Callahan-ness!

Hi everyone!

Just thought I'd share a sneak peek of the Callahans that are coming up for sale tomorrow! The black & white tobi isn't quite done, but he should be going into the kiln tonight, and ready to go to a new home tomorrow! It has been good, fun, hard-work getting these guys done. Callahan is a neat piece to paint, and I am happy that I was able to fit him in before the end of the year, and my big event & move. I hope everyone's December has started well & that you have a great Christmas & holiday season, and a very bright new year!

Bay Sabino

Dapple Buckskin

Black Tobiano

Choose Your Own Color

Now We Are Nine

It is 10/10/10! Velasquez Artistry's birthday! Yes, 9 years ago on 10/10/01, Velasquez Artistry officially began. Now going into our 10th year, we've got some great things in store, and some upcoming changes too. Stay tuned for news coming soon! In the meantime, I'm putting my nose back to the grindstone to finish up the last of the "Matching Mares," while trying not to become a bridezilla! (I *think* I'll manage both of those things!)

So- many, many thanks to all of you for a great nine years... I've great expectations for this, the 10th!

:)

Collier Sweetheart

Hey, y'all!

I just thought I'd share a picture of "Collier Sweetheart," the Pour Horse Collier I painted for the Flying Heart Fundraiser! He is almost done- he still needs a little more glaze! Because of that and the tremendous success of the fundraiser, I've decided to wait until after BreyerFest to sell him. You'll hear more news here when that happens, but in the meantime, enjoy the pictures!

:)

Somethings Sweet...

Okay! Here are the sneak peek pics for the upcoming Toot Sweet batch! Yes, I finally got around to taking and posting these- it has been a busy weekend (and Happy Father's Day to all- and a special shout out to my own dear dad!). There will be just 2 in this batch, but man, they are power-packed with details galore! There's a whole lot of fiddly stuff, hand painting, and the likes, in these two gals (plus both of them have cat-tracks!). These are pre-glaze in-progress pics, so the finished horses will look a little different. When will they be sold, I hear you asking? Why the plan is sometime Tuesday- tune into the Velasquez Artistry Yahoo Group for the official announcement!



Thanks folks, and have a great week!

:)

Engage!

I was saving my 100th post for something special, as I noticed that it was coming up. And what better thing to announce, than my engagement! Yes, my boyfriend, now fiancé, proposed to me last month, and I accepted. We plan to wed in January, here in California. I will be moving up to WA after the wedding, and I will be taking his name (Hude - rhymes with Jude, rude, food, etc.) so this means some changes for me, and for Velasquez Artistry (I am considering changing my business name). I will apprise y'all of the details on that, as soon as I figure it all out! But rest assured, whatever my business is called, you will still see the same level of quality artwork from the new (and improved) Adalee Hude!

:)

I'll have a Collier

...I don't care what my mother tells me, I'll have a Collier for my sweetheart...

-Traditional Song

I owned this lovely little Collier bisque Joan Berkwitz gave me for my birthday. I had no idea what color I was going to paint him, when it came to me- bay roan! So just this week, with all that is going on, a thought struck me- he should go to benefit Melissa Gaulding in the Flying Heart Fundraiser (*note the new link!*)! What better way to pass on such a fine gift? It is little wonder he was meant to be roan- it is Mel's favorite color, as I mentioned! So here he is- much in-progress, but getting close. He still needs some subtle, fiddly details (I want to give his whole coat a faint 'ticking'), along with the more obvious details like eyes, but my hope is to have him up at Auction Barn early next week.

~*~*~*~*~*~

In other news, I've been working on a couple of Toot Sweets for the next batch! Last month's batch (#3) sold at Mud Day (I plan on posting pics soon, so y'all can see. They turned out very nice, especially the one I tried in the matte glaze). I'm hoping to have Batch #4 ready early next week as well. Stay tuned to this blog for more news and pictures!

:)

Hearts a Flyin'

Hello friends,

Well, there's been a lot going on over the past few days! A tidal wave of love is rushing to the East Coast, in aid of collector and friend, Melissa Gaulding, and her husband Herman. Herman is bravely battling cancer, and to help pay for the rapidly mounting medical bills, Mel is selling her much-beloved collection of beautiful chinas. well, there was no way those of us who know and love Mel (along with many who don't know her), were going to sit idly by as she struggled with this financial crisis, so quite a number of hearts joined together in common purpose, and out of this came the Flying Heart Fundraiser! Artists and collectors from all over are donating finished horses, unpainted resins, paint jobs, jewelry, tiles, time, money & more to benefit Mel and Herman. Heather Malone-Bogle has graciously set up a website to compile all of our efforts. The link can be found here:

The Flying Heart Fundraiser

I will be soon donating a small horse to add to the list. Mel is very dear to me, so I am glad I can help out a little here. I hope to do more in the future. I'm working on a custom-glazed Pour Horse Collier that I want to finish in the new matte glaze some of us artists have been experimenting with. He will be roan- one of Mel's favorite colors! I will also be glazing a few of the terra-cotta tiles that artist Sarah Minkiewicz-Breuning is working on. More details on those items to come! In the meantime, please visit the fundraiser site and find yourself something fun to buy or bid on to show your support. You can also donate directly to Melissa, if you desire. Thanks so very much- and blessings to all the generous hearts who are participating in this endeavor!

