Holiday Boutique at the Village Artists Gallery and Studio

Dear Family and Friends,
I hope You can come to an art show and holiday boutique where I will be displaying my work.  I will have jewelry, pottery, watercolor paintings and vintage boxes just in time for your holiday gift shopping!

Hope to see you there!

Collaboration

I have been making pottery for over a year and I've started dabbling in jewelry.  What I like to make besides bowls are leaves out of clay.  I have had a few of my designs on Etsy featured in the RetroBabs Vintage shop.

I made this maple leaf necklace for the fall.  It happened to catch the eye of a wonderful artist, Barb Herb-Bonk.
She makes beaded jewelry and asked me to collaborate with her.  Barb created these designs using my pottery leaf and medallions.

I think they look fantastic and she really enhanced my work!   I am thrilled.

Making jewelry is another outlet for my pottery.
Here are the designs I came up with for the Village Artists show.  The show will be a Holiday Boutique on Dec 2-3rd in Homewood, IL.   They are located on Ridge Road and the gallery will features many artists from the group.

You can see I took a different route, than did Barb, but I tend to like simple jewelry.   I fashion these leaves and medallions out of clay slabs, hand sculpt them and then they are glazed at a high temperature in the kiln to give them that patina. 

I hope you can come to the show and celebrate the holidays with me!
A heartfelt thanks to Barb for a wonderful collaboration and using my pottery in her jewelry.
Blessings
Babs

Girlfriends in Homewood

I wanted to introduce you to a new friend-
Helen Fortino from GIRLFRIENDS in Homewood, IL.  She is the
proprietor /manager.  It is part upscale - resale and thrift store and part charitable animal awareness.  She donates part of her proceeds to NAWS -National Animal Welfare Society.
GIRLFRIENDS is located at 18046 Martin Ave. in Homewood, IL

She has agreed to show my wares as handmade pet dishes.  You can see a few of them here on this bureau.  Her customers are very receptive to this idea.  My bowls are bottom heavy and large, we think they will not move around or tip when the animal eats.  I am keeping my fingers crossed!

Her shop is filled to the brim with wonderful items, from clothing and  housewares to animal products.  I know I will enjoy collaborating with Helen.

I have been making some new designs with vintage silver plate spoons.  Helen asked if I would make a pet grave marker.  Here is what I came up with for her.
( Rest in Peace Felix) This was for her beloved pet.

Buying the silver plate spoons, hammering them flat, and stamping them is a lot of work.  I'm usually in a flop sweat by the end of the process!
I have made garden markers for herbs and  left a set with her.   I will custom stamp the names of the HERBS that the customers request.
You can see more spoon art at RetroBabs Vintage on Etsy.

I look forward to adding new art work and thinking of new uses for the silver  spoons.  Made this coat rack for a family member, personalized hooks.

You may reach Helen at the shop 708-206-2080. 

WWW.NAWSUS.org for the organization.
Blessings, Babs.

Kiln

It feels very good to work with clay again.  I have thrown four bowls on the wheel at the Village Artists studio.  I have also been working on more leaves for necklaces. 
Best of all I have been given a free kiln!
  It is currently not working but I have not given up hope.  The kiln is a model 181 Skutt and it is old from 1960-1979.  I was given this from the Beverly Art Center, I answered an ad on Craigslist!  They told me that if I can get it working it can be used to slump glass as well as fire clay.  Of course this picture is off the Skutt website and is a new small kiln but this will give you an idea of what I am working with size wise. I am pretty excited.

We are getting ready for our Grand Opening and we are also going to have classes again.

The Village Artists will be starting classes again at our new space.  Artist, Pat Moore, has graciously accepted the teaching position.
The classes are as follows:


2011 Class Schedule
1957 Ridge Road
Homewood, IL 60430
708.798.4774

This beautiful art work is by Pat Moore, our Instructor.

