Art Show At The Capital City Market

I have posted a card above that advertises the 8th Street Capital City Market Place. I did not do the art on it on it but yesterday (Saturday) I got a chance, at the last minute, to be a part of this market place. I was part of the Emerging Artists exhibit at the Boise Capital City Market. Normally, you can only exhibit once during the year at this Emerging Artists show and I scheduled myself for an exhibit on June 20th. You can sign up to do more than one show, but you have to be on a waiting list then wait for someone to cancel. Another artist happened to cancel for May 30th and they asked me to fill in. The show was from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

It was unusually hot Saturday, about 85 degrees. I didn't make quite as much in sales as I usually do at this show, which is probably a reflection of the bad economy, but I still did fairly well. This show has NO booth fee so any sales you get is profit.

From now until the fall, I don't have to work as a custodian anymore! Yay! I am very happy about that because the custodial job is very hard on my back and has been causing too many trips to the chiropractor. I am looking forward to this summer because I have several art shows, art projects, home rennovation projects to do, as well as some art classes I may be teaching soon. I am also going to look around for another part-time job for this fall to see if I can find something that isn't so hard on my back.

Art Shows This Spring/Summer

I have posted above a postcard advertising the current Vine Arts Exhibit at the Vineyard. It is called the Creator's Heart. One of my watercolors is on this card. It is the third one from the left, top row, with the blue sky and the three little crosses. I was happy that my art made the cover of this advertisement. This show will be up until sometime in July.

This is a busy time of year for me. I have two art shows in June and then I have to deliver some of my art (for sale) to the Sawtooth Artisan's gift shop and gallery in Stanley, Idaho. Then I have a one-man show in July at the Happy Fish & Sushi Bar in downtown Boise.

Multiple Musings

Lately I have been thinking about ways I can further simplify my life. It has gotten way TOO complicated--too much debt, too many bills, too little money coming in, too little time for my artwork, too many other things to manage and maintain that keep me away from my real passion--my art and getting my BFA in Art Education. Then there are those annoying dysfunctional people who pop into your life and drain you of the creative energy that you are trying to save for your artwork. I want to just dump it all and focus totally on the goals that are important to me. But sometimes that is easier said than done.

I have been kicking around some ideas to solve this problem. One of them is to rent out a room downstairs in my house to bring in some extra money. Then I wouldn't have to find some part-time job that fits my school schedule and takes time away from doing my artwork. But renting out a room also has complications attached to it. I can't do this until the plumbing in the bathroom is fixed and right now we have no money to do that. Then there is the problem of WHO to rent the room out to? Who do we feel we can actually live with and be compatible enough with?

Sometimes I wish I lived with a rich relative or that I lived in a cave that didn't have a mortgage, an electric bill, or a gas bill attached to it.

Draw Like An Egyptian

My Art Methods Class at BSU is over. I'm kind of sad to see it go. I really enjoyed getting acquainted with my classmates. There will be other classes I have yet to take with this same teacher, so I am looking forward to that.

Last Thursday, I presented an art lesson to the BSU 322 Art Methods Class. This was something everyone had to do and it took the place of a final exam. I wasn't nearly as nervous as I thought I'd be. I know everyone in class, so no one was a stranger. That helped a lot!

My lesson was on Egyptian art and was called "Draw Like An Egyptian". I have a fascination for Egyptian art and history. (I'm a big fan of movies like The Mummy and Stargate.) I brought a CD player and played that song by the Bangles, "Walk Like An Egyptian". That was a big hit with everyone. Later on in the class I asked if they would like to hear that song again and they all said "Yes!"

I have posted above a picture of the project that I taught in class. I had a really cool Egyptian coloring book that used actual designs found in the tombs of Egypt. I photocopied several pages for everyone so they could use these. They were to take one of these designs and a piece of tracing paper and some drawing paper. Then I taught them how to use graphite pencil to create a drawing that you could transfer onto white drawing paper. Then you go over it with permanent marker and color it in with colored pencil, or colored markers, or you can use watercolor pencils. I also introduced to the class my method of using turpenoid with colored pencils to create a "painted" effect. The last step was to use Egyptian Hyroglyphics to write your own name on the drawing. I had a sheet of paper that translated our alphabet into the matching Eygptian Hyroglyphic symbol. I used a really cool stamp pad kit that my teacher let me use for this lesson. The hyroglyphics you see on my drawing is actually my first name, "Bev" in "Egyptian".

I had SO much fun teaching this class and I felt like a REAL teacher! Now the trick is find a way to actually get paid to do this! This was a special moment for me because I got to taste what it would be like to actually be a teacher in a school environment. And I have to say, I'm hooked!

Vine Arts Gallery Show "The Creator's Heart"

April Elk

Three Crosses

Sunday, May 3rd, was the reception (at the Vineyard Church) for the new art show at the Vine Arts Gallery. The theme of this show is The Creator's Heart. I have posted above the two pieces that I have currently on exhibit.

There was one piece in the show that really intriqued me. I think you would call it "performance art". It was the kind of art where the viewing public becomes a part of the art on itself. There was a mirror and a huge white sheet with paint drippings underneath. The art statement said something like, "God has created you as someone special and He wants to remove and heal the things you are struggling with so you can be what He wants you to be. I invite you to write on this sheet whatever problem/obstacle you are struggling with, then look in the mirror and see that you are a very special part of God's creation." Those aren't the exact words, but the meaning is the same. I thought this was a fantastic idea! Lots of people were writing things on the big sheet. I wrote "discouragement" and "grief from the loss of a pet".

Last Week of Art Methods Class

I have posted (above) a photo of part of a Batik I did in Art Methods Class a few weeks ago. Batiking is an art form that uses melted wax and special fabric paint/dye. I have never done anything like this before and I loved it. I thought it came out pretty good for my first attempt.

This coming week is the last week of my Art Methods Class at BSU. I have been spending most of my spare time working on my presentation for class, which will be about 20 minutes. We don't have finals for this class. Instead, we have to do a presentation of a lesson or part of a lesson that we would teach in grade school or junior high. I am teaching a lesson on Egyptian Art called, "Draw Like An Egyptian."

Last Friday I gave an art lesson to three children at the school I work at. They are the children of a custodian who works there. She needed someone to watch her kids while she finished up her shift at work, so I volunteered to teach art lessons. I used this for part of my homework for Art Methods class. We made Mother's Day cards and an origami star book. It was fun and the kids and I had a good time.

I have two more weeks of work before summer break and I am looking forward to a change of pace. (Work ends until the new school year in August/September). I have lots of art shows that I have arranged to do this summer. I am also looking around for a part-time summer job, but whether or not I will get one in this difficult job market, I don't know. Then for Memorial Day weekend, I am going to the Sawtooth mountains in Stanley and then spending a day in Sun Valley. So I have much to look forward to!