Mermaid Madness

This tale of mermaid madness begins twelve years ago in 2001.  

I had been living in Florida for two years, caring for my terminally ill father.  When his battle with lung cancer ended and I had taken care of winding down his affairs, I knew that I was too drained to go back to my usual course of work as a paralegal.  I decided that it would be a good time for me to head off to Mexico and hang out there for awhile -- rest up and see if I thought my dream of retiring along the ocean would be realistic.   

At the Mexican Consulate in Orlando, I obtained a manejar de casa document  (translates to "drive the house") which would allow me to take my personal possessions listed within the document into Mexico with me.  As I didn't know how long I would be in Florida, I had driven there from Seattle with my 1968 Volkswagen van filled with only my precious possessions -- music, art supplies, clothes, books -- and those few things that I had brought with me would accompany me to Mexico.  These items needed to be listed on the manejar de casa document so that I would not be hassled at border crossings.  AAA provided me with a TripTik.  I had my 1968 Volkswagen Van gone over with a fine tooth comb by the local Volkswagen mechanic and my Seattle friend Giselle agreed to join me on the adventure of driving from central Florida to Puerto Vallarta -- she would fly to Orlando, I would pick her up there, and our adventure would begin.

Before leaving Florida, one of the things that Giselle and I wanted to do was visit Weeki Wachee Springs. Earlier in the year I had seen an article in Smithsonian Magazine about the small "theme park" which had been in operation since 1947 and featured mermaids performing in natural underwater springs.

Giselle had also seen the Smithsonian article and was up for the kitschy trip -- the park was a short 20 minutes from my Dad's hometown, and we decided that we'd visit Weeki Wachee the day after she flew in -- leaving home early in the morning so that we could wander the park in coolish Florida morning hours.  

I picked up Giselle at the Orlando airport on September 10, and the next morning we sprang out of our beds, had breakfast, hopped in the van, and headed off to Weeki Wachee for our mermaid adventure.  Since we were some of the first to arrive, the park was still relatively quiet.  Upon entering the park, we took each other's pictures posing as Weeki Wachee mermaids:

We saw the underwater mermaid show and the trained animal show with birds and dogs and other animals.   Mid-morning there were still only a few people in the park and I made a a comment, wondering if the funky old park was "dying"  because of so much competition from newer parks like Epcot and the DisneyWorld.  We took the riverboat ride, searching for crocodiles and snapping turtles and other beasts.  Our aged boat stalled, and while it was stalled, someone on the boat made a comment about sabotage.  Giselle and I looked rather blank and one of the boat riders said "Don't you know what happened?"  Still clueless, as we hadn't turned on the radio, TV, or computer while breakfasting (remember, this is pre-Twitter, pre-Facebook, pre-cell phone madness), we had no idea that planes had crashed into the Twin Towers  that morning.   No wonder there were so few people in the park!

Shortly thereafter, it was announced over loudspeakers throughout the park that the park would be closing in a few minutes (as would all major attractions in Florida).  Giselle and I had to miss our final two activities of the day -- a chat with and being photographed with the real live mermaids, but on our way to the parking lot, we ducked into the gift shop where the employees were anxious to close the shop, and  I quickly bought a little softie mermaid who would live on my VW dashboard as our muse and protectress for our long drive through Florida, Louisiana, Texas and Mexico.

So, when folks remember where they were when they first  heard about the Twin Towers, Giselle and I are the only two people in the world whose answers would be that they were on a stalled riverboat in Weeki Wachee Springs.

Our drive from Florida to Puerto Vallarta is filled with many other tales (Mexico/USA border closed, attack of the mosquitoes, the thunderstorm from h___, the broken accelerator cable and the man with the machete, etc.), but this blog tale is about mermaids . . . so . . . back to the subject.

With my Weeki Wachee mermaid still on the dashboard, we were welcomed to Puerto Vallarta's  Malecon by yet another mermaid -- Carlos Espino's 1990 sculpture entitled "Triton and Mermaid."

To make the proverbial long story a little shorter, I lived in Puerto Vallarta for several years as a working artist and was represented by two galleries.  I lived in several different apartments (yet another series of tales) and my Weeki Wachee mermaid moved from my dashboard to my bathroom and she lived amongst shells I collected on the beach and other pieces of Mexican mermaid folk art I started accumulating.  Here are a few:

This is a hand-painted half gourd with ceramic mermaid tail added as a headdress.

