A Little Color for these Gray Gloomy Days . . .

Unfortunately, that's how it is in this neck of the woods . . .  But maybe this will brighten things up!

 

 

 

'Still Life with a Happy Attitude'

 

12 x 24" on 1.5" deep Cradled Board

 

This is the new Collage I mentioned in my last Blog.  It's been done, just hadn't had a chance to get it on here.   This was a fun piece to do, and kind of a take-off on a piece I did many years ago.  That piece was called 'Still Life with Attitude' and it is now in my card line and is one of the more popular Birthday cards I have.  I'll show a picture of that below so you can see the similarities (and not!). 

 

For more information on the above piece Please Click Here

 

'Still Life with Attitude'

 

(The 'Happy Birthday' was not on the original, just the card face)

 

Below is a new Necklace I just finished ~ which I wore the day after I finished it because I didn't have the tag done yet for display, and it was bought right off my neck!  Actually that's happened twice in the last couple of weeks.  :)

 

 

'Cat's in the Cradle'

 

SOLD  ~ Thank you!

(you can see more information on this piece by Clicking Here)

 

Have a Great Weekend!

 

                                                   Charleen

 

The Holidays are in Full Bloom. . .

and Christmas Eve is in just two weeks.  This year has gone by so fast.  But then they do say that happens and the older we get the faster it goes.  I'm a Believer . . .  :(   I still have some shopping to do that has to get wrapped and sent off from the West Coast here, to the East Coast.  Think that may have to be on my 'Today' list.  Sometimes I can be a Procrastinator but I think with only two weeks left until Christmas I should file that word away! 

These two pieces are my latest creations. 

Purple Passion  (13054)  ~ 

 One of a kind . . .  Two Strands in a Beautiful combination of Lavender, Purple, touches of White, and a Deep Honey.  Consists of Matte Purple Agate, Brass Heishi, Oval Fire Crackle Agate in shades of Purple, White and Honey, African Trade Beads, Natural Disks of Rough African Amber and a large Lavender/Purple Agate Focal.  Fastens with an easy/open close Toggle Clasp.  Comes with matching earrings with Surgical Steel Ear wires.  For more information Please Click Here.

Red Love  (13053)  ~ 

Various sizes and shapes of Luscious Red Coral, Silver~plated Heishi, Aluminum tubes (Kenya), Pewter, Large Carved Silver~plated Rounds and Silver~plated Happiness Charm.  Fastens with an easy to open/close Toggle Clasp.  This looks nice with Toggle Clasp in front and Charms as a Focal point.  For more information on this piece Please Click Here.

This is a fairly new piece that I don't think I've had on here but I just love the green of the Large 'Watermelon Agate'  Beads in this so I thought I would share it.  I named it  'Are there Seeds?'  :)  This piece is Sold.

I have a new Collage I have just finished.  I'll try and get that on here in the next couple of days.

"Never put off till tomorrow what may be done day after tomorrow just as well".

                                                             ~ Mark Twain

HELLO TO DECEMBER . . .

Well, we've had our first bit of snow here and the temperatures will be down in the single digits this week.  I guess we can no longer avoid the fact that winter is here.  I kept thinking maybe it would forget about us but guess that isn't going to happen!  : /

For those of you that receive my Newsletter, you will have seen the Necklace below already.  I wanted to include it here though for those that haven't signed up to get the Newsletter (you can sign up here if you'd like).  It's a new piece but I've had the Elephant for years.  I wish I could find the source again ~ I would love to get more Focal pieces along the same lines.

