Humboldt Artisans Craft & Music Festival 2011

Well I just finished my first craft fair and wow! It was really fun and I met tons of great people and yes, it was a lot of work too. I still haven't unpacked and I wish I could sleep for a day or two.

I met so many wonderful artists in my little neighborhood and a lot of new artists who came by to welcome  me and give sweet comments on my craft. It was wonderful.

Here are a few photos of my booth.

setting up before product.

Here is my little dressing room & beautiful display table by local willow furniture artist.

a place to rest.

Barn Swallow & Sunflowers

Instead of joining the crazy black Friday rush, I'm at home in my peaceful cabin painting. I just finished this painting this morning. 

Enjoy!

Prints and greeting cards will be available soon in my Etsy shop. 

Please contact me directly if you're interested in purchasing the original mixed media painting on canvas. renee@poppywomen.com

New Poppy Apparel... Coming Soon!

Winter is coming and I've been really busy getting ready for my first craft fair!

It's been very busy keeping up with three children a new business and Christmas time quickly coming. However, I have a few new designs ready to post on my Etsy shop!

It's been a little over a year since I've started selling clothing on Etsy and I've learned a lot. Unfortunately after finally getting time to make size runs of all my designs, analyzing how much all my supplies cost per garment and getting a feel for how long it takes to design, pattern, cut, sew and dye everything I've realized I have to raise my prices to continue making & selling clothing at a sustainable rate. Yikes!

I want to thank everyone who has supported my business and extend a month long grace period for my previous customers. Anyone who has purchased Poppy apparel in the past can continue to buy clothing at the previous price until January 1, 2012. Just send me a message on my Etsy shop letting me know what you want and I'll make a special listing for you.

Thanks again!

Here are a few sneak peaks at new designs and colors coming within the next week.

 

With gratitude,
Renee

Tanager Birds & Dogwood, new painting!

Happy Holidays. I've been selling greeting cards in my community for awhile now and there have been several requests for a holiday card. Well, I wasn't really intending this new painting to be that, but after I finished it last night, I looked at it and thought, this is my holiday card!

Anyways, hope you enjoy it!

Prints & Greeting cards are for sale at my Etsy web site. Please contact me at contact@reneethompsondesigns.com to inquire about purchasing the original.

Rain, rain, rain...

Happy Rainy Sunday!

It's been awhile since my last post and a lot has happened since then. Halloween, preparing for a Christmas Craft fair, book reading, paintings painted, mushrooms gathered and a wild animal sighting. Busy, busy, busy. I haven't had a lot of time to post. So, this post will be a catch up and a collage of ideas melded together.

Today is a very wet and rainy Sunday and it seem like a good day to write. 

HALLOWEEN

This year was on odd Halloween as our kids were with other friends, we didn't get many photos of their costumes and we were traveling during the weekend. However we didn't forget to carve pumpkins and I got a great photo of them. There is something magical about pumpkin carvings and candle light.

HUMBOLDT ARTISANS FESTIVAL, DECEMBER 2, 3 & 4

These last couple of months I've been really busy trying to get ready for a local Christmas fair the first weekend in December. Not only have I been busy producing product to sell at the fair, but it is my first fair, so I am building a booth for the first time. This has been a very time consuming and expensive task. I sell clothing and art, so I have different mediums to think about and how best to display them. Figuring out how to fit everything in a 10' by 10' space is not an easy job. Lighting, walls, a floor, how to hang art and clothing, a dressing room and more! Yikes. Here is a photo of the first time I set up the tent and what it might look like. I've added a lot since this photo and will definitely add more photos once the fair has happened.  

 I've added colorful curtains in the open areas where my art will hang by chain with hooks. I'll have baskets of prints on the wooden table. There will be nice carpets on the floor and I've added a small dressing room in the upper left corner. Also, I'm working on a full length tapestry to hang on the outside of the dressing room with my business name and Etsy sight along with other creative designs on it. Any feedback or tips on selling clothing and or art in craft fairs welcome. I'm still thinking about the possibility of offering credit card sales, but not sure I want to deal with this for one three day festival. hmmm...

Gifts of a Woman...

Eyes... a doorway to the soul...

As a woman I am often contemplating the special qualities that we poses and have to offer the world. I realize each of us are unique and have different things to offer, but there are some common and essential attributes as well.

Love, compassion, beauty, sensuality, fertility, life, children, creativity, kindness and a gentle heart are just a few...

The older I get, the more I realize how simple yet sacred these things are to life, to our purpose... Worthy of celebration...

This is where my painting started...

In the beginning, there was a palette, some paint and some brushes...

a good cup of coffee in my favorite mug, made by local potter Reannag Teine

and a blank canvas...

sketching things out

painting in the sky

My painting studio...

Welcome to my little painting studio in the woods...

A place where day dreaming happens... 

The sound of the wind and a trickling creek whisper ideas... 

Dreams, visions and images come dancing through my window to to rest upon my canvas..

my card weaving loom

my view

I surround myself with flowers and relics that speak to me... 

a stone here, a statue there, a feather or photo...

Creating a sacred place takes a balance of elements...

finding the balance... 

allows creativity to flow...

my reference library

Occasionally a good book can help...

And a canvas....

And painting begins...

Evelyn De Morgan... 1850-1919, a Pre-Raphaelite artist

I've always loved the Pre-Raphaelite artists such as Edward Burne-Jones and John WilliamWaterhouse, but it wasn't until recently that I discovered Evelyn De Morgan. 

Flora, by Evelyn De Pickering

Evelyn was a female artist during the Victorian Era who created a total of 102 oil paintings. She came from a privileged family and was professionally trained. Although it was difficult to make a name for herself as a woman in the Victorian time, she had excellent skill and came to develop her own personal style and philosophies through art. Her subjects were almost always women and she used allegorical and spiritual subjects to express her own views of spirituality and moral dilemma.

