Tuesday, December 14, 2010

RXRAD - Railroad Arts District Holiday Market

Last friday I got to spend a little time with some crafty friends at the Second Annual Railroad Arts District Holiday Market. It was a little breezy and cool outside (who am I kidding, it was COLD), but a roaring fire and plenty of warm drinks from Hendershots Coffee made the cold quite bearable.


The RXRAD (as the area is known) Holiday Market, now in its second year, has filled the void left by Big City Bread's now defunct market quite nicely. The ambiance is the same - night time, holiday lights and warm fires - and lots of talented local artists offering up fresh holiday crafts.


The Red Oak Southern String Band made an appearance and entertained the guests with their own brand of bluegrass and old timey. While this is my first time seeing these guys play, I sure hope it is not the last.





Lots of Holiday Lights makes for a festive display




The Farm Cart was on hand, serving up hot fresh food. I heard their soup was yummy!




Dena Maxwell talks to a customer about her art.




Lovely lamps.



Hope this market sticks around for years to come.

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Tis the Season... for Holiday Markets.

Athens supports many holiday artist markets this time of year, and all seem to get a good turnout - both with quality artisans and guests looking to buy handmade for their holiday giving.


Leading off the 2010 season was the Athens Indie Craftstravaganzaa, held earlier this year than usual to avoid conflicts with other markets. This show has grown in just three years to a regionally known show, attracting artists from as far away as Chicago, TN and SC. The earlier date also offered much nicer weather, it was sunny and warm rather than cold, windy and wet as the previous December shows have invariably been. Both guests and vendors seemed to like the schedule change, so we think Serra plans to try to work it into November every year. 





This year's Athens Indie Craftstravaganzaa featured a fantastic food area. We had covered seating, with fresh hot food. The Caledonia was open to serve drinks and cocktails as well. 








The New Farmington Depot Gallery held their first annual Holiday Market this past Dec. 4th and 5th. This space is fairly new to the area, but I think it is one to watch.  The restoration of the old Depot and grounds are progressing very nicely.  Chris Hubbard gave me a tour of the grounds and showed me how much progress  has been made.  This property is historically significant, and not just for the depot. I'm keeping my eyes on these artists. 


The OCAF Market in Oconee covered two days  and offered work from the 'Artland of Georgia'. This event covers three days and fills two good sized buildings. 


The 283 Holiday Market was back this year but i didn't get to go to this one.  The show was scheduled for a Thursday, from 11am till 5pm.  Seems to me like that would cut working people out of attending. It did  me, anyway. 



New this year, the Clay Gardens Holiday Market, also known as Craftapalooza ran concurrently with the grand opening of the Clay Gardens Gallery. Music, fresh toasted pecans (straight out of the yard) and lots of wonderful people made this event a wonderful way to spend a sunday afternoon. They are renting studio space, with bathrooms, kitchen and access to kilns included.  If you are interested, check their facebook page.  The website is not up yet, but they are working on it.  







Also new this year was the Oh Boy! Artist Market and right across the street, the Treehouse Kids and Craft Markets just this weekend. 




The Flicker Bar Market is coming up, next Saturday, Dec. 18, 2010. I think I'll be sharing a space with a good friend, drop in and say hello if you are in the area. 





Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Call to Artists - Public Art Projects


Posted: 06 Dec 2010 12:23 PM PST
CALL TO ARTISTS: Second Street Public Art Project, Chattanooga, TN | Request for Qualifications (RFQ)


Public Art Chattanooga is seeking qualifications from artists for a public art project that will result in the installation of two sculptures in the heart of downtown Chattanooga, Tennessee. This RFQ is open to all professional artists and artist teams over the age of 18, who currently reside in the United States. Deadline for submissions is January 13, 2011, 4:00 PM EST. For complete details and an application, please click on the link:
http://www.publicartchattanooga.com/PDFs/Second_Street_RFQ.pdf




Public Art Chattanooga
Department of Parks & Recreation
1102 South Watkins Street
Chattanooga, TN 37404
Phone: (423) 643-6096
Email:Publicartchattanooga1@gmail.com

