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Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Fall Update

VonZetta Gant is shown with her beautiful quilt "Zulu," which
she displayed on October 16 through 19 at the
Pacific International Quilt Show at the
Santa Clara Convention Center. What a truly fabulous creation!
Calendar of Events
 
October 23 through November 16, Altered Barbie Exhibition, Shotwell 50 Studio, San Francisco. Go to Chatter Box Arts International for details.

Now through November 9, Day of the Dead Exhibit. Sun Gallery, 1015 E Street, Hayward. www.sungallery.org

November 7 and 8, Alameda's Original Home Town Holiday Boutique, 10 A.M. to 4 P.M. at the Veterans" Memorial Bldg., 2203 Central Avenue, Alameda (corner of Central and Walnut Streets). Free admission.

November 20, Phoebe Meeting, 3rd Thursday, 6:30 P.M. at the Alameda County Education Building. Bring your items for the bookstore window (see below).

November 26 through December 21, Holiday Boutique, Sun Gallery, 1015 E Street, Hayward. Thursdays through Sundays, 11 A.M. to 5 P.M. www.sungallery.org  

December 2014, Annual Christmas Window Display at the Book Shop in Hayward. All Phoebes are invited to participate. Submit any kind of original art (including dolls of course) that could be interpreted as a Christmas gift. These will be displayed in open gift boxes in the tableau. Please bring your items to the November meeting.

December 6 (Saturday), Winter Wonderland, First Annual OOAK Folk Art Show, Sheraton Hotel, Pleasanton, 10 A.M. to 3 P.M. Well-known felt doll artist Kerry Howard-Schmidt is putting on this show, which will feature many artists we all know, including Melissa Tereck and our own Sharon Martin. Don't miss it!

Annual Phoebe Christmas Party and Gift Exchange has been changed to Saturday, December 13 at 12:30,  Floresta Villas Clubhouse, 3789 Mortenson Road, San Leandro 94578. It is just south of the intersection of Floresta Blvd. and Fremont Street, behind the San Leandro Orchard Supply Hardware. There is a security gate and someone will be standing there to open it for members. If not, call Mary at 510-409-6154 from your car. There is plenty of parking inside. Bring your favorite "sweet or savory" dish to share and don't forget your gift exchange package!

January 12, 2015, Sally Lampi "Patchwork Painted Quilt" Workshop. Create a quilt design display using watercolor and sharpies. Contact Stephanie Smith to sign up at smitharts2002@yahoo.com

February 2015, Castro Valley Library Exhibit. We will be returning by popular demand, and conducting a "make it and take it" event there on February 21. The theme of our exhibit will be "Black, White and Red (Read) All Over," so be thinking of a doll you have or plan to make that incorporates those colors.


October Phoebe Meeting

Prior to the meeting, Roxanne Padgett conducted her Surface Design Techniques Workshop at the Boy Scout Building in San Leandro. Many Phoebes took advantage of this opportunity to learn, play and experiment with Roxanne's many techniques and ideas. Mary and Zanaib brought their work to the meeting.
 
 
 
Using acrylics, sharpies, stencils, and a multitude of objects to use as stamps, layer upon layer was built up to create these exciting surfaces on paper and/or fabric.

 
 
Roxanne brought four of her wonderful dolls she has made to the meeting. 

By Roxanne Padgett
 
 
By Roxanne Padgett
 
By Roxanne Padgett
 
 
A group of Phoebes joined other doll makers in Portola (near Reno) recently, as they attended a class taught by world-famous clay artist Kate Church. Several Phoebes brought examples of the expressive doll heads they made in the class for show and tell. Above and below are examples made by Anne Klocko.
 

Stephanie is working on scheduling a Kate Church workshop for the club in 2015. Many of us are anxious to learn the techniques used to create the amazing facial expressions and body poses that bring Kate's work, and that of her students, to life. Above is another of Anne's heads from the recent class.
 
Anne's heads are adorable. This one features fanciful eyelashes, plus detailed tongue and teeth. 

 
Colleen also took the Kate Church class. As usual, Colleen proved she is one of the most prolific artists we have ever met. Here are examples of the numerous dolls Colleen has completed since the class, followed by a photo of one of her latest quilts.


Colleen made at least three Absinthe Mint Fairies...
 
 
and, a flying figure suspended by nylon filament. On his head she molded a multi-tiered headpiece, ultimately topped by a fish! You will note the expressive hands and arms... also a part of the class work.

 
Another doll by Colleen. She also brought a child's sweater, a sock monkey, and the beautiful scrap quilt, below, to share with us.
 
 
Quilt by Colleen
 
 
 

Several people brought their completed dolls from the Lisa Litchenfel workshop. Marcella turned her little lady into a fortune teller. So cute!

 
 Tani also brought her doll from Lisa's class, inspired by her memories of her mother, including her favorite rocker and sandals.
 
 
Pame showed us her wonderful altered book which featured dragons.
 


Another of Pame's altered books with an Asian theme.
 
Pame, who is so talented in numerous artistic areas, is also a teacher. She brought an example of a class project she designed for her students. This one is an example of an ampersand, very beautifully and elaborately embellished.
 

 
 These scary but fun "jack on a stick" dolls were made by Pame and fit in perfectly with our Halloween-themed October meeting.
 
 
Stephanie is an amazing polymer artist, and here are some examples of her jewelry made from an assortment of beads... lentils, hollow, extruded and caned. We want to take a class from her!
Close-up of bead pendant by Stephanie.

The San Francisco neighborhood around Stephanie's barber shop always looks forward to her seasonal window displays. She shared with us photos of this year's Halloween display.

 Stephanie is a gal with so many talents and skills... not only barbering, polymer, dolls and puppets, but also knitting. When she's not knitting something adorable for her new granddaughter, she's whipping up beautiful sweaters like this one, which has a special neckline design.
 
Harlene is another prolific Phoebe artist who besides designing and sewing wonderful up-cycled and embellishment clothing and dolls, spends much of her time making jewelry and preparing for her numerous boutique sales and shows. Here are examples of her lovely necklaces. The one on the left is fabric stuffed yoyos... so popular now.
 
A special guest at the meeting was Christine Denden from Sun Gallery in Hayward. She brought examples of art she has made for the Day of the Dead display now going on in the gallery. See the calendar at the beginning of this post for details.

 
 These are more examples of Christine's wonderful Day of the Dead creations to be on sale at the gallery.