September Newsletter - Calyx Glass

* Nebraska-Home on the...

Calyx Glass “What’s in the Kiln?” September 2010 Newsletter

* ...Shooting Range?

Upcoming Events 2010 Lincoln Arts Festival Saturday, September 25 from 10am – 6pm Sunday, September 26 from 10am – 5pm South Pointe Pavillions(27th & Pine Lake Road) Come by to say hi, and check out the new pieces I’ve been working on specifically for this show! There will be live music, art and artists from around the country, children’s activities, food and raffle prizes. “Nature’s Bounty” Noyes Art Gallery (in the focus gallery) 119 South 9th St., Lincoln, NE 68508 Opening Reception: October 1, 2010 6:30- 8:00 p.m. (gallery open until 9 p.m) I’ve been invited to participate in a show at the Noyes Art Gallery for the month of October along with artists: Jan Pippitt (Mixed Media), Connie Backus-Yoder (Fabric Art), Julie Lemons (Pastels), and Donna Pozehl (Gourd Vases). Parking is available in the garage North of the gallery, and there will be refreshments. I’m so excited to finally unveil my Tree of Life in Four Seasons series. I’ve been attempting to make this pattern for the last few years with unhappy surprises sneaking out of the kiln. But, the series has finally come together and I’m so happy with how they turned out! Plainsong Folk Festival Saturday, October 2 from 1pm - 9pm Sprague/Martell Community Center 17490 SW 14th Street • Martell, Nebraska (12 minutes South of Lincoln, Nebraska) Along with artist and craft vendors, there will be songwriting and guitar picking workshops, poetry readings, and LIVE music!!I’m excited to hang out for the day and listen to folk music by musicians from Nebraska, as well as Peru, Ithaca, NY, Tennesse and more!

Classes offered at Architectural Glass Arts beginning in January, 2011:

* Dichroic Glass Tile for Jewelry Making

* Fused Glass Block Painting

* Kiln Cast Glass Sculpture

* Quilting with Glass

Still reading, huh? You probably want to know what’s the deal with me and the gun? Oh, well, okay...

So, my husband had never shot a gun before until just very recently. That’s not because my dad hasn’t been trying to make it happen (but that’s a whole ‘nother story involving a trip to Canada in the RV with a .357 gun under the bed). Well, we were finally able to make it out to the shooting range and shot off more guns and bullets than I ever thought I would. I capped a metal chicken at least twice! I look so in charge with the gun, though, don’t I? ;)

Well, I hope to see some of you this weekend at the Lincoln Arts Festival. I’m still finishing up a few pieces that are in the kiln as I write. Hope you’ve had a great summer!

Thanks for reading and feel free to forward this to your friends!

Carrie Strope

Kate Wolf Festival - Laytonville, CA

I had a fabulous mini-vacation this past week and a half, and it feels like I was gone for a month!
My dad's visiting my fiance and I in his RV, so we took a trip up north to Mendocino County to the Kate Wolf Folk Music Festival. My uncle was even able to make the trip out, and we picked him up in Santa Rosa on the way!
A few of my faves:






It was very smoky for the first few days, but thanks to some hard working volunteer firemen and cooperative coastal fog, Sunday was sunny and clear. I had tons of fun hanging out with family and friends, dancin' and hula-in' the days away!

Exquisite Corpse Primer

So, I am home visiting friends and family and have been away from the studio and my art supplies for almost two weeks!!! But, lucky for me, I've got some crafty friends...

On Wednesday, we got together to make art! When I arrived, D, Lili and S were all busy painting on their various projects, and having no canvas of my own to start splashing paint on, I decided to start an exquisite corpse on some paper.

"What exactly is an exquisite corpse?" you may ask...

I, myself hadn't heard of an exquisite corpse until my mixed media teacher introduced it. In that class, we passed around several corpses and worked in collage out of magazines. To tell the truth, I didn't really enjoy it that much, because the selection of magazines was pitiful. However, it did introduce me to a very fun game to play with my artist friends!

From ExquisiteCorpse.com:

Among Surrealist techniques exploiting the mystique of accident was a kind of collective collage of words or images called the cadavre exquis (exquisite corpse). Based on an old parlor game, it was played by several people, each of whom would write a phrase on a sheet of paper, fold the paper to conceal part of it, and pass it on to the next player for his contribution.

The technique got its name from results obtained in initial playing, "Le cadavre / exquis / boira / le vin / nouveau" (The exquisite corpse will drink the young wine). Other examples are: "The dormitory of friable little girls puts the odious box right" and "The Senegal oyster will eat the tricolor bread." These poetic fragments were felt to reveal what Nicolas Calas characterized as the "unconscious reality in the personality of the group" resulting from a process of what Ernst called "mental contagion."

