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Sunday, December 28, 2014

Natalie Hamade Just has a Flair


Natalie Hamade
Is mixing it up!
Multi Media workshop
 

Frolic - AFICC workshop
     I would like to open this post with the class Natalie is teaching at the convention.
 

     Frolic paper clay, cloth and painting techniques. Sounds simple enough right?  This 3 day workshop is designed for intermediate and advanced students and will not disappoint.  The cloth is a basic do a little simple sewing at home.  Come to class and be ready to dive right in.  You will be up to your elbows in cloth, paper clay, paint, design and experimentation.  This is a wonder adventure in a mixed media progressive figurative art.  
 
     It all starts 9am on April 24th. Natalie is a fireball and full of information which she has no problem sharing.  She will be teaching in a variety of paints, pencils and blending techniques, fabric and paper clay. Add costuming to the mix and you are enfolded in her world of color and design.
 
Rag doll by Natalie Hamade
 
     Now that I have introduced the class let me show you some of her other design work.  I had originally ask her to do this adorable rag doll as a 1 day class.....As you can see she can take the most basic of figurative forms and ad a twist of flair.  She embraces color into all her designs. She had no problem saying,  Let me give you something that will knock your socks off. She was right Frolic was a winner.....but I still love this!
 
 
Drawer pull by Natalie Hamade
 
    She has an Etsy site:  selling paintings, on canvas and paintings on rocks, paintings on pillows and paintings on draw pulls....if it is paintable Natalie applies her talent and color making     it come alive.  
 
 
 
Natalie loves mixed media, adding dimension to her paintings is one way to bring an interesting added touch to the art.
 

Sunday, November 30, 2014

Art from the Heart: Trish Randal

          
Trish Randal puts the meaning in the saying
 
Art from the Heart!

      This is the Season we all take pause to reflect on how grateful we are for what we have.  Some years are good years, some are great and some we could do without, but know matter what type of year we have had there is always something or someone to be grateful for.  I am always grateful for my family, friends and my fury friends.

      While in my own world remembering who and what I was grateful for, I was in the process of choosing the next AFICC teacher to write about. 

     I like to reveal things in the blog that you may not know about the artist.  A surprise you might say! We all like to learn something new and it keeps things interesting. 

     Who should jump out at me?  Trish Randal!  It didn't take me but a minute to think of her for the holiday.

     You might be saying, "Oh she does ornaments and it is the holiday season that's why Cyndy choose her."  No not exactly but it does help in timing of this holiday season Teacher Feature.   So let me tell you a little about Trish before I reveal why I choose her for December blog report.

     Trish is a fantastic teacher but she is also a very giving artist.  I met her at an art show we both had a booth, her ornaments were selling like hot cakes.

  
Trish has a large fan club here in Ohio and people have been collecting her work for years.

     Her art work is just not for the Holiday season.  Most of her figures represent images of family and friends as a tribute to their love and kindness.  It is her intention as an artist to create pieces to celebrate the stories of our lives.  That can be at graduation, weddings, loving memories and yes Christmas too!



 
Holt International Adoption
    
   I was surfing her web site when I cam across her page of special items. A portion of proceeds from sales of her figures on this page go to charitable organizations which have touched her life click here to go directly to her site.

      These collectibles are truly Gifts from the Heart.  She has made special pieces for each of the charities Breast Cancer, Joubert Foundation, American Heart, and Holt International Adoption.



     
Boy's - Joubert Foundation Collectible
There is a Girls version too.
 I have admired artist that do special benefits, or use there art to help raise awareness, however Trish's page is up all the year around. She changes out the collectables with a new version from time to time to allow people to add to their private collection and help at the same time. Her Breast Cancer Awareness is now 10th in the series. 







 
 
This is 1of the 4 classes 
Trish is teaching at
 
Artistic Figures in
Cloth & Clay 
 
Trish has the step by step class designed so anyone can succeed!

this class and her
other classes

Sunday, October 12, 2014

Teacher Creature Feature - Debra Klopp


Halloween & Debra Klopp
go together just like Salt and Pepper
 
 
One of my favorite times of the year is the fall.  I love the smell of the air and fireplaces.  I love the sound of rustling leafs under my feet as I shuffle along and the giggles of children running down the street Trick 'r Treating.  I treasure the memories I spent after school and on the weekends working on my Halloween costume with my sisters and brothers.  It is a magical season. You just know anything could happen.

     When I found Debra Klopp's  Etsy site I just had to contact her right away.  Her work is ghoulishly hilarious.  I couldn’t look at her Creatures or Dolls without giggling and then feeling a little bit guilty about it, especially if you read the quirky little side bars. 
     October gives me the perfect excuse to decorate my home with weird and wonderful things, dress up in crazy costumes, make pop popcorn balls and watch the old original movies, like The Mummy, Dracula, Frankenstein and the Wolf Man. 
 
It was love at first site when I saw her adorable Frankenstein dolls.
Igor, The Doctor, Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein
and Scrappy the dog. - Debra Klopp original Designs
If you have a love for the goofy macabre and Halloween you simply must visit her Etsy site and indulge yourself this October.   She has crazy creatures and Very Grim Fairytales of her own. 
 
Wicked Red Riding Hood heard that someone tried to get her Granny.  She is out for revenge.....someone is going to pay!
 
