Art Unraveled-July 30-Aug 7, 2012-Phoenix, Arizona
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Sublime: 1. Characterized by nobility; majestic.
2. a. Of high spiritual, moral or intellectual worth.
b. Not to be excelled; supreme.
3. Inspiring awe; impressive.
4. to convert (something inferior) into something of higher worth."
Number Two, that clever boy, has decided that the best way to get his Phys Ed college credit is to take a billiards class. So, the first day of school, he calls me:
Number Two: "Mom, I don't know where my billiards class is supposed to be held."
Me: "Welllll......"
NT: "What should I do?"
Me: "Ummmmm...."
Me, again: "Let me look online for you... Ok, it's off campus, at a place called....Yesterdays?"
NT: "Oh, yeah, that's a billiards parlor and pub!" (excitement growing in his voice)
Me...thinking: "My kid goes to school at a pool hall and bar!"
NT: "That's my kind of class!"
Me: "Yep."
And, so went the first day of college for Number Two. Needless to say, he's very excited about school...having an apartment with his brother...being "on his own." He's shopping for a pool cue and joining a billiards league. Is there a major in billiards?
In the beginning....there were backgrounds, created with happy abandon. Splashing of paint and swirling of colors were the order of the day.
handcarved stamps by "Of Towers and Turrets" student Monika Schmid
Next came the carving... Who doesn't love to carve stamps? Eraser bits were flying on that day!
towers collage by "Of Towers and Turrets" student Deirdre O'Shea
Bricks were laid, mortar was applied and towers were constructed. And, what beautiful towers they are!
painting by "Of Towers and Turrets" student Phyllis Peterson
Then came the painting, oh, the painting! I have to horn-toot a little bit here: what a fantastic, artistic bunch of students! Inspired, inventive, generous and friendly...wowza...what a group. What a swirl of creative energy they are producing!
Come swirl in the Creative Vortex!
Not so long ago, this online workshop was just a daydream in my head. Serendipitously (or maybe not so much so!) Sharon and I fused our visions for this class...that's the exquisite fusion part of this...and the fun began. I have to say, I was a little apprehensive. There are so many details and variables. Can we get all the work done? Will anyone join us? Will I look stupid on video? Will the students like it? Will they love it? Turns out, the answers are...yes (very uncomfortable being on video but finally got over it!) One of the big lessons of this online workshop experience, for me, has been to trust. Rely on my faith...let go...believe in myself (not through my power but through His) and my dreams. This is no easy feat for me being the detail-oriented-prone-to-anxiety person that I tend to be. But, the very fact that our students are there...and they're happy...and they're creating and loving it...makes me love it. I love the fruition of this dream. So, if you have a dream, here's my word to you: have courage...go out..conquer this world...BELIEVE!
Well, it's finally here. The day that my guys are well and good, gone. They've flown the coop to their new digs at college and I'm left here with the stuff they didn't want to take! And, a lot of....quiet. I went through the same thing, early in the summer when they both left Texas to work in other states. Separation anxiety, self-doubt (did I raise them right?) and yeah, I admit it, a little loneliness. It's bittersweet, really. Seeing them leave us behind but, at the same time...they're just such dang nice kids! Not really kids anymore but grown men. So beautiful to see that evolution! So, now I will have to slay my own spiders, take out my own garbage and wash my own car. But hey, I'll also get to choose my own kind of pizza, retain some level of bathroom cleanliness and have a lot of time to create. Bittersweet...but the blessings are great! Love you boys xxoo
Tomorrow is the big day...the first day of class for Sharon and I...whoo hoo! Of Towers and Turrets begins and, guess what? My laptop is out of commission. What a bad time for a virus! I rushed it to the supersmartcomputerpeople who are cleansing it of whatever bug it's infected with. Lucky for me, I still have access to a desktop, although not too many of my photos or info...which is why I posted this photo of class samples...yet again! I don't have much else to work with at the moment. Bear with me and, if you'd like to see more, fly on over to the classroom and check it out.
Once again, I'd like to thank all of you who have registered for the class...and all of you who have supported me over the years. There was a time when forces conspired to hold me back (so many things!) but I feel like I've kept my focus and been very blessed, and happy, to be where I am, right now: teaching, creating, writing, realizing this long-awaited goal to present an online class and...the best part, getting to know you all a little bit better. Some of you, a lot better. It really is a blessing and my hope is that I can give back, in some way, just a little of what I've been given. xxoo
Your response and excitement to the online class that Sharon and I are offering, Of Towers and Turrets, has been so overwhelmingly positive and wonderful...thank you, from the bottom of my heart!
