Ten Seconds and Living the Creative Life

Hi Everyone,
been hiding away trying to get some work done in the studio. I've been back from beautiful Valley Ridge for a few days. Wet, but it was gorgeous. Kathy and Bill are great host and the student were wonderful...all and all everything was perfect...especially Bill's Gimlet mixing.

So...calling all Texans. I'll be teaching some classes at Ten Second Studio next week and Megan and Cheryl were kind enough to put together a book signing for my book as well as Rice Freeman-Zachery's book "Living the Creative Life" (which I'm featured in). As a special treat James Michael Starr (also in Rice's book will be there as well. Here's the skinny.


Book Signing at Ten Second Studios
Wednesday, Sept. 5 7:30 pm

Come join Ricë Freeman-Zachery, Michael deMeng, and James Michael Starr for the Book Signing Event of the Century at Ten Seconds Studio! They have joined forces to come out with Living the Creative Life: Ideas and Inspiration from Working Artists. Ricë, Michael, and James are so nice to stay longer and have a discussion about "What Makes You Creative?"

Ricë Freeman-Zachery is a writer and artist living in Midland, Texas. She earned her BA and MA in English and writing, and then began freelancing while teaching freshman composition. Ricë works mostly by assignment from a variety of magazines, where she enjoys writing profiles of fascinating artists. In addition to her new book, she wrote Stamp Artistry (Rockport Publishers) and New Techniques for Wearable Art (Quarry Books). Read more about her at VooDoo Cafe.

Michael deMeng creates Post-modern shrines. In his mixed-media assemblages he combines built elements, recycled frames and objects, and old photographs, with new painting and texts. DeMeng selects haunting and disturbing images that address the darker side of individualism in the contemporary world: themes of isolation, social alienation, and political oppression. Read more about DeMeng at www.michaeldemeng.com.

James Michael Starr is a Dallas artist whose collages and found-object sculptures have appeared in galleries and exhibitions in the U.S. and abroad. His work was selected for four consecutive Critic’s Choice exhibitions at the Dallas Center for Contemporary Art and included by invitation in the 2001 International Exhibition of Contemporary Collage in Paris, France, as well as in Assemblage 100, which toured New Zealand in 2004. In 2006, images of his work were published in several magazines and in four books, including the French survey of contemporary collage, “L’art du Collage a L’aube du Vingt et Unieme Siecle (The Art of Collage at the Dawn of the Twenty-First Century)”. He is represented by Conduit Gallery in Dallas and by Hooks-Epstein Galleries in Houston. Read more about him at www.jamesmichaelstarr.com.

Location: Ten Seconds Studio
4170 Willman Ave
North Richland Hills, TX 76180

website: www.TenSecondsStudio.com

Space is limited, so please reserve your spot by contacting Megan@TenSecondsStudio.com

From the Desert to the Land of Fire

Hey all,

So here I am back in Missoula for a few more days. I head to Wisconsin on Tuesday to teach at Valley Ridge (one of my favorite venues). Earlier this week I left the scorching temperatures of Phoenix, only to return home and find the state of Montana in flames. The fires are everywhere. I live in town, so I'm not really at risk but plenty are. It is downright nasty out...unless you like smoke.

Art Unraveled
Had a great time at A.U. Very busy, between teaching, vending, drinkng coffe, book signings and...yes drinking a martini or two with...well everyone. One thing that I love about these big events is being able to connect with people you haven't seen in a while. I have students who I see once a year, others I see at every venue I teach. So through the years you form friendships that make it seem as if the gaps of time never exists. This is especially true when I get to see the other instructors. I see them here and there and everywhere and it is always a treat. I once overheard someone complain that the teachers always hang out together at these venues (I'm not really sure why that is a bad thing). What I think people sometimes forget is that we are all working at these retreats and it is nice to have someone who you can understand the frustrations as well as the joys of this strange lifestyle.

Which brings me to my next photo:
Yes it was a long week and we all deserved a bit of a celebration...and how.

Gifts
people are so nice sometimes
I received some really great goodies from students and friends.
A student in my Six Million Dollar Anatomy Man Class literally gave me the shirt off her back...she was wearing a Six Million Dollar Man t-shirt. Don't get any ideas...she changed first.

I got a kiss from my girlfriend Judy via her blog buddy Angie...once again don't get any ideas...it was a Hershey Kiss charm.

Tim Holtz gave me twenty pounds of typewriter letters (not the keys, the metal things that make the mark...whatever they are called)

Carlotta gave me a prosthetic leg. That's right an entire leg. Apparently she carried on the plane with her. I have to admit part of me wanted to leave it behind...not because I didn't want it, but because I kept thinking that if I left the leg in the room the maids and the staff would wonder what ever happened to the man with one leg and how did he not notice that his leg was missing. Its the type of thing they would talk about for the rest of there lives. But it was way too cool for that...so I brought it home...who knows where it might show up.

Speaking of gifts...when I got home I found a package from Mary of Devils Claws. Here's a photo. Once again I'm not sure what I'll do with them but they are totally cool.

Some Business stuff.
I had a person email me saying that I should mention that I have Anatomy Men at my online store. Apparently she had searched and searched until she stopped by the store and found out we had them listed. The Dollar stores are hit or miss, so if you can't find these guys we have a stockpile. If you're interested go HERE

Also, for those of you who took the the Weird Wonderful Windows Lightbox class we are in the process of putting kits together for those of you who want to continue on with this theme.

Tarot Card Prints are now available...woo hoo!

As promised...just back from Art Unraveled...and a bit tired...I must say. And now...dun dun na duh...( that's the sound from the Imperial Margarine commercial...by the way) the Tarot Cards are ready to sell. Christine and I brought them out for the vendor sale and they were going like hot cakes...granted I've never seen a hot cake go, but I think you get the point.

Anyway if you're interested they are available on the online store. Each print is limited to 500 and is numbered and signed by little ol' me.

$35 each
or
$120 for the set of four

If you're interested go here
http://www.theartistsnook.net/shop/cart.php?m=product_list&c=21



As for Art Unraveled...I'll fill you guys in this week...for now...Nite nite.