Summer is winding down

Summer Camps here at artstream are almost over. Summer classes are too - except for those fabulous Clay class students who have wheedled another two weeks out of me. That's just fine as we love them so much! Here are a few highlights of the summer classes at artstream. Did you get the memo that The Art Weekend is open for registration now? Well - it is!

100 fish

Each year we (my daughters and I) make small clay tokens for the Rochester Children's reading program at the library. One year it was aliens, the next small traffic cones and then tokens. This year's theme was involving the ocean so we made fish. This all comes from my childhood in Cedar Rapids Iowa where the local public library handed out such items after reading a designated amount of books. I always loved our library as a child and also now as an adult. So it's fitting to give back. This year we ran out of time and so some have more detail than others. I think they all made a big splash however ... (pardon the pun) Thanks have to go to Bella too as she helped out with half of them! Stay tuned for big news about The Art Weekend - registration is OPEN!

a bumbler

the weekend in the garden and lots of flower gathering. notice that the bumbler has a friend. the japanese beetle. he is a maker of holes and as pretty as his colorful outside is, i am really not happy with his appetite for our flowers.

Sushi-etiquette

via the fabulous Swissmiss how great is this?

A little this and that!

overalls in porcelain

silkscreened porcelain vase
Presenting some porcelain workshop pieces which I enjoyed making -- (which really is a little preview of what YOU canexpect to doat Megan's offerings at The Art Workshop at artstream! )

Stop by our site for more information -- registration opens on Monday - August 9,2010!!

We love our design clients so much that we let them ride their bikes right in to see us! (hee hee Dean!)

Did you happen to see these colorful Jen Mastre necklaces in the shop? We also have quite a few Amy Rice pieces on found objects!

amy rice

Here are a couple of our happy art campers this past week here at artstream. Summer camps are closed up - but there are all new classes ready to go the week of September 13th and registration is open now for them!

Giant Doily

amber and her giant doily, originally uploaded by artstreamstudios.

and Amber. She made this with her grandma and it's magnificent. Just had to share! On our way to getting the show hung for Saturday night and everything spiffed up!

Tim Wirth :: Modern Machinery

New exhibition in the works here at artstream -- Tim Wirth - Modern Machinery" Lots of goodness being sorted out to hang tomorrow afternoon. Drop by on Saturday from 5-7 p.m. for the opening party. Really. amazing. works. Check them all out in the pre-sale catagory of the shop.

psst: The Art Workshop site will be live later this afternoon - will give everyone a heads up!

Week's end wrapup

dawn by susan schwake
It's been a full week -- with lovely weather today too, it's a joy to prepare for our party tonight for "Carbon Copy" encaustic work by Amy Ruppel. Don't forget the giveaway from Blik which happens too from 5-7 during the party. The winner must be present to win at 7:15 - we will draw 5 names and they will win the beautifully designed wall decals. These decals are great for any room in the home!

one of the 3 patterns of decals to be given away tonight!

I also had some moments to finish up some work on paper which have been lying dormant for too long. Above is one of them entitled "dusk". See them in the shop too as the are ready to go

We are also busily putting the finishing touches on "The Art Weekend" portion of our site which will house all the class and teacher information, the details and the registration form. This weekend will satisfy so many requests for more extended instruction at our studios that I am thrilled we can offer it this October.

The Art Weekend at artstream ...

We are thrilled to announce a new extended souped up version of our popular one day workshops here at artstream. Appropriately enough they are called "The Art Weekend at artstream" . Friday night, Saturday all day and Sunday all day art, yoga, community and fun with some very amazing instructors and fine art classes. All set in lovely New Hampshire at peak foliage season. Think warm days and crisp nights with nothing to stand in your way of making some new discoveries about your art!

Mark your calendars for October 15 - 17th for this fall -- you won't want to miss it! All the details and accommodations info will be on a new part of our website next week. Until then shoot me an email if you just can't wait!

coming in October ...

coming in October ..., originally uploaded by artstreamstudios.

