Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Exhibits - Getting my Art out there

Catching up on my exhibit entries – I shipped my three entries to “All Mixed Up” @ exPRESSive Art Studio and Gallery in Everett WA. Ends up being cheaper to ship than to drive up to drop off and drive up to pick up at the end of the show…. Let alone all that time wasted in the car in heavy traffic. That exhibit hangs for the month of May with the reception on May 9th from 4 to 7 pm which coincides with the Everett Art Walk.

Shipped “Merge” to the New Arts Program annual “Invitational Salon Exhibition of Small Works” in Kutztown, PA. That exhibit hangs from May 23 to July 12th.

I’m still waiting to hear from the Arts Commission of the City of Kent about their juried “Small Works” exhibit with a delivery date of 7/7.

Have my work ready for “Circles in Square Holes” exhibit @ ArtsWest. Just have to frame but the show isn’t until July.






Next week I drop off at the Sidney Museum & Gallery in Port Orchard. I need to whip something up for that show… and prepare some landscapes for an art call by 4Culture for the Harborview Medical Center Collection as well as something for “Art of the Garden” sponsored by the Arts Council of Snohomish County.
Time also to create my pieces for the Equine Art Exhibit @ Emerald Downs in Auburn… that exhibit is hung for a week in July.

So Spring’s a busy time to submit for the summer exhibits, teach my classes and find time to create new pieces… just ignore the dishes in the sink and Corgi fur floating everywhere – that is until I have to frame then I clean like a crazy person to de-fur the house especially the room that I frame in.

Last but not least waiting to hear from a job I interviewed for on Monday. I love teaching but spend a lot of time driving great distances and a part time job would be very helpful to get me back into art production at a higher quantity than what I am doing now. What with gas prices, the teaching at far away venues is just not working out to be a “profit” experience.

Monday, April 14, 2008

E4E

I forgot to post this - I was the feature for the E4E [Enterprise for Equity] Feb. 08 Newsletter:

Entrepreneur of the Month
Ellen Miffitt
Nine Lives Studio
Some people create beautiful art and some people teach art; Ellen Miffitt thrives doing both. Ellen loves the creative process: from the deceptive simplicity of Sumi-e to the complexity of combining various materials in her collage/mixed media and the miniature clay techniques in her Precious Metal Clay jewelry.
She has shifted the emphasis of her business in the last few years to include more art classes for very young artists and senior citizens from Western Washington. One class Ellen enjoys facilitating for groups of 8 or more are her Artist's Way Creativity Workshops. One participant said of this class, "Ellen made it easy for me to explore my talent and my fears around taking time for myself to create art…the class was excellent." Ellen loves to laugh and celebrate the creativity of each participant in her classes, wherever she goes.

“Nibbles - Year of the Rat”
There are some venues like the Edmonds Art Festival, Shop the Frontier, Puyallup Fair, and the Equine Show where Ellen consistently shows her work because her paintings sell! For those of you who are familiar with Ellen's Sumi-e (East Asian wash painting), she has had beautiful pieces shown in juried art shows and galleries around the Northwest.
Her work is valued by her art peers and an enthusiastic and growing group of collectors. As artist-in-residence at the Museum of Glass in Tacoma she worked with patrons of every age. Since taking Enterprise for Equity's Business Training class Ellen has consistently taken the pulse of her customers and tailored her business to meet those needs.

“Now What Do I Do?”

“My Enterprise for Equity business vision and mission statement and the following bumper stickers are hung over my desk. 'Attitudes are the Real Disability', 'Failure is Impossible' and 'Don't Put Your Dreams on Hold' are constant reminders to stay positive, in the now, and persevere to keep creatively moving forward.”
-- Ellen

Enterprise for Equity is a community supported nonprofit thathelps people with limited incomes start and sustain small businesses.We grow entrepreneurs! Enterprise for Equity is an equal opportunity provider.

Saturday, April 12, 2008

Today I finally got working on collages for an exhibit - "Circles in Square Holes" - that will be hung in July at ArtsWest in Seattle. The other two artists are Deborah Cahn and Jan Koutsky.

Since the end of last year to now I have done very little art mostly due to teaching so many classes but partly discouraged about art sales. How does one keep inspired to create with low sales despite as many as 40 exhibits?
Thankful for the muse to touch my spirit again as I have six collages almost completed.

