Sale Time

We are having a dot sale on almost everything in the store. The dots will correspond with a percentage off each item from 20% up to 50%. Some stuff is already reduced and will have that beloved Red dot of 50% off.

Come get your holiday gifts now and then you don't have to freak out about the crowds and traffic in November!

Sale starts Friday, Sept. 24 through October 7th.
(get in soon for the great deals on one-of-a-kind gifts before they are gone)

Visual Fusion Project

We have a new project for The Art Mill. We want to get creative people involved in projects and art openings. Supporting emerging artists and beginners is our main goal and these projects are our way to get more people involved.

You purchase a "kit", follow the instructions (they are few), submit your creative work by the deadline and have your work on display (and for sale) for an art opening and exhibit. Each project will have different challenges, surprises and ideas for you to try out.  To get involved in these events you buy the kit which includes...
• your canvas, board, paper or other required surface
• fun papers and/or ephemera
• two hours of free studio time at The Art Mill to be used on specified dates (which gives you access to all of our supplies and goodies)
• the theme or challenge for the artwork submitted

The fee for the kit also covers marketing and promotion for the opening and exhibition to get your art sold. There is more information about all the commission fees, deadlines and the like on the website. (on its way on-line soon)

Our first project is a "Visual Fusion" project. Included in your kit are words that you will visually interpret in your own unique way. You may choose to use all of the words or just one. The rest is up to your imagination.

The kits will go on sale on August 1st so be sure to pick one up and get involved in what should be a fun project and exhibition.
The deadline for buying a kit is August 21st.
Submit your artwork by Sept.15
Exhibition Sept. 24 - 30
Art opening on Sept. 24th.
Cost: $16.95

Focus in a Can!

 

Yikes! I guess I've been slackering on the blog posting. I did take a wonderful vacation to Austin, TX. Love that city. I played on the lake until muscles I didn't even know I had were sore. Since I've been back I think I've been going through PVD (post vacation depression). 

So I've decided to re-energize and focus. I resort to caffeine to stay energized but then I get distracted by shiny things, dust bunnies, the internet....  I thought that focus should come canned so that I quit wandering around hopped up on caffeine jumping from one idea to the next and accomplishing nothing. Above is my Andy Warhol-esque poster for this wonderful product that is bound to be a international success if only someone can invent the ingredients. Obviously it will first need to be bottled so that it can be oh so exciting when it comes in a can!

Since I am tooting around the internet I thought I'd share one thing I came across that I loved. It's this hilarious illustration. Then back to work I promise. Just 5 more minutes...

Free stuff

Congratulations to Amy S on winning the May drawing for a free painting class. Be sure to register for June's drawing for Free clay! Whenever I write these entries I always want to talk like a radio announcer that is super excited. Can you hear it in my tone of type?

Check the website every month to see what we are giving away. Plus when you do you are put on our mailing list for coupons and such. I haven't started that just yet but its coming.  We also have a coupon in the Spartan so be sure to look for that as well.

Clay Dog/pig/bear

Well... The dog is still drying. I struggled with this little guy. Although the paper ball head looked like a dog head, once I wrapped it in clay it looked like a pig. I had to do his face three times before I was even partially ok with him. So as promised, here he is. The last photo is how I was looking at him while I made him, so its my favorite view. Now he just has to make it through the firing without exploding! We shall see...

Oh and funny story, my Mom commented on liking his "circles". I explained that they were his SPOTS. But now I think there will be a little story about Jane and her dog Circle. See Jane. See Circle. See Jane talk to her silly Mom.

Shop dogs

This is a new project I'm working on. I've been seeing adorable sculptures in clay and paper mache of dogs and I wanted to make one. Depending on how long it takes I might make more "pets" for myself and the shop. I somehow managed to get a wad of paper to look like a dogs head. He looks a bit like the dog from "There's Something about Mary" after he flies out the window and has a full body cast.

I can't wait to make and show the finished product.  I had to do a little photo shoot with my actual dogs since they were in the shop with me yesterday. They hated every second of it as they don't tend to get along with other dogs.  I may have chased them with it, making barking sounds, before these photos were taken. They are practicing avoidance.

I am a little sad I can't have actual shop dogs. My two love to bark at everyone. With this new addition to my dog pack I can have a quiet and loyal pet at work.

Explosion Proof

So Brit-iferd (imagine a man with a smoking jacket, monocle and British accent ) and I were having a deeply intellectual conversation about my vent over my kiln. Just so you know Brit-iferd is my Mr. B, my hubster, my -insert code name used by prolific bloggers who refer to their husbands-. I had noticed a sticker on the vent that says "not explosion proof" which sparked (pardon the pun) a hilarious conversation about how things can read differently to others than originally intended.

I read "not explosion proof" to mean that at some point I may be working away in my kiln room and... kaploowey! My vent will randomly explode. The end.

Brit-iferd read it to mean that if I cause an explosion in my building or kiln room through misuse of art supplies that the vent will not survive the blast. That I will be going through all my junk in the kiln room crying over burnt scraps of wood and melted Christmas elves only to discover that while my kiln has survived the blast my vent is beyond repair. Oh the horror!

So, I've been tempted to call the manufacturer and sort out the meaning of their label. It's a little vague and really if it is as I read it... I'd like to know how not to have a vent explosion. Is there a way to prevent it? Then again with all the law suits in the world against businesses for silly things I wonder if they just slap a label like that on anything.

I'm thinking of putting that label on all my art. You decide if I mean it will explode or if there is an explosion that it was not in-fact "explosion proof".