road trip to vegas

Spring break sprang itself on us and I didn't have a plan. I'm not even sure how I came up with the idea to go to Las Vegas. It was a thought, then suddenly it was a phrase whispered into the ear of one of my boys, then it was a plan to see my cousin, then it was a plan to meet up with friends and my brother. It just was. And it was swell.

It was a mellow and lovely visit with Mary Ann, Bill and Michael, and of course Daisy. They were patient and gracious hosts. It's been too long since we saw them last (close to a decade). And though the trip took nine hours it actually made me feel like I have family nearby. I like that. Michael, Mary Ann and Daisy brought us to Redrock Canyon National Conservation area. What a beautiful place to hike around. Next time we visit we'd like to spend an entire day hiking there. The boys were psyched to parkour around the rocks. We briefly hiked around before we set back for a dinner with friends and Chuck in town.

Before we hit the road to go home we went to the famous Gold & Silver Pawn. There was a line to get in. Crazy, right? It was not nearly as big as I thought it was going to be, but they had some pretty cool stuff in there. If you look carefully at the building in the distance that looks a little like the Seattle Space Needle, you are looking at the Stratosphere Hotel and Casino, and you can jump off the top of it if you want (attached to a bungee cord). Or ride up the needle part at 45mph then plummet down. Or dangle over the edge on a mechanical spinning thingy. I tried to talk the kids into a ride, but they weren't having it. Had they said yes, I'm not sure how I would have pulled it off. Maybe next time.

winter break road trip

We had such a great day at the San Francisco Zoo with our friends Kerith and Isaac! The weather was just right, sunny and slightly crisp (as SF always is). Max has been wanting to visit the tiger exhibit since last winter break - we arrived as the zoo was closing for the day last year. So patient and such a good memory my guy has, he asked if we could try again. So off we went, this time we left in the morning, so as not to miss the fun. It really was a wonderful day. But I ate too many chocolate covered pretzels and now I need a nap.

Field Trip

I see Buddha everywhere. Gumps had a diverse selection. This Buddha is one of Coleman's faves.

I am so fortunate to be part of a wonderful community of metals artists, all at varying stages of our journey in metal craft. This Saturday I traveled with this group to San Francisco and Palo Alto to visit some galleries and shops who sell beautiful works by artist from around the country and world. Our first stop was Gumps in San Francisco. It's a department-type of store that carries one of a kind art alongside mass produced works. All very upscale, a bit overwhelming from a visual perspective - just soooo much to look at. As a group of metal artists, the jewelry department was pretty impressive. Yet, not really my cup of tea for a retail experience. Gumps also had some really amazing real bugs on display - groupings of the most remarkable looking insects (right image). Not sure where these bugs come from or how they are harvested. They are beautiful, though, and I suspended my usual reaction to just enjoy their colors and shapes.

I walked about with my friend Linda, and our second stop was Xanadu Gallery on Maiden Lane. This gallery is located in an historic Frank Loyd Wright building. From the location to the architecture we were embraced by this experience. This is a lane that is foot traffic only. Just beyond the doors of this gallery is a lovely Italian cafe which filled the air with a remarkably inviting aroma. I couldn't even tell you exactly what the smell was, just that it made me want to remain on that street. The gallery attendants were very friendly and warm. The work in this gallery ranged from ancient to contemporary and it was all quite something to look take in.

Next stop was Revere Academy on Market Street. I have been curious about this school for a while. So glad to have had to chance to meet the owner/jeweler himself, Alan Revere, some of his students and experience the space. They offer diplomas and focus on learning the technical skills through very specific projects. I find it compelling and repelling at once. Skills through a very specific set assignments would be liberating in one dimension. Not to worry about how artful or unique a piece is, just that the seams and joints are precise. However, one could conceivably accomplish similar skills by just making your own work, and a lot of it. It's all about practice, right? I think if I were to go back to the beginning, when I was fresh out of high school this would have been the perfect place for me to start. But I didn't know then how drawn I was to metal work. Ah, well, hind sight and all that...