Here's my next exhibit announcement:

exPRESSive Arts Studio and Gallery
3710 W Mukilteo Blvd
Everett, WA 98203

“All Mixed Up”
Show Event Dates: May 1 – 31, 2008
Reception Date: Friday May 9, 2008 from 6-9pm

The following three pieces have been accepted into All Mixed Up, a mixed media exhibit.
Inaccessible
Finding My Bearings Homage to Eve

Friday, April 11, 2008

Time Flies!

Where has time gone -
So many classes taught and so little time for anything else!

Hope you all avoided the dreaded flu... wow did that put me down for 4+weeks.

Currently I have a solo exhibit at:

Edmonds Public Library Exhibition Space
650 Main Street, Edmonds WA

Vestige

"Art of Collage"
April 1 to April 30
Hours
M-Thurs 10am to 9 pm
Fri 10am-6pm
Sat 10am-5pm
Sun 1-5pm


Current May & June classes include:

Watercolor Pencil Demo - 4/19 at 2 pm for South Sound Art Guild, Tumwater Methodist Church, Tumwater, WA

Artist Trading Cards - May 3 from 9 to 4 pm – Olympia Parks and Recreation – 222 Columbia Street NW, Olympia WA 98501
www.ci.olympia.wa.us/par Call 360.753.8380

Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain - May 6, 13, 20, 26 and June 3, 6: 30 to 8: 30 pm The Evergreen State College Extended Education Program - Call for more information 360-867-5515 or
extendededucation@evergreen.edu

Introduction to Basic Enameling - May 5, 12, & 19 from 6 to 8:30 pm - Olympia Parks and Recreation – 222 Columbia Street NW, Olympia WA 98501
www.ci.olympia.wa.us/par Call 360.753.8380

Introduction to Basic Enameling - 5/8-6/5 from 1 -3 pm Lakewood Community Center 9112 Lakewood Dr SW, Lakewood, WA 98499 call for class fee and registration (253) 798-4199

Collage: Exploring the Written Word through Art - 5/10 from 9:30 to 3:30 pm The Evergreen State College Extended Education Program - Call for more information 360-867-5515 or
extendededucation@evergreen.edu

Collage-inspired Enamels - 5/17 from 9 to 4 pm Olympia Parks and Recreation – 222 Columbia Street NW, Olympia WA 98501
www.ci.olympia.wa.us/par Call 360.753.8380

Painting with Water Soluble Colored Pencils - 5/31 from 9 to 4 pm Olympia Parks and Recreation – 222 Columbia Street NW, Olympia WA 98501
www.ci.olympia.wa.us/par Call 360.753.8380

Introduction to Precious Metal Clay - 6/ 2, 9, 16, & 23 from 9:30 to noon Mason County Senior Center, 826 Railroad Avenue, Shelton, WA http://www.mcsaa.org

Design Principles: An Introduction - 6/ 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 & 7/7 from 6:30 to 8:30 pm Olympia Parks and Recreation – 222 Columbia Street NW, Olympia WA 98501
www.ci.olympia.wa.us/par Call 360.753.8380

Travel Sketching/Watercolor Pencil Workshop - 6/7 from 9 to 4 pm Olympia Parks and Recreation – 222 Columbia Street NW, Olympia WA 98501
www.ci.olympia.wa.us/par Call 360.753.8380

Art of Papermaking - 6/12-7/3 from 1-3 pm Lakewood Community Center 9112 Lakewood Dr SW, Lakewood, WA 98499 call for class fee and registration (253) 798-4199

Design Principles - 6/18-7/23 Wednesdays 6:00pm-8:00pm Shelton Parks & Recreation - Shelton Civic Center, 525 West Cota Street, Shelton, WA 98584 - 360-426-9731

Art of Papermaking - 6/21st from 10 to 4 Burien Recreation & Cultural Services, 425 SW 144th Street, Burien, WA 98166-1545 - 260-988-3703
www.burienparks.net

Relief Printing: Lino Cut - 6/28 from 9-4 pm Olympia Parks and Recreation – 222 Columbia Street NW, Olympia WA 98501
www.ci.olympia.wa.us/par Call 360.753.8380