'YAMUNA'

 Turquoise, Carved Red Coral, Patikan Wood, Red ‘White Heart ‘Beads, African Turquoise, Black Matte Glass, Silver-plated African Trade Beads, Red Coral, and Silver-plated Carved Beads.   The Elephant Pendant is very lightweight so, despite its appearance, this is not a heavy necklace.  Fastens with an easy to open/close Toggle Clasp.  For more information on this piece Please Click Here

"Uh oh.  Mom's not going to be happy . . . "

Another from my 'Little Sisters' Series.  This is a 10 x 10 Hand~painted paper Collage on a wood panel.  It comes nicely framed in a 1.5" deep Matte Black Frame ready to hang.  For more information on this Please Click Here

This is an older piece, long ago sold to it's 'Forever Home'.   I thought it might be a good reminder though, that 'having to juggle everything' doesn't have to be a way of life ~ especially during this very hectic (for many) Holiday Season.  I'd say make sure you take time to stop and smell the Poinsettias but, unfortunately, they don't have a 'fragrance' (at least that I can tell) so I guess it can be the Pine wreaths, trees and Garlands that are everywhere.  :)   Of course, I want you to know that I'm writing this for my own benefit as much as I am for anyone elses.  Maybe even more!

                                             Charleen

JUST A REMINDER . . .

Bahari  (Ocean)

For more information on this Piece Please Click Here

Hi!  Just a reminder for those of you that are close.  Tomorrow (Sat.) is the Open House at my Studio in Cashmere, WA.  It is from 12~5.  I'll be the one with the Coffee and Cookies.  With 4 Wineries, a Distillery and a Brewery in the same Building I thought maybe the Coffee would be a good idea!  

Horan Estates Winery is also having their 'Re-Grand Opening' to celebrate their new space.  They were previously in the space I am in and moved next door to a bigger Room.  As part of their Celebration they will be giving tours of their Production Facility which is in the same building.  They will also have a live remote from Radio Station Sunny.FM.  

Hope to see you there!

Charleen Martin Studio.Gallery

207 D  Mission Ave.

Cashmere, WA

Open House  Sat. Nov. 16th  12~5

It's 'that' time of year....

Here we are ... almost mid November already.  On a personal level, I haven't done much to get ready for this, very soon to be, Holiday Season.  (Unlike my Sister who texted me 2 days ago to let me know our gifts were in the mail and not to open them until Christmas.  Argh!! Her Christmas card  ALWAYS arrives the day after Thanksgiving!)   Anyway, in thinking about the Holidays I thought it would be nice to make it easier for people who like my work to be able to purchase, or gift the ability to purchase, my work.  So . . .

At my Studio.Gallery I offer Gift Certificates but I had not thought about adding the capability to purchase them to my Website until just last week.  I'm not sure why it took me so long.   It seems like it would be an obvious addition.  :/

For those of you interested in just seeing what I've done, or for those of you possibly interested in purchasing one (They'd make great Stocking Stuffers! :)  you can Click Here
 and see what's what.  They are currently available in $25.;  $50.;   $75. and $100. amounts.   Different amounts can be done by Special Request.  Any questions, Please do let me know.

In the meantime, a new Necklace . . .

Peju

Apple Coral, Black Matte Glass, Bone, African Trade Beads and Brass Heishi.  

Fastens with an easy to open/close Toggle Clasp.

For more information on this piece Please Click Here

and another . . .

Wajanja  (Clever)

Apple Coral, Black Matte Glass, Bone, African Trade Beads and Brass Heishi.  

Fastens with an easy to open/close Toggle Clasp.  Comes with matching Earrings.

For more information Please Click Here

 and a small 5 x 7 . . .

Gypsy Rose

This is waiting for a Frame so it's not on my Website yet.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention something about the devastation that just took place in the Philippines.   Know that my Thoughts and Prayers go out to all those affected by this immense tragedy.  And, a Special Thanks to all those who pack their bags, leave their Friends and Families behind, and selflessly go help every time one of these horrific tragedies happens.  My admiration for you has no end.

Talk to you soon . . .

Charleen

I'M STILL THINKING PUMPKIN . . .

Did you know that Orange is considered the color of' adventure and optimism'. It is also considered a warm and inviting color so it is said to get people, thinking, talking and moving.  (And obviously eating too, since so many of the restaurants use it in their decor!)   