The we hopped back onto the bus and drove to The Velvet DaVinci where we took in a lot of contemporary artists, mostly jewelers. Though, I was mostly moved by the small sculptures around the gallery. This is a wonderful gallery to visit.

When our time there was up we took the bus ride to Palo Alto to visit one of our own local artist's, Paul Cheney's installation piece at the Keen store on University Ave and then to De Novo Gallery. At this point my camera died and I don't have any images of this leg of the trip. The Keen store is worth a visit if you're in Palo Alto. Most of their display and furniture are made from post consumer waste - from the hoods of old VW bugs to 55 gallon metal drums - and they have some very clever display mechanisms for their shoes.

It was a great day! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend too.

Art :: Craft :: Tour :: Part Two

Yesterday I shared a little bit of my trip to Berkeley to visit some artists work spaces. Our last stop on that tour was to visit Eric Powell and his wife, April Higashi at their live/work/gallery space on 5th street. April's gallery is called Shibumi Gallery (Shibumi, according to Wikipedia: simple, subtle, and unobtrusive beauty) That sums up the beauty we found inside this amazing gallery/home/studio. April is a jeweler and Eric is a sculptor and painter.

The first part of this visit was spent with Eric in the back room of the gallery. The backroom is a jewelry studio and also Eric's studio and the downstairs of their home. Eric showed a slide show of his work, many large installation pieces and he talked about his process and the evolution of his work. Another humble creator, also speaking of the constant acquisition of knowledge, and learning as you go. Taking chances, do as much as you can with whatever skills you have because the more you do the more you learn, and so on. Loved this talk, and the work.

After Eric's talk we went into Shibumi Gallery. What amazing work was in here. Jewelry, sculpture, clothing, jewelry, sculpture, clothing...Ahhh.

Inside Shibumi Gallery on 5th Street in Berkeley, CA

Liisa Hashimoto

Liisa Hashimoto; I just want to climb that ladder.

start to our Tofu House dinner - Korean style tapas :) - all so yummy.

That concludes my Saturday visit to the city. My friend Linda and I ate in Palo Alto at Tofu House on our way back to Santa Cruz. I had the tofu bibimbap - oh so yummy. When I got home I searched (in vain) for my sketch book. I felt the need to draw and put down some thoughts. Instead I ended up reading my new favorite book, FLOW by Mihaly Csikszentmihaly. It all fit so nicely together, the artists we visited found FLOW in their lives. No need to separate work from life - especially the last visit. Goals, that's what I will focus on in this new year, and getting flow in as much of my life as possible. Oh, good people, do read the book. Time and energy well spent.

Art :: Craft :: Tour :: Part One

Oh how I love the start of a new year. It's always so hopeful and filled with energy. Change. The first Saturday of this year I went with a group of artists to Berkeley and Oakland for a field trip of artists studios and galleries. It was an inspiring day, let me tell you.

It was a raw day in the bay area. Our first stop was the Sawtooth Building, "also known as the Kawneer Building, is a West Berkeley industrial building that is home to a variety of small businesses - including artisans, craftspeople, tradespeople, engineers, consultants, designers, fine artists, small industries, performance groups, theathers and a variety of schools." There is even a tool lending library - such a great idea! Many artists in this building participate in the First Saturday Open Studio tour. So if you're in the mood for a field trip and live somewhere drivable, you should visit. Each studio and artists work was unique, and it's always inspiring to see how folks find their way to creating and how they can find a way to make a living at it. Sustained psychic energy. They focus.

Susan Brooks earrings, image from her website.

