seeing art everywhere: TAKE THAT CHANCE YOU'VE BEEN CONSIDERING

"Take that chance you've been considering."
titled: LIFE IS LIKE A BOX OF WHIMS / artist: Leilani Pierson

At the LONG BEACH QUILT SHOW on Friday, which I thoroughly enjoyed in the company of Ann (a talented artist of many mediums), Cindy (a glassblower; YES, I know a glassblower!), Paula (who quilts and sews, I believe), Chris (who quilts like a Maestro of Quilting),

an overall view in the morning ... oh, where to begin?!

we saw SO MUCH INSPIRATION ...

just look at this beautiful stocking ...

So much CREATIVITY ...

this was the wall of Artist Trading Cards, and show-goers were happily TRADING, just like it was set up to do - leave one of your own, take one in trade. WHAT FUN !! Bernie, you would have loved this :-) ...

So much COLOR ... a stand of the most yummy wool pieces ...

title: GRANDMOTHER'S QUILT/A Cathedral Window

quilter: Manon B. Gagliardi / from: Branford, Connecticut, USA

and BEAUTY ...

glass artists Asho (L) and Mingo (Center), with my friend Cindy

{herself, a glassblower / glass artist extraordinaire}

THIS (at Mingo & Asho's GLASSCAPES) is where I discovered my beautiful HEART, the one that, if you look at it from the "top", as in, you're wearing it and you look down upon it, you see a BIRD ... a little, perfect, GOLDEN bird. And the artist could not have made that happen for all the tea in China - it just DID. Happen.

and TALENT. Oh my !!!

Melanie Testa, at the sewing machine ... up close & personal with show-goers, talking about her fabric art and her little zip-clutch purses, and her methods ... so generous of her time and talent with all ...

While at the Show, I ran into artist friends Linda Blinn and Jane LaFazio, who were both demo'ing their talents & processes at the MAKE IT UNIVERSITY area ...

here's Linda ... demo'ing a fun way to make your own CUSTOM cloth napkins (or whatever) using those beautifully colored / patterned PAPER NAPKINS that we all know, love, and collect ... just hoping for an opportunity to put them out for guests. Right? Well, now you can MAKE SOMETHING WITH THEM, using a product only Linda could have discovered: Aleene's PAPER NAPKIN APPLIQUE GLUE ... yes, folks, you read that right. That's what it is; that's what it does; that's all it's for. Be still my heart !!!

If you'd like to find out more about Linda Blinn and the art workshops she teaches, you can visit a couple of my favorite spots: SAN CLEMENTE ART SUPPLY ( http://www.scartsupply.com/ ); or a brand-new, open-house-today art space known as BRAVO SCHOOL OF ART ( www.bravoschoolofart.com ) down at Liberty Station.

and here's Jane, laughing with friends before her turn at the Demo Zone ... isn't Jane ALWAYS laughing?! I so love her energy and her enthusiasm for life, for art, for everyone.

If you've never taken an art class from Jane LaFazio, treat yourself and DO IT. Visit her website at: www.PlainJaneStudio.com ... but believe me, there's nothing "plain" about it !!!

A favorite publication of mine, CLOTH PAPER SCISSORS, was in attendance ... I loved their colorful booth, and the girls there were so very friendly and helpful. The even had the ORIGINAL ART of the pieces featured in the CPS 2010 calendar on hand for viewing - and drooling over - OH MY, the "eye candy" on hand was remarkable. You could just TASTE the deliciousness of some of these pieces.

And no, they weren't edible creations ... they just LOOKED so amazing, you'd want to absorb them into yourself, making their beauty and their message such a part of you, it was permanent. {does that sound crazy?! then go make a crazy quilt out of it !!}

this is "them" and this is their booth ...

and I even got a happy peek at KELLY RAE ROBERT's book, TAKING FLIGHT, here !!!

An overview of the 2010 CALENDAR ART on display ...

and a close-up detail of some of the art ...

this was the piece that I loved the very mostest MOST at the Show !!!

titled: LIFE IS LIKE A BOX OF WHIMS / artist: Leilani Pierson

Maryanne and Ann - who grew up together & Maryanne met us at the Show, and joined us for lunch ...

We saw so much of the above, heck, we even began seeing "art" in the strangest places ...

After lunch, we found a HEART in the sidewalk outside the LB Convention Center.

we took it as a good "sign" that our afternoon would be just as heart-full (and ART-full) as our morning was !!!

The QUILT EXHIBIT, oh my goodness me, what a wealth of imagery ... quilts really are an art form, in case you didn't know it. If you're not convinced of that, then here, take a gander {or a goose, if you prefer} at these, for example:

titled: HERD MENTALITY / quilter: Ferret / from: UK

"YOU SEE A COW A DAY" ...

they say it, I believe it ... and this just proved it !!!

I call him "Norman" ...

title: SILENCE / quilter: Stacy Hurt / from: Orange, CA

One of the Etiquette Rules of Quilt Shows SHOULD be just this ... 'cause regardless of the size of the impassioned crowd, it truly WAS a calm, quiet atmosphere ... lovely!

titled: SPRING IN JAPAN / quilter: Akiko Kawata

from: Osaka, Japan

After our afternoon inside the show, we found no less than a "bird", a "duck", a "dog", and a "city skyline" ... in, of all places, my STARBUCKS ICED MOCHA !!! Yes, we did. Take a look for yourself:

Ann (left) holding my Mocha so I can click the pics !!! Teamwork !!

just about level with Ann's red bracelet, you see the tips of the dog's ears; don't you? He's looking left - he's a Schnauzer-ish kind of a dog. And he's headed into the Big City. See the skyline?!

ah, there's that SKYLINE for you. By this shot, though, it more closely resembles a crumbling French village ... turrets-a-falling-down and all.

So, I ask you: What's in YOUR mocha today?! :-)

Happy Sunday to you,

Davielle