And,  it isn't just 'Orange' anymore.  Now it's either a Popsicle, Marigold, Orange Sky,  Blood Orange, Pumpkin, Yuma, Squash, Burnt Orange, Cadmium Orange, Tangerine, Carrot Orange, Mango Tango, Red Orange and Orange Red, or even a Crayola 'Jersey Shore' Orange!  Personally I'd rather see a 'Scandal' Orange ~ can't you just feel the heat from that already?!  :)

I guess I got off on that tangent because several of my new pieces of Jewelry fall into the 'Orange Family'.   I'll let you decide what name you want to give the shades of orange in these pieces.  For me, I'm still thinking Pumpkin . . .

Serenity

Carved Jade Focal complimented with Beautiful ‘Barrels’ of Striped Agate,  Averturine, Pumpkin Matte Glass, and African Trade Beads.  Fastens with an easy to open/close Toggle Clasp.

Serenity Earrings

(yes  . . . different but the same !)

Serenity Bracelet

Striped Agate, Averturine, Pumpkin Matte Glass, Carnelian and African Trade Beads.  Fastens with an easy to open/close Toggle Clasp.

For more information on any of these pieces Please   Click Here

Happy Halloween from me and my 'Scare'crow

A couple of weeks ago my Landlord, who owns the Building where my new Studio.Gallery is, handed me an entry form for a Scarecrow Contest that the local Chamber was holding.  This was several days before each entry was due and I had out of town guests that whole week.  He thought it would be a good idea for me to participate because it would 'put me on the map' and as a new Business that could be very helpful.  (They were doing a map to hand out that showed where all the Scarecrows would be).   My company left Sunday afternoon and entries were due on Monday morning.  While I had a few days to think about it my time to actually get something done was pretty limited.   So, Sunday evening I was busy cutting out black foam-core in the shape of my 'Scare'crow.  Obviously, I couldn't just think normal Scarecrow ~ I had to be different.  (Different enough that I'm not sure most people understood why I was even calling it a 'Scare'crow  : / )   Did you ever notice that sometimes when you think outside of the Box you leave all the good ideas inside . . .?!   Well, below is my 'Scare'crow.  I guess we could just say he is . . .

  'Big Bird' dressed for Halloween as a Witch?!  :)  

My next door neighbor at my Studio is Horan Estates Winery.  They did 

'Millie Merlot' (she won Grand Champion out of 45 entries)  Thought you might like to see her too.  By the way, by the end of the second week of this Scarecrow Contest, Little Cashmere (pop. 3100)  had over 100 Scarecrow 'participants' .  Even though most did not make it in to the contest, people just decided to participate anyway.  Some of the entries were hilarious and if you are local, worth taking a drive out to see them while you still can.

Here's Millie . . .

May all the Ghosts and Goblins in your Life 

be ones that make you Smile.

                                      Charleen

The Local Library . . .

This is another little discovery from my recent trip to Boise, Idaho.  Some of you may be familiar with these already.  Evidently they are scattered 'Worldwide'!   When I went to the website for them I couldn't believe I hadn't heard about them before.  They are everywhere!  This one popped up recently on the front lawn of  one of my friends neighbors.   The Homeowner built it himself and supplied the initial books.  Borrowing a book is free and it just requires that you return it or exchange it for another book.

Several of the neighbors were skeptical that anyone in the neighborhood would use it but they daily see people stopping and borrowing books, exchanging books and adding books.  It's evidently a hit with both young and old.

The rules and regulations are simple.  Borrow a book, read it, and then return it to any Little Library or pass it on and share it.    If you would like to see more about these Little Libraries you can go to www.littlefreelibrary.org

Happy Reading Everyone!

Charleen

A Semi Guided Art Tour . . .