:)

RESS Interview

Hello once again!

I just thought I'd share with y'all that I was honored to have been interviewed by the Realistic Equine Sculpture Society for their new blog! Thanks so much Sarah M-B, for your work on the blog, and for picking me to start off your artist interviews!

To check it out, just click on this link:

http://ressorgblog.blogspot.com/2010/06/adalee-velasquez-new-star.html

Cheers!

:)

Mud Day!

Good day, everyone!

Now that I feel fully recovered, I'm happy to announce that Mud Day was a success! Yes, we had a house overflowing with shiny ponies, good food, and happy faces! The support we received for this show was just spectacular. Many people lent a hand both the day before and during the show to get things moving smoothly, for which I'm very grateful! I'd especially like to thank my judges Joan Berkwitz, Christina Dils, & Heather Wells, and my speaker, Pauline Entin. We also had a number of prizes and goodies donated to the show- our main tile award artwork was done by Lesli Kathman, and other prize tiles were sent by Sarah Minkiewicz-Breunig and Linda Dean. Tina Dils donated handmade charms & jewelry, and Joan Berwitz, Heather Wells, & Liz Holm were all generous with pins! And of course, all of the showers were wonderful for sharing their enthusiasm for shiny horses, and for the wonderful way they brought out their chinas! So, now a few more pictures of the day, for y'all to see. And I do hope to see all of you next year, for our even bigger shiny pony party, BOYCC!

Our Champion Award tile, with a tile by Sarah M-B!

Tina pondering all the little gray custom glazes...

Pretty in palomino!

A TB Pin by Kim Knight from our Pin Workshop. Lovely!

:)

May Means Mud Day!

Happy May, everyone!

Gosh, I didn't get around to posting anything in April, did I? Where did that month go? In any case, I'm happy to be well into the merry month of May now, because that means Mud Day is coming! For those of you who haven't heard, Mud Day is a benefit event for next year's all-china extravaganza, the Bring Out Your Chinas Convention! And as you can see above, we have a brand-spanking new logo for the show. Huzzah! I'm also pleased to announce here, the judges we have lined up for Mud Day's "Teeny Tiny Shiny Show"- a little all-china show for mini scaled pieces! Many thanks to these people for taking on the squintabulous task of staring at tiny chinas:

American Division:
Heather Wells

European Division:
Joan Berkwitz

Glaze Custom Division:
Tina Dils

Other Division:
Adalee Velasquez

Along with the Teeny Tiny show, we've got a day of fun planned including pin & tile workshops, a talk on European ceramics by Pauline Entin, food, games, and visiting fun! To find out more about the show, and to register, please visit the official webpage:

http://www.velasquezartistry.com/boycc1.html

Hope to see you there! We still have a few spots left, so register soon!

:)

The Resins are Coming! The Resins are Coming!

Hello friends!

I just heard from the lovely Lynn Fraley that her husband, Barry, is finishing up "Batch B" of the Toot Sweet resin run! Yes, folks, 15 silky-smooth resin castings will be on their way to me soon, which means that it won't be too long now, before they are offered on my Yahoo group! And what's even cooler, is that Lynn snapped some pretty pictures of these ponies in production and placed them on her blog. So go check them out, and if you are interested in Lynn's sculptures or Barry's casting services, take a peek at those links too!

:)

Ketchup!

What did one tomato say to the other who was lagging behind? Ketchup! Yes, yes, a poor joke- I know! But it does well describe my perpetual state this year. Too many projects, too few hours in the day! But little by little, I make my way through them. I'm finally getting around to posting a teaser pic of the chestnut sabino Toot Sweet I'm working on for the next batch of shiny Sweeties. Lots of fiddly work on this gal! I'm not going to estimate anymore, just when she (and her dun sister) will be ready! These mares just seem to take a fair bit longer than my previous offering, Jellibaby (I'm missing having a smaller horse right now, can you tell?). Though there are advantages to having a bigger canvas to work on- things like ticking and scritching come across slightly more believable in a larger scale, and there is a lot more you can do with other details like hooves, muzzles, etc. Still, I think I'd better amend my website to read that there will most likely be 1 ceramic Toot Sweet batch a month, rather than 2; just because of the rate I've been going! But I am hopeful that in the next couple of weeks I will get a little more caught up on everything, and that will make offering new shiny things easier. Please think productive thoughts for me! Thanks!