Just a little teaser ... more tomorrow!

Silkscreening on Clay workshop!

Saturday brought Megan Bogonovich to our studio and a whole lot of fun. We held a six hour clay workshop which focused on porcelain and silkscreening onto clay. I'll let the photos do the talking - interested? Just you wait -- October is going to be bringing an ENTIRE art weekend to artstreamstudios. More on that soon.

Amy Ruppel's closing party!

photo credit: Blik
It's with great excitement which I share with you all here the news of a big bonus to our "closing party" for Amy Ruppel's show on Friday August 30th here at artstream - A GIVEAWAY! of the finest sort!

Blik - the nice people who make fabulous wall decals - are giving away five (yes FIVE) of Amy's three designs to give away that night to five of the very lucky people who drop in to see the show. We will have a drawing at 7 and you must be here to win. More on the party to come!

Summertime!

It was a wonderful week at Cape Cod, with waves beyond belief, seafood, walks and lots of books. I read three books by Rachel Cusk and one by the Welch family. All good. It always is so relaxing at the beach with no real agenda but what time to leave for home or which type of food do we wish to nibble while spread on the blanket. I guess it was over due for all of us! Upon returning home, the first thing which we always run to see is the garden.

One zucchini which Iwas pretty sure was going to shrivel up and die must have loved the hot humid weather and turned into a beast!

The flowers and herbs went crazy too as you can see above - and the mystery plant - turns out to be pumpkins. We think. Maybe. Tomorrow starts a new fresh week of camps with Printmaking and I just can't wait! See you tomorrow!

Amber Lavalley :: new works

portrait of a black haired girl

boy doll
Amber Lavalley just brought in some new very affordable works on paper - portraits with modern twists. Check them all out here! I love her decorative twists she adds to these pieces...

Full bloom

Just a little snapshot from Chloe this morning - in our back garden. We get a lot of hummingbirds and butterflies with our perennials and sometimes if we are very quiet - a capture of the moment. Stay cool! It's brutal out there! Stop back today for a peek at some new work from Amber Lavalley...

The long weekend

Hello dear friends. Sorry I have been away. It was a long weekend. Of the good kind. The kind which took me into the depths of the hottest humidity I can stand, making me purchase a mojito muddler and back again. Truly draining hot weather. Which brought me to the "lower level" of our house only to sort boxes and find some family treasures. My dearest great Aunt Florence (on the left) as a young woman with a friend and her baby. She was so beautiful and elegant and even as I imagine in the heat of the summer, in all those turn of the century clothes - collected. I had to share this as it was just so touching to me. Keep cool people. It's almost vacation on the Cape time!

Amy-Ruppel :: harvester-goat

Amy-Ruppel-harvester-goat, originally uploaded by artstreamstudios.

Just another peek at the beautiful work which is now available at the gallery! Happy Fourth of July!

July brings Amy Ruppel : Carbon Copy

Oh the month of July - it brings such beautiful things: summer sun, beaches, hikes and bike rides. It also brings Amy Ruppel to our gallery with one of the most beautiful shows to hit our walls in some time! Amy has etched into black tinted beeswax - a variety of animal portraits and they are simply stunning. Take a peek at our site and see for yourself! Everything has been framed in beautiful antique frames which Amy herself scoured the market places for. Oh you just have to come by and see this show! On July 30th from 5-7 we will have a meet the artist reception with Amy, so you can come meet this incredible artist and ask her questions about her work!

Patchwork pattern maker

Whoa! Sometimes something so great comes along that you just have to spend a little too much time fooling around with it. Such is the great find via Whipup - The Patchwork Pattern Maker

It's a tool which I might just have to use to make my second quilt for daughter Chloe later this summer. She wants a black and white quilt with one spot of color - so maybe I will just have her zip me up a drawing for the pattern maker to create! Or maybe I will use the above pattern I just made using one of my photoshopped photographs ... hmm, that might be a bit much! Anyway, this tool is simply too much fun - try it!

