Double Yolk Monday

Hey its a double yolk Monday! 

That's gotta be a sign of something good on the horizon

right?!

A Castle in Pacifica?

Did you know there was a castle in Pacifica?  Yes I said Pacifica.  Check on the hillsides of Pacifica and you will see it.  Sam's Castle or McCloskey Castle if you are a purist has proudly and very securely stood on its hillside since 1908. It was built by Henry Harrison McCloskey, an attorney for the Ocean Shore Railroad for his wife Emily.  It was built as a secure haven after their home was severely damaged by the 1906 earthquake.  It was also built as a replica of the Scottish Castle where Emily spent her childhood.
After the McCloskys death the castle had a checkered past going from family home to illegal abortion clinic to Speakeasy and Bordello to private boarding house to a Coastguard communications center during world War II until 1959 when it caught the eye of Sam Mazza. Mr Mazza worked for 20th century Fox as a theatre painter and decorator.  He thought the castle would be a perfect museum of theatrical decor and could house his extensive collection of treasures.  Mr. Mazza never lived in the castle but used it to entertain and allowed worthy Charities to use it for fund raising and meetings.  Luckily for us before he died in 2002 Mr. Mazza left the castle to a charitable trust so that the building and the artifacts inside would be preserved and seen by us today. 
Why am I telling you all of this?  Because yesterday I had the great good fortune to be able to tour the castle. Twice a year the foundation with the Pacifica Historical Society open the castle for tours.
Its just a wild, weird and wonderful place with its collections of Art Deco Theatre artifacts, religious artifacts and pieces of movie costumes and sets. 
The castle has seen it all-the good and the bad.  That can definitely be felt upon entering the structure but not in an oppressive way.  Let me show you just a few more pics to tantalize you.

Rooms filled with treasures and artifacts

a suit of armor

Incredible Art Deco lamps and other fixtures

Amazing Statuary

Gargoyles and Griffins

Religious reliquaries Hundreds of years old-complete with a saint's finger bones

Dare I hope for a ghost or two?

 

And of course incomparable views

Intrigued yet?  I hope so.  If you are interested in touring the castle,  check out the Pacifica Historical Society's website at http://pacificahistory.org/.  They are always looking for new members and/or donations. 

And for all you artists out there-Check it out.  The place is a dream palace filled with inspiration.

Thank you Mr. Mazza!

Current swap #5

Welcome Everyone!

As I promised yesterday I would be back today to tell you about the next ABC swap.  This time I had Lisa's book of-yes you gessed it-Dragons.
So many wonderful dragons had already been done by the time I received this book that I felt it was important to take a different approach.  So as I so often do-I made a product!
This time it was a minature dragon habitat with minature dragon and all care essentials. Below you can see the egg shaped dragon habitat for a blue ice dragon.

 

 

Inside of Lisa's altered book I added a pocket containing the minature dragon kit.

The kit includes:
1. dragon pedigree certificate(please click on the picture to read the certificate)

 

 

2.A card with some dragon essentials: Dragon training treats in fun human part shapes, Dragon calcium suppliments bones and a bag o'bling to make your dragon feel comfortable in his mini habitat.

 

 

3. A mini dragon care manual. ( please click on the images below to enlarge and read)

 

 



With proper care and feeding your tiny dragon will be a valued companion for many years to come.

Current Altered Book Swap #3

Welcome everyone!

Time to catch up on my blog posts and altered book Club.  In case you thought you were going crazy
and missed a post(swap #2), let me set your mind at ease.  You didn't miss it -I did.  Totally forgot to take pictures-sigh.
So I will proceed to swap # 3.  For swap #3 I had Kelli's book of Magic. And what does every witch or wizard need to make Magic according to JK Rowling?   A wand of course.  So my offering for this swap was a travel wand practice kit suitable for the young witch or wizard, newly discovered witch or wizard, squibs and the feeble minded.   In Kelly's rather substantial book I was able to cut a niche large enough to insert my kit items and still have room for the remaining swap art for other members of the group. Its difficult to make it out above but my kit includes a door with hinges that you open. The black and silver frame around the door is a vintage picture frame matting .  The kit is personalized and inscribed with Kelli's initials at the bottom of the niche.
Here is the niche open:

The kit includes:

1: a small book of spells from the Standard Book of Spells grade one.  The spells included are
Lumos, and Wingardium Leviosa and a feather to practice levitation.

 

2. Olivander's Certificate of Authencity-This wand is elm wood with a magical core of Unicorn tail hair. (To read the certificate click on the picture to enlarge)

 

3. A sheet on proper wand technique highlighting the swish and flick method of wand waving. (again please click on the picture to enlarge and read the technique).

 

4. And of course last but not least one travel sized wand-designed especially for Kelli from polymer clay