Merry Christmas

I'd like to wish you a Merry Christmas.  May you find love, peace, and hope this holiday season. 

Cherrywood Art Fair 2011

Join me at Cherrywood Art Fair 2011 at Maplewood Elementary School in Austin December 10-11th from 10am to 5pm.

Cherrywood Art Fair began in 2002 as a tiny neighborhood event designed to bring shoppers looking for quality original art together with artists who needed a venue to reach their audience. Now in our 10th year, we’ve grown into one of Austin’s most popular and well regarded art shows, a stand-out holiday event.


But that’s not all…there’s a mission behind the Fair. Proceeds from Cherrywood Art Fair benefit Little Artist Big Artist, a program that pairs East Austin elementary students with professional artists to experience the creative process from idea generation through creation and the sale of their work.


For more information, click here.  For a map to the location click here.

Hecho a Mano

Join me at Hecho a Mano 2011 at the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center December 3-4th from 10am to 6pm.  For more information, click here.  For a map to the location click here. 

Mercado de Paz

Join me this upcoming Friday and Saturday, November 25-26th, 2011 from 10am to 6pm at the Esperanza Peace & Justice Center.  For directions click here.   There will be local and international handmade crafts,  music, and lots more.  Visit the Peace Market fan page for more info.  Click here.

1st annual Cowgirl Handmade Bazaar

Join me this upcoming Saturday, November 19th, 2011 from 11am to 3pm at Fox Run Elementary.  For directions click here.   There will be handmade crafts, food trucks, music, cupcakes, and lots more.  Visit the Cowgirl Handmade Bazaar Facebook fan page for more info.  Click here. 

New this week!

New this week here!

New this week!

New this week here! 

holgagraphy... masks

This photo was taken at El Mercado in San Antonio with an Holga camera by ChickRocks.

New this week!

New this week here!

Blossoms & Blooms Art Festival

I'm so excited to be participating in the Blossoms & Blooms Art Festival.  Come visit me at the Inspire Community Fine Art Center. 

New this week!

New this week here!

Renegade Craft Fair - Austin

I'm super excited to be participating at the Renegade Craft Fair in Austin.

holgagraphy... road

This photo was taken in Marfa with an Holga camera by ChickRocks.

Bookworm - "Chowder"

Chowder is a bulldog unlike any other dog.  Everybody, including his owners and most dogs, thought of him as quirky and weird.  You see Chowder, tried very hard to fit in but he couldn’t.  Instead of fetching bones, he would happily arrange them like an archaeological find.  He didn’t like to fetch newspapers or go for long walks.  He didn’t like dog toys, instead he preferred to jam out to music via headphones and use the computer.  When his owners were working, Chowder would sit on the balcony and with his favorite toy of all, a telescope!  One day while looking through the telescope, he saw a billboard that announced a petting zoo at the supermarket.  He waited anxiously for over a week just to go the supermarket, he was hoping to make some friends.  The day finally arrived, the Wubbingtons and Chowder made a trip to the supermarket.  As soon as they were out of the car, Chowder zoomed to the petting zoo.  The petting zoo animals were in the middle of a kickball game as Chowder approached the corral.  Their red kickball rolled past the corral to Chowder’s feet, this was his big opportunity to make friends but something terrible happened.  He kicked the ball a little too hard and it got stuck in a tall tree.  After a few obstacles and moments of desperation, Chowder managed to get the ball free.  Now that he had fetched the kickball, Chowder and his new found friends began to play ball.  From that day on, Chowder and his friends always had fun together. 

About the book: 
“Chowder” is a 32 page hard cover book.  It was published in 2006 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.  The book is suitable for children grades 1-4.  IBSN-10 is #0316011800.  The book is available here.  For more games and activities on “Chowder” click here.  

About the author/illustrator:

Peter Brown is an author and illustrator that was born and raised in Hopewell, New Jersey.   He studied at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California.  After traveling Europe for a year, he now resides in New York City.  Peter Brown has written and illustrated “Children Make Terrible Pets,” “The Curious Garden,” “The Purple Kangaroo,” “The Fabulous Bouncing Chowder,” and “Flight of the Dodo.”  For more info on Peter Brown click here.   

Reflection:

Have you ever felt a little out of place?  Or perhaps you felt like you didn’t fit in with a certain crowd?  I think we all go through times of experiencing low self-esteem or self insecurities.   It sometimes seems that our differences work against us, but these differences are what makes us unique and sets us apart from the billions of people in this world.   It’s time to change our attitude and to train our minds to think positive. 

New this week!

New this week here.