Ceramic Neptuno with mermaid body.

Ceramic mermaid in hand-painted gourd bowl.

Hand-painted tin -- the mermaid's torso opens to a mirror.

When I decided that it was time to get back to the United States, after having lived in the sun in Florida and Mexico for 5-6 years, I didn't want to return to gray and rainy Seattle, but wanted to live in a sunnier-than-Seattle environment, and decided to give Albuquerque a try.   I made two trips to Albuquerque to "audition" the town and found a place to live.

 The only document that I needed to leave Mexico was the paperwork on the VW van as they don't want citizens from the USA bringing in vehicles to sell/leave in Mexico.  Oh yes, and a special set of paperwork to explain why I was driving without any license plates on the van -- they had been stolen several weeks prior to my departure.

Upon arrival in Albuquerque, I settled in my little adobe casita and despite living in the high desert, my master bathroom has continued to be decorated with an underwater/mermaid theme and my Weeki Wachee mermaid moved into my new bathroom.

I quickly immersed myself in the local art scene and have continued to be influenced by my mermaid muse and have taught several mermaid-themed classes over the years I have been in Albuquerque.

Here's a sample of the soft sculpture mermaid class I've taught at both China Phoenix 2 and OffCenter.  My mermaid is wearing a shell bra made from shells beachcombed from Bucerias, a small beach town north of Puerta Vallarta.

And, here is one of my matchbox mermaids -- a class I taught at Papers! about four years ago.

And, here's one of the paper doll samples I created for my 2012 paper doll class at Papers!   You can find the templates for the mermaid figure at http://www.theenchantedgallery.com/

Below is the 11x14" sample I created for my "Mermaid Grotto" collage-on-canvas class taught at Papers! this past summer (2013).  The mermaid tail is Japanese yuzen paper, the water is blue unryu paper, the ocean sand is a handmade paper, and the grotto elements are ribbons, fussy cut images and embossed images. You can find the coral rubber stamps from I Love Rubber Stamps at http://www.iloverubberstamps.com/ and the large light blue seaweed on the right was created using one of my favorite rubber stamps from Lost Coast Designs 

and can be found at http://www.lost-coast-designs.com/borders.html

In this summer's class, all the students worked from the same supply of paper, but as you can see below from photos submitted by the students who allowed me to include their completed works in this blog post, each piece of art is very individualized.

This is Maria's piece -- bright and colorful with her mermaid contemplating the merits of two beautiful large shells.  The center grouping of red and purple seaweed was created using a Martha Stewart repeat border punch!  And Maria used the Lost Coast Designs rubber stamp for the teal colored embossed seaweed on the far right.

This is Juli's piece entitled "Dream Grotto" -- this is a bird's eye view with Juli floating in her dream grotto.  Juli used softer colors and textured and print papers to create the rockscape surrounding her grotto.

 This is Tammie's piece in more natural colors -- note the beautiful tapestry mermaid tail and the sense of motion she created by the flowing hair and using leaf ribbon for the drifting seaweed.

And, as a final note about Mermaid Madness, I was happy to discover that Weeki Wachee Springs is still operational -- and was made a Florida State Park in 2008!  If you are ever in Central Florida, be sure to save time for a visit to the park to see the underwater mermaid show!   http://www.floridastateparks.org/weekiwachee/

Blue Betty

Blue Betty

This past Saturday at Market I met Carey Ferrante, owner of Blue Betty.  A former New Mexico resident, Carey now resides in Orlando, Florida and operates the Blue Betty Traveling Boutique in and around the area.  

Carey will be carrying a selection of my vintage print cards, and for an upcoming Day of the Dead show, my new Day of the Dead calavera earrings!!

Check out Carey's website at blue-betty.com or blue-betty66@facebook.com-- be sure to look at all the photos and see the story and making of Blue Betty and Blue Betty in action!  What a fun way to make a living!!

Fall Classes

FALL CLASSES AT PAPERS! 