A few details: Class begins on Aug. 27th...that's right, this Friday...I can't believe it's about to begin! If you don't register by then, no worries. Class runs through Dec. and you can sign up any time throughout. It's work-at-your-own-pace so you can jump in any time. The classroom is here (also see my links in the left sidebar), if you'd like to take a look.
I sure hope you can jump in because it's shaping up to be quite an adventure. Wondering what we're going to do? Well...what aren't we going to do?! We're going to cover a lot of ground in this workshop. First thing...Sharon is going to show us how to layer, splash and brush our way to creating her phenomenal collage papers.
She'll continue guiding us right into how to complete one of her extravagantly constructed towers paintings. Then, we'll show you how to use your images in your jewelry pieces.
Which brings me to the jewelry making segment of our class. Want to learn how to create your own tower pendant, complete with handmade bezel? I'll cover metal prep (cutting, shaping, forming), cold connections, texturing, soldering (woot!...we'll be using a torch!) and my tricks and tips for pouring ICE Resin.
Then, we'll show you how to work with purchased bezels, including open back bezels. This workshop is truly cram-packed full of techniques. Oh, I have that tingly-nervous-but-excited feeling of a kid on the first day of kindergarten. Many of you are ready and waiting, with anticipation, right along with me. Again, thank you. If you're not already at the classroom door, we'd love you to join us in our exquisite fusion!
I just had to share this most amazing moment with you.
base of the Big Horns
This, along with my home state of Oregon, is one of the places that holds my heart. You can see why.
We escape here, to our family cabin in the Big Horn mountains of Wyoming, as often as we can. And, for now, that will have to be enough. This place is seeping with family history. It runs in the blood of the Mentock clan, and mine, by proxy. Every time we're here, we have visitors...
...this time we had three at once. The photos are deceiving; these big boys are, well...big. Their legs are very long and strong and they're much faster than they look. I haven't been chased round a tree...yet...but my sister in law has. The bulls really could care less about us but the cows are another story; temperamental, protective and cranky. A lot like I used to be when I felt one of my young ones threatened.
These were a short hop across from our rock...the permanent fixture where I like to have my coffee in the morning. It juts out into the river enough to get really great river sounds...and really great river views.
Amusing and lovable...this wild thing came out to disrupt the coffee consumption. Instead, I made him take photos.
Wife Whisperer and I left our minuscule mark, which will surely be wiped out by the next high water or rowdy kid.
Seeing Number Two was next on our list of places to visit and people to see during our summer ramble. He's been ensconced here, near Cimmaron New Mexico at Philmont Scout Ranch, for the summer. Of course, he doesn't stay in the Villa Phillmonte...he's headquartered here:
...in a tent (one of dozens), on a cot...for the whole summer. And, it leaks. But hey, he gets to participate in all sorts of fun activities on days off. Like competing to see who can have the most spectacular header into the ground...
...I mean, mountain biking. He couldn't be happier.
But, I digress. Villa Pillmonte is really a most incredible place. The villa was finished in 1927 by oil magnate Waite Phillips (of "Big Oil" Conoco Phillips fame) on his 300,000 acre cattle ranch. Eventually, he very generously donated a huge chunk of that to the Boy Scouts of America, including the villa. I can't even stress to you what a magnificent gift this was to the scouts. Philmont is the mecca that all scouts dream of visiting. It's a place where boys are made into men. And, trust me, that's a good thing. The Villa Phillmonte is now a beautiful museum. We took a tour. I tried to move in. They wouldn't let me.
The outside is just gorgeous...Spanish style architecture with lovely gardens and pools.
The inside is hard to describe but, in a word, it's incredible. It's an eclectic mix of luxurious, but not over the top, European antiques and antique American West and Southwest furnishings and artifacts. It's perfect. If they would only let me live there, I wouldn't change a thing.
Stained glass windows...
...cherub cornices...
...paintings done right on the walls...
...and the best part...downstairs, the Man Cave. It's cool, and dark and hung all round with animal skins and manly stuff...
...including an impressive collection of guns and artifacts that we were only allowed to drool over from afar.
