2015 Wonderful New Year.

Kathleen, I answered your comments, but then decided to post, also... This is the entry to Road to Calif. Special exhibit, " Personal App",  It will be traveling for about 2 years. Will probably forget it is on the road.  This is named, Vivian's Journey..  Lots of hand dyes, applique, photo of my painted tennis shoes, photography, and stamping of words on the roadway.  It was fun, about 36 X 36". Showing this month at Road to Calif Quilt Show, week end of 23rd..

I am hoping some friends get photos of the show, not just my piece, I know what it looks like.
Lets, get together soon, weather now seems like summer,

Hugs, to all vivian

Dear Sisters in Spirit. . .

. . . I have been thinking of you and wondering how you all are and if you ever look at our Sisters blog. Just wanted to say hello and that I think of you often and wonder how the months and years can be going so fast. I'm loving almost every moment at my studio/gallery/classroom--still!--and finding it to be a very productive place for me to be. I'm less interested in teaching classes than I am in painting and creating there, which is an interesting revelation. I'm currently involved in a "30 Paintings in 30 Days" Challenge for the month of January, agonizing a bit regarding taxes (NOT one of my favorite things!), and currently acting as President of the Sanger Downtown Business Association. Surprising, eh? I'm enjoying that role also. Just lost my favorite kitty to a fast car and my  not-so-fast car to a possible dead transmission--today. :( Life does go on. Other than those 2 not so good things, we are well and busy--new swimming pool surfacing and finishing off the garage (as a garage, not a room) are our current projects--more Roy's than mine, with the gallery taking much of my time and energy. Pop in and say hello, if you can--either at the gallery, or HERE, if need be. Allyson's name brings back good memories of our times together, each time I come across her book or her name on one of her "tweets" on my phone or iPad. More soon, I hope--trying to get back to blogging with more regularity!

Love,

Kathleen

Flash Mob Sierra Artists

Well, I think our little blog has been quiet long enough... We are all running around on tangents.. creating art, and trying to keep up with daily agenda's.. Our group of seven is now 6. But we are still Sisters to the Seventh Power... although Kathleen could explain that better than I.

Several of us that belong to Timberline Gallery were chatting and sharing ideas.. How, to encourage people to come by the Oakhurst Artists Gallery Row , share in the fun.. Enjoy a good laugh!... We had been tossing ideas out from 2 pm on, about 4:45, when we were all planning to leave at 4, some one hit on the idea of the Flash Mob. Kathleen had participated in one in Fresno, and it was a fun time, with a variety of artists.

Now we are trying to get the word out in the mountains and the valley.. This is not just a mountain gathering, but a gathering for all the arts, and art lovers...As the flier above reads.. for every one.. Thank you Joyce for putting the flier together.. This is a free gathering for everyone, bring your art to work on, photographers, bring your camera, or... Come and enjoy! Pass this on, gather your friends.. come early if you wish,, tour the galleries.. munch on some food, chat with neighbors, artist, dancers, musicians.

Fabric Dyeing Class 2011

Friday June 10th and Sat. June 11 th... are fabric dyeing class days at Vivian's Studio... Let me know if you are able to come, email at vivianhelena@sti.net... This is a fun day, with jars of dyed, bright colors of fabric to take home and create something wonderful.. Still some openings available.. We have a wonderful salad luncheon and get to know what projects we have in mind. Sharing the excitement.

Sierra Mountain Quilt Show.

It has been a wild month.. I had an opportunity to visit the AQS Quilt Show in Paducah.. and no we did not get flooded out. It was amazing, and I go into detail more on my Creates Blog, so will not bore you. here.

Sierra Mountain Quilters had their quilt show last week, and Julie and I shared a booth.. We would have loved to see more attendance, but between the threat of rain we did very well, enjoyed chatting about our art... And I heard later that many went by Timberline Gallery in Oakhurst to view more of our art pieces.

I was showing and selling English Paper Pieces and also had sign ups for the Fabric Dyeing and an English Paper Piecing class ( later in the month) that will be held at my studio on June 10th or 11th. You have a choice of days. So if you are in the area and would like to attend, please contact me at my email.

The quilts on the right are the design that my friend Kathy and I did for the Adult Ed.. Patterns are available.

January Gathering

Julie, Anita, and I gathered at Vivian's house last Wednesday. We talked about 1 chapter of the book (Secret 5, "Committing to Self-Focus") we are reading together. The book is called "12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women" by Gail McMeekin.

Secret 5 talks about the critical skill of Self-focus which is necessary for creative women to be able to indulge in our inspirations and devote the time necessary for innovation. The topics covered in the chapter were:

•Confronting Fears of Selfishness
•Putting Yourself on Top of the Priority List
•Honoring Your Holistic Style
•Setting Boundaries
•Creating Solitude
•Supporting Self-focus in Other Women


We had a good discussion about the chapter and a nice salad lunch.Vivian showed us all how to make "fabric paper", a combination of fabrics and papers bonded together with a diluted mixture of white glue. The embellished fabric paper can be painted, sewn, woven etc. into books, mixed media works, spirit figures etc. It was fun to experiment with a new technique and to spend time together.

