Musings from the Nest

I am not really sure where the last 6 months have gone. It is almost a blur. Every one is relatively well…I think. I was telling a friend that I now truly understand the meaning of the saying…Life is what happens while you are making other plans. There is lots going on at the shop and it promises to be an exciting season. Bear with.

I have to mention a few exciting things….Trish Baldwin Seggebruch will be here to teach an incredible 3 day workshop on Encaustic Painting and techniques.  Coinciding with this we will now be carrying R&F Encaustics and oil sticks. These products are gorgeous and lush…a portable oil paint….wonderful quality.  Ampersands Clayboards and Encaustic boards will now be available at The Upstart Crow. Also we have Canadian made Kama Pigments oil sticks. These are perfect for incorporating into drawings and mixed media projects and like Kroma Paints, Canadian made….go Canada.

Now available are Michael deMengs “Shades of Alchemy” color fans…super cool

One of the the Fall items that the Crow are most excited about is the arrival of our new jewelry line.  Made by hand in Ojai California ….Love Heals.  This amazing family business, creates ethically sourced jewelry and for every strand sold plants 10, yes 10 trees…and the jewelry is GORGEOUS.

Love Heals also has a new line called Be Creative. This will give you the opportunity to select your own strand and add charms and jewels as you like creating a one of a kind piece that is unique to only you.

“It was the best of times… “  Well the good news is that our blog now appears to be fully operational. I am excited to now be able to share images and photos. I hope to share thoughts and inspirations with you and will try to help keep those creative juices flowing. This is also where I hope to be able to let you know about the really great things that are up and coming at The Crow  and maybe share somethings that go on behind the scenes as well.

“….It was the worst of times…”  I know many of you have noticed my absence from the shop this week. I had a family emergency and have needed to head down south and see my Dad. He had to have an emergency appendectomy ( go figure ) and a few other complications arose. Unfortunately he will be in the hospital a few more days but, the good news, he is on the mend. I will be away for a few days yet and I look forward to seeing you all when I return. In addition, Chris and I have had family matters that we have been struggling with up home. All I can say about our struggles up home is that Alzheimers is a cruel, cruel disease …sigh.. I thank you for your patience and understanding while we take this part of our journey.

Mask Maker, Mask Maker, Make Me a Mask
Workshop length: Two Day
All levels
Description:
I collect masks. I’m not sure what it is but ever since I was a kid I have always been intrigued by the idea of transforming ones identity. That is why I love masks. Perhaps it’s a superhero thing, but mask making is one of the oldest cultural traditions in the world, in fact the earliest example being from the Stone Age. The hunter would were animal masks to disguise themselves and stalk prey. They transformed themselves into the animals they were hunting. In essence this is what a mask does, it changes the wearer into something else. Have you ever noticed when you wear a mask you act a little differently, that you temporarily lose yourself and become whatever the mask represents?
In this class we are going to play with this concept and using various found objects or existing masks, we are going to transform them into strange and unusual facial disguises. This is a two day class. This gives you the opportunity to make plaster forms from your own face if you are so inclined. It also allows ample drying time for some of the constructions before they are transformed with paint and texture.
Making masks is different than merely wearing them; it can be a process for artists to reveal what is veiled inside one’s soul. It is a strange art form that keeps secrets but also simultaneously unearths hidden worlds. Oh, the irony.

I hope that everyone has been enjoying some down time. It has been a great season and I really enjoyed seeing all of you who stopped by to see Mama Crow there were some faces that I had not seen in a while and it was great to see you all. I love the holidays. I am going to be hunkered down for the next few days getting the next few months classes and workshops set and online. There are some exciting new classes and some great workshops. Michael deMeng is coming back …yippee…. Violette will be coming to teach and inspire as well …and I am off to Artfest. I can hardly wait. Stay tuned I will have more info later this week…

Join us Saturday November 28th at The Upstart Crow for our annual OPEN HOUSE.
Tons of treats and treasures. Our stockings are stuffed with goodies for giving. See you there!

Be sure to mark Saturday October 17th on your calendars! From 1-3pm Violette, authour of Journal Bliss, will be giving us a sneak peak of some of the techniques she will be teaching in her November 14th workshop. You are welcome to pull up a stool…the coffee will be on …and check it all out.

And they are off.. just a couple of sleeps and the kids are back to school. Holy cow! Where did that summer go? This year 5 children, 5 different schools..ugh! Oh well off we go.

This is going to be a great season at “The Crow”. Some terrific teachers are going to be offering up some new classes for us and I can hardly wait. The will be up on the website by the end of the week.

Gorgeous necklaces, bracelets and earrings from designer Kate Dugas. Beautifully etched in silver and copper. All one of a kind pieces. Oh so pretty.

Lovely pottery has just arrived, new glazes, come by and see!

Getting ready for the last “Art in the Village” of 2009. It is hard to believe that the summer is almost over .The weather is still lovely so lets enjoy as long as possible! I will be painting and “demo-ing” the day away tomorrow and then tomorrow night a bit of a guilty pleasure..AC/DC.

Next week I will be finalizing the upcoming classes. I it will be a great season.   Stay tuned!

Busy lining up the fall schedule….. Lots of new classes. Promise to have them online soon! In addition to beading, we will have art classes and workshops to help feed your creative soul! Plus a couple of new artists and some exciting stuff! More info shortly!