Here are the four classes I will be teaching this fall at Papers! in Nob Hill - 108 Amherst. All materials are provided in the registration fee.  Papers! will begin taking registrations on August 15 -- call 254-1434 to register.  Many of my classes fill within a week of being announced, so if there is a class that you would really like to take, I recommend that you call early in the registration process.

COLLAGE ON CANVAS - "What a Day for a Daydream"
Sunday, September 22 , 1-4pm, $45

Create a beautiful, dreamy, nostalgic work of art and at the same learn a myriad of techniques to add color, texture and movement to your work. You will begin the class with the preparation of the background on your canvas, then while the canvas is drying, in a series of short exercises and demonstrations, you will learn assorted techniques. Then, dive into creating your striking piece of art. Start with an image of a 1940's silver screen diva (choose from several), then begin your collage using a wide range of the wonderful decorative papers carried in the store, plus ribbons, lace, and other decorative items your instructor has carefully chosen for you. Take home a ready-to-hang work of art, no frame necessary! Everything is provided, but if you would like to personalize your work, please bring several images or paper ephemera to incorporate into your piece. If you have them, please bring your detail cutting scissors. If you use them, remember to bring your reading glasses!

JAPANESE YUZEN PAPER JEWELRY -- PILLOW BEAD NECKLACE AND EARRINGS
Sunday, October 6, 1-4pm, $50

Back by popular demand -- learn to fold the intriguing three-dimensional pillow bead from beautiful Japanese yuzen paper. This class is for those of you who like to get an early start on holiday gift-making. The beads can be used to make necklaces, bracelets and earrings. In this class, we will create an eye-catching necklace and matching earrings. Project appears intricate, but is suitable for beginners with a bent for precision!

DAY OF THE DEAD DECORATED SKULL
Sunday, October 20, Session One: 12n-3pm, Session Two: 4:30-7:30pm, $55

Since this is an extremely popular class, instead of filling the first class and adding a second, we're announcing two sessions at the outset -- choose from an early afternoon or late afternoon class.

In this class you will create a glorious, eye-catching Day of the Dead calavera (skull). You will first cover an almost-life-sized skull form using ginwashi paper, then, using a multitude of the fabulous decorative papers carried in the store, you will decorate the skull in true Day of the Dead fashion. If you have them, please bring your detail cutting scissors. If you use them, remember to bring your reading glasses!

DAY OF THE DEAD CIGAR BOX SHRINE
Sunday, October 27, 1-4pm, $50

In this class you will create a mixed media folk art cigar box shrine featuring calaveras (skulls), calacas (skeletons) and cempasuchitl (marigolds). You will work with assorted papers to cover and line your box. Choose from a huge array of embellishments including sequins, glitter, beads, ribbons, braids, and marigolds, as adornments for your shrine. The shrine makes a fabulous keepsake or a wonderful gift. All materials are provided, but please feel free to bring any personal items (including a copy of a small photograph of a departed loved one or pet) that you’d like to incorporate into your shrine.

Treasure Book Box

Yesterday I had the luxury of taking (instead of teaching!) a class at Papers! in Nob Hill.  A wonderful little 3" cube-shaped Treasure Book Box appeared in the sample case and I knew I wanted to take the class.  Local Albuquerque paper/bookbinding artist Carol Erickson designed the box and team-taught the class with local artist/bookbinder Pam MacKellar (her website is pamonpaper.com ).

I decided that I wanted to make "Mexico" the theme of my box and constructed the top of the box from a Mexico map taken from a road atlas.  The red box bottom is Nepalese lokta paper, and the box bottom is lined with a subtle print scrapbooking paper in the same blue as the ocean-blue on the map.

During the class we students talked about the possibility of later adding some kind of trim around the bottom border of the box.  I knew exactly what I wanted to add when I got home -- while beachcombing in Mexico I had collected a small container-full of broken bits of blue glass tiles -- I'd add those around the perimeter of the box.

For me, the most delightful aspect of this box is what is hidden inside!  All four walls of the box fold down flat to reveal a small book mounted on the interior wall of each box, and treasures are displayed on the interior box bottom.

This is the view of the box bottom with all four side walls unfolded.