The three of us did take a little side trip to the NRA Whittington Center which lies between Raton and Philmont. Who knew they have a shooters paradise right out in the middle of nowhere?
It makes a mother proud to know that her male offspring is living in such a testosterone soaked atmosphere...doing all sorts of guy stuff that would worry me silly if I were there. A few more days, and he'll be home for good. Well, at least for a minute. Then...college.
As I sit on my deck and ponder, in the 81 percent humidity/85 degree "cool" of a Houston summer morning, I feel things changing around me. My life, of course, is changing again...transforming into something it used to be in the land before the time of kids. My two guys, grown men now, are gathering here before flying off again for college. It took some wrangling on my part but, I'm finally ok with that. How can I not be? They're wonderful, kind, contented people...and isn't that what we all really want for our kids? I realize something important...I should have trusted God for more. Instead, I worried and fretted and gained a few new wrinkles for my trouble. They turned out fine...more than fine...for that, I'm deeply grateful to Him.
And, there's so much more. The cat's out of the bag and Sharon and I have opened our brand new online class for registration. A new and exciting endeavor for me that, I have to admit, is just a touch scary! But, thank you all for your warm welcome and kind support in this venture. It's more than I could have hoped for. I feel the blogging world changing and shifting, ever so slightly, and while my blog has never gathered a great amount of comments, I know you're there. It's not your comments that feed my soul but the knowledge that you're out there in that shimmery haze of cyber atmosphere surrounding my little spot on the internet, reading and, hopefully, relating. Thank you for hanging with me.
One thing I've learned, through creating this class, is that I don't share well. I'm not talking about my knowledge about jewelry making, mixed media or similar skills...that stuff is easy to share. I'm talking about the real me. Ok, and this is how I know it's true...this is hard for me to even write about. In fact, this whole post is hard to write. In an age where everyone wants to peep into your cyber windows, and most people are more than happy to have those faces pressed to the glass, I find my very private self drawing the curtains! So, in that way, making videos and putting this class "out there" felt like swimming upstream.
But, inspiration for our collaboration came fast and furious and it was one of those creative forces that just couldn't be ignored. It seems "meant to be" and I think our students will be so very pleased! At least, that's what we're hoping for...to pass on a little of what we've learned and experienced and spark that excitement in someone else. Food for the soul: ours and yours.
An Exquisite Fusion of Mixed Media and Mixed Metals
An online Workshop by Sharon Tomlinson and Deryn Mentock
Imagine two artists joining forces to share their unique creative experience: a melding of artistic minds and talents…an exquisite fusion. Imagine the ideas that would flow from that creative vortex! A little paint splashed, bits of metal melded, bright and beautiful images magnified by a crystal clear drop of resin…the outcome amazed and delighted us and our aim is to pass that delight on to you. In the spirit of creative collaboration, we are so very pleased to offer our shared secrets, skills and creative processes in the form of our online class: Of Towers and Turrets. This class will give you an opportunity to expand your skills, follow your creativity, listen to that still small voice, celebrate your passion and shout into the silence. In other words…welcome to our art party!
Click on thumbnails to view:
In this class, we will show you the craft and skill of jewelry making in a style that is elegant and refined yet informal. We’ve taken methods straight from traditional jewelry making, run them through the vortex, and come out on the other side with techniques that are easily accessible for everyone. In addition, you’ll learn the art of mixed media by creating your own tower collage painting, including secrets to painting beautiful faces. We’ll explore the possibilities and excitement of melding your own images into jewelry to create one-of-a-kind pieces. If you’ve never done any painting or jewelry making, this is a great place to start! We’ll walk you through every step of the way. If you’re more experienced, you’ll benefit from our casual approach. The techniques and skills you’ll learn are versatile enough to reach into so many creative areas: mixed media, assemblage, bookmaking and more. Wherever your imagination might take you, we’ll show you how to master the craft to get you there.
You’ll have unlimited access to our classroom including the following:
Weekly videos
Complete tool and supply list (available upon registration)
Tools and supplies overview, advice and resources
Collage paper prep, collage construction and composition
Stamp carving
Painted and collaged backgrounds
Secrets to painting faces
Images: selection, preparation, computer cropping and printing
How to leverage your own art into unique jewelry pieces
Metal preparation: cutting, shaping, filing, drilling, etc.