:)

Spring at Santa Anita

Hello, everyone!

I realize winter has been a bit harsher for the rest of the country- but even here it has been rather cold and rainy for a good chunk of the time! We had much more rain this year than in past years- but this was all good, as our droughty dessert conditions really needed it! Still, I'm very grateful that this weekend promises to be more spring like, after several in a row with rain; especially as I've company coming from a rather gray WA!

Walking my dog around the neighborhood, I've been enjoying our hints of spring- irises and daffodils are popping in neighbors' gardens, and one of my favorite flowering trees, the saucer pink magnolia, is now in bloom (it is nearly done, actually!). Last year I took some good close ups of this lovely plant, while over at Santa Anita. I came across them again recently, so I thought I'd share:




Seeing Santa Anita has got me thinking about my never-finished thoroughbred sculpture! I really hope I can pick her back up again soon- it has been so long! Part of the reason I stopped and set her aside was that I realized her proportions were off (and on a race-horse, that is not a good thing!). So, there's a lot of scrapping & re-working that will have to be done, before I can really progress on her. But maybe in a month or two, when I'm more caught up on my projects, I can pull her out again, and see what needs to be done!

This is only a Test

I'm checking to see if my new FeedBurner email subscription thingy is working! If it is, that means I finally figured out how y'all can subscribe to my blog via email. I'll let you know if it is!

:)

I'm Ready for my Close-Up...

It's up! The auction is up! Toffee & Butterscotch are ready to begin the process of finding a new, loving home! And to help with this process, I made a page with close up pictures of the pair (particularly, Toffee), to show off her subtle dapples & hand-painted details even more:

Toffee & Butterscotch Page

And the auction, you ask? Why here's the link! It ends Tuesday, March 9th, at 6:00 p.m. PST. Best wishes to all of the bidders & please let me know if you have any questions!

You do? You're wondering about the resin batch being released today? Yes- that's still the plan! I'll be releasing it at a random time (to help ensure fairness), and selling them 1st come/1st serve until that batch is all gone. That will basically be the motis operandi for the run. I'll tell ya'll the date, but the actual time will be secret (and will be varied), and the message releasing them will come via my Yahoo Group. After one batch is sold, I will order another batch from my caster, and keep repeating the process every few weeks until the mold is spent. So there you go!

Resins are Ready!

Good Tuesday evening, folks!

Save a walk with my dog today, I've been at the computer all the live-long! Ugh! But I did what needed to be done... I shot, edited, cropped, color-corrected, color-corrected some more, and yes, just a little bit more, my models for the Resin Run photo shoot! And now I'm pleased to bring you this (click to see her larger):



Hurrah! The resins are finally ready to be sold! When will this first batch be offered, I hear you ask? Why, some time Friday. I plan on offering the 10 pieces I have, 1st come/1st serve from my Yahoo Group. They will be priced $120 ppd (domestic). So sign up, if you haven't, and stay in the loop! And what about those Resin Run models, I also hear you ask? (I'm hearing a lot today!). Why, they will go to Auction Barn, also some time Friday! But here's a sneak peek of them, for the curious. I've dubbed them "Toffee" & "Butterscotch" to go with their original candy-themed names!




That's all the news for now. Stay tuned for auction links- coming Fri!

:)

Projects! Projects!

I'll readily admit- sometimes I bite off more than I can chew! There are just so many ideas to bring to life, so many ways to utilize my creativity, and so many people out there that I can assist with the talents I've been given! For example, tonight I'll be decorating a cake for an event the Arcadia Chapter of the American Red Cross is having. It's not going to be a too-crazy job; I'll just be adding some piping & "plastic flotsam" (as Jenn from the Cake Wrecks blog would call it!) to your basic sheet-cake. But yes, balance and time-management are things I need to work harder at. Along with all of the ceramic Toot Sweet stuff I've been working on this month, I've dabbled on the side in other things. I was staying with my mom's best friend Susan up in WA when I visited this month, and I brought her & her husband John this little Jelli claybody. My mom & I were visiting back in '08, when I showed them pictures of the almost finished Jellibaby sculpt. I vividly recalled John saying that she "would make a perfect unicorn," so that's what I made them, as a gesture of thanks for their hospitality (and boy, did they roll out the red-carpet! I felt like I was staying at a B&B with those omelets & blueberry pancakes...!). Here's a picture I took of the unicorn, which I believe they named "Luciee":