At the same time, they represented the transposition of Lautréamont's classic verbal collage to a collective level, in effect fulfilling his injunction-- frequently cited in Surrealist texts--that "poetry must be made by all and not by one." It was natural that such oracular truths should be similarly sought through images, and the game was immediately adapted to drawing, producing a series of hybrids the first reproductions of which are to be found in No. 9-10 of La Révolution surrealiste (October, 1927) without identification of their creators. The game was adapted to the possibilities of drawing, and even collage, by assigning a section of a body to each player, though the Surrealist principle of metaphoric displacement led to images that only vaguely resembled the human form.

So, I folded a large piece of paper into thirds and began my "feet." While that was going on, Yola showed up, carting supplies from the farm for bubble wandmaking and bubble solution jars. We (but mostly Lili) were all helping her get some wands made for the South Street Marketplace event that took place Wednesday evening.

After painting for awhile and finally feeling finished, I folded my feet under and handed the page off to Danika, who began working on the torso. Then I hopped over to the kitchen floor to start embellishing bubble wands.

We had an extremely productive day. Yola had a full table at the marketplace, with lots of bubble solution, bubble wands, and dishes for holding the bubble solution. And I had loads of fun being the "Bubble Girl" and making lots of bubbles. I was especially popular with the kids:)

At this point, our exquisite corpse is still missing a head. But, as soon as I find another artist interested in finishing it off, I'll post pictures.

Raffle Necklace for GGE

I recently received an email from Mandy Van Deven, the Associate Director/Community Organizing Coordinator for Girls for Gender Equity in NYC, asking for items to be included in a raffle for a fundraising event that's coming up in July.



From the website: "Girls for Gender Equity is committed to improving the physical, psychological, social and economic development of girls and women. Through education, organizing, and physical fitness, Girls for Gender Equity encourages communities to remove barriers and create opportunities for girls and women to live self-determined lives."

I did a little research and checked out their website to see what the group is all about: afterschool leadership programs, basketball, soccer, boxing, self defense classes...The list goes on. This is a group dedicated to making a positive impact in the lives of young women.


So, I decided to send a piece to be included in the raffle. This is one of my newer necklace designs, incorporating stained glass into jewelry. I soldered the lotus/fuschia-inspired flower pendant with Silvergleem, a lead-free, super-shiny solder composed of tin and silver, added Czech fire-polished Aurora Borealis beads, and finished with a rubber "chain" and sterling silver components.
I made the necklace 17" long, but since it's for a raffle and whoever ends up with it may need a longer length, I added a chain extender to each clasp (there are two). So, the necklace extends to approximately 19".
This is the first necklace that I've incorporated chain extenders into, and I like the outcome. They add a little extra flair while serving to make the piece more versatile. I'll definitely be adding this technique into future necklaces.

Welcome to the Napa Valley La Strada dell'Arte Street Painting Festival!

The Mitcavish Glass Studio "Cherub" square. And then, of course the rest of the beautiful art:

La Strada dell'Arte, day two

I had to leave early during day one, so I was surprised to see how much of the background was colored in at the beginning of day two! When I arrived, Michele was busy blending blues and whites and green for the sky...
Sharon was keeping things together in the booth. Thankfully, today wasn't nearly as windy as yesterday. Due to the wind and the way we had displayed some plates (on plate stands), we had a couple of casualties on Saturday:( But, we picked up the pieces, and hopefully they will be incorporated into another piece.

Kaila showed up to help fill in the details. She had to work a double yesterday, so was anxious to get her hands dirty today.
So, after a bit of blending and definition, we took the tape away from the borders and Voila!

The proud artists: Carrie, Kaila, and Michele

La Strada dell'Arte, day one

Today was a beautiful day in Napa! It was also the first day of the "Italian Street Fair" at Copia (the Center for Wine, Food, and the Arts). Below, Michele and I are filling in our square, which is a recreation of Michelangelo's Cherubs.

The artists all started setting up at 10 AM or earlier today. First, we began by blocking off our area with painter's tape, so that when the masterpiece is finished, it will have a nice clean edge.

Next, we snapped chalk lines onto the pavement, dividing the square into a grid for correct proportion.

Then, we began to fill in the details...
Tomorrow, we'll start again early, and hopefully, by the time I have to leave to go to work, we'll have it all finished so I can get more pictures up to share!