Miami Tribe Powwow

I had a great time at the outdoor art show at the Miami Tribe Powwow in Miami, Oklahoma this weekend.  And for those of you who are not from Oklahoma...it is not pronounced like the city in Florida.  Here both the city and the tribe, Miami, is pronounced: my-yam-muh.

 I meant to take pictures but was very busy most of the time and I only managed to get the one above.  I sold this turtle drawing to a happy customer!  

I met folks from several tribes, states, and countries who came to Miami just for this event!  Everyone seemed so happy and it lifted my spirits that were a little low at the beginning of the event!!!

I'm thrilled to report that the children I met at the show were amazing.  They were well-behaved, appreciative of the art, slow to touch, and delightful conversationalists. 

Tabby, who had the sweetest spirit, and Cheyenne, the Miami princess, helped me unload my art from the car. Later Tabby braided my hair and shared some family history...Did you know that in the Miami tribe there are no cousins?  They consider each other sisters.

David was the grandson of one of the vendors,   Sorry to say that I did not make it over to her booth to tell her what a wonderful impression he made.  He was about 13 and shows promise for becoming an artist some day.   This handsome boy was kind, considerate, and smart! He even offered to find supplies for me along the riverbank! 

  One particular six year old,  Joslyn, watched me beading the wire end of my Fancy Feathers.  She was very patient and quiet...and then softly said, "I would like to make one of those."  There was such tenderness in that little voice.  I let her bead one of my paper feather creations, and her great grandmother decided to buy it for her.  It was not my intention to make a sale by showing the child how to place beads on a wire, but that act brought the sale of two more older children in the family who wanted to bead their own paper Fancy Feathers....all sweet beautiful kids.  

And I am not sure, but I think the lady who came up and bought 5 Fancy Feathers from my table was also a relative.  It pays to be nice to children!  

But be nice to them because they are our future, not for a sale!

David, Horses, Museums, Sluggers, and Good Food in Louisville, KY

These photos were taken last July (2014) in Louisville, Kentucky.   I'm slow in posting them. Such a beautiful and interesting art infused city deserves it's space here, despite the delay.

Artist, Serkan Ozkaya, believed that Michelangelo's "David" in Florence, Italy was the greatest masterpiece.  When he rendered his own "David (Inspired by Michelangelo)," he made the gold spray-painted fiberglass sculpture twice the size of Michelangelo's work.  Ozkaya's statue collapsed before days before it was to be shown at the opening of the 9th International Istanbul Biennial in 2005, and had to be restored. In 2011, 21c Museum ,  commissioned the 30-foot-tall sculpture’s journey from Istanbul to Louisville.  After being rebuilt in Turkey, 21c Museum arranged its transfer to Louisville.”  It is now located on the corner of 7th & Main, outside 21c Museum Hotel. 

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And speaking of 21c Museum Hotel, it is an amazing hotel/art gallery combination!  In years past it was a 19th-century warehouse, but now its rooms are filled with suites, a restaurant, a spa and exciting art. Their limosine is RED!!!

  

The modes of transportation in Louisville?  Everything from bicycles and cars to Cinderella-like horse-drawn carriages, and red glass pebble-covered museum/hotel limosines!

Close-up of 21c Museum Hotel's red glass-pebble covered limosine.

This mixed-media tornado sculpture above is made of a variety of found objects drops from an upper story of 21c Museum Hotel to the ground floor. 

Other works of art in 21c Museum Hotel . . .

Plastic Red Penguins were all over the museum, inside and out, and the ones indoors mysteriously moved from one location to another approximately each hour! :-)

I paused to think about this: Once the bird has flown away, what will we do with the cage? 

Pulled myself away from this wonderful art and walked further down the street:

Found some interesting jewelry in nearby museum shops.
   

  

                                                               
    And this neat wire horse sculpture.

And back outside.... still more....



Horses, horses, horses, in Louisville.  Lots of horse memorbelia, sculptures, jewelry, art, horseshoes, etc...

Can you say, "Kentucky Derby?"




Moving on...

This Louisville Slugger Museum was a fun stop!  Actually saw Louisville Sluggers being made inside.  And I found some neat little baseball bat earrings here to wear to my next Driller's game back in Tulsa!

Almost time for dinner...at Eddie Merlot's.  This place will spoil you!  Environment, service, food! Yup! REALLY fabulous food! And Chef Chris is awesome!

Someone is hiding behind this tree!!!

Do you know what kind of tree has this gorgeous bark? I LOVE IT!!! If you happen to know I would appreciate an email at studioabsee@yahoo.com

Like everyone else that passes by, I had to stop to catch my reflection in the big disc outside Louisville Science Center.

