MORE FROM THE 'BACKSIDE OF LIFE' . . .

Busy, busy month between getting ready for my Show Opening at Angel Gallery and LOADS of company at 'Camp Dunmovin'  (In case you don't know about Camp Dunmovin' you can click  HERE  :)  Crazy, since for the first time in ?? we don't actually have an official home!  I think we've had more company in the past couple of months than we did the whole 3 1/2 years we were over in Wenatchee ~ and there we had a home that had an actual guest room!  : /   It's been fun though.  Crazy. But fun.  

Here are a few pieces from 'The Backside Series'  These are all smaller pieces ~ just 6" x 12"  Great for spots where you just want a small splash of color.  More information on these can be found HERE

 The Backside of Life:  Singing as She Goes

    
The Backside of Life:

             Summer Showers                    Rainy Days and Red Umbrellas

The Backside of Life:

Tomatoes from the Garden

Here are several New Jewelry Pieces that made it to the Gallery for the Show . . .

Alegria  (Joy)

Mchunba  (Sweetheart)

  

Moon Spice

For more information on these Pieces, and several other new ones, Please Click HERE

Hope Summer is being kind to you!

Charleen

'Deep Summer is where Laziness finds Respectability . . .'
                             Sam Keen

'OH . . . HAPPY DAY !'

     

'Oh . . . Happy Day !'                                'To Market we go . . .'   

Mixed Media Collage on Wood Panel

These are two new pieces which just headed north to Entree Gallery in Nordman, Idaho.  A little different size for me ~ 6 x 12"  I enjoyed this format so have another set this size started.  I think I'll call this series 'The Backside of Life!'  :)

I have a Gallery Show opening on July 11th at Angel Gallery in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho so I am busy trying to get work done for that.  Below are some new Necklace Designs I've recently finished for the Show.  They will be accessible through my Website until about July 7th.  After that they will have to be purchased through the Gallery.  

    

Cherry Blossom Moon

More information on this Piece is available HERE

Royal Princess

More information on this Piece is available HERE

(A full size view of this is shown on my Website ~ just scroll down a bit when you get there)

Jwahir  (Golden Woman)

This Piece is not on my Website yet.  (It should be on by this evening)

To go to my Website Please Click HERE

I am now back in Idaho full time.   Missing my Friends in Wenatchee but it's great to be closer again to Friends and Family here.   And, I don't miss that 4.5 hour drive each way if I wanted to come over here!   I think of the days when I traveled and did Art Shows around the country and didn't think anything of driving 8~10 hours in a day to get to my destination.   I always enjoyed the traveling to the Shows ~ it was the drive back home after the Shows that wasn't as much fun!  By then, you are tired and just want to be home.  :)

Charleen

SOMETIMES WISDOM PASSES SILENTLY ...

Did you ever think later 'Why didn't I understand that at the time?'  Because, sometimes that little bit of Wisdom passes right by us without us even realizing it until later.  At least I know that has happened to me . . . Sometimes the lessons take a little time to arrive!  These figures are part of my WiseWalker series which is all about age and wisdom.

The WiseWalkers:  Sometimes Wisdom Passes Silently

18 x 24" Mixed Media on Wood 

For more information Please Click HERE

Two new Necklaces recently finished are below . . .

Black Magic Woman

More information can be found here on my Website

The Cats Meow

More information on this Piece can be found Here

If you remember, the last Blog I mentioned a great little Restaurant and Wine Bar in Wallace called the Fainting Goat (scroll down to read about it) and I included some photos.  I said the only one I didn't get was the Bathroom.  Well, I've been back since and did get a photo of the sink I mentioned ~ the one made out of an old wine barrel.  Photo is below.  :)

I decided I was going to start a Blog about our new adventure of building our home in Mullan.  I have it set up and titled but nothing posted yet.  I get a lot of questions about 'how's it going?'  so I thought this would be a good way to answer the question and at the same time keep a chronology about the ins and outs, the ups and downs, and what I sense is going to be a comedy of errors!  So, when I get it together I'll post a link on here and if you are interested you can Click on over.  :)

til next time . . .

Charleen

FROM THE STUDIO of CHARLEEN MARTIN

"I HEARD SHE REALLY IS A NATURAL REDHEAD . . ."

I think I had as much fun naming this as I did painting it!

"I heard she really is a Natural Redhead . . ."

12 x 12 Acrylic on Canvas

For more information on this piece Please Click HERE

This is the second piece I've done recently where I have two trees in the background 'talking'.  Didn't even realize it until I went to title this one.  I think I might have a theme going here  :)  I'll put the other one just below this so you can it too.