     
Posted: 06 Dec 2010 12:20 PM PST
Dogwood Regional Fine Arts Exhibit


Please view our 2009 and 2010 exhibit at:www.dogwoodregionalfineartsexhibit.blogspot.com




The Dogwood Regional Fine Arts Exhibition was developed to showcase and award the areas finest artists. Artists from within a radius of 300 miles of Knoxville may enter. Fine art encompassing all styles and genres from both emerging and established artists will be selected by a juror for exhibition. Our new 2011 location will be Bennett Gallery, Knoxville most prestigious fine arts gallery, housed in a renovated vintage movie theater at 5308 Kingston Pike.
Juror: Our juror this year is Virginia Derryberry, Professor and Chair of the Department of Art at the University of North Carolina-Asheville. Derryberry received her BA in art history from Vanderbilt University, and MA in painting and printmaking from Peabody College, and an MFA in painting from the University of Tennessee. Her recent exhibits include venues such as Valdosta State University in Georgia, Nashville International Airport, and Rudgers University. Her work is in the permanent collection of the Carnegie Museum of Art and the Asheville Art Museum. A recipient of many grants, awards, and fellowships, she was recently chosen as Visiting Artist at the American Academy in Rome.
Awards: 
Cash awards totaling $4,000.00 will be presented at the exhibit's Reception on April 2nd. Best in Show- $2,000.00, $1,000.00 Merit, $500.00 Merit, and two $250.00 Merit awards. All awards are designated by juror and are final.
The exhibit will run from April 1-30, 2011. Deadline for entry is February 22, 2011.
Please visitwww.dogwoodarts.com to download an application and prospectus.

Sent from my iPod

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

GA Skies Airlines has ditched me out of state.

Ok guess what?? GA Skies just cancelled my TUESDAY flight. What am I supposed to do?

How can they get away with that?? Today they said it was an "operational schedule change". Then they cited mechanical reasons for Tuesdays cancellation but I don't believe it. Both times I talked to their rep (after sitting on hold) he told me I was the only one booked on the flight. I very strongly suspect that they just do not want to make the trip for one person.

Can they just ditch me like this? How can this be legal?? I've incurred several hundred dollars additional expenses- hotel, car, gas, plus lost wages because they just left me here. I guess I will extend the car rental AGAIN and drive back tomorrow.

Do I have any rights for compensation?

Sent from my iPod

Posted via email from The Art of Cynthia Pendley

Monday, October 18, 2010

GA Skies airline has ditched me in Nashville.

Ok guess what?? GA Skies just cancelled my TUESDAY flight. What am I
supposed to do?

How can they get away with that?? Today they said it was an
"operational schedule change". Then they cited mechanical reasons for
Tuesdays cancellation but I don't believe it. Both times I talked to
their rep (after sitting on hold) he told me I was the only one booked
on the flight. I very strongly suspect that they just do not want to
make the trip for one person.

Can they just ditch me like this? How can this be legal?? I've
incurred several hundred dollars additional expenses- hotel, car, gas,
plus lost wages because they just left me here. I guess I will extend
the car rental AGAIN and drive back tomorrow.

Do I have any rights for compensation?

Sent from my iPod

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Goofin' around

Thought I'd share the image I created for my capitol one credit card.  They allow  you to upload your own image for  your card, so I decided to give it a go.

It is a compilation of photos that I took in Las Vegas.  In case  you could not tell, Vegas is one of my favorite places to visit.




That is my sister Darlene down in the lower right corner. We were playing nickel slots at the old Fitz, on Fremont street. We like the machines there because they pay out in coins, and it is just so  much more fun to  hear the coins clanging into the tray when  you win.

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Rain Rain Go Away

Rainy days - who doesn't love them?  The misting drizzle this morning was a beautiful backdrop to my breakfast on the screen porch.  it is so quiet in my backyard, the sound of the rain falling through the woods behind the  house is a melodic soundtrack to a relaxing sunday spent reading from my collection of old Calvin and Hobbes treasuries.  Still one of my all time favorites after all these years. 

