Weekend Photos, Musical Monday & other ramblings

Richard Stewart T-shirt at Tampa Artists Emporium

Is it Musical Monday already?Where did the weekend go? 

 Watched Repo Men last night. It was a bit meh but had this great tune from Unkle on the soundtrack. I haven't listened to them in ages so popped over to their site. Some great stuff on the Standalone player - worth opening a tab & running in the background. (That's what I'm doing right now)

 

Denise over at RunDMT resurrected Music Monday's last week. If you get a chance pop over later, add your own tunes & check out what others are playing today. I love MM! It can be a great way to find new faves or enjoy some classics.

So what did you do this weekend? It was party time around here.  We started Friday night with the Museq art opening at the Tampa Artist Emporium. Fun show! Lots of color plus a variety of styles and mediums. Little Dude played official photographer. (Oops - I just realized we forgot to shoot my 2 pieces.Well, you can see them on the previous post if you are curious.)

 R.J. Runas  ( & assistant) work on a clay dog sculpture.

Check out this Leonardo bust by the same artist. Fantastic texture!

Some great guitar kept the party moving. Visit TimMullally.com for a listen.

A grand time was had by all! We made some new friends and ran into many old ones. The rest of the weekend was spent at various birthday celebrations & relaxing.

"I have been wanting to" is the theme for the new MixedMediaMonday. I love this prompt! I've been taking too long to start a few projects that are outside my comfort zone. I'm going to see about working on this later today. Click the banner to add your newest creation or see how others are pushing their personal envelopes.

I'll let you in on a not-so-secret. I am a big chicken. I can't tell you how many times I hear of an opportunity & fail to follow through until it is too late.  So, taking the MMM challenge to heart. I'm getting my paperwork & photos together for assorted artsy opportunities. Will anything come of it? Probably not....but what the heck.....nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?

On that note, I best get myself moving today. Wishing you all a creative and fun filled week!

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By the way, I'm hosting 2 random drawings right now. Click links for more info:

 9/18 - one winner gets 250 custom printed business cards from Uprinting.com

9/23 - one winner will be selected to take home a custom etched brass ruler from CreativeEtching.Etsy.com

Art filled weekend in Tampa & Burlington

photo by Melissa Wilson

First a sneak peek of the Tampa Artists Emporium Museq show. One of the owners, Melissa Wilson, sent this photo last night after she finished hanging the show. 

Diva - mixed media on paper

The 2 white matted pieces to the right of the door are mine - Squee! Here are the close-ups.

Smokin' - mixed media on paper

This show's theme is "Let Music Be Your Muse". The opening party runs 6-10 tonight. Lots of art & artists, live music, refreshments & a photographer shooting $10 portraits too. If you are in Tampa, stop by 3415 Bay to Bay Blvd - should be a great time!

Not in Florida? How about Vermont?

I got an email from SteamSmith (a.k.a. Mark Schwabe) about the Burlington South End Art Hop  "the biggest art event in the state of Vermont". It started today runs through Sunday & afternoon. Last year it had 30,000 visitors.

SteamSmith  has moved to a new studio at The Space Gallery which is located in the Soda Plant at 266 Pine Street (in Burlington's South End).  If you're lucky enough to be in Burlington this weekend, check out Mark's new digs and enjoy his wonderful Steampunk creations..... oh, and would you tell him I say hi?

SteamSmith at work

Last November Mark showed us around his old studio. (Click here if you missed it). Perhaps we can persuade him to give us a tour of the new space once he gets settled in......

I also found out that mixed media artist Lorraine Reynolds will be showing her work during the hop.  Someone over on facebook mentioned that she has a piece in the Juried Show.  If I can get more details, I'll add them here later. By the way, Lorraine's ACEO Eve was one of the first pieces I bought on Etsy back in 2008.

Eve ACEO from Glimmering Prize

I'm sorry I can't make it to Burlington. Sounds like a great weekend! 

What's going on in your part of the world this weekend? Whatever it is, I hope you have a fabulous time.

Visit with Creative Etching & Enter to win a custom etched brass ruler

Hi there. How are you today?

