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!

:)

11 Years Ago...

On this night, New Year's Eve- 1998, I was sitting in the garage of Joan Berkwitz of Pour Horse Pottery painting what was for me, a very special horse. She was Sweet Kate- my very first ceramic horse sculpture! I remember admiring, I think it was, a grulla Kheer (or maybe Dar) in Joanie's china cabinet- hence the color! But in any case, as I sit here on the eve of 2010, my mind turns to all those years back, and the piece that started it all for me- the one that opened up ceramic horse production as a plausible vocation, and started me into my future of shiny ponies.

I think it is safe to say that I have come a little ways since then, and I hope to say in 11 more years, that I've come even further! It dawned on me as I was typing this that I must like the word "sweet," as it definitely found its way into the name of my latest creation*. The Toot Sweet orders I took last month are coming along all right. I've finished some, have others in-progress, filled one of my drawers with bisques to be painted, and I'm finishing up the last few greenware bodies for this set and Sweetie Batch #1! I'll leave you with a picture of one of the finished pieces- it was a good color to work on at this time of year- somehow, I kept singing about "Cream-colored ponies, and crisp apple strudel...!"

Happy New Year, Everyone!!!

:)


*Why yes, I do have a bit of a sweet tooth. Why do you ask?

Christmas Tidings!

A very Merry Christmas, glad tidings for the winter season, and a wonderful New Year to you all! I have a feeling it is going to be a very shiny one!