is loosely based in Three Rivers. At the start-up, they called themselves the “Kaweah Artisans”. Great group, nice people. I begged and wheedled my way into the group back in the early ’00s. We put on several events a year, and eventually I felt as if I had saturated the market with what I had to contribute. So, I backed off my participation. Over time, only a few events remained in the line-up of the Kaweah Artisans. I’ve stayed semi-active, and this year they have been gracious enough to invite me to join them in. . .

The Stocking Stuffer Boutique

 

I’ll be selling knitted items, 2014 photo calendars, Mineral King tee shirts, notecards.

Others will be selling woven goods, the new book Sierra Wonders, gourds, metal kitchen goddesses, and turned wooden items.

My Amazing Friends, Chapter Five

Back when I had a list of 80 people waiting to get into my drawing lessons (dang, what happened??), I met Nikki Crain. She eventually became one of my drawing students, and we became friends. Not only does she draw very well, she is a master weaver.

We have done many shows over many years together. (I used the word “many” too many times and it has ceased to look right to me. Isn’t that a weird phenomenon?)

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 We like to be neighbors on the stage at the Perfect Gift Boutique, where we often help one another set up, talk to customers, and pass time between customers.

We enjoy the Senior League Bazaar each year at the Three Rivers Memorial Building. Nikki weaves and educates customers about weaving, the Fibonacci sequence of numbers, how to wear a shawl or a scarf, fibers, soy candles, and just stays cheerful and helpful. That in itself is uh-MAY-zing.

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One time I handed one of my plates to Nikki and she made some wonderful placemats to match.

 The mini version of the placemats,  called “mug rugs”,  are coasters that don’t stick to the condensation on your cold glass and then drop off in your lap and startle you. They are beautiful and useful, a winning combination.

Nikki and I spent a morning together so that she could learn more about blogging. It was fun, of course, and now you can follow her beautiful work on her blog, Handweaving by Nikki.

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Nikki usually opens her Three Rivers studio on First Saturdays. You can see her looms, her fibers, her work and her amazing self!

First Saturday Three Rivers December 1

First Saturday Three Rivers for December is coming quickly – December 1, to be exact. My studio will be open. Go to Anne Lang’s Emporium for a map. Come see me between 11 and 5. It might be raining. I have a roof and a little heater. It will be fine!

Jana Botkin's studios

You can ask me stuff about my art and buy Christmas gifts. I don’t accept credit cards but I do accept cash and (good) checks. There is an ATM in town at the Bank of the Sierra.

Did I forget anything?? Email me or comment if you want to know more!

Sawtooth on a Cupboard Door?

Usually at a garage sale I am overtaken by the desire to go home, fill a box with stuff, and bring it back, sneak it onto a table, and tiptoe away. Stuff stresses me out. Too much stuff makes me twitch, mumble to myself, and randomly toss objects into the trash or a give-away barrel.

There might be a mental disorder that is the opposite of Hoarding. I might have it.

HEY! I THOUGHT THIS BLOG WAS ABOUT ART!

I’m getting there; keep your shirt on.

I found a cupboard door at a garage sale. It was all alone, no cupboard, no twin, no handle. It suddenly looked like a canvas that wanted paint.

So, I bought it and painted it. Stuff with a clear use is exempt from my Too-Much-Stuff-Problem.

Sawtooth is one of the prominent landmark peaks of Mineral King, visible from Visalia. (I prefer to look at it, hike beneath it, photograph, paint and draw it rather than climb it or be flown off of it.)

Sawtooth oil painting on a cupboard door

Sawtooth on cupboard door, approximately  9×21″, oil, sold

It sold to a visitor to my studio on First Saturday Three Rivers while it was wet. As long as it was signed, she was happy. And if the customer is happy, I am happy.

First Saturday November is Over

But First Saturday Three Rivers December is coming.

Wilsonia cabin drawing in progress on the table

This is how my drawing table looked. I was working on a Wilsonia cabin.

Cabinart painting studio with doors flung open

This is the painting studio/gym/storage area/Trail Guy’s workshop. Please be impressed by my red chrysanthemums – I think the leaky hose in their barrel is the cause of their gloriousness. But wait! Notice the giant fruitbowl painting drying on the easel! When the three sides of the canvas are dry, I’ll flip it over and paint the bottom edge.

cabinart studio interior photo

This is the other side of the drawing studio. On the table are cards, journals (blank inside, $14 inc. tax), and the slightest corner of the 2013 calendar ($15 inc. tax). Too bad the air conditioner is so prominent. (So glad to have it during the summer.)

People came. They ate cookies. They bought art. It was good.

Want to come in December?

Colors, a post event list of thoughts

  1. What a confusing weather day. It was frosty out when I loaded the car, and I was just sure I’d shiver all day long.
  2. I set up in the direct sunshine on Wendy’s porch and was just sure I’d hot to death.
  3. Notice the spacious spacing on the display panels. What do you think?
  4. It was weird to weed through my paintings and figure out which to show and which to leave out.
  5. Many friends showed up!
  6. I met some new folks.
  7. Despite the counsel to drop pencil and focus on oil painting (from Those In The Know About Such Things), more pencil items sold than oil paintings.
  8. The pencil things cost less; is there a correlation between price and sales?
  9. Does Mickey Mouse have ears?
  10. Colors is a beautiful store/gallery/happening place, and this California artist is grateful to be in such a fine artsy place as Three Rivers!