Early Freebie

I have a busy few weeks ahead so I thought I would post an early freebie before time slips away. I hope you will enjoy using this in your Christmas projects.

Happy Holidays!

All best,

Canace

A Random Act of Culture

I'm sure most of you have seen and heard this spectacular event as there are millions of hits on youtube, but for the sake of those who haven't seen and experienced it I'm posting it here.

Turn your volume up and get ready for a feel good experience.

Happy Holidays to all!

Best... Canace

Win a Flip Pal Scanner!

Remember that sweet little scanner that I told you about last October? I have mine now and I use it all the time.

Now you can win one!

Just go to Flip Pal and leave a comment about how you would use the scanner if you had one.

Good luck!

Best... Canace

Something New and Exciting for the Studio

Those of you who read the post about High Falls Mercantile may remember that I mentioned a new printers cabinet and more to follow.

Well, here are the pictures of my new treasure. It has the most beautiful patina and the type drawers are perfect for works in progress.  I'm so thrilled to have it and and goes beautifully with my oak library card file cabinet. It  also has all sorts of bangs, dents and stains but I love it all.. it tells a story.

 Now here was a challenge.... All the drawers had wooden dividers that prevented me from using the full depth of the drawer, so one at a time I carefully lifted them out, complete with nails and have them stored for future use.

Please don't hate me because I have a printer's cabinet. ;o)

Have a great week!


Best... Canace

Freebie Friday - I remembered!

Lately I've been so busy I keep forgetting to post a nice freebie on Fridays. I almost forgot today as I've been gearing up for a show tomorrow at the Wallkill River School.

So here you go.... 1700's medical instruments! I love this stuff!

Have a great weekend!

Best... Canace

Congratulations

This will be a quick post today...

I just want to say CONGRATULATIONS to my good friends Denise and Janet. Denise for her work being on display at the Collage Gallery, 24 Railroad Avenue, Warwick NY, and Janet for her artist reception and new venue at the Art To Wear store, 75 Main St Ste 6, Cold Spring, NY. I wish you both the very best in your new endeavors.
And.....

 Happy Birthday Biff!!! 

 Best... Canace

HIGH FALLS MERCANTILE....... and me :o)

 About a month or so ago my friend Denise said she would accompany me to pick up my new printers cabinet (more on that later) and while we were out and up that way she said I must go see these incredible tool sculptures at High Falls Mercantile in High Falls, N.Y.

She actually had told me about them prior to that and I had perused their website... in total awe. Imagine taking old tools and creating beautiful sculptures with them and seeing the art in their simple yet elegant forms.  Hard to imagine unless you look on their website and/or visit the store. All I could say (a little jealously) to Larry, the owner/designer was that it was pure genius.

Walking through High Falls Mercantile was simply breathtaking with all of the magic that is created there. I can't even begin to describe it... you must visit their website and see some of the incredible/unusual/magical things that they have. The store is owned and operated by both Larry Ruhl and Jeff Serouya and their combined efforts and incredible taste make this a must see.

I'm rambling aren't I? It's so hard to describe this store... the antiques.. the new... the fragrance and colors.... and let's not forget sweet Cait who is their shopkeeper (in charge ;o) ) who greets you with her genuine smile when you first enter the store.  Let's just say it's an experience..... a lovely sensory experience tucked in the woods of High Falls, N.Y.


Okay, back to that day with Denise.  We went to the mercantile and we were both so excited .. first pointing to this piece.. then another.. and another. Then Denise remarked that she thought my work would fit right into the whole feel of the mercantile... both my jewelry and assemblages. It had never occurred to me until she said that... and frankly I agreed. ...  their aesthetic... my aesthetic... so in tune.

Soooo... long story shortened...  I am so pleased that I now have some of my work in the High Falls Mercantile. Here are some pictures to whet your appetite. I hope that one day you will be able to experience the mercantile yourself but at the very least go spend some time on their website.
Look at these amazing tools as sculptures beautifully displayed by Larry.

 Talk about a statement piece!

 OH.... and look! Here are some jewelry pieces by Canace!  ;o)

 How do you take such elegance and good taste and make it so homey and inviting?

 Ahhh... the fragrance of these very unique soaps, colognes, potpourri etc. etc.

 And here's sweet Cait with her welcoming smile!

 This exquisite pottery immediately took me back to my grandmother's kitchen... so affordable too!

 What a treasure trove of eye candy to inspire you...

 And a few more examples of the genius of Larry and his tool sculptures...

 More fragrance.. oh... and look... is that one of Canace's assemblages on the top shelf???

 And last, but not least in my opinion.... my delight in seeing one of my assemblages in their beautiful front window!

 Many thanks to Larry, Jeff and Cait for including my work in their extraordinary shop as well as making it a fun experience every time I visit.

I  need more soap!!!

All best... Canace

New Assemblages .... with all those goodies

Yep... I actually do used the little treasures that I collect! :o)

I just completed 3+ new assemblages and they are happily residing in a local shop waiting for someone to take them home. I thought I'd share the latest pieces with you. They measure approx. 14"x20". Hope you like them.



This one is entitled "Learning"

 Then comes: "Knowlege"

 

And finally: "Wisdom"

All best... Canace

Somebody Stop Me!!!