Last week I spent several days visiting 'old' friends down in Boise, Idaho.  I say old because we have been friends for over 45 years.  My girlfriend and I often kid about the fact that we don't know what made us friends initially ~ we came from completely opposite backgrounds with little in common.  She grew up on a farm in North Dakota and didn't see her first indoor plumbing until she was almost 6 when her parents put in their first indoor bathroom.  It was bedpans, metal wash tubs, and outhouses until then.  Me . . . I never saw my first outhouse until I was 13.  I was up in Canada visiting relatives in 'Ecum Secum' (yes, that's for real!) Canada and that's all they had ~ and all we had while visiting! :(  .  We just didn't have outhouses where I grew up in New York, and quite honestly, that was just fine with me.   (We did have fire escapes though, and they were great to climb outside on, and watch all the activity down on the Boulevard.  But then, that's another whole story . . . )

As a young woman, I moved to Boise in 1966 (yes, I know, some of you weren't even born yet ...)  At that time it was a small city where the men would still walk down the street and  tip their hats to the Ladies as they passed by.  Remember this was 1966.  I hadn't seen that in New York since I was a small child.  But, Boise had its ups and downs like many other cities.  A nice busy downtown  ~ and then the first big Mall moves in, and sadly, the downtown withers away.  Boise struggled for a while, but today it's a beautiful thriving city that has managed to nicely blend the old and the new.  Wonderful old buildings tucked in and around the new sky high ones house great restaurants, shops and galleries.  They (whomever the 'They' are) have done a great job in revitalizing the city.

ANYWAY . . . I tell you all this because my girlfriend and I walked all over downtown and found some amazing art tucked down alleys everywhere.  They have one spot actually called Gallery Alley with paintings lining the backs of all the buildings.  So . . . I thought it would be fun to share it with you.  I hope you enjoy the 'tour' !  :)
  

This one is a tribute to the Lady shown.  She ran that Market forever.  It was the Neighborhood Market in the 'North End' of Boise where it was (and still is)  mostly older homes  ~ from cottages to Mansions and everything in between.  I was told the Market is now a Yoga Studio.

Cute!  :)

Definitely Eclectic in styles and what is being said!

Politics are everywhere!

Have a great weekend!

                                                       And I'd love to hear what you think of the tour . . .  :)                                                                    Charleen

IS IT REALLY OCTOBER ALREADY . . .

If it is, then that means the '30 in 30' Painting Challenge is over and I no longer have to feel guilty about not getting as much work done for that as I planned.  :(  I did have high hopes but I should have done a reality check before I signed on.  With being gone for 5 days, getting ready for a Show Opening, having 11 days worth of out-of-town guests, AND trying to get my new Studio space opened "I DON'T KNOW WHAT I WAS THINKING!!"   (Oh yes, and there was supposed to be a 7 day vacation in there too  For those of you that don't get my Newsletter you can Click Here to see why THAT didn't happen)  :/  Do you ever have those moments where you think "Now, why did I do that to myself?"  This was one of those.  The positive side(s):  My trip to Coeur d'Alene for my Show Opening went very well; I enjoyed all 3 sets of out-of-town guests; and I did get my New Studio.Gallery Space opened!  It opened unofficially last Friday for the first time.  This is one corner of my space . . .

I'll try and include more photos in my next Blog.  The interesting thing is, this is supposed to be a place where I can primarily work on, and display my jewelry, but the sales I made the two days I was open were all Artwork related ~ cards and prints.  As they say

 'go figure!'  :)  (My plan is to be there just 3 days a week)

One of my out of town guests was an Artist by the name of Yuko Ishi.  We had never met before (long story) but she came and spent 2 days with me.  What a lovely person.  I was so pleased to get the opportunity to meet and visit with her.  Originally from Japan (where she had a Rock 'n' Roll Band when she was younger!) she now lives in Washington State and is a wonderful Mixed Media Photographer.   We had a great visit and I enjoyed seeing her work and meeting the person behind it.  A lot of Spirituality behind the person and the work.

Song of a Rufous Hummingbird II by Yuko Ishi

If you would like to see more of her work Please visit her site by Clicking Here.  

Here's a new Necklace . . .