We will meet again the 3rd Wednesday in February to visit Gallery Central in Fresno, have lunch together at a restaurant, and discuss Secret 6 (Conquering Saboteurs) from the book.

  

Anita isn't in the photos because she took them. 

Thank you, Anita!

A New Year, a New Book, New Goals, and New Accomplishments! And maybe the year we get all our ducks in a row! :)

We meet to discuss the book on Wednesday and I have been reading it carefully but taking notes much LESS carefully. I know that I've gotten a lot from what I read but I can't remember many details. We plan to meet and instead of starting at the beginning, we will start with the second part of the book, around page 73. One of us will photograph the cover so you can find it easily at the book store or on Amazon if you are interested in reading it along with us. It would make a great book for any group of artists to use as a book study. I'll tell you more in the next couple of days and certainly after we meet on Wednesday.

From the Daily Om to 12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women

Every day I receive wonderful input from my email connections, the one I enjoyed today was from the Daily Om: When we can allow ourselves to receive as well as give, we do our part to keep the channels of abundance open.

Our Sisters Seven have been introduced by Julie Mitchell to a book called the "12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women," by Gail Mc Meekin.. I ordered it from Amazon, and it sat during the holiday season.. This month the gals are meeting and want to review sections of it and discuss what we have read.

I decided to read it during one of my New Years Resolutions, spending time on the Treadmill.. Now, I am hooked, Reading over the list of ladies that share on these pages, I am surprised that the book is not larger, only 200 plus. Many of the ladies names I recognize, many I don't.

I am looking forward to reading what they have to say, and what my "sisters" interpret from what we are reading.. This is very different from Alyson Stanfield Book, "I'd Rather be in the Studio". That was an organizational book, and sort of an on going bible of awarness.. And we are getting ourselves organized. That was a wonderful book, and it brought our little band of artists together.

We will let you know how this book affects each of us in the weeks to come.

Merry Christmas dear artistic friends.

Since no one seems to be writing on this blog, I thought I would put my new Christmas socks with their full glory on the site.
Here is hoping my dear friends and fellow artists a joyous, safe, warm Christmas Celebration. Happiness and Health for the New Year, and looking forward to a rewarding, prosperous, 2011. And above all the continuation of the fantastic friendship that has grown over the last year. Hugs, and love, to all,, vivian

Water, Source of Life

Hey, Next time I need one or more of the Sisters Seven to make me laugh when having a photo taken.. Ralph is taking the photo, and I can see my thoughts as, "just push the button, honey"! It was a beautiful show.. nice crowd and enjoyable evening.. It is still hanging at Stellar Gallery in Oakhurst. The variety of art is amazing.. Stop by if you have a chance. Oh, forgot to tell which are my pieces,,,, the skull head, "35 Cows" and the Mixed Media Art Quilt, "Fish and Game", this was a juried show.

Where do the Weeks GO?

I'm not sure where the summer and now the fall have disappeared to. I thought when I retired four years ago, time would "slow down" and things would happen in slow motion. But such is NOT the case. I am busier than ever, but it is by choice. I sometimes feel like shrieking "Stop the world--I wanna get OFF! But just for a bit, until I catch my breath." It's a whole different feeling, doing what you want to do instead of what you have to do.

One of the ways we can "cultivate" collectors--send them "snail" mail!

Sisters 7 came together as a "salon marketing group" formed around a study of Alyson Stanfield's book, "I'd Rather Be In the Studio". We studied, conversed, practiced, changed our ways, and became friends in the process. I learned so much from the first course that I've gone on to take 2 online courses from Alyson. The first was called "Cultivate Collectors" and the one I'm taking now is called "Getting Organized" and that's what I am currently working on. It's all about making my office area more useful, efficient, and productive as well as establishing a process for task management. Check out her website and her blog if such a thing interests you. And keep on keepin' on, making art and enjoying life.

You Missed it !

Great fun, lots of chatter, painting, creating and friendship. A house full of ladies, but as you can see I took the photos when no one was looking.

Kathleen has a natural wooded yard, full of areas for excellent photos, and Fri. I took full advantage of it..

Where was everyone??? Eating a delicious lunch.. The studio is so inspiring, as is the rest of the house, you will have to check my blog to see more photos.. Amazing day... Thank you Kathleen!!!!

Vivian Helena, Sierra Art Trails

Sierra Art Trails was a exhilarating experience again. I have participated in all but 2 years. This year I was at Julie Michell's Home Studio, in Coarsegold, with 2 other fantastic artists. I am mainly a Mixed Media Fiber Artist. I love working with gourds, paint, jewelry and yarns.