"Say . . . who's the little guy?"

5 x 7 Acrylic on wood panel

For more information on this piece Please Click HERE

I am up in Wallace, Idaho (this week :) and recently I took myself out to a Restaurant up here (Been back twice since!).  It's a fairly new place called 'The Fainting Goat Wine Bar and Eatery.'  

Besides the food being excellent and the prices very reasonable, the decor is great.  I think you might appreciate the Creativity.  It's in an old Bank Building so the vault is now a Wine Cellar.  It's done in a sort of industrial rustic theme.  I took a few photos and the one I didn't get (which I will next time I'm there!) was the bathroom.  It's just fun. The sink is an old Wine barrel cut in half and epoxied on the inside so it doesn't leak.  It looks great and fits the decor so well.  Such a simple idea . . .

That's an old water trough cut to fit on, and around, the wall and then finished off with a wood top for a bar.

This is an old Mining area so the tables are made from old mining equipment.  Simple, but makes a definite statement.  Anyway, if you are in the area it is definitely worth a stop.  

                       ANTS. 

45,000 of them crawling around in your head!!  

For those of you that aren't on my Newsletter email list that's what I wrote about this month  :)  (This months Newsletter just went out last night.)  And just so you know, they are not the ANTS you are thinking of!  (But, that's quite the visual isn't it!  :/ )  If you are curious you can Click  HERE  and then click on the May issue.  I think you might find it interesting.  I know I did when I first heard it.  It's amazing how our Brain works . . .

And, to repeat myself from my Newsletter, I hope that your Memorial day weekend is filled with new memories, new Joy, wonderful remembrances of special people . . . and, hopefully...

No ANTS!

Charleen

I'VE BEEN BUSY ON THE JEWELRY SIDE OF MY STUDIO . . .

Entree Gallery up in Nordman, Idaho opens for the Season this weekend.  As I think I mentioned last time they will be carrying my work again this year. :)  I brought all my Paintings up about 2 weeks ago but didn't realize they also wanted to carry my Jewelry  : /  so I've been busy working on that since I got back from our Washington 'home' (the RV :) on Monday.  I was able to get the Jewelry mailed off yesterday afternoon so it should arrive today, in time for the opening in 2 days.  I had several new Pieces done for my Show in Wenatchee (which wound up being cancelled at the last minute) but needed more.  Also, some Pieces needed to be different for Entree.  I don't know whether I over think things too much (well, actually, I know I do ~ really bad habit most of the time!) but depending on how the Jewelry is going to be displayed, makes a difference on what I like to send.  I feel Presentation really makes a difference in the sale of the work.  Some pieces just really need that Black Velvet Bust (like I use in most of my photos) to make the work stand out and some Pieces are fine and look great draped across a piece of Driftwood or a Glass Block.  I had too many of one kind . . .  :)  

Here are some of the new Pieces I did for Entree Gallery.  I'll put the link to each ones spot on my Website below it if you would like further information.  

                     Shima  (True Intentions)                                                 Adisa

                    Shima:  http://charleenmartinfineart.com/workszoom/1460962 

                    Adisa:   http://charleenmartinfineart.com/workszoom/1462136

       

                         The Angels Trumpet   (Sold!)                    Just Call me Fun!

            Just Call me Fun!:  http://charleenmartinfineart.com/workszoom/1455319

There are several more which should make it to my Website over the next few days.

On the highway between Wallace and Mullan, Idaho there is a bright Yellow Fountain sitting all by itself in seemingly the middle of nowhere.  It was designed and built out of old Mining equipment by a gentleman whose name was Elmer Almquist.  It is therefore called 'Elmers Fountain'  :) The Fountain runs continuously all year round ~ even in the middle of Winter when it turns itself into the most marvelous ice Sculpture.  We seem to be always hurrying past so unfortunately I didn't think to stop and take any photographs until most of the ice was gone.  Usually it's frozen all the way to the top and you don't see any of the Fountain itself, just this magnificent ice creature standing by the side of the road.  (You'll have to use your imagination!) Below is one of the photos I took about 3 weeks ago.  The History of it is somewhat interesting so if you'd like to read more about it you can click on the link HERE.

Elmers Fountain

That's it for my Geography/History lesson for today.  Maybe it will inspire you to build your own Fountain or . . . then again, maybe not!  :)

Charleen

SPRING IS WHERE EXACTLY . . . ?

I don't know how it is where you are, but I woke up to snow this morning.  Not much, but enough that the grass was white and the puddles from the rain yesterday were covered with ice.  Not what you would expect from the 3rd week in April.  Of course, I am back in Northern Idaho  (this week!) so it is a little cooler here than over in Wenatchee where my husband is enjoying warmer temperatures and a little more sun.  