Another thing I was trying to get done (I succeeded!) by the end of the month, were a few more painted bonsai pots, for my neighbor & potter, Mr. Barrett. He's taking them to sell at a show this weekend, and I'm happy to say they turned out pretty well! I was in the mood for bugs and birds, I guess:


And I haven't forgotten the cold-painted Toot Sweet Resin sample! I'm still plugging away at her & her foal- it will be a few more days yet! But she's getting closer- here's a pic I snapped of this non-shiny pony, so far:


Okay! One last thing! If you read my Yahoo Group post, you'll know that I'm taking orders on my "A is for Adopt" poster (<-click the link for more info). $50 ppd. for a 16 x 21 Giclee poster , $25 ppd. for a 8 x 12 Giclee print. Email me at sales (at) velasquezartistry (dot) com if you are interested! Deadline to order is Friday, 2/26 at 6 p.m. PST, because the prints are on sale!

Whew! That's all the news I have to report right now. Back to work! (cracks whip!)

:)

Back to Work

Hey there!

Ah, it's back to the studio for me, after a lovely weekend off! I spent my little holiday visiting my wonderful boyfriend and seeing some other fantastic friends up in the Olympic Peninsula area of WA. A truly beautiful place, if a little cold (for me) this time of year! But man, it must be Bald Eagle season up there, as we saw so many! One even flew over our car on our way out to the airport. Very fun! But now I'm back in my sunny studio, trying to get my mind focused once again on my minis. I thought I'd share a sneak peek of the "resins" I've been working on- they will serve as the models for my Toot Sweet resin advertising campaign. I say "resins," because the truth of it is, they are both ceramic pieces in disguise! I started painting a bisque mare before I received the first batch from my caster, Barry Moore (they came out looking great, by the way!). Her foal is actually the master from the Jellibaby resin run- she survived the molding process just fine, so I thought I'd clean her up & give her some color! The pics below show them still very much in-progress. I've decided to add some white markings & more socks and jazz them up even more as tobis. So, here they are- first with the base-coat, and the second pic shows more layers added:

Dapple enhance!

These pieces will eventually be auctioned off, once they are finished & I have the pictures I need. Stay tuned for updates on that & for news on the release of the Toot Sweet Resin Run!

:)

In Just a Few Minutes...

The first batch of Toot Sweets will be released! Yes, it is a wee batch this time- hopefully the next one will have more horses (we shall see!). But I'm very happy that in my hectic schedule of late, I was able to get these two gals ready for y'all. Happy, shiny mares, looking for new homes! So stay tuned to my Yahoo Group to find out just when they will be available. Thanks so much!

:)

I Love a Parade!

Once again, Happy 2010!

I have a rather long history with the famous New Year's Day tradition that is the Tournament of Roses Parade. From my youth, I've cherished memories of spending the night at grandma's with my cousins (while our parents partied!) and waking up to a delicious breakfast of sausage, eggs, Hawaiian bread French Toast, orange juice, and the Rose Parade on T.V! I was enamored of the floats as a child, and that love expanded as I grew and was able to get involved in concepts and designs for floats in the 1995, 2001, and 2003 parades, as well as decorating those years. These days, I've been too busy to do much with floats, but I still enjoy going to the parade when I get the chance. When a friend texted me that she & her husband had a great viewing spot if I'd like to go with them today, I jumped at the chance, grabbed my camera, and thought I'd share the experience with y'all!

One fun float I thought I'd share is Phoenix Satellite Television's "Dance of the Terracotta Warriors" representing the Qin Dynasty Terracotta Army, unearthed in Xi’an, China in 1974. I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to photograph clay horses depicted on a Rose Parade float!


The Rose Bowl itself made it into the parade this year, with Bayer Advanced's entry, "We Are The Champions." I thought it was one of the prettiest entries in the parade, and I loved the vintage posters depicted on the sides of the bowl. I do believe it won a trophy!

Now beside the floats, the equestrian entries have always been an exciting part of the Rose Parade for me. Below are some of the spiffy horses & riders (or drivers!) I caught glimpses of today:

So many pretty colors in this group! A rose gray, a sooty palomino, and I think, an Ivory Champagne? (Lesli?)

Look at his soft flaxen-chestnut self! Love the lederhosen, too!

Massive amounts of Minis rolling down Colorado Blvd!

These mules were just too great.

Well folks, there you have it! Hope you enjoyed this very abbreviated glimpse of the parade. I sincerely wish you all well this year. Here's to a fresh new year & decade for us all!

:)