Goodbye 2010

unusual growth, originally uploaded by artstreamstudios.

It was a year of "Unusual Growth" in many areas. Pardon the pun but not only do I love these past sculptures of Megan Bogonovich, but their title explains a lot about this year.
Our classes are full. Wonderful new teachers are in our studios. Our design work load rich, and our gallery sells steady as she goes. What can we say ? We can say thank you. To each and every one of you out there supporting handmade and supporting local. Sincerely,deeply from the bottoms of our hearts! So much on the horizon for the coming year - many surprises and much to unfold as the New Year approaches.
We will take a tiny Winter pause until the 10th. Our doors will be "open" online and we will be checking messages and emails. Until then may all of your wishes for the New Year come true!

**post script** if you want to take a trip with me to Germany, visit my tumblr, I will be updating there during our excursion

Warm wishes ...

Christmas eve will find me ... where the love light shines.

See you all in the New Year! Sparkling, happy, shiny and new!

Newness and holiday shipping still on!

Thanks to Jan over at Poppytalk for the shout out about Newness. It's the last Saturday before the holidays so get on in to check out our beautiful handmade art! We will still be shipping through Wednesday - just let us know what your shipping needs are and we are happy to accommodate! Lots of gifts for everyone (including yourself?) on your list as well as gift certificates for design work (how about those new business cards or website?) or classes/workshops!

Drop by today to say hello ...

A little before + after ...

classroom before ...

classroom after!

gallery before ...

gallery after ...

I don't think I have ever shared the before and after of artstream here, so I thought I would today. Just the photos are enough - if you have been reading this blog for awhile, you know what the gallery looks like, from my endless stream of shots. But the before pictures really give one a better picture of what our roots were. A 106 year old building with loads of potential, with priceless tin above and maple floors below. With thirty years of disrepair housing 14 physical tons of waste, ready to be knocked down for some parking spots. It holds a lot of history for those who have lived in the area. Many people remember it as a hardware store and younger people remember it as a sporting goods shop. They tell us when they come in.

It reminds me of how much we have put into our business, how we have helped to make downtown Rochester a little more beautiful, a little more aware, a little more curious, and have opened the beautiful space to those creatives from very young to established for all the world to see. At the end of each day, no matter how tired I am, I think how well spent my time has been and how very much I have enjoyed bringing beauty into the world.

The simple art of making popcorn chains

One of the things we did this weekend was string up some popcorn/cranberry chains. We love to do this when we have time and this weekend Chloe and friend Ali made some pretty ones. It's so simple. If you haven't tried it, you should!

Just get a strong thread (we used embroidery floss as it was on hand) and a needle. Pop some popcorn with the least amount of oil you can - or air pop it if you have one of those poppers. Buy a bag of fresh cranberries and keep them cold until you are ready to start. Tie a knot in the thread and begin! The popcorn is easiest strung when it is a little stale - so if you think of it, pop it the day ahead of stringing. Push the needle through the fattest part of the popped kernel as that is easiest. We do the traditional every other one being a cranberry - but you can of course do what you like with the pattern. The biggest bonus is that when the tree comes down from the holidays - the cranberry/corn garlands become such nice bird food out in the bushes in the yard.

Holidaze ...

Hope your weekend was warm and snug - ours was! No snow here yet, crazy to say that as the rest of the country seems socked in. It's been cold and rainy though, so inside yesterday felt like winter even without the snow.

Our fresh balsam tree went up along with our silver sparkler which is a family favorite. The color wheel is a thing of beauty too when it shines on the silver, but we save that for special occasions ...

We have been busy here at the gallery with shoppers and lots of little secret projects as well as one very large project going on all at the same time. We have balanced our time out and now things are running quite smoothly again. I may be absent here in the next month with lots of words - but will treat you all to photos along the way through January. We have some travels planned for the New Year and wonderful things in store for the school. Stay tuned for details!

IPS3 loving these ...

Rachel Saldana

Kate Nydam Meberg

Jenn Ski

All in the shop and the IPS3 exhibition right here at artstream!

Jenn Ski

Red bush, no snow still

It may be changing this weekend, but for now here in part of New Hampshire, we have no snow. It's pretty light though - grey fence, red berried bush. I can live without the shoveling today. Everywhere else, it seems like, snow has fallen!

Color of the Year 2011

honeysuckle

penelope dullaghan

hadley hutton


Pantone released their pick for color of the year and I was thrilled to see the red-pinky boldness of it all- Honeysuckle! (or 18-2120) WOW! A pinkish red, with no reservation, it's good news for everyone. I mean who doesn't want to be in the pink? It's universally flattering nature makes it a nice change from last year's Turquoise. What does Pantone have to say about Honeysuckle? Read on ...

While the 2010 color of the year, PANTONE 15-5519 Turquoise, served as an escape for many, Honeysuckle emboldens us to face everyday troubles with verve and vigor. A dynamic reddish pink, Honeysuckle is encouraging and uplifting. It elevates our psyche beyond escape, instilling the confidence, courage and spirit to meet the exhaustive challenges that have become part of everyday life.

