I wanted my classroom door to be a destination that was memorable, so I decided to paint it like this just before school started. I think I will add to it every year. The PrinciPAL is still getting used to it. Continue reading

Today I had fun with the Jennys'! My friend Jennifer Star had a class on making bull kelp pod rattles. I thought it would be a nice addition to my cultural art project lesson plans so I signed up. Jenny (in photo) was in the class too and made two super rattles as well. We had a great time. Jen has classes each month. I highly recommend them if you are interested in making art with recycled materials with a super awesome person. She has her schedule posted for the next class here. I made one rattle into a singing... Continue reading

Lately, I have been on a bowl making kick. Not just cereal bowls, but larger. It started when I told my sister I'd make her another one because her dog jumped up on the counter and broke the one I had made for her years ago. Now, I am obsessed with making the perfect size, shape and thickness to match my mental image. I'm going to post the process as I get closer to the final one in the series. The image is the second one in the series. I am trimming the foot. Stay tuned for the evolution of... Continue reading

I think it is super important to keep learning. Even if you have learned something before, there are a million ways people teach it that can make it new to you. It has been years since I threw on the wheel. Now that I am teaching ceramics again I thought I had better brush up on my skills. I'm taking a six week class from master potter Gary Gall. He is showing us how he throws off the hump. His specialty are these thrown goblets. Pretty cool, ah? Continue reading

Sometimes as an art teacher you have to create lessons backward. By that I mean you have to look at a pile of something you have acquired and make it work to help teach the masses without breaking the budget. Well, wallpaper sample books are my focus right now. They are taking up half the garage and I have more on the way, so it is crunch time. Last year we painted portraits on them with acrylic paints. That worked well for high school, but in middle school we only have tempera paint. That is a "no go" for sticking... Continue reading

To increase tourism in our little beach community the local Historical Society decided to try out a Scarecrow Festival in October three years ago. The first year there were a few dozen scarecrows around the Museum. It was pretty sad, really. But Taylor Hilden did not give up. She had a vision and she would not stop until it took shape. She contacted me and my artis friend Jennifer Starr to help her get this Scarecrow thing going. We agreed to do a few workshops in the summer to help people feel confident enough to make something for the next... Continue reading

Well, with the close of the year comes goals and resolutions. I have several. Like most people I plan to eat healthier and exercise more. I also have several art goals for 2012. Here are a few: ■I am going to do more videos of short classroom lessons and projects. As you can guess, making videos and content for this site takes a lot of time and energy. Instead of trying to do this separate from my day job, I am going to try and make the videos while I have the stuff set up for my regular peeps. More... Continue reading

In Julia Cameron's book, The Artists Way she explains how important it is for creative people to refill the reservoir that is draw upon so much. We can't expect our creativity to be a pitcher that never empties. We simply MUST go out and be inspired! That is where Julia has coined the "Artist Date" concept. Take yourself out or call up a partner to just go out with and look at stuff. Museums, store windows or in this case it was yarn shops and thrift stores with my sister. We spent the day Thrift Shop Hopping and at a... Continue reading

This weekend is the 927 Art Show. It is by far the most fun art show of the year here in the artist colony of Cambria, California. The show is a special event that only lasts a weekend (July 24th and 25th) at the Veteran's Hall downtown. It is extra fun because it is all non-traditional stuff. If anyone enters the classic landscape in this one, it will be painfully out of place. This show (22nd annual) is about parody, clever visual puns, social statements and just plain fun art. This year I have two entries ready to roll. Here... Continue reading

The Cambria Historical Society asked if I would put on a workshop to help folks in the community get started early on a scarecrow for the 2nd Annual Scarecrow and Harvest Festival. It was a fun day with sunshine and just a small breeze (something I was very worried about). I had a few nightmares of paper mache' newspapers flying off the tables and littering the beautiful gardens of the museum. I had a lot of helpers, so it went very smoothly. I believe there were about 30 people there. Here is a video that I put together showing a... Continue reading

The Cambria Allied Arts Association decided to try out a size required show for a fund raiser. All of the entries were to be 8"x8". The participants could enter up to three pieces. If the artist bought the canvas from Allied Arts Gallery the entry fee was waived. Almost all of the entries were on the stamped canvases. There were about 110 entries in all. Over the course of the two day show 15 paintings sold. All of the paintings were for sale for $75.00 each. On Saturday there were demonstrating artists doing a variety of mediums along the side... Continue reading