Medea by Evelyn De Morgan

Her paintings were grouped into three groups, spiritualist allegories, depictions of sacred heroines, and war paintings.

The Love Potion, by Evelyn De Morgan 

 I must say, I think I've found another favorite artist.

Pastels on the Plaza and Farmers Market...

Every year our quaint little town puts on a festival called "Pastels on the Plaza". It's a fundraiser for North Coast Children's services and it's a very busy and fun event to come to. 

Local businesses make a donation to North Coast Children's Services for each of the sidewalk squares on the downtown plaza and artists donate their time and talent to fill them up with original pastel artwork.

The typical Saturday Farmers Market makes an additional festive backdrop to the event. Our town is not short on Artists, and I am always amazed at the wonderful images when the event is over.

My drawing for Historical Sights of Arcata

Me and my sidewalk art creation

Augustus Clark for Plaza Design

Farmers Market Bell Peppers

Suzanne from Root Essentials

Walking into the Middle Ages...

Laughter mingles at the tavern... Friends gather and celebrate, while the candle flickers and drinks are plenty... Images from the Baroque period come to mind, with dramatic lighting and composition such as Artemisia Gentileschi, Rembrant, Frans Hals and Judith Leyster. 

Tales are told and spirits are let loose...

The fire dancer, gypsy, nomad and story teller... He is here to share his adventures from the the world abroad...A man of many stories with the gift of magic, laughter and tales to tell.

Friends, family and new faces come together for a night... For a moment we all share together in another time, another place...

What is it that draws us to knights, honor, romance and chivalry? The pre-raphaelite artists of the mid 1800's such as John William Waterhouse, Evelyn De Morgan and Edward Burne-Jones were all drawn to this era of maidens, knights and honor and were inspired by the medieval age. 

Two days of jousting, hand to hand combat and equestrian skill...I watched with awe and admiration.

Chuck Davenport from the Seattle Knights

Ryan Heflen & Karl Hohnstein from the Seattle Knights

The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver

I recently finished this book and really enjoyed it. I am a fan of Barbara Kingsolver and have read several of her books. This was probably one of my favorites, but it may be because Frida Khalo is one of the main characters and I have always been in awe of her.

The story is about a man by the name of Harrison Shepherd who's mother is from Mexico and father from the U.S. The book spans his life from a small boy to his death and is told mostly in the form of his journals that he keeps. In his earlier years he comes across Diego Rivera and becomes one of his plaster mixers but eventually becomes Frida's cook and friend. The character Harrison is a very beautiful writer which makes his life story interesting and eloquent but my favorite parts are the insights on what the day to day life of Frida and Diego may have looked like. The whole book looks at the world of art, culture and politics of both countries during the thirties into world war II. It is an in depth study of how the U.S. and Mexico viewed life during this turbulent time through Harrisons eyes. Throughout his life he moves back and forth several times between the two countries discovering how he is similar and separate from both cultures. The story and his life are filled with beauty, tragedy and the personal struggle to find a place to call home.

I definitely would recommend this book. It is a very personal and poetic experience.

Painting renovations!

Do you ever look at a painting and say, "Hmmm, this doesn't look quite right."?

Well, here are two of my paintings that made me feel that way. So, this last weekend, I played with them a bit more and this is what I came up with!

"Learning To Fly"

"Magnolia & Beetles"

Amazing female performer, Meklit Hadero

" Simple Things" u tube music video

"Leaving Soon" u tube music video

I just saw this female singer perform last night!

If you get a chance check her out. She emanates sensuality, beauty and grace. Her voice is dreamy and her band is outstanding. Her music mixes jazz, soul and influences from her place of birth, Ethiopia.

She is off to Portland next, so if you live there keep your eyes and ears open. She's playing at "The Woods" Thursday, September 1st.

A Walk Through My Garden

After painting for many hours, it's time to get up and stretch. 

Time for a walk in my garden...

I feel much better now...Back to painting...

Arts Arcata opening night at North Soles

My most recent art opening at our local downtown arts night was a success!

I met some new folks and received great feedback from people as well as sold a few things. Yeh! What a blessing to be paid to do what you love. I'm not making millions, but every bit helps. 

I forgot to bring my camera during the art opening, but here are a few photos taken a couple of days later.

My art will be showing at North Soles through September 5th.

Thanks Everyone!

Magnolia & Sphinx Moth

Flora & Fauna with Danscos

Summer Poppies

I love poppies! 

I saw these the other day in a friends yard and had to take some photos. Their seed pods and blossoms are both so beautiful. The flowers are so delicate and the pods are so sturdy and last forever. They make great dried bouquets.

Coastliners by Joanne Harris

August, 14 2011, I just finished this book this morning. 

First, I have to say I love Joanne Harris. If you're not already familiar with her works, she has written other books such as "Chocolat", "Blackberry Wine" and "Five Quarters of the Orange". This book in particular relates to a family on a small island off the coast of France. It has many references to seaside life, which I relate to. In my mind, it explores loyalty, faith in oneself and and a deep sense of obligation to what is right.

I've read most of her books and will continue to scour the used book store until I find all of them. Her books are beautifully written, usually with a woman as the main character and full of small town characters living in French villages, family struggles, delicious food and love. Perfect for me! I highly recommend any of her books.

Learning To FLy

I've been thinking of this painting for awhile and finally got it started this weekend. It's called 'Learning to Fly' and represents the struggle to reach beyond the roots of daily life in order to find a deeper more spiritual experience. Let me know what you all think!

Here is the final product and the process below! Hope you enjoy.