Anyway, the relaxing morning turned into an afternoon of mud, sweat and tears. You see, I live at the bottom a hill. Whnver it rains a lot, it comes down my driveway, into a dry creek bed and around the back of my patio.  At least that is what is supposed to happen.  Occasionally, when we get lots of rain, it backs up into my back yard, overflows the patio and screen porch and floods the swimming pool. 
















So, in the middle of all the rain we had today, I put on  my boots and dug two draining ditches, built a mud levee and dredged out the existing channel.  Hopefully, no  more flooding. 





When I started, this area was completely under water, just like the older photos. I guess it doesn't look like much in the photo, but that is about 3 hours of backbreaking shoveling.   Not the prettiest engineering in the world, but I bet the next three days of rain forecast will not flood my pool again.   And after it dries up, I guess I'd better get back out there and make it look pretty.   


Friday, September 10, 2010

Intention of 5 meters is chosen high.

Nighttime again. I am sitting outside listening to the crickets and frogs.

It's been a long day. I had a critique meeting at 6:30 am  we usually do on fridays.

Our team is preparing to go to the Orient for product development and to meet with some of our vendors. It is a very busy time in the art dept, after our  critique the entire collection of artists went to work collecting  and organize all of the art files and reference materials the travel team was to carry along. 

It is a lot of artwork, computers, a printer, supplies plus enough to live out of a small suitcase for two to three weeks. I do not envy them this job, it is an exhausting endeavor. The plane ride is 22-23 hours. Then travel in country can be hours more in vans or small planes. China is a vast land, the factories and showrooms scattered throughout mountainous terrain or packed into crowded cities. 



In Guangzhou, where we visited the Canton Fair, there are highways stacked three and four high - five or six stories high. It was pretty scary for me to look out the window of the smoke belching bus I was on and see that the guardrail on the elevated highway was several feet below my window. I don't even like driving on bridges, so you can imagine my terror at riding for miles on an elevated roadbed. Good view from up there, though. You can see right down into the backyards and courtyards and parking areas of building after tenement apartment after brand new highrise. The city of Guangzhou goes on for miles and miles. And more miles. On elevated highways.




My trip to China is something I will never forget. Screaming through the Shanghai night in the back seat of a taxi, sketching out plush penguins for a vendor meeting the next day is pure adrenalin. So many exciting and strangely wonderous things to see. So interesting to visit factories and see where the products are made.

Anyway, we got everything squared away for the trip. I worked 5 hours overtime this week (salaried) but walked out of there finally knowing that the task is done. The team heads for the airport Monday morning and the art dept will get back to normal.

Until they return...




oh, and if you are wondering  about the title of this post.... I have no idea what it means. 





Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Another peaceful night...

Ya gotta love living in the country. It is so very peaceful and dark
out here. No traffic noise. No airplanes flying over. Not much to
disturb the crickets and frogs but the occasional dog barking or the
yip yip yip of a faroff coyote.

I am lying on a chaise in my backyard, looking up at a million stars.
My yard is surrounded by trees but open right behind the screen porch
so at night I can lie here and gaze at big sky. Very big. And very
dark. I swear I can see the milky way on a crystal clear night like
tonight. I've laid out here so often that I have learned to tell time
by the location of the constellations. I think it is my favorite
place. Well, except maybe for Slink Shoals the way it used to be.
Nothing like sleeping next to a running river. But that is another
story, for another time.

Nothing like the night sky. I lie here pondering my next project, and
wondering when I might finish my current one. I wonder if anyone is
interested in my comics. The first book I put together sold like
crazy. But that was a very long time ago. Even before the internets.
Remember back then?? When we advertised in weeklies and magazines.
Hmmm. I do.

Time for bed. Critique at nine tomorrow morning. Every Wednesday. But
that's ok.

Sent from my iPod

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Jonathan Adler's naked ladies

So I got to meet Jonathan Adler at the July Gift show at AmericasMart Atlanta. I had read in the show program that he would be giving a seminar during the show.  I've always really liked Adler, ever since I first run across his Quaalude Jar several years ago.  I figured anyone who would make such a thing as a Quaalude jar must have a wonderful sense of whimsy .