Kids Classes ages 5-9 -  Instructed by  Artist Pat Moore

Art Variety 1
Saturdays: 2PM-3PM, May 7, 14, 21, & 28
Fee: $60 Materials included

Youth Classes ages 10-18 - Instructed by  Artist Pat Moore

Art Variety 2
Saturdays: 3:15PM-4:45PM, May 7, 14, 21 & 28
Fee :$75 Materials included

Teens and Adults Classes - Instructed by Artist Pat Moore

Mixed Media
Mondays: 3PM-4:30PM, May 9, 16, and 23, June 6 &13
Fee: $75 Materials not included

Construction is finished at the Village Artists

Construction is finished at the Village Artists store front in Homewood, IL.  The walls are painted and the floors are new.  Will be ready for our Grand Opening/Open House on April 29-30.  I have been working on more vintage boxes, creating miniature watercolor paintings.  I have also been making some more leaves for necklaces.  I hope they will be fired for glaze by the time of the show.

The boxes are fun, each one speaks to me, calling for a different painting.

This one is titled, "Cherub" and is a music box inside with room for jewelry or trinkets.

Last but not least, I wanted to show you my grandchildren, how they are growing!

Penny is a peanut, a sweet pea, blond with blue eyes.  Miles is all boy, dark eyes and tons of hair.  He out weighs his cousin even though he is 8 weeks younger!  Proud Gramma loves them to pieces, Skypes weekly and cannot wait to go and see them.

RetroBabs Vintage and our Upcycled, ReMixed Clock/Plate Featured on Handmadeology

In my other life I have a shop on Etsy to feed my habit and hobby for vintage. Together with my daughter, Bec, we make ReMixed, Upcycled and Repurposed art work. Bec works on vintage fabric and I make Clocks out of Mid-Cetury modern Plates.

We are very excited to be featured in the Handmadeology blog.  We love Tim and we are members of his team on Etsy.   We were so surprised when we went to our daily list of blog readings to find ourselves in a post from Cindy at RetroChalet about Upcycled clocks!
The clock above is the Swiss Chalet pattern by Marcrest.

This is the clock/plate featured in the article, Check it out -full article at RetroChalet's post!

The Village Artists-Grand Opening

The Village Artists will be having a Spring Art Show, Grand Opening and Open House.

Friday  April 29th 2011  from  5 pm to 8 pm

Saturday April 30th 2011 from 10 am to 3 pm

Please stop by and visit us - 

See the art work, meet our members and let us show off our new space! 

Village  Artists

1957 Ridge Road, Homewood, IL 60430
708.798.4774

Come and see my new art work.  I have been making some new watercolors inside some vintage jewelry/trinket boxes.  I will also have some work displayed at the Flossmoor Village Library at the end of this month.

Hope to see you there!  Our construction is almost finished and I will be getting back to pottery soon.

Love is in the Air and so is the Dust

Love is in the air and we are well on our way to Valentines day.  I have been busy revamping my art studio.  So much clutter.....!!!  I was sewing a lot for the grandkids for Christmas and  sewing stuff is all mixed in with art supplies.  I hope to continue on this path of vintage boxes and original watercolor paintings.  Each little box speaks to me and seems to say what type of painting they want!
 OK, I admit it,  I am loosing it, that means I've been up there toooooo long cleaning and dusting.
 I hope the Village Artists studio space will be ready soon. It is currently under construction and the pottery space has been bombed out for two months.  I long to throw pots and bowls again.

I made some resolutions for 2011:
To blog faithfully
To clean up after myself
To do my paper work
To paint or throw pots consistently
To swim at least once per week
To be thankful
I think these are doable and I will leave you with this one thought . Be Kind to Each Other.

Love Babs

New art work, vintage key box

I have been making some new art.  I am combining my vintage world (RetroBabs Vintage & ReMix on Etsy) with my art world.   I have been taking vintage boxes that I find at antiques stores, resale shops and estate sales and placing my original watercolor paintings inside.  I think the results are stunning.
( if I do say so myself)

The title of this painting is "The Yellow Rose"