We visited three jewelers in this building. All of whom were welcoming and shared freely their crafting wisdom. We began in Susan Brooks studio. Susan was so delightful. Her work is so playful and craftsmanship so fine. Her website states that she began as a painter and later became a jeweler as she gained the skills. I also heard her speaking about her father being in the union of chassers, which means she had a lot of exposure to crafts from an early age. Susan had on display her fine metal jewelry, which is pretty high end and also had earrings and necklaces made with beads at more affordable prices for the masses. She had a sign up that said "Cheap Thrills" to illustrate what a great sense of humor she possesses. I think it's a sign of strength and character in an artist to have a range of work, focused mainly on what she wants to make, not on what she should make. Also making her work accessible to as many people as possible, she's spreading the love of art. I loved her studio and chatting with her.

Curtis himself sharing his workshop/studio splendor.

Second stop in the sawtooth building was Curtis H. Arima, a metal smith and jeweler - I LOVED Curtis' studio. It was filled with an amazing array of tools and jewels. His work is so refined and sophisticated. The gems he used were pretty spectacular. His work was priced well out of my range, but I delighted in being able to hold it and hear about his process and a little bit of his journey to get where he is now. He's a Cranbrook Academy of Art graduate. For those of you outside the craft world, this is a craft person's equivalent to getting an advanced degree from Harvard or MIT. It's an arduous task to accomplish. Be impressed. He spoke about his continued quest to perfect his craft and pursuit of learning more from those in his field. I love that. He's still happily learning and very open about it. I love learning too. The images below are scenes in Curtis' studio:

Next up, just down the hall was Alison B. Antelman's studio. Alison's work is exquisite. Stones, hollow forms, amazingly beautiful and amazingly engineered clasps. Her studio is tidy and tip-top. Her work space reflects her jewelry. Alison is going to have a clasp workshop at Cabrillo this spring. I am hoping on making that one! She's a master at clasps.

lovely graphics in Alison Antelman's studio.

A newly made bracelet in sterling, gold, diamond, ruby and I can't remember the other stone, by Alison Antelman.

sample clasps for her workshops.

Tomorrows post will be on the next leg of our field trip, Shibumi Gallery and April Higashi & Eric Powell...might have been my favorite part of the trip...

Happy New Year!

Ski School at Tahoe Donner.

We've been having fun over our vacation! A lot of fun. The day after Christmas we headed up to Truckee for a short ski/snowboard trip. We were there four days and did some skiing, snowboarding and sledding, general playing in the snow. We stayed in a mountain chalet near Tahoe Donner ski resort, which is a really little mountain; just right for the beginner (it was also the most affordable skiing and staying in Tahoe). The boys really enjoyed skiing and snowboarding! We hope to be able to do it again this winter.

Ski school at Tahoe Donner.

The first thing we did when we arrived a the snow was go sledding!

When we returned home from the snow we took a beach walk on New Year's Eve Day.

When we arrived home from our trip north we went for a walk on the beach with Kitty. It was cold, but a stark difference from the five feet of snow in Tahoe! In fact Santa Cruz was supposed to get snow while we were gone - it was that cold.

Beach walk on New Year's Eve Day.

Chris and I went to see Further (Greatful Dead) in San Francisco for New Year's Eve. Lots of fun!

Point Lobos; The Other Carmel

When I think of Carmel I think fancy shops and spendy real estate. This is the reason the real estate is so spendy: Natural, Breath-taking Beauty. The boys and I went with our homeschool group to Point Lobos a couple Fridays ago. It's a natural reserve located an hour and fifteen minutes south of us, in Carmel. Wow. It was a spectacular day weather-wise, and we were so happy to be in such a beautiful location with wonderful docents and abundant natural wonders. We saw an otter and seal sunning themselves side by side, apparently this is highly unusual, the seals usually chase away the otters. This is also an historically significant place for the Native American Ohlone population, with evidence of centuries of use and civilization long before the Europeans arrived. There is an abundance of poison oak here - the Ohlone people can eat it like salad and it has no ill effects on them!

If you live nearby I highly recommend a visit. It's easy hiking if you've got really little kids and there is a lot to observe and learn. There is so much to see, we just scratched the surface with the tour we went on. Bring your camera, sunscreen and lunch! It's worth the drive.