Seeing him in person was really big fun, he's just as fun and fabulous in real life as I imagined he would be.  He told us stories about his younger days, when  he couldn't manage to hold a job doing anything.  It just came natural that he work for himself, he apparently was not able to work for anyone else.  He basically just gave us an hour long Believe In Yourself pep talk, peppered with anecdotes and personal challenges he had met along his path.  But  he was fun to listen to, very charismatic and an engaging speaker.

I was browsing his website just today, and what did I find!  A harmless little link, called appropriately enough- Hardcore Crafts.  Little did I realize that hardcore, meant ...ahem, ... just that. Well, not really. i  mean there are boobs and butts, and phallically suggestive banana bud vases, but nothing I'd call really hardcore.   Just the same - i love it.  The naked lady pillows, the cookie jar covered in boobs with a mischievous little tongue poking out the top - way more over the top that I expected even from Adler.



I'm  loving  it...

Friday, August 27, 2010

Can I has iphone?

I heard it months ago.  A friend at Verizon whispered it to me. I stood incredulous, hoping against all hope that it could be true.  Could it be true?

Cut to two months later. I'm in Peachmac, looking for some ipod accessories, and I ask the Apple girl about it. "What?" she says, "no way, it'll never happen."  For some reason, I  refuse to believe her. But deep down, I know she is probably right.  i could not possible be that lucky... or could I?


Could it be?

Verizon to get the Iphone starting January 2011!!


According to sources familiar with the plan, Verizon Wireless will start selling the Apple Iphone, available in January.

I couldn't be happier.  Well, maybe if it were starting  now.


     But, January is good.: )











Thursday, August 26, 2010

How about a nice Hawaiian Punch?

  I've been pokin' around trying to find some yummy but easy to make cocktails for a Luau party.  Drink recipes sure are not  hard to find these days.    I've found quite a few good choices for food, too - Kalua Pig,  Waikiki Meatballs.

But leave it to the folks at Kraft to have a great collection of easy to make and serve recipes.  I think this is what we'll try to make for dinner Saturday night.  It looks really good.












or these quesadillas look really easy to  make and  not very expensive for the ingredients either.  That's important to me when I am trying to fix enough for a crowd. 



 This recipe was also found at KraftRecipes.com



I think this Mai Tai recipe looks pretty good.  
We already have a lot of different kinds of rums, plus stuff for piña colada and all types of fruity daiquiris. Plus, I've already got all the liquor we'll need for these mai tais, we'll just have to get the fruit juices.     And I do  have paper umbrellas!


Traditional Tropical Drink Recipes

Mai Tai
Invented by the famous Trader Vic in 1944, “Mai Tai” means literally “the very best “ in the Tahitian language.


1 oz Light Rum
1 oz Dark Rum
1 oz Orange Curacao or Grand Marnier (Triple Sec can substitute)
1/2 oz Amaretto (Almond liqueur)
1 oz Orange Juice
1 oz Pineapple Juice
1 Dash lime juice
1 Dash Grenadine

Shake well and pour over ice. Garnish with a Cherry and Orange slice if available. Don’t forget the paper umbrella!

I found this one at hawaiianluauparty.com










Wednesday, August 25, 2010

A Freaky Tiki Party

I am expecting guests for the Labor Day Weekend. We are looking forward to a Luau Pool Party, either Saturday or Sunday night.  I can't decided- I think I want to go out and run Downtown Athens Saturday night, but then Sunday night is terrible for a party.  I guess I will ask Dawn what she thinks. It is, after all, her birthday party.   She is driving in from Greensboro NC and several more friends are coming in from Nashville TN to celebrate Dawns birthday Tiki Style!

What are some good food recipes for Tiki a party?  Drinks?  I've got all kinds of rum, and am going to also purchase some flavored rums for the party.  We've really grown to like banana rum and coconut rum.  Of course, on our last trip to Vegas, we discovered cherry rum.  Boy oh boy is that stuff good mixed with a little Coke.

So, anyone have any suggestions for Tiki party recipes?  I am running out of time to plan.



Tuesday, August 24, 2010

It's dark...

I've been playing around with sketching on black paper, with colored pencils.   I like the way it has turned out. I like the black and white ones better than the colored ones.