And here's the view of the inside of the box with all four side walls folded down.  Each of the four small books are stitched with the 3-hole pamphlet stitch.  To adorn the covers of the little books I chose four images that say "Mexico" to me.  (1) The patron saint of Mexico - the Virgin of Guadalupe.  (2)  Frida Kahlo - Mexico's most well-known female artist.  (3)  A loteria card (loteria and dominoes are the two most-played games in Mexico).  (4)  And of course, a Day of the Dead calavera.  The calavera image is available digitally on Etsy at http://www.etsy.com/shop/graphicdesignbytara

The treasures I have adhered to the box bottom were all found while beachcombing -- beach glass, tiles and shells.

WHAT FUN!

Summer Classes 2013

Here are descriptions and photographs of the classes I will be teaching at Papers! in Nob Hill in June and July.  All materials are provided in the registration fee.  Call 254-1434 to register.

 PAPER DOLL PLAY - "THE GIRLS IN THEIR SUMMER DRESSES" - Sunday, June 9, 1-4pm, $45

Set aside a Sunday afternoon for pure play! For this class, I have received special permission for us to use figures designed by paper doll designer Alina Kolluri. Start with a simple dress template and modify it to create many new designs, which will be carried out using beautiful papers from the store.   I will also teach a torn paper strip collage technique to create a glorious full-skirted dress (center figure). Use assorted papers, ribbons and embellishments to adorn your lovely paper doll figures. Let your imagination run wild, as you allow your interior fashion designer to emerge! If you have them, please bring with you your favorite pair of detail scissors, and if you use them, don't forget your reading glasses!

Visit The Paper Doll Shoppe  http://stores.ebay.com/The-Paper-Doll-Shoppe?_trksid=p2047675.l2563 on eBay to see all of Alina's paper doll designs.

"ART GODDESS" CIGAR BOX SHADOWBOX SHRINE - Sunday, June 23, 1-4pm, $50

In this class you will create a folk art cigar box shrine featuring the goddess(es) of your choice -- Minerva (Roman), Athena (Greek), Sarasvati (Hindu), St. Catherine of Bologna (Catholic saint), or a modern-day "generic" Art Goddess. You will work with beautiful assorted papers to cover and line your box. Feature whichever goddess(es) you so choose in the box interior, using color and/or embossed images. Then embellish to your heart's content! Everything will be provided, but please bring something to incorporate into your shrine that speaks to your particular art or craft form (or that of the person for whom you are making the shrine).

COLLAGE ON CANVAS - "MERMAID GROTTO" - Sunday, July 7, 1-4pm, $45  I have a truly summer-appropriate collage on canvas project prepared for you! Head to the bottom of the ocean, and create a secluded mermaid's grotto filled with sea creatures and ocean-bottom plants. We will be using decorative ribbons, Thai unryu paper, Nepalese lokta paper and Japanese yuzen paper. And I have some wonderful new rubber stamps you will use to create embossed sea plants to incorporate into your grotto. Take home a ready-to-hang work of art on 14"x11" stretched canvas, no frame necessary! If you have them, please bring with you your favorite pair of detail scissors, and if you use them, don't forget your reading glasses!

JAPANESE YUZEN PAPER JEWELRY -- PILLOW BEAD NECKLACE AND EARRINGS, Sunday, July 23, 1-4pm, $50 

For those of you who like to get an early start on your holiday gift-making, learn to fold the intriguing three-dimensional pillow bead from beautiful Japanese yuzen paper. The beads can be used to make necklaces, bracelets and earrings. In this class, we will create an eye-catching necklace and matching earrings. Project appears intricate, but is suitable for beginners with a bent for precision!
　

Sweet Potato Party Skirt

Here's OFFCenter's Call For Art for its most recent show:

“Re-Style/Free-Style"
Upcycled Wearable & Functional Art Forum
Clothing • Jewelry • Purses • Accessories & More
Exhibit and Sale displaying creative, upcycled wearable forms of art
Artists are invited to submit unique hair ornaments, aprons, purses, dresses, spring frocks, jewelry, accessories, clothing, spring fashions recreated from our free box or your favorite thrift store, yarn craft from yarn scraps, hand painted shoes, embroidered old jeans, let your upcycled imagination go wild.
Exhibit/Sale up through April 26th

**********************************************************************************

In my bag of tricks I had stashed seven sweet potato bags from Trader Joe's - knowing that some day I would use them in an art project -- but had no idea for what they would be used.  Great color.  Great texture.