Twinkling at Studio A B See

I am a member of 

and I LOVE their products!

This eagle drawing was a black and white India ink drawing  in my sketchbook a few days ago.  I  decided to enhance my eagle with some brilliant, bold  colors using my new set of Twinkling H2O's from ColourArte.com.  Always ready to experiment, I activated my new hardpan watercolors by spraying water directly into their container. Then I painted on top of the permanent inks.  If you don't want the ink to bleed, be sure it is permanent!  Love the way the ink lines show through these vibrant colors.

Twinkling H2O's  jars may look small, but the colors go a lonnnnng way.  When I am finished with a creation, I allow the product to dry and then replace the lids.  They can be reactivated later by spraying them with water again.   I love carrying the dry paints when I travel for obvious reasons...no messy spills in the car!  And dry watercolors aren't as bulky or heavy as liquid paints.  

I've fallen in love with all of the ColourArte products! Brilliant, iridescent paints fill my life these days!  And what a pleasant way to spend my time!Click HERE  to view daily tutorials on the blog and to access the store and workshop offers. 

Any questions?  Email me at studioabsee@yahoo.com

Second Love

My dear friend, Candy Schuringa and her husband, own a lovely antique shop in Dewey, Oklahoma, called Second Love.  I visited her shop this week and found  gorgeous well-displayed high-end antiques.  Everything was beautiful, and I was thrilled to find the most gorgeous art dolls!  She has other Pepper Hume dolls in the shop, but I fell in love with this one!

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Isn't she beautiful?

I did a little online research and found a photo of Pepper Hume with this doll.  You can see it  here

http://www.dollworx.com/

"State of the Arts" at Crystal Bridges

I mentioned earlier that I discovered the greatest museum over in Arkansas...a nice Saturday morning drive from me .  A must see show for all mixed media artists is "State of the Arts."  Last day for this is Jan. 19, 2014.
Here is a taste of the delights at this show.  Of course, pictures never do justice to being there.

Bonnet made from over 200,000 pearl head straight pins, created by an Arizona artist.

It's hand carved wood....need I say more?  Amazing....

These creations remind me of giant spindles.  Created mostly from medicine bottles, straws, beads, and rope. Just beautiful!

Ever read a paperback romance? How about making art from thousands of them?

Detail of Forever above/>>>>>>>

This is NOT your grandma's traditional Native American beadwork....well, it is, but it isn't.

This painting was huge. Just guessing, perhaps 7 feet across?  If not impressed by the size alone, perhaps that it was a study in focus, done a brushstroke at a time. Beautifully rendered....

Crystal Bridges in Bentonville, Arkansas

This  beautiful sculpture greets you at the entrance of Crystal Bridges.  The museum is free of charge, including audio earphones which guide you through the artworks.    Lots of seating throughout both bridges (museum area) so  you can relax as you tour.  I enjoyed the museum store almost as much as the museum.

Georgia O'Keefe?  I was surprised to find that the artist was one I knew well...I wouldn't have guessed that this was her work.

 Rosie was painted by Norman Rockwell.

This is titled "The Lantern Bearers" by Maxwell Parrish

And this beautiful sculpture was one of my favorites at Crystal Bridges....

Summer Art and Activities

Nowata, Oklahoma...Bowling Ball Art

Was not prepared to find this treat when I followed a highway sign to this remote location.  Mr. Barbee has been collecting bowling balls for only eight years, but his art fills a huge space.  It is well worth the drive.  Here are a few of the treasures:

Fence made of bowling balls...

 The pink breast cancer ribbon  and American flag   made from  bowling balls















      Pool table with bowling balls.  In background see the alphabet.



                                     
                           

 A building made of bowling balls...Inside are more art pieces made of bowling balls.

Ft. Wayne Museum of Art: Glass

I am always inspired by viewing the art of other artists and I visit as many museums and art shows as possible when I travel.    Two summers ago I happened up on a wonderful glass show in Ft. Wayne Indiana.  The show was titled 2013 Summer of Glass.   One of the few mediums that I have never tried is glass! (but I collect broken bits of colored glass..Does that count?)

When I returned to the same museum the next year, (2014) I was very surprised to see another wonderful glass show!  The following photos were taken there:

I fell in love with the contemporary glass works.  Dale Chihuly's Secret Garden was on display along with the award winners from the 41st Annual International Glass Invitational.  And there were also works from The Next Generatioin of Studio Glass. Sorry for the overused word, but the show was AWESOME!