From the Bookshelf

Wendy Addison's Theatre of Dreams - the name of her amazing studio and the name of her handmade,letter press, limited to 400 copies, book. I was lucky enough to see the book last Christmas season when we visited her enchanting studio in Port Costa. There are still a few copies left, check out Wendy's blog for info on ordering.


Today and tomorrow are the beginning of Sawdust & Tinsel , her 3 holiday open houses. 10-4 each day. If you can't make it this weekend, there will be two more chances, Dec.4-5 and Dec. 11-12. If you are anywhere within a day's drive of the East Bay area it's definitely worth the trip. Plenty of reasonable motels in nearby Berkeley if you need to stay over night. The Theatre of Dreams is a magical experience that you'll never forget!

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Cigar Box Wednesday

Lenses - in eye glasses, in magnifying glasses, dark glasses, doll's glasses



Waiting to bring that fine detail in a journal or assemblage into focus.

In this cigar box, the "eyes" have it!

Curiouser and Curiouser!

This is the current bulletin board in our children's department here at the Cambria Library. "Alice in Wonderland" - done by my colleague Destiny Carter. Using the John Tenniel illustrations from the original edition, she drew them in various sizes and put them together with playing cards of different dimensions and 3-D tables.

Alice being chastised by the Red Queen

"Off with her head!"


"Eat me, Drink Me."

A Mad Tea Party

Needless to say, children and parents alike are delighted with Destiny's work, She has turned our children's corner into a real Wonderland!

Amazing and Extraoridnary

shapeshifter

"Brian Jurgen (b. 1970, Dunne-za First Nations/Swiss-Canadian) uses mass-produced goods to make sculptures that are simultaneously fake and authentic, playful and political, common and extraordinary." This is the introduction on his website and then you are taken into a world of amazement and wonder. shapeshifter a whale skeleton made of plastic lawn chairs.

blanket no. 7

Professional sport jerseys provide the material for blanket no.7 and waste disposal cans are used to create carapace below.

carapace

Brian's works are currently on display, until August 8, 2010, at the NMAI on the National Mall, Washington, DC.
All photos courtesy NMAI

Early Morning Beach

Cayucos Beach, just after sunrise, long, long shadows and cool, crisp air.

I'm In!

The Winter 2010 edition of Somerset Gallery will be hitting the newsstands on December 1 and if you turn to page 97 you'll see my piece entitled The Perry Girls Ride the Range.

It's made in a wooden cigar box that I painted and papered and embellished.

That's my 4 year old self in the Hoppalong Cassidy shirt and my older sister Becky, looking like she might rather be somewhere else. Every Christmas when I was young I got new six shooters and a new cowboy hat - but the addition of the shirt was extra special.

This was an extremely fun piece to work on as it brought up wonderful memories of a very happy childhood.