Riveting and other cold connections
Freeform Bezel Making
Simple soldering and texturing with solder
Patina application
ICE Resin: mixing, pouring, curing, tips and tricks
Working with pre-made bezels
Questions, answers, troubleshooting with access to two experienced instructors
More, more, more!!!
Consider this: no driving, no airfare, no hotels or schlepping your heavy stuff! You’ll have continual access to our classroom, which will be made available to students for four full months from Aug. 27 to Dec. 31, 2010. Join at any time. You’ll also have the ability to post photos of your work, chat with other students, post questions and get the answers you need. Like to work in your jammies?...the videos will be at hand…a click away…any time of day or night, for you to view as many times as you want. This is a fluid, work-at-your-own-pace workshop with a friendly, classroom atmosphere. Once you register, a complete tool list will be made available, along with advice on what to get and where to get it. The tools and supplies required for this class are very straightforward and you may be surprised to find that you already own some of them. Sharon and Deryn will be available to teach, guide, critique and answer your questions. In essence, you’ll be getting two classes for the price of one. You’re going to love learning our craft…your way. It’s with great excitement that we urge you to put on your party hat and plunge with us, into our creative vortex!
Deryn Mentock has been passionate about art, especially jewelry design, for as long as she can remember. Her designs mingle unique, worn and well-loved finds, religious pieces and faceted, semi-precious stones as well as one-of-a-kind handmade elements, combined in unexpected ways. She prefers the look and feel of vintage, unusual and found objects and delights in blending these treasures into her work. Each composition, infused with color and texture, reveals an intuitive message of faith conveyed through the artist’s hands.
She enjoys teaching nationally and is a design team member for Objects and Elements. Her artwork has been featured in multiple books. You can also find her work in many articles and publications, including Step by Step Wire Jewelry and Belle Armoire Jewelry.You can contact her at mocknet@sbcglobal.net and see more of her work at her blog; http://somethingsublime.typepad.com and her online store; http://mocknet.etsy.com
Sharon Tomlinson
Sharon Tomlinson is a self taught artist living in Marlin, Texas. During the day, she can be found at her desk job day dreaming about her next art project in her studio at home. Presently she enjoys mixed-media and collage on canvas as well as altered books and journals. However, none seems possible without a paint brush in her hand. Visit her blog at allnorahsart.blogspot.com or email her at sktomlinson@gmail.com
I'm thrilled to say that registration is now open! Go here: http://allnorahsart.ning.com Class begins August 27th but you can join in the fun at any time.
Well, it turned out to be only 112 degrees in Phoenix while I was there. Fortunately, I was inside almost all the time! I was at Art Unraveled, taking a class with Susan (above) and Cheri: Uncommon Objects in Glass Casting...which I highly recommend.
The first day was glass casting, with Susan's lovely sister, Cheri Lenart. It's so funny, and wonderful, to see Susan and Cheri together in class.
They look a lot alike, sound alike and even have many of the same mannerisms. They both grace the classroom with the same happy laugh...it was a pleasure being in class!
Day two was metal work...
...with Susan. It's a good day when I get to spend it in class with Susan.
These are the class samples...aren't they incredible? I haven't finished my piece yet (of course!) but will post some photos of it when I do. We had such fun.
One of the best things: meeting up with my fellow Objects and Elements design team gals. Here you see Susan, Barbe, Jen and myself. It's hard to make kissy face when you're laughing. Susan sure knows how to make a photo interesting!
...that's right...Phoenix! There's something about this town that I just love. It's a beautiful place, surrounded by these amazing mountains that constantly change color. And, it's dry....wonderfully, blissfully non-humid. Of course, at 110 degrees, it's not exactly cool but I actually stepped outside for more than a minute without feeling drenched. Nice.
So, this is why I'm here, last minute...to take a class from Susan Lenart Kazmer and her sister, Cheri Lenart, at Art Unraveled. Susan and Cheri have combined their considerable talents to create Uncommon Objects in Glass Casting. I'm really excited about this class as it will give me another opportunity to put my kiln to good use. And...I'll get to see Susan, which is always fun! Oh, yeah....and I can lounge around in my free time without feeling like I should be dusting, doing laundry, cooking dinner or working in any way. Yay.
All works of art, jewelry and photographs within this website are protected under U.S. copyright laws and international conventions. No portion of the artists' works or statements may be duplicated, downloaded, reproduced or altered in any way without prior permission. Classes and class material, online or otherwise, my not be reproduced or taught in any venue, in whole or in part.