Earth Song

 For more information on this piece you can Click Here

and here's a small piece I just did yesterday . . .

Out on the Patio

4" x 4" Acrylic on Board  

These small pieces come with a Stand.  

I haven't worked this small in quite a while.  It was a fun piece to do.

(There were also a couple of new pieces (Jewelry and Collage) included in the September Newsletter).

OK.  Back to work.  Thank you for visiting and I hope you 

Have a wonderful week!  

I'VE BEEN IN THE STUDIO EVERYDAY!

BUT . . . I'm definitely not going to make anywhere near the '30 in 30'.  If I cheated, and included new Jewelry pieces I've done, then I'd probably be real close but this is a 2-dimensional challenge so that won't work!   :)  I have been in the studio though, and actually painting everyday, but several of the pieces I've done are fairly large so there is no way I could finish them in a day.  I needed to get large pieces done for my upcoming show (this Friday) so I had to abandon the smaller work for now.  (Just in case you didn't see the last Blog, Artist Leslie Saeta  is hosting a '30 paintings in 30 days' challenge.  I think she said over 400 Artists are taking part in it.)  To see some of the Artists work you can Click Here

 So . . .  here are a few of the things I've accomplished since I last blogged on the 7th.

Sometime Shy needs a Friend

12 x 16 Mixed Media Collage

Evening on the Prairie

12 x 12 Acrylic on wood panel

For more information on this please Click Here

(still trying to decide where I want to be  ~ or maybe I should say where I'm comfortable, with my Painting)

A Time Past

5 x 7 Acrylic on wood panel

For more information on this piece please Click Here

Triple on the Black

Coral, Blackstone,TigerEye, Black Matte Glass and Brass Heishi.  Fastens with an easy open/close Toggle Clasp.

Not all of these are on my Website yet and since I'm leaving early in the morning for Idaho, they may not make it there for a few days.  If you have any questions please don't hesitate to let me know.  Thanks for peeking in  . . . Have a wonderful weekend!

30 in 30!

I decided to sign up for Leslie Saeta's '30 in 30' Painting Challenge for the month of September.  The idea is to get you in the studio painting everyday, have fun with it, and just do what you can even if you can't get a painting done everyday.  Since the 'rules' were fairly easy I decided to sign up even though I will be gone for at least a week during this month.  (It should have been 2 weeks but our week of vacation was cancelled. That is actually, another whole Blog in and of itself!)  I have an upcoming Show in Idaho next week so I will be gone for that.

Anyway . . . I decided I would only Blog about the Challenge every few days or so rather than each day I do a new piece.  Easier on me and one less email you have to deal with!  I started a few days late into this too because I thought I was going to be away . . . on that vacation :( 

This is the first piece that I did.  As you can see from the different styles I am still 'exploring' which road I want to travel with my painting as versus my Collages.  Right now I'm enjoying the different 'moods' (and my husband would so agree with the 'mood' part!) so I guess that's what counts the most.

This is the first piece I did called "Sunsets are Free'

Sunsets are Free

12" x 12" Acrylic on Canvas

For more information on this piece please Click Here

Colorwise, this is probably closer to my Collages than the next two.  I enjoyed painting this one and have another, larger piece in this style started.

Next comes  'Abandoned to the Night'

Abandoned to the Night

5" x 7" Acrylic on Wood panel

For more information on this piece please Click Here

And lastly  'Night Watch'

Night Watch

6" x 6" Acrylic on wood panel

For more information on this piece please Click Here

I did this background like I do on a lot of my Collages ~ with a brayer.  Then I just let it tell me which direction to go.  I saw a forest and then decided to add this tree sitting on these rocks (from a photo I'd taken last winter actually ~ the tree was in hibernation and the rocks covered with snow?!! : / 

If you remember, last week I did the Palette knife painting (before the challenge started).  If you have a moment, I would love comments, or thoughts, on what you like best (or don't like).  Thank you.

In the meantime, have a great weekend!