Artist Spotlight - Margaret M. Reyna

Mrs. Margaret M. Reyna has a love and passion for life.  I've seen her work for a couple of years because of the various San Antonio shows that I participated in, but it wasn't until latley that I've had the privilege of getting to know her.  She's a sweet lady and you immediatley get the sense that she's passionate about what she creates.  I believe that great art comes from within and Margaret M. Reyna confirms that belief.  Her latest work is a series of bird paintings that were inspired from vintage wallpaper.  

Your name
Margaret M. Reyna

Your artist/business name
Divine Find Boutique

Hometown
San Antonio, Texas

Education
BA in Art from Trinity University


Occupation
Retired furniture store owner of Christos

Favorite place to visit
New Mexico

Find my work at
Blog - www.divinefindboutique.blogspot.com
Etsy - divinefindboutique.etsy.com


Upcoming shows
Windows on Main - May 7, 2011
 
Where and how did your craft/art start?
As a child always drawing, majored in ART, and worked in interiors (owned business).

Apart from creating, what do you do?
I love to cook, travel, visit art galleries, and antique shop.

Where does your inspiration come from?
Spirituality, color, and dreams.

Who has been most influential to your in your art?

Impressionists, Georgia O'Keefe, and Mexican primitive artists.

How would you describe your creative process?
Dreams.

What’s your favorite part of the creative process?
The Inspiration!

How do you get out of your creative ruts?
Take a break and a glass of wine!  TRAVEL.

What’s your favorite tool/supply?
Anything that helps produce art.

What store can you wander around and be happy?
Antique and book stores.

Where would you like to be in 10 years?
Happy with my family and art!

holgagraphy... sail

This photo was taken in Old San Juan in Puerto Rico with an Holga camera by ChickRocks.

Bookworm - "Bright Stanley and the Cave Monster"

Bright Stanley is a glittery orange fish that lives at the bottom of the ocean.  He is adventurous and loves to explore.  Actually, exploring is “…his favorite thing in the whole, wide world.”  One day Bright Stanley and his fish friends decide to venture into a cave.  They were swimming happily along until they noticed huge, dark shadows on the cave walls.  Their bravery quickly vanished!  Bright Stanley took charge by becoming the leader, and continued the adventure into the cave.  Good thing, he wasn’t a coward because a surprise awaited them. 

About the book:

“Bright Stanley and the Cave Monster” is a 32 page soft cover book.  It was published in 2010 by Little Tiger Press.  The book is suitable for children 3-6 years of age.  IBSN-10 is # 1848950187.  The book is available here.  For more games and activities on “Bright Stanley” click here.

About the author/illustrator:

Matt Buckingham is an author and illustrator living in England’s countryside.  He wrote and illustrated “Nobody Laughs at a Lion,” “The Best Nest,” and “The Not So Abdominal Snowman.”  Mr. Buckingham also provided the illustrations for a series of nonfiction books titled “The Gruesome Truth About” the Romans, Greeks, Egyptians, Aztecs, and many others.

Reflection:

As I was reading this story, I was wondering about what I’m projecting to the world.  Am I fearful or optimistic and hopeful about what tomorrow will bring?  A quote from Henry Ford comes to mind, “If you think you can do a thing or think you can’t do a thing, you’re right.”  What happens in our lives and how we react to them eventually defines us.  Choose to maintain a positive attitude so you focus on the good things and brush off the negative. 

 

Artist Spotlight - Johnnie Rodriguez

Mr. Johnnie O. Rodriguez is the first Artist Spotlight for the ChickRocks blog.  I'm so inspired by this artist, not only for his great artistic talent but because at his age he continues to do what he loves...ART.  For a long time, I've seen and admired his paintings at Pulquerios shop and I was finally able to meet him this weekend at the Starving Artist Art show in San Antonio.  I enjoyed reading his responses, especially when he says that to get out of a creative rut, "I go dancing with my beautiful wife."

Your name
Johnnie O. Rodriguez

Age
76

Hometown
San Antonio, Texas

Occupation
Retired postal worker

Favorite food
Enchiladas

Favorite place to visit
The San Antonio missions

Find my work at
Pulquerios in San Antonio’s King William neighborhood.  Click here.

Where and how did your art start?
Tech High School / Ms. Alsup
Warren B. Hunter / private
San Antonio College / Ms. Peary 

Apart from creating, what do you do?
I love ballroom dancing.

Where does your inspiration come from?
My family inspires me and brings me world art.  I am also inspired by my Mexican heritage.  I love working with vivid colors.

What does handmade/art mean to you?
A person who creates his own art using your hands.

Who has been most influential to your in your art?
I was influenced by the old master’s art.  Michelangelo and Raphael inspired me as a young child.  Leonardo da Vince’s religious art was amazing to me.

How would you describe your creative process?
I start with the main subject of my paintings.  I create my own rules.