When OFFCenter announced the Re-Style/Free-Style show, immediately my sweet potato bags came to mind.  So, I went to work:

On each bag I removed the bottom seam, then opened up each bag to create a rectangle by gently tearing one side of the mesh out from behind the label, sewed all seven bags side to side to create one giant circle, pleated the waistline, created a tie-back waistband from very wide leftover satin holiday ribbon, and at the hemline of the skirt added about 7 yards of yet more leftover holliday ribbon about 1" wide gathered into a decorative ruffle.

Here's the finished product -- it really brings a smile to my face -- I kind of hoped it wouldn't sell and I could retrieve it at the end of the show, but it indeed did sell.  So, I'm back to eating yet more sweet potatoes from Trader Joe's and collecting enough bags so I can create a Sweet Potato Party Skirt of my own!

Here's the skirt spread full circle.

And here's Houdini, checking out the skirt -- he immediately needs to investigate anything new.

And here's the skirt on a hanger ready to deliver to OffCenter.

Contest Cards

Each spring a wonderful Rubber Stamp Convention http://rubberstampevents.com/ is held in the Creative Arts Building at the Fairgrounds in Albuquerque -- an opportunity for those of us who use rubber stamps to purchase them from vendors who only sell via the internet or at shows.  When I first moved to Albuquerque, I found out about the show from a fellow shopper in China Phoenix 2 http://chinaphoenix2.com/ (Albuquerque's premier rubber stamp store) and asked her if it was worth going to.  She told me to take about $400 to spend.  I guess that answered my question!

The first couple of years I simply attended the convention, took advantage of as many demos as I could, and shopped, shopped, shopped.  Most of my card business is centered around iris paper folding, not rubber stamping.  But embossing began to intrigue me and I now use my rubber stamps mainly for embossing and have a few embossed cards in my greeting card line -- Kards by Kathleen.

I discovered at my first convention that each year there is a card contest -- with three prizes each in two different categories.  At first I had no interest in participating in the contests because all the entries had such high cute factors (lots of pastels, itty bitty little mice, sweet sayings, etc.) -- not my style -- but then I decided, why couldn't I simply do what I wanted to do, and enter my quirky cards in the contests.

So, here for a few grins and giggles for you are my card entries from the past four years -- the only years I've participated in the contests.  And, I'll have to brag -- I won prizes in three out of the four years!   There are two categories each year, but if you win in one category, you can't be a winner in the other category.

I buy a lot of unmounted stamps, and over the years have failed to keep track of which stamps I bought from whom -- but where I remember from whence the stamps have been purchased, I will so note.

None of these cards have been incorporated into my card line -- they were created for the pure pleasure of designing.

And, if you want to see card entries other than mine, you can go to the rubber stamp event website and view slideshows of the cards.



2010
Category:  Birds and Blooms

This bluebird was rubber stamped and embossed with a dark blue embossing powder -- thus -- the bluebird of happiness.   Some of the punched flowers that form my bluebird's nest are spaced away from the card with dimensional adhesive dots.   And -- drum roll please -- I won a second place prize for this card.  Quite the treat to win a prize my first year of entry!

Category 2 - Up, Up and Away



Since Albuquerque is host to the International Balloon Festival in October of each year (yet another blog post I'll have to get around to . . . ), my idea for this category indeed had to be related to hot air balloons.  My reading lady who is oblivious to the balloons outside her window was purchased from www.iloverubberstamps.com (one of the show vendors).  I purchased the used window rubber stamp from an Etsy vendor, and the set of 5 itty bitty hot air balloon rubber stamps on eBay.



2011

Category 1 - Bring on the Clowns

I currently can't find the crazy little clown baby rubber stamp -- but I am pretty sure it is a Stampington rubber stamp.  The itty bitty little milk bottles in his knock-down game came in one of those packages of embellislhment buttons.