Thanks for stopping by - excellent timing! I'm expecting a visit from Jerry Ringling of CreativeEtching.Etsy.com  in a few minutes. I met Jerry through the  Etsy SteamTeam  & fell for his fantastic etched metal ACEOs. They would make a really unique addition to any art trading card collection . (By the way, click on any of the captions for more info on each item)

Zeppelin Mooring to a Skyscraper, Mixed Metal ACEO by CreativeEtching

CreativeEtchings carries all sorts of fun metal works, including keychains, pins, 

Thor's Hammer Pendant & Earring Set from CreativeEtching

 jewelry, ornaments and even magic wands. 

Harry Potter Inspired Copper Wand by CreativeEtching

Jerry also offers framed etched artworks and custom pieces created using your photo or drawing. 

Custom Photo Etching On Brass Or Copper by CreativeEtching

I see Jerry that arrived while I've been rambling. I'll go get some refreshments while you guys chat.

JR: Everyone knows that you shouldn’t mix electricity and water… the results can be very bad. But what if you add a little chemistry, bits of brass, and odd snippets of history, scifi, and steampunk? You get an Etsy shop like CreativeEtching. I'm the guy behind the metal work. The artwork is provided by my wife, Georgia. 

Etched Copper Octopus ACEO by Creative Etching

JR: Working in my basement workshop, I uses an electrolytic process to etch images in copper, brass, and steel. It is an environmentally friendly process that transfers any image onto brass or copper plate. The plate I use is thick enough not to bend easily, but light enough to be used to create custom pins, charms, ornaments, keychains, or plaques. The plaques can stand alone or be placed in a standard picture frame.

Chesapeake Bay Skipjack Etched Art by CreativeEtching

JR: The final product is a durable piece of metal which has been etched, painted, polished and sealed to prevent scratching. I typically use black to create the contrast but any single color can be used. The resulting image often has an antique look, making this a great way to reproduce and preserve old black & white photos.

Janx Spirit Brass Keychain by CreativeEtching

JR: The text pieces are mostly quotes from some of my favorite books or movies.

Bladerunner Inspired Brass Keychain by CreativeEtching

JR: Like Stacey said, I also enjoy to making custom items such as pins, keychains, pendants, buttons, badges, and other oddities. 

JR: Not everything that comes out of the workshop makes it into the Etsy shop. Some of pieces can be seen in my Deviant Art gallery at www.creativeetching.deviantart.com.

JR: My newest etched idea is these 3 inch rulers

Custom Etched Photographic scale 2 or 3 inch by CreativeEtching

or a larger 6 inch ruler.

Custom Etched Photographic scale 6 inch by CreativeEtching

JR: These are perfect for placing in photographs to provide a visual scale while identifying the artist or advertising your store.

Custom Etched Photographic scale 2 or 3 inch by CreativeEtching

Thanks for stopping by today, Jerry! I've enjoyed getting to know a bit about about your art & techniques.

And guess what, guys.....CreativeEtchings is generously sponsoring the new Thursday Giveaway!

On 9/23 one lucky reader will win one of Jerry's custom etched brass rulers. The winner selects either a 3" or 6" ruler etched with text of their choosing (on either 1 or both sides of ruler).

Now how cool is that? Use the ruler for crafting or in your photos. Or maybe a unique calling card or gift.

To Enter: Simply leave a comment on this blog before 1 a.m. on 9/23. It is that easy. On 9/23 winner will be randomly selected using random.org.  (Just be sure to leave your email if it isn't already in your profile, so I can contact you if you win.) One entry per person. International entries are welcome. Prize ships free worldwide.


Thanks for dropping in & leaving a comment. It is your interest in these interviews & giveaways that keeps them coming. And the artists really enjoy the feedback.

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Final note: There is still time to enter the 250 die cut business cards giveaway from Uprinting.com. That random drawing will be held on 9/18. Click here for details. 

Almost Wordless Wednesday - Red Tulips

Feel like painting tonight but no time..... so playing around in P. Elements.....

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Have you entered the new business card giveaway? On 9/18 1 lucky winner gets 250 die cut business cards. Click here for details.

Merging Musical & Mixed Media Mondays.....

 Musical Monday is back - woohoo!

