Sunday, February 28, 2010

3 Large Houses Finished!

These large houses are finally finished and on their way to their new home. I'm going to miss these 3! They are the first 3 large houses that I have created and I tend to become attached to those things that I spend so much time creating, especially the first ones! But they will be well loved where they are going, I'm sure of it.

I'm still working on a variety of little clay creations for the art festival that I will be attending in May. So I will be posting some examples of those soon.

Have a nice week!
~Beth

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Fanpage on Facebook...


...well I actually did it. I created a fanpage on Facebook. It seems really odd, but I've decided that if I really expect to make a full time business out of my art, I must promote myself. That is one of the hardest things that I've ever done! I have always been well...the quiet, shy one. At least that is how my friends and family used to know me. I do not find it easy to talk about myself, especially in a positive way. However, over the last several years, I have gained more and more confidence in myself and my art. And with being an art teacher for 27 years, I've also learned to get over being shy. I don't think of myself as shy anymore. Quiet yes, but not shy. When I say quiet, I don't mean that I don't talk, I just don't feel the need to talk all the time.

So, with that said, if you want to follow me on Facebook, please do. You certainly will not get inundated with constant updates on my status or invitations to all kinds of things. I do plan to use my Facebook Fanpage to post pictures of what I'm working on currently and give information about where my work will be available to see or to purchase, if one so desires! Many friends and long time aquaintances have not really had any way to know what kind of art that I do create. If you have read this blog very much, you might realize that I have a little ADD...attention deficit disorder...because I work with several different media and a couple of styles. My work ranges from detailed colored pencil drawings, detailed architectural pen and ink studies, to whimsical and some abstract paintings and creations in clay. My clay pieces also tend to lean towards the architectural subjects...mainly houses. I blame my ADD on being an art teacher and the need to learn and teach a variety of subjects, techniques, and media. Depends on what I'm in the mood to work on, or what a customer may have requested.

So, now that I have 'talked' more in one day than I usually do, I hope that you will 'be a Fan'!

And to those who are already followers or fans...
Thanks for your support!
~Beth

Etsy Seller Spotlight!

If you are looking for some cute, cute pre-made scrapbooks, scrapbook covers, mini albums, or even a custom silhouette, then this shop is one you should check out! She also makes some very cute and stylish bracelets that are made of recycled paper. She also sells a variety of boxes, tags, and other paper craft items. I ordered some Christmas gift tags from her and they are sooo cute! I can't wait to use them next Christmas. I was also the lucky winner of the recipe box shown above in a recent give away that she held to celebrate the grand opening of her new shop on Etsy, PapercutKitchen.
Sunny is also an amazing Arkansas Artist! Please check out her blog Papercut Kitchen...custom scrapbooks & unique paper crafts. You can follow her on her blog, on Facebook, on Twitter! She has a great sense of humor, so go check her out! And buy some cute stuff!
Enjoy browsing through Papercut Kitchen!
~Beth

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Dogs do the cutest things...

...and this one does his share. My daughter is home visiting with her 2 dogs this week. She came for the weekend, but it snowed and she ended up staying for a few more days. So last night I hear Radar, the Papillon, chirping (that is what I call his bark when he wants someone's attention). So my daughter went to investigate. She called me in there to see this...Radar perched on top of the basket of towels in the laundry room! Just sitting on top and looking at us, looking at him. No amount of coaxing would convince him to come down. I had time to go get the camera and take several pictures. I have no idea what he was doing or wanting from us. But he seemed very content.



And yes, that is his Razorback sweater. Isn't he cute?
~Beth

Monday, February 1, 2010

Snowy Weekend!


We rarely get snow, but we had a snowy Friday that ended up looking like this photo by Saturday morning. I love snow! I don't have to deal with it all the time, so its not so bad to get a pretty snow once or twice a year around here. I don't have to get out in it because school has been closed for 2 days and will be closed again tomorrow (Tuesday).


Because of the time off, I've been able to get the three Extra large houses finished. Now they have to dry and get fired and glazed. These large houses get much more detail than the mini houses. They were fun, but much more time consuming! Here are a couple of photos.

Here the walls are going together. I had my husband take photos when I put the walls together, but...the memory card was not in the camera! So, maybe next time I'll get it!

And here are the 3 houses. Next I will fire them, glaze them, and they will be done.



If you double click on the photo, you can see a larger version. I know its a little hard to see in this small photo.

So I'm thinking that I might make some that are 6" or 8" tall. I think they would be less difficult to get together. You know, its funny how one idea leads to another! This all started with a clay tile with a fish, that led to a tile with a doghouse, that led to a whimsical house, that led to a mini house made from clay scraps...

Happy Snow Day!
Beth

My Kiln

My Little Kiln She is small but mighty. She gets the job done.  The size of my kiln does limit what I can create, but I get a lot of use o...