Anyway,  I think I will start selling a few of my sketches on etsy again.  I used to sell art on  ebay and etsy, but I quit a while back.  I need to raise money for a home repair, so I guess I'd better get busy trying to make a little $$$. Plus, I have hundreds and hundreds of sketch book pages.  Do you think I could sell them at like $5-10 each?  Guess it doesn't hurt to try.

Here's one of the ones I scanned.  I think I'll list it on etsy at $10, with free shipping.



Original Colored Pencil Drawing - Cowgirl on Black Paper

This is an original colored pencil sketch, showing a healthy young woman riding a horse in the desert - completely nude. Don't ask me why she would do such a thing, I would think she'd get terribly sunburned. But anyway, there she is in all her robust glory. 

The drawing measures 9" x 12" and is drawn on black Strathmore medium weight, lightly textured, acid free drawing paper. 




Sunday, August 22, 2010

KA at the MGM Grand - Las Vegas

When we were in Vegas a couple weeks ago we got tickets for the Cirque du Soleil's blockbuster show KA, shown at the MGM Grand Hotel.  The theatre itself is a work of art, with its showpiece being the huge Tatami Deck and Gantry Crane and the Sand/Cliff deck custom built stage.  The crane can travel 70' vertical to high above the audience.  It can rotate to be perpendicular to the floor and also 360 degrees on its axis, regardless of its orientation - horizontal or vertical.


During various acts in the show, the stage/deck becomes a storm tossed sea, an underwater scene, a tall blizzardy mountain, (spitting REAL snow), a  deep dark forest full of wonderful glowing creatures, a prison, a battleground — everything and anything the story demands. It is a spectacular piece of equipment, and almost could steal the stage from the wonderful Cirque acrobats and performers.  But not quite.  True to Cirque du Soleil  form, the artistry of the performers is second to none.  The dance, they fly, they flip  and not once do you see anyone out of step, miss a landing or drop a spear or baton.  This is Cirque du Soleil.  Amateurs need not apply.



This stage show is unequaled, and because of the 19 million dollar specially designed stage and theatre, it will probably never be shown anywhere else.  Do yourself a favor, if you go to Vegas, do not miss a chance to see KA.





Here is a clip of one of the beautiful aerial acts.  Firefly boy rescues then falls in love with the Imperial Twin Sister.   This clip is number nine in a series of twelve.  If you have time, I'd suggest watching the whole series. It is magical.

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Athens Indie Craftstravaganzaa CALL FOR ARTISTS!





Athens Indie Craftstravagazaa is now accepting applications for our Holiday 2010 Craftstravaganzaa.

We are looking for artists and makers of all persuasions, from fine arts to handcrafts. Quirky, raw, & innovative arts especially favored.

Visit our website http://www.athensindiecraftstravaganzaa.com for show information, photo galleries of past markets, vendor photos and profiles and Craftstravaganzaa applications.


We've also got a new blog that I hope you find very helpful and interesting. With it I hope to share some of my online  marketing experience, tips and hints about social media marketing and more.

http://athenscraft.blogspot.com/

Friday, August 20, 2010

Glow Show

I'm thinking about an art show. Something I've pondered on for a while.  And tonight I asked myself... why not?
I've been fascinated with working with light for some time now. LEDs, neon, fiber optic - this stuff is available all over.  I envision an art show, in a darkened room, the only light being cast by or on the artworks.

I'm going to do it.

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Another week gone by

Been an interesting week. Good and bad. I've been bedridden all week after
an injury last Saturday. I pulled my back working in the yard. Made the
mistake of going to work on Monday, too. I think if I had rested it one more
day it would have been much better. It was pretty tore up Monday evening
when I got home from work. I can lay down and sit up, but finding it very
very difficult to stand and walk. I've been out of work all week, but I
think I am going in tomorrow morning. My back still hurts, and I cannot
walk upright, but as long as I can get to my desk, I can get some work done.
Should be an interesting day. Let's hope it is uneventful.