Okay, I know I'm not alone in this because there are way too many people out there de-stashing all the time. I can't count the number of times I've said to myself... 'You have to stop buying stuff for the studio.... you have enough!'

Weeellll.....there was this yard sale that was a combination 'cleaning out the attic/garage/basement estate sale.' Could you have resisted? And as it turns out it was someone I knew who was so very generous with me.. and my addiction.

I guess I'm a hopeless junkaholic.... there's no hope for me. I can't resist old hardware etc. etc. etc.....  I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. I've spent the past 2 days washing everything because I refuse to put it away all dusty/greasy/nasty.

It was all worth it.... I feel like King Tut!

Best... Canace

p.s. I have tried to respond to comments and it won't let me do it so please don't think I'm ignoring what you have to say. I appreciate every one of your comments.
Apparently it's a known problem with blogspots and they're working on it.

And now the goodies..... can't wait to put together some new assemblages with these.

I got it!!!

I got my Flip Pal portable scanner!

For those of you who have absolutely no idea what I'm talking about... here is a link to my original post about the Flip Pal.

What a cute little thing and so amazingly accurate. I thought I'd test it out first thing this morning on a huge old bible cover. Remember now.. the beauty of this little guy is no matter how big the image is it can stitch it together.

I scanned this old bible cover in 9 passes (yes.. huge) to test out the stitching capability of the scanner and here is the result:

I've left the image large enough so you can click on it to see it larger. Can you see any indication at all that the image was stitched from 9 separate images?

Now... one thing you have to remember is to be sure to overlap with each pass. As you can see by the small black patch on the bottom, I missed that overlap... so that was my fault. I could have gone back and done it again but I think you should see what happens so you can avoid it.

Pretty cool huh? Now I can scan anything/everything no matter where I go and it's all on one tiny chip ready to be read/stitched.

Sounds like I own stock in the company doesn't it? No, I have no financial interest in the company. The woman who did the demo for me last month is trying to raise enough credit with the company to get one for the Historical Society so they can scan old pics and documents for the society.

'Nuff said... I love it!

Have a great autumn day!


Best... Canace

It's still Friday... right? Halloween Freebie!

Hope you have some spooky fun with these ...

Best... Canace

As Promised.. Art Is.. Adventures with Keith Lo Bue and Michael De Meng

I actually find this post a bit daunting as there was such a flurry of activity the whole 'Art Is You' weekend. Workshops, laughing, seeing old friends, laughing, making new ones, laughing, vending, laughing, eating yummy stuff, yep ...laughing, The Miracle of You Art Auction etc.... and we arrived on Saturday. Things had been going full swing since Wednesday.  It seemed like we were ... yes... we really were on the run (and laughing) the whole time and loving every minute of it. Sallianne and Ellen did such a fabulous job of coordinating the event and making it the best possible experience for everyone.

Wait until you see who they have lined up for March of next year and then October! March Madness/Art Is Who

This is Janet's and my 3rd year attenting Art Is You and it gets better and better every time we go.

This time we took a one day class with Michael De Meng called 'A Change of Heart'. I found one of the most valuable lessons was when Michael demonstrated all of his paint formulas.. of course including "Uszhhh!!!", "Serial Killer Red" or "Dirty Doll Pink".

Michael has a great... albeit macabre sense of humor.  I finished my heart... well... nearly... I have big plans for how to display it.


We also took a two day class with Keith Lo Bue

"Lasting Impressions: Etching & the Found Object". This was our second time learning from Keith and we agree that he's just the best. I would take classes from him in anything he chooses to teach. We learned soooooooo much! He's such an amazingly talented/sweet/caring/attentive/sharing wonderful teacher. No, I don't really stalk him but I told Sallianne I want to take him home and keep him in a cage in my studio....lol

When we're in his class we just like to absorb all the information and then take it home to work. .. and there is so much to absorb! This is a sheet of Keith's monogram/logo on brass:

 Now (the headless) Keith is demonstrating the etching process.

 Here is a piece of brass that Keith cut from brass (effortlessly I might add).

 And here it is with his monogram and domed, ready to be mounted..... such perfection!

Thank you to our sweet friend Wendy for allowing me to use her pictures. I was so caught up in the class I didn't take any.

I love all of Keith's work but this is one of my favorite pieces:

I've been etching away and applying Keith's techniques which are impeccable. I hope to have a few finished pieces soon to share. This is only the beginning:

Again... thank you to Sallianne and Ellen for making this yet another memorable year and giving us on the East Coast the opportunity to study with the best of the best. Is it time for another Art Is experience yet???

I want to say thank you too to all of you who visited Janet and I on Vendor night. I hope you are happy with your new treasures. I have more butterflies if you need them! :o)


Best... Canace

Autumn Splendor in the Shawangunks

In my artist's statement I mention hiding out in the Shawangunk Mountains .. puttering in my studio. I thought I would share a pic with you that I took yesterday on my way home from a meeting in Plattekill.

This is only one small area of the Shawangunks showing part of what we call 'The Ridge'.

Autumn is just such a gorgeous time of year here in the Hudson Valley!



Best... Canace