What’s your favorite part of the creative process?
The final outcome of my paintings.

How do you get out of your creative ruts?
I go dancing with my beautiful wife.

What’s your favorite tool/supply?
My paint brush.

What store can you wander around and be happy?
I like Hobby Lobby.

Where would you like to be in 10 years?
I would like to be alive in 10 years, at the Starving Artist Art Show.  But I might not, by then I will be 86 years old.

holgagraphy... wheel

This photo was taken at the San Antonio rodeo with an Holga camera by ChickRocks.

Bookworm - "Grandpa's Teeth"

Grandpa wakes up one morning and realizes his very expensive, false teeth are stolen.  The family searches frantically for them but unfortunately no teeth are found.  So the police are alerted and Officer Rate shows up to the crime scene to investigate.  Soon artist’s rendering of the missing teeth are posted all over town.  Grandpa even made an appearance on a TV show called “Unsolved Crimes”.  Everyone in the town was a suspect, so to prove your innocence, the citizens had to grin broadly.  It was a “disthasthter”.   The smiling citizens were scaring tourists, business was declining, and everyone was terrified of the teeth thief.   Then, one night at a town hall meeting, the local minister had a brilliant idea.  If everybody donated $1 then Grandpa could get a brand new set of teeth.  So, the citizens happily gave money, some even gave $2.  Finally, Grandpa was presented was his new false teeth at a ceremony and the town returned to normal.

About the book:

“Grandpa’s Teeth” is a 32 page soft cover book.  It was published in 1998 by HarperCollins.  The reading level is ages 4-8.  IBSN-10 is # 0060276711.  The book is available here. 

About the author/illustrator:

Rod Clement is an award-winning author and illustrator living in Sydney, Australia.  He wrote and illustrated “Grandpa’s Teeth,” “Olga the Brolga,” and “Just another Day”.  Mr. Clement provided the illustrations for “Edward the Emu” and “Edwina the Emu” written by Sheena Knowles.  In addition to his books, Mr. Clement is a caricaturist for several Australian newspapers. 

Reflection:
We all have stories of personal belongings gone missing.  Our favorite items grow ‘patitas’ and they disappear.  Then, you succumb to spending hours looking for it.  In your mind, you try to retrace your actions and conversations to no avail.  All of a sudden, there it is!  Like magic, it reappears.

holgagraphy... hippo's butt

This photo was taken at the San Antonio Zoo with an Holga camera by ChickRocks.

Bookworm - "Oscar and the Very Hungry Dragon"

“Oscar and the Very Hungry Dragon” by Ute Krause is about a hungry and near-sighted dragon that desires to eat a ‘fat juicy princess.”.   After waking up from being asleep for what seems like hibernation, he descends into a village but sadly there was no princess.  So what’s the next best thing?  The village elder decides to have a lottery with the children of the village and Oscar is the lucky winner!  However, the dragon is not at all impressed with the boy.  Oscar is skinny and puny but CLEVER so he tricks the dragon into letting him cook.  The dragon thinks that over the course of time, Oscar will fatten up and be turned into a hefty main course.  Oscar becomes a culinary genius.  He cooks delicious meals and the dragon cannot resist the enticing smells, he begins to eat and eat and quickly forgets about eating the boy.  After a visit with the eye doctor and brand new eye glasses, the dragon becomes furious at the site of the newly chubby Oscar.   He grabs the boy between his claws and is about to swallow him when Oscar yells something that changed the dragon’s mind forever.  The boy convinces the dragon to cook for him if he is not eaten.  From that day on, the dragon and Oscar become friends and together they open a village restaurant named Café Dragon House.

About the book:

“Oscar and the Very Hungry Dragon”  is a 40 page hardcover book.  It was published in 2010 by NorthSouth.  The reading level is ages 4-8.  IBSN-10 is # 0735823065.  The book is available here. 

About the author/illustrator:

Ute Krause was born in Berlin, Germany but has lived in many countries around the world, including the United States.  She studied film and television drama.  Krause makes, writes film scripts, and directs short films and documentaries such as “Take Me Back to Cairo” and “The Moffels –  The Arrival”.   She has illustrated over 150 children’s books and currently 13 of her own.  

Reflection:

In times of trouble or an unfortunate turn of events, don’t give up.  Face the opposition.  What if Oscar had given up?  The dragon would have eaten him and end of story, but NO!  He thought of something quick and clever.  Oscar remembered his mother’s cooking and enticed the dragon with his hidden talent.  First, the boy had to work hard.  Even though he dearly missed his family and his life was in jeopardy, he didn’t give up.  Second, it takes time.  Oscar’s superb cooking skills slowly won the dragon’s heart (by way of his tummy).  Sometimes through pain there is gain and growth.