The good part of being home all week is I've got some drawing done. Being
in bed or sitting somewhere 'round the clock gave me plenty of time to work
out some things on paper. I also got some work done for Craftstravaganzaa.
So it has been a pretty productive week, actually. Pretty cool to be able to
work from bed. I guess it's cool if you WANT to, but not so cool if you HAVE
to do it. It would have been awesome to be able to work from home while
I've been here; I would certainly not be walking (or hobbling) back into the
maelstrom awaiting me tomorrow. And I am still not sure if we have a 6 or
6:30 am critique tomorrow.

Sunday, August 8, 2010

Las Vegas Home + Gift Market Aug. 2010

Last week I visited the Las Vegas Home + Gift show at the World Market Center Las Vegas.  It was the inaugural Gift show at the Las Vegas World Market Center, and promised lavish displays of fresh new products in the gift and home decor market.

The market offered more than 1500 manufacturers showing their wares in three buildings on their state of the art campus, and offers products in all categories, including furniture, accessories, gifts, lighting, home textiles and rugs, floor coverings and more.


Las Vegas World Market Center hosted three shows concurrently- the Las Vegas Market, which offers mainly furniture and decorative accessories for the home, the Gift + Home show and Vegas Kids.  


 It was my first visit to the Las Vegas World Market Center.  I was excited to see what different vendors were here, vs the ones I visit regularly at the Atlanta Gift mart twice yearly.

Getting to the market was super easy. They offered charter bus service from most area hotels, But if you chose to  drive in, the market offers free parking in their garage right next door.

 I just hopped on the bus at the Mandalay Bay Tour lobby and a few minutes later was climbing off at the bustling Market Center.  It is an impressive sight, three tall buildings overshadowing a courtyard bustling with people.  I started at Bldg C, where I found the Gift Temps on the 5th floor.  I was  happy to run into some people I had spoken with at the Atlanta show in July, it was nice that they remembered me.  I really like their muscle car shelvings and decor.  After walking all of the temps on the 5th floor, I made my way up to the 9th floor where I found many showrooms from vendors I am familiar with - Sylvestri, Demdaco, Midwest, Raz, Transpac and more. I had visited most of these showrooms in July in Atlanta, so a quick breeze through was all I needed.

I didn't get to stay as long as I would  have liked. I had guests  back at the hotel, so after walking most of Bldg C I hopped on the bus and headed back to the hotel.    I had tickets for the 9.30 showing of Cirque du Soliel's KA at the MGM Grand that night, so I thought it best  to get back, get everyone rounded up, polished up then hit the Vegas Strip and sample some of the action that Sin City is famous for.

I love Vegas and I'm sure I'll be back again soon.


http://www.giftandhomelv.com

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

catching up...

been a while since I visited.  I've been working hard at getting not much done.  Unfortunately.

My job is going pretty good.  Been very busy there lately, but enjoy it most of the time.  I am working on getting quite a few balloons printed right now, so it is very exciting. Stressful, but exciting.

I got to travel to Miami this past June to help the visual merchandising dept set up our booth at the International Floriculture show, formerly SuperFloral.  It was my first time to get to go, and I enjoyed it immensely. It was great to walk into the miami convention center, find it almost empty then work like a dog for two days,watching the show arrive and set up.  Two days.  That's all it took to transform the big empty space into a jungle of potted plants bedding plants, cut flowers, containers, and all sorts of floral and garden accoutrements.

Monday afternoon flowers start arriving. 


By early Tuesday evening, our space is just about complete.  We go scrounging around the center for plants and flowers to decorate our booth. There are thousands of extras already being discarded. So many beautiful flowers and plants, it would break your heart.  The show opens bright & early Wednesday morning and thankfully, everything is in place are ready to go.



We walked the show wednesday for half a day, then we are done!  Back to the Doubletree Surfcomber to gather our things.  The rest of the visual team has flown on to the next gig; Erin is leaving Wed. afternoon. We walked on the beach for a bit, walked around the immediate neighborhood then back to the hotel to catch her shuttle to the airport. 

 I caught a cab to south beach and checked into the Starlite Hotel for the rest of the week.  The Starlite is a relic of yesterday, one of the wonderful old beachfront hotels that has not been updated yet.  It is one of the cheapest places to stay on ocean drive. Not luxe by no  means, but great location and a decent place to shower and sleep.












ShareThis