 
Artistic Figures in Cloth & Clay have many multi-talented instructors; Debra is no exception. 
She works in clay, cloth, paper, paint and writing. She will be teaching an All Creative Cloth painting workshops this April 2015
I am delighted that she will be here to teach. You can see more abut her Wicked Red Riding Hood and other workshop just

Friday, October 3, 2014

Gloria "Mimi" Winer Scholarship Fund for AFICC

Scholarships for 2015

Gloria and Robert

      

Gloria "Mimi" Winer had to down size when she moved to Florida.  She painfully parted with some of her prized art dolls from many renown artist.  She graciously donateded them to benefit Artist attending Artistic Figures in Cloth & Clay.  This scholarship is a Win for the person receiving the art doll and a Win for the person receiving the gift of financial help to attend the workshops at the convention.  The "Gloria Winger Scholarship fund is currently running from Sept 15, 2014 though March 15, 2015 with a new doll up for auction ever two weeks. 

About
Robert Keene McKinley

Robert Keene McKinley In the late 1970s he was a children's clothing designer, who had been making and preforming puppets after work.  He decided he wanted to just make figures for the fuf of it.  In the early 80's he created three sets of windows for Tiffany's in New York in 81, 82, and 83.  He was elected to NIADA in 1985, wrote two dollmaking books and made one video.  He became an international renowned for his dolls and teaching.



First bid in $25.00 from Oct 1 - Oct 15

Gloria was given this doll by Bob McKinley when visiting him in his New York apartment.  It is not signed, however there is a card attached to the artwork signed by Gloria Winer that the doll was made by Bob McKinley and was part of her private collection.  The purchaser of this doll will have to know in there heart they own one of his pieces and be content with the that thought.  To see more pictures click here

Gloria can be reached at. Gloria J. "Mimi" Winer <firebird-mimi@comcast.net>

Saturday, September 27, 2014

What I did this summer.



Roxanne Maria

    
     I did a lot of things this summer but this story is not about me.  I want to share a story about Roxanne Maria and her huge summer project.  Roxanne Maria is one of the instructors at Artistic Figures in Cloth & Clay 2015. 

     When I first met her I was impressed with the detail and movement she put into her art work.  I had no idea just how impressed I would become.

     Roxanne was a young girl,  living off the Florida coast. She was told a story of Yemaya and a small prayer in Spanish to say before entering the ocean waters so that Yemaya would protect her . The folklore is a mixture to Cuban and Ancient African beliefs. Yemaya is believed to be the mother of the seas, a grand goddess and a mermaid by the Haitians. She has many names one is La Sirren and Timbre del Mar which means sounds of the ocean
 
 
 
      This summer Roxanne sent me pictures of her project in production.  Roxanne shaped a Mermaid from concrete and rebar!  You read correct concrete and rebar!  Not a small mermaid either this is a 6 foot tall mermaid.  I can’t even wrap my mind around this project.  Where would you start? How would you map this out?  How do you hand sculpt concrete with all these little details?  How would you move it after you are done?  I was so impressed with this project I decided to put her first on my list. 
     At the end of August she sent me the final pictures before it when on exhibit.  She made this wonderful sculpture for a San Diego Sculpture Exhibit fund raiser which focus was on the Preservation of Marine life around the world. 
 
 



Cover doll on Doll Collector Magazine
 
I am sure you have seen her work in magazines and on line Today Roxanna Maria resides in San Diego, California and continues her artistry in the creation of one of kind dolls. Roxanna’s work has been featured in national and international publications such as Art Doll Quarterly, Pretty Toys Magazine, Doll Reader, Contemporary Doll Magazine, Doll Making, Doll Collector and more. Roxanna Maria Sullivan is a member of The San Diego Sculptors Guild, located in Spanish Village at Balboa Park, San Diego, California.  
 
 
3 day workshop at AFICC
April 23-26, 2015
by Roxanne Maria
 
I am very excited to present Roxanne Maria as a teacher April 2015 AFICC.  She is teaching her adorable "A Rabbits Tail".  The art piece is Mixed Media for Intermediate to Advanced students in polymer and felting.  To see more details and close up pictures of her workshop.
 Click here.
  
 

Monday, September 1, 2014

Artistic Figures In Cloth & Clay 2015

 Art Dolls On Parade


After a lot of work and much anticipation the web site is up for Artistic Figures in Cloth & Clay 2015
What a Knock out line up this year.  We have something for everyone!  There are beginner classes and Advanced classes in both cloth and clay.  Check it out at http://www.Cyndysdolls.com

 
Barbara Schoenoff, - Workshops Media - Cloth
Christine Shively-Benjamin, Workshops Media - Cloth
Dawn Schiller, Workshops Media - Polymer Clay
Debbie Jackson, Workshops Media - Polymer Clay
Debra Klopp, Workshops Media - Cloth
Dot Lewallen, Workshops Media - Cloth
Jean Bernard, Workshops Media - Mixed Media
Jody Miller, Workshops Media - Cloth
Kathryn Walmsley, Workshops Media - Paper Clay
Mike Sieving, Workshops Media - Tools
Natalie Hamade, Workshops Media - Mixed Media Cloth and Paper Clay
Roxanna Maria, Workshops Media - Mixed Media Felting and Polymer
Sherry Goshon, Workshops Media - Cloth & Mixed Media
Trish Randal, Workshops Media - Clay 

Sunday, February 2, 2014

Enjoy Your Sewing

 
What a difference 65 years makes
 
Sewing is my passion.  I started sewing as a child by hand in the 60's and had my own sewing machine in the 70's thank goodness this was not anything for me to be concerned with.  I would never had made the first stitch
 
 
 
It says nothing about laundry.  Does the laundry have to be done too?  Oh My