I got an email today from DeniseIsRunDMT - She's resuscitating Musical Mondays. To play along, post what you're listening to today & add a link over on her site. To kick things off Denise is also holding a random drawing for a $15 itunes giftcard.

I've a bunch of music in the queue today - trying to finish a piece for the Tampa Artist Emporium Museq art show that opens on Friday.

100 artists + live music....should be a grand time. If you'll be in Tampa on the 10th, drop me a line & I'll see you there.

Since the piece I'm tinkering with also fits MixedMediaMonday's latest art challenge, Warm It Up, I figured I'd multitask this post.

You may remember this lady from waaaaay back. It is truly scary how many pieces are stacked in my work in progress file. (Sorry the photo's a bit poor -bad lighting, wrinkled paper). Still not thrilled with her but I'm going to walk away for a few hours. Have to frame her tomorrow regardless.... ooh - crud - forgot I need to come up with a title too...

I've added some more watercolors, pencils, pens, iridescent bits & markers. I am totally loving Faber Castell's Pitt Pen's, by the way! Pam Carriker recommended them ages ago and I've been meaning to give 'em a try. Nice rich color & great coverage. My old standby is often Sakura Micron pens, but they tend to clog when using over some other mediums.

So, do you have some art to share for Mixed Media Monday? Click here & add a link to your piece. Be sure to check out all the other fun interpretations while you are there.

Well, I have to run. Wishing you a creative week! 

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oops - nearly forgot - if you're in need of business cards, click here to check out the random drawing I'm hosting for Uprinting.com. 1 lucky winner gets 250 die cut business cards.

Let's go back in time....

To 1927 when Fritz Lang gave the world the sci-fi classic Metropolis. 

This silent film has it all - you've got man vs. machine,  a mad scientist, fun doppelganger/frankensteiny stuff, some prince & the pauper, a touch o' romance, hoards of extra's, anti-capitalist leanings, fab sets & some wonderfully over-the-top acting.....

 

But for the last 80 years or so, this grand flick has been incomplete. For various reasons (including shortening for the American audience), parts of the movie were cut & presumed lost.

In 2008 a copy of the original was found in Argentina. Some bits were too far gone, but an extra 25 minutes were salvaged. That may not sound like much, but it includes scenes which expand upon a few characters & really pull the film together.

this image borrowed from Tampa Theatre facebook photo album

Last Sunday, I settled into my favorite time machine, the Tampa Theatre. I've raved about this restored 1926 movie palace before. It is truly magnificent. Some of you know I'm an old-movie nut and this is the  perfect place to enjoy those classic flicks the way they were intended. 

One of these days I need to get around to taking their backstage tour. The palace itself is overflowing with beauties ...

and beasties.

But the true prize, the heart of the time machine, is The Mighty Wurlitzer theatre organ.

When Metropolis first played in Germany, the film traveled with a 60 piece orchestra. With the Wurlitzer in your theatre only 1 organist was needed. For many years the magnificent Rosa Rio accompanied the silent movies at Tampa Theatre, her performances activating the time machine and our imaginations.

 Last weekend Steven Ball took to the stage & gave a marvelous performance. (This is the part where I apologize for the picture quality. I was using my little digital tourister without a flash)

Once the lights dim & the curtain opens, the organ begins to sink into the stage.

And then the fun begins

During intermission, I decided to climb up to the balcony

 Never know who you'll run into up there

 Let's check out the concession stand

Intermission ends....

 ...and then back to the 21st century

Well, hey, thanks for coming along for the ride. Love old movies? Be sure to catch this restored Metropolis.(It is available on DVD, by the way). If you are lucky enough to have one of these old Movie Palaces near you: What are you waiting for? Get on over there & catch a flick. And if you ever find yourself in Tampa, drop me a note. Maybe I can meet you at the movies!

Want to know more about Metropolis? Click Here or toss it into Google. A log of cool blogs, like Classic Film & TV Cafe have been writing about the film's history &restoration.

Curious about the Tampa Theatre? Visit their website, tampatheatre.org & blog . There is also a 360 panoramic shot of the main floor here

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday - Time Machine Teaser

I still need to post about Sunday's adventure, but life keeps getting in the way. So here's a hint.....

Anyone want to take a guess???