It has been a crazy month to say the least.  Last I wrote we had (unexpectedly) sold the house.  I know, you put your house on the market  ~ isn't that what you want to happen?!  But we just thought for sure it would take a lot longer than it did.  Wrong.  But we did manage to find a 'little' apartment in Wallace, Idaho, which is not too far from our property.  By little I mean that, besides the apartment, we have 2 more storage units filled to the brim with most of our furniture and belongings.  The apartment is comfy, and I think you could even say 'cozy'.  But, this at least gave me a place to set up my studio.  :)  So, for now, we are both taking turns commuting back and forth between Wallace and Wenatchee (the W's).  This is my week in Wallace.  Next week I'll be in Wenatchee for a small show I have opening on Friday, May 2nd showcasing my Jewelry.  

   

Wallace is a place of Beautiful old Doors with lots of leaded Glass  . . .

and also just 'old doors'  :)

            A little bit of trivia . . . Wallace is where the movie 'Dante's Peak' (with Pierce Brosnan and Linda Hamilton) was filmed.

In between the packing, moving, partially unpacking, and setting up of my Studio, we also had to go back over to Wenatchee and dismantle my Studio.Gallery in Cashmere.  I hated to have to do that.  I wasn't there that long, but I did make some nice Friends while there.  Of course, how do you not make friends when the Businesses all around you are hosting Wine Tastings all day long!  

Once I got my Studio set up I started working on pieces for Entree Gallery in Nordman, Idaho.  They will be opening for the Season on Mothers Day weekend and my work is due up there this Friday.  On Saturday I will start working on some new Jewelry pieces for my Show.  I don't have any Jewelry to show on this Blog but should have some new pieces by the beginning of the week.

This is one of the new pieces that will be heading to Entree Gallery . . .

Sharing the Bench

14 x 14 Mixed Media Collage on Cradled Wood Panel

Sides are finished and comes ready to hang.

For more information on this piece Please Click Here

I think the Gallery situation in Wallace is somewhat . . . how can I best describe it  . . . 'creative?'  :)

  Happy April!

I THINK THE ELVES HAVE BEEN PARTYING TOO MUCH !!

Either someone has started celebrating the wearing o' the Green a little early, or my husband and I REALLY don't plan things very well!  Sad to say I'm pretty sure it's the latter . . .   We put our House up for sale and thought it would take quite a while to sell since we're in an 'Adult Neighborhood' with lots of rules, regulations, covenants and short dogs (One of the rules is that dogs can't be over 18" high ~ don't ask us what we were thinking when we bought here ~ it all seemed workable at the time).  We thought most of our potential Buyers would be 'snow-birding' it until sometime in April.  We never thought that the first people through the house would make an offer, we would accept, and that we have to be out in 30 days (now down to 17!)  With. no. place. to. go.   We can't even start building our new place until July.  The snow is still several feet high!  So now we are in the throes of packing, storing AND looking for a temporary place to live.  Not so easy in these days of 'a minimum years lease' in order to rent a place.  Life has become very interesting to say the least and the garage on our new property is becoming quite full! 

This Trailer is filled with Patio furniture and yard goodies

And this little Trailer is filled with Garage 'stuff'!

And, even after 3 trips to Idaho, most of the House is still in the House . . .

In between, I have been still trying to work (concentration at this point is almost non existent) because I have an upcoming Gallery due date of April 15th.  Remember, my Painting Studio is in my home . . . so that of course will be the very last thing packed.  And, it will be the very first thing unpacked.  We just don't know where yet!  

I have managed to get a few new pieces done even with all this going on.  Yes, there have been a few very late nights!  

Sisters.  Friends.  Secret Keepers.

To get more information on this piece Please Click Here.

There are also a few more that I showed in my last Newsletter and if interested you can Click  HERE, and HERE,  to see them.  

Olivia

That's a beautiful shade of Green Line Jasper along with New Jade, African Trade Beads and Brass Heishi.

For more information on Olivia Please Click HERE

I have 2 more paintings in process which I should have ready for my next Newsletter which I hope to have out the beginning of next week.  

For those of you in the area, I have temporarily closed my Cashmere Studio.Gallery (I design my Jewelry there, the Paintings are done here at home)  ~ at least until after move at the end of this month.  After that, we'll have to see where all this takes us.  :)

In the meantime,  Happy St. Patricks Day to you all!  And remember, as you are out there looking for those Four Leaf Clovers, 'Luck, is all about believing you are Lucky'  ~ Tennessee Williams