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!

:)