Category 2 - Wash Day

I think this card is my absolute favorite contest card I've made -- and 2011 was not a prize-winning year for me.   However, this lady is having one good old time on wash day -- having a martini with one itty bitty little olive, balancing her box of Tide on her knee, her hair is up in rollers made from rolled paper beads, and her cat is scared to death!  I can tell you that I remember purchasing the washer on eBay -- it came in a washer/dryer set -- and the set was available in three different sizes.   The arms and legs are part of a set from Elaine Madrid's shop (one of my favorite vendors at the show) Carmen's Veranda http://carmensverandarubberstamps.com/

2012

Category 1- The Long and the Short of It

This category had me puzzled for quite awhile -- hmmm -- long and short -- short and tall, hair length, hemline length, long and short stories.  I decided I would go with long and short hemlines and found a great rubber stamp on eBay from Flonz -- a vintage pattern cover with the long and short version of culottes from the 1930's.  Here's that card:

I perched the girls on an overstuffed chair, with a copy of a sewing pattern in the background, and framed the card in cotton measuring tape ribbon.

THEN, I had an even better idea.  Since you can enter two cards in each contest I decided to go ahead and make the second card -- and -- good thing I did -- because it won first place in the category.  Happy Dance, Happy Dance!   What is the quintessential personification of long and short -- a dachshund!!  Even Webster's dictionary agrees!

The dachshund rubber stamp came from an eBay vendor and the swirly frame rubber stamp is from Stampamania stampamania.com (another of the show's vendors).

Category 2 - Friendship

I entered two cards in the Friendship category -- because I had two ideas and couldn't decide which card I liked best:

This card uses three rubber stamps -- the sun-hugging goddess, the wing, and the words.  I sliced open the cardstock along the shoulder-line of the goddess so that I could insert the dimensional wing.

Goddess:  Sun Hug 473H Stamp Oasis 1997

Wing:  Dawn Houser Uptown Rubber Stamps (comes in right and left)

Words:  Penny Black 2701F angels

Here's the return of Elaine Madrid's arms and legs; the face is 94106-M Tin Can Mail.  The gold-embossed wings were purchased unmounted and I don't remember from where.  The "air beneath my wings" rubber stamp was purchased used and is identified on the end of the wood mounting as "SG 1995 683G."

2013

Category 1 - The Early Bird

This card totally fits my quirkiness -- love the fancy lady bird rubber stamp.  You'll find it on Etsy in Mary Vogel Lozinak's shop pinkflamingo61 https://www.etsy.com/shop/pinkflamingo61 and it is called "steampunk bird with worms."  Mary's rubber stamps are outrageously wonderful.  The words below the rubber stamp are mine -- be sure to click on the image and enlarge it to see what the worms have to say to the Early Bird.  And, there's the return of the border stamp from Stampamania.

Category 2 - I'm Sorry

The first place card in this category was of course a much sweeter, nicer card than mine.  But, once again, my card speaks to my left-field sense of humor -- and I did win third prize!

The leaf border rubber stamp is from B&J's Art Stamps with artwork by Judy Duke http://www.bandjsartstamps.com/  The woman is another of Mary Vogel Lozinak's stamps -- you'll find it in her Etsy shop pinkflamingo61 and it is called "woman with hands on face."  I am pretty sure the word bubble stamp came from Linda Schmidt's iloverubberstamps.com -- if you don't find it there, I know Linda does have many word bubble stamps as I've purchased several from her.   And of course, the words are mine.

I hope that my card contest entries have given you a few belly laughs and maybe even a few ideas!



Quirky Little Houses

When I moved to Albuquerque in 2003, I found it extremely easy to integrate myself into the art scene -- people, contacts and opportunities appeared before me almost as if by magic.  One door opened onto another and another and another and I soon found I was going to have to carefully pick and choose how to spend my time because there were SO many things to do and places to go and shows in which to participate, etc.

One of the first places with which I became connected in Albuquerque was OFFCenter Community Arts Project http://www.offcenterarts.blogspot.com/  http://offcenterarts.org/

OFFCenter's Mission Statement is

We believe in artmaking as central to community building.