Megan Bogonovich :: Deerakeete

Deerakeete, originally uploaded by artstreamstudios.

Who doesn't need a sweet little deer a keete in their home? Hop over to the shop to find it for sale now and check out it's other little friends ... they are all a little strange and wonderful!

It's summer people ... that special time which we in the New England area dream of for the other 9 months. So sweet it is! Hope your Monday is spectacular!

The Rochester Opera House

Hello Saturday! It is a wonderful warm weekend here - today we pulled up a few of our radishes (yes, we got a late start ...) and some of the mustard spinach will be our lunch I believe.

Last night Mary Jo and I spend the early evening at a gala at the Rochester Opera House. What an evening filled with celebration of our city's crown jewel. It is 102 years old and fully restored and boasts the only moving floor (from raised slanted with seating to flat dancefloor) mechanism in the entire world. It's been a few years since I was on the board and I was completely wowed with the distance that Cathy Taylor and her crew have come in restoring this magnificent historical gem.

The years ahead will bring so much entertainment and culture to our city if everyone pulls together to make it happen.

Other news: upcoming exhibition with Amy Ruppel and her magnificent black wax encaustics are upon the horizon!

Children's artwork

Focus on Chloe. Daughter Chloe brought home a couple of works from this semester's art classes and sort of blew us away. This elephant is made from paper mache and paper towels, (for wrinkles she added) and lots of hours of painting. Going up in our new entry way as it just pulls you into the room. Apparently it's going to be one of many new animals gracing our room as she loves trophy rooms (as an idea - not an actuality) and paper mache animals are pretty cool.

New Foundling jewelry in the shop

Foundling jewelry is so beautiful, so perfect for giving that it is always exciting to open new packages from Betsy when it arrives. This piece is no exception - Lucky indeed who receives this necklace. Available in our shop right here! I hope everyone is enjoying the incredible sunshine we are experiencing here in NH. It just makes my heart sing!

About last week ... what a time it was!

Broken bones and sweet 16 parties on the heels of a public art exhibition launch and a gallery show both for me and for artstream. Hello Monday! How did you take so long to get here?

My mom broke her shoulder in two places last week, just in time for daughter Chloe's 16th birthday bash and an opening of my work over at Lucy's Art Emporium. phew. Exhausted ? You bet!

But mom is on the mend and Chloe's party was a smash hit, she was so happy about it and her friends had a great time too. So what's to complain about? Not much! Looking forward to getting back to normal this week and flex some art skills around the studio. Peeks into new work coming out of the kiln by Megan Bogonovich, scenes from tonight's upcoming end of the year student art show and much more. Stay tuned and happy Monday!

new work from -- me!

8x8x1 inch mixed media "plan" on cradled panel

5x5x2 "sulk" mixed media on paper, framed

Hello all - it's been a whirlwind of activity here at the gallery and personally. Daughter Grace returned home from France this past week, we launched the new Rocks project and opened a new show with Dustan Knight! Personally I finished up some new pieces and have them over in San Francisco at Rare Device, some new birds at Lucy's Art Emporium in Dover for a show this month and new "little black dresses and birds" here at artstream. So yah. I've been busy. Just a little peek at the birds and black dresses ones - Daisy will be showing you more at facebook I think and you can get the ones from artstream right in our shop! Happy sunny Monday!

Dustan Knight : "Lush"

Dustan Knight "lush", originally uploaded by artstreamstudios.

Spring is here and really, it feels almost like summer with the extreme warm weather... perfect time to invite Dustan Knight into the gallery.
Click through the photo to see all of her works which we will unveil in both the shop and the gallery on Friday!
Busy busy here -- daughter Grace arrived home from France and welll, we have got some catching up to do!