I quilted a series of wall kites, the larger one is hand painted, beaded, appliqued, with ribbon streamers, named "Texas Rose". The smaller one in the corner called "Floral Kite". I displayed "Shrine to Land and Sky", which is in the book 1000 Artisan Textiles. Sometimes I frame my pieces, other times they hang so that you can see the fine stitching and texture. I displayed my hand dyed scarves, jewelry and miniature gourd necklaces. It was a delightful day of friends, and new friends being welcomed to our site.

Sierra Art Trails

Sierra Art Trails has come and gone and we were able to greet many visitors at Julie Mitchell's home studio in Coarsegold. 

The things to be grateful for during the weekend:

1. Wonderful people!
2. Fabulous cool weather on Sunday!
3. Julie's hospitality
4. Sales!
5. Fun with the artists
6. Teamwork
7. New friends and collectors
8. Opportunity  to meet the artists and watch them work
9. Being part of a large and well-organized Open Studio event
10. A spectacular lightning show on Saturday evening
11. Surviving the storm with no permanent damage
12. Looking back and laughing about the weather challenges

It was all a lot of work, but well worth it. Will we do it again? Next year, SAT 2011!

Front Page- Sierra Star

Congrats Joan, Front Page of the Sierra Star!

Want to know more about Joan's mural? Be sure to contact her directly, or you might see her visiting with the artists on Sierra Art Trails, on Oct. 2 & 3rd.

Tropical Breeze, Mixed Media Fiber Art, Sierra Art Trails

Sierra art Trails is just around the corner Oct. 2 & 3. We will be at Julie's Studio in Coarsegold #'s 65 -69, Kathleen, Ellen, Gretchen and me, Vivian. We are looking forward to chatting and explaining how we create our pieces.. There will be a variety of techniques.. Julie has her Spirit Figures, Kathleen, Mixed Media, Watercolor, Ellen, creates in Ceramics, and Mixed Media, Gretchen is Fiber art, Sculpture, and Mixed Media.. and I will be showing my gourds, jewelry, and Mixed Media Fiber Art. Also some of my hand dyed scarves, and fabric will be available.

Anita Stoll will be at her own Home Studio and is # 78 in the catalog. Come and enjoy the week end, with art, food, and I think you might be able to even stop at a tasting room or two.

You will have an opportunity to find out how varied Mixed Media can be, since we all do our own version of it.

Adult Ed Class- 6 week course.

It is that wild time of year. Getting ready for Sierra Art Trails, and classes starting with Adult Ed.
The Black, Red and White Quilt was made by Kathy Millhollon. Kathy and I got together to design this wall hanging for the Adult Ed Class in Oakhurst, starting in Sept..

I used Batiks and Hand dyed fabrics for mine. We did not confer after we worked out the pattern. This way ladies can decide how they want to add to theirs to make it more personal. These quilts are about 32" X 32", great for a little table top, wall hanging, or gift for the Holiday Season.. try maybe Christmas colors. I am in the process of adding beads and buttons to mine.
We are teaching piecing, English Paper Piecing, and Applique.

Ralph and I just got home from having Office 2010 put in our computers, and wouldn't you know it, neither of us can get out on Outlook . At least I have Power Point now... But I need to get my messages sent in my Email.. So if there is any one out there I have not answered... Hopefully tomorrow it will be fixed, or I might be sending messages out through blogging! I could get to g-mail, but getting tired, and tomorrow is another day!

Saturday Art Hop at The Mindshop Bookstore in Oakhurst on August 14th

Sisters 7 currently has a group exhibit at Mind Shop Books and Gifts. The Mind Shop is located at 49269 Golden Oak Drive, across from the nursery in the Positive Living Center. Phone number is 642-4614 and you can call to check on when Kim Haley will have the shop open. For Art Hop on August 14th, the hours will be from 11 AM until 5 PM and at least Vivian and Joan  will be there. Please come by and see the show on Art Hop day or until the end of August. The shop is always open late Sunday mornings and usually a couple of other days during the week

I Feel like a Lion

Good morning everyone, well I finally got on after 3 days of being told that my password from Picasa was no good.. At least I got on this blog. I was at Camp Watch a Patcher, taking photos for Kerby Smiths, Digital class.. Most of the gals were taking photos of flowers. I fell in love with this lion, along with drains, chairs, patio tables, etc.. But will leave that for another time. Right now I am feeling like the lion.. Hear me roar, yeah !!!! I got on the blog.. Will try my own later!
vivian

Sheila Boyd's article in the Sierra Star

Sheila wrote a excellent article in the Sierra Star about Sisters 7. Be sure to click the link and read about it soon to learn more about the current show.