You can read more about the Project's vision and mission at  http://offcenterarts.org/vision.htm

Over the years I have taken workshops at OFFCenter, taught workshops at OFFCenter, modeled in wearable art fashion shows at OFFCenter, participated in "regular"  (well, at OFFCenter I guess it could also be considered "irregular") art shows, volunteered at and for OFFCenter, and I have a booth at OFFCenter's annual Folk Art Festival.  Here I am in 2009 at my booth:

One of OFFCenter's major fund-raisers for the past 7 years has been its "Albuquirky House Tour" and "Little Houses Silent Auction.  For the silent auction, artists throughout the community create small pieces of art in the form of quirky little houses.  You can start with a wooden form (usually quite quirky and crooked) supplied by OFFCenter or use anything of your own.  This year the little house auction will take place on May 3 at Sumner & Dene Gallery from 5-8 pm during the First Friday ArtsCrawl and the house tour is May 4 from 11-4pm. 

About this year's house tour:

Take a self-guided house tour of three uniquely artistic, quirky homes in Albuquerque while giving to a great cause. The homes and sculpture gardens part of this year's tour range from a violin maker's shop/home overtaken by story-high dragons, a artist/hair dresser's shop/home laden with murals and mosaics to a multi-media artist/collector's home splashed with colored walls, artwork, mosaics and more!

http://offcenterarts.org/housetour11.htm

Last year over 150 artists participated in the creation of Little Houses and the silent auction raised over $6,000!!!!

I love creating the little houses for the silent auction and have to say that I am quite pleased with my creation for this year's auction.

I picked up a blank wooden form  at OFFcenter -- made from sawed up 4x4's.  I knew exactly what I wanted to make this year, but was initially thwarted by the fact I couldn't find anywhere in my studio the wonderful bag of buttons I wanted to use for roofing tiles. 

So, on to Plan B which was pretty close to Plan A, but in an entirely different color range.  Having just completed a lot of work for the Albuquerque Art Museum's Deco Japan show, I had some leftover yuzen paper, and decided to cover the house itself with yuzen.  I sifted through the many boxes of buttons I have my studio and came up with a nice pile of buttons in the same colors as the paper.

The first two photos show the finished project -- which I call "Blue Button Bungalow" -- paper covered exterior walls, painted gable, and button roofing tiles.

The front door is adorned with a bead doorknob and black/silver moon button, a wind chime hangs from the eaves, a gray cat sits next to the WELCOME mat, and three little pots of flowers grace the front yard.

Below is a close-up shot of the button roof.

And, here are a few of my creations from previous years:

For those of you who are old enough to remember watching the "Rocky and Bullwinkle Show" -- the "Fractured Fairy Tales" portion of the show was my favorite part -- traditional fairy tales with storylines altered and modernized for humorous effect.  So, this "house" was my fractured fairytale version of "The Little Old Lady Who Lived in a Shoe" and had so many children, she didn't know what to do. Well, my little old lady knew what to do -- she "donated" some of her children to other famous fairy tale character.  A little twisted, yes.

Here's the poem I wrote to go along with the piece:

FRACTURED FAIRY TALES --
THE OLD LADY WHO LIVED IN A SHOE

There was an old lady who lived in a shoe
She had so many children she decided to get rid of a few.

Two to the shoemaker who despite of himself
Said they‘d be a great addition to his six little elves.

Two more to Cinderella to assist in her chores
Still leaving the old lady with seven children more.

Two to live with Red Riding Hood to help with the load
Of watching out for mean old wolves hiding ‘long the road.

Two to Snow White and the Handsome Prince with The Kiss
In whose loving marriage wee little ones were still amiss.

And two more to Jack with the Beanstalk green
They’d be fine companions and keep his house clean.

And the one that was left was her precious blonde child
Who would someday be a teenager - pregnant, disrespectful and wild.

But in the meantime they’d both live in the shoe
That failed to meet proper zoning, fire safety and off-street
parking regulations.
K. Schweizer
2008

I don't know who bought the house -- but I thought the non-rhyming final line would reel in an architect or city planner with as quirky a sense of humor as my own.
　

And here is my "House of Cards."  This little house is another wooden form -- both sided and roofed with tiny little playing cards from a "thumb deck" I found at one of the local dollar stores.  Each playing card is about 1-1/2" tall.  I happened to be at OFFCenter the night the house was purchased -- I always love seeing my artwork find its home!

And here are photos of my "stick houses" that are put together with twist ties.  I got started making these little guys and just didn't want to stop!

Look for future posts with more of my artwork created for or at OFFCenter!