I finished the three little 8"x8" paintings for the art show that is only accepting this size. It should be really fun to see all of the paintings that show up on Friday. I'm part of the take-in and hanging team. It should be a good turn out since it will be right next to the farmers market and tourist season has started to pick up. Here are my little entry paintings. Blue Lamb Tide Pool The Sower Continue reading

I had to make a little video for you all to see what is going on around here. Comments are always welcome. Continue reading

My Sunshine Dolls have found a new mission as Prayer Dolls. The concept of the Sunshine Dolls were a pay-it-forward thing. If someone was having a bad day and needed a little "Sunshine" the gift was a smile maker. I had another idea( message?)to make these little hand held dolls into comforting prayer aides. I started making them with the sample scrap fabrics from the discontinued books interior design stores throw away.I Added a firmly stitched on cross and some tactile hair for a get well gift for ill people in the hospital. As with all my art adventures, they... Continue reading

I'm normally not a person that gets into holidays. The commercial aspect of holidays is a real turn off for me. But, I have to say I LOVE EASTER! It is such a day of hope and joy, it can't even be dampened by the mass consumption aspect of it. The resurrection of Jesus and the gift God gave us, makes the day my favorite to celebrate each time it comes around. This year it was made even more special by spending it with my Granddaughter, Brooke. She has an illuminating presence that can fill the darkest places. Her happy... Continue reading

Youth Art Month has been celebrated Nationally in th United States since 1961. Now more than ever we need to be up front and vocal about how important the arts are to us in our children's education. If we don't speak up the talking heads will deem it a disposable item in public education. Take a look at the following photos of our celebration and be inspired to do something,anything, in your community to get art out there. Share the talents and unfiltered beauty of children's art in your town. I dare you to have as much fun as we... Continue reading

Say hello to my little friend, Hummer. I'm teaching him to speak and do simple tricks. Just kidding. He had a little encounter with the window and needed a little time to recover. He hung out and vacationed with the humans for a bit and now waves from the window as he gets a free meal from the feeder. It is hummingbird central here. I am relatively sure we are the off ramp of Hummingbird Highway. Any time we go outside the little birds are zipping past our heads like a mad bumble bees. There is a constant hummingbird banter... Continue reading

This is the Art & Wine Festival Weekend in Cambria. The participating artists are going to be busy little bees. Here is a run down on what is happening. We put up the new Art Show in the gallery at the Old Grammar School. It is totally full now! Continue reading

This is the down side of living in a lush forest with wildlife all around. This is not our house, but it is in the neighborhood. It could have happened to any of us and that is what is so unnerving every time the wind and rain combination come into play. The winds were clocked as 47 miles per hour gusts at times. We were without power for a few days. It seems a given in any storm here. Power lines don't do well with trees across them. The up side is we finally got some rain and I caught... Continue reading

Since I have starting using video to make art instruction videos about 6 months ago, I have discovered them as another medium to express myself as an artist. As I become more comfortable with the process, just like with any new media, I am discovering how to make it a vehicle for my creative expression. First was the Scrubjay video and now this one. If you want to see all my youtube videos check out SuzetsStudio on Youtube. Continue reading

Recently, I made a Sunshine Doll with crinkle stuffing inside for our friend "Buck". Our good friends Mike and Liz were very reluctant to give the handmade Sunshine Doll to him in fear that he might destroy her like he does many of his other toys. But, I assured them it was okay if he did. Well, they sent me these heart warming photos of "Buck" and his Sunshine girl getting along just fine. Next, I'm game for a Squeeky Sunshine Doll! Continue reading

The Friends of the Hearst Castleasked me to participate in the "Artreach"program today. It was so much fun! Artists were paired with young artists for a day of touring the castle, lunch and an art making experience. Even though I have been on the castle tours several times, I always learn something new. Jill, the docent, was very knowledgeable and added fun trivia that made it even more memorable. I was so lucky to get my young artist friend Meg. She said she was so excited about the trip she could not sleep the night before. We had a blast... Continue reading

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This year is pretty darn tight for me just like many other folks. I have very little money to go out and shop for gifts. But, what I do have is time. I am making stuff with what I have for people on my list. Re-purposing is a popular term for it. I started thinking about this popular term and my time. It is not a renewable resource. You only get so much, and that is it. You are done. I thought about re-purposing my time. What I can give my time to that is a re-purposing gift? I'm thinking... Continue reading