“In times of stress, we need something to lift our spirits. Honeysuckle is a captivating, stimulating color that gets the adrenaline going – perfect to ward off the blues,” explains Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®. “Honeysuckle derives its positive qualities from a powerful bond to its mother color red, the most physical, viscerally alive hue in the spectrum.”

Here's to a day "in the pink". Happy Friday all!

p.s. and a special happy birthday to daughter Grace!

Inklore

Good Morning! For the next few days I wanted to point out a few of the IPS3 artists in the gallery. Kicking off with these pretty hand printed pieces by Sam Hirst of Inklore. I love her use of linen and color. A few words from Sam too about herself below - enjoy!

Hi there, my name is Sam. I am a block print artist living with my wonderful husband and adorable children in San Jose, California. When I'm not blogging, designing, or printing I enjoy all of the small pleasures of life: warm bread, fresh basil from the garden, a finished project, something pretty for my home, clean sheets, a good hearty laugh, or a cup of tea and good book.

When I started Inklore in 2008 it was with the intention of hand crafting items that add pleasure to everyday living. Whether it is a new cushion for your sofa, a hand printed card for your friend’s birthday, or a modern growth chart to keep track of how fast your children are growing, everything I make at Inklore is meant to help you and those you love savor each and every day.

Party!

before the party ...

the food arrived ... yay!

here come the guests ...

avery: crochet hats, bella: jewelry, shauna: paintings = New Faces

bring on the band!
What a wonderful time we had with our friends and clients on Saturday night! Lots of great tunes (yes there was dancing ...) and people were wowed with the art. And art went home with them too! Check out our flickr for more shots! I must thank Lisa Solomon, Heather Smith Jones and Jen Garrido for some of the most fantastic art to grace our walls this year. Simply beautiful on all levels.

Details of the exhibition

inklore

jen garrido

Lisa Solomon's Doilies - acrylic, graphite, thread

Today we have a little more light here in the gallery and I popped around with the camera to show you some special spots in the shows. I am very pleased with this show and hope that you will all check out the show tomorrow night here at the gallery or right now - online! Have a fabulous weekend!

Snowflake string tutorial

Just a simple little tutorial for some wintery decoration fun. We made these for our gallery window and I am pretty jazzed about them!

First - procure as many popsicle sticks as you can. Don't attempt to make 100 of these from actual popsicles unless you have a lot of friends! You need three for each snowflake, so plan accordingly and start next summer - or - go to your local craft store and pick up a few packs of their naked cousins - craft sticks! Grab your hotglue gun and plug it in. Have a can of white spray paint handy as well as a container of white glitter. Newspaper keeps it all tidy whilst making these things.

Lay out the sticks on a piece of paper - making one cross the other like an "X" with a dot of glue holding them together in the middle. Glue the third stick across the "X" to bisect the "X". A little this way or that makes no difference. Remember, snowflakes are all different in real life!

When you have created as many snowflakes as you need place them on newspaper or other protective paper as you are going to start painting them now. In a well ventilated area (like outside) lay down the paper with the snowflakes spread out across it, one layer thick. Spray one side of them all to cover and then let dry. We like ours sprayed lightly. A little wood peeking through looks good to us. You might like them more shiny and lacquered. Flip them over and do the other side.

While they are wet, sprinkle them with glitter. We like the white translucent kind which imparts a snowy sparkle to them. Some of you might go Vegas-style and use the more bold silver or two tone iridescent type. To each his own I say!

Once they are dry you can simply hotglue them to some monofilament line or invisible thread. Hang them up and put on your holiday lights and enjoy the sparkle! During the day they have a lovely glow too, from the glitter. Bonus! the paper you will have used to protect the surface you are working on becomes this lovely stenciled work of art too...

Finishing touches

There was a lot of moving about and juggling to do to fit all this beauty into place, but it was totally worth the work. The three women (Heather Smith Jones, Lisa Solomon and Jen Garrido) who created work for Newness really did spectacular work. The IPS3 artists have sent incredible work from all corners of the globe and we have three inaugural "New Faces" emerging artists (Bella Bigos, Avery Turner and Shauna Foley) showcasing their crochet, paintings and jewelry!

Join us for a peek tomorrow at the gallery for a preview or ready to buy online - around 5 p.m. and then come back for the party on Saturday from 5-9.

Me? I am going to have a nap ...

Holiday ornament swap!

Today I am sending out (or starting to send out) my annual ornament to the Freshly Blended Ornament swap. I have so much fun making these and getting little packages from all over the world during the month of December! Here's mine amidst the flurry of partially finished student buntings ...

Lapin, lapin, lapin!

December 1st! Where does the time go ... Today we take down/rearrange/spackle/paint and primp for our next exhibit(s) Three fabulous shows - IPS3, Newness and our newest initiative: New Faces, emerging student artists. We have 3 young artists ready to show their work on Saturday and I am bursting at the seams to share it with you. We have their category over in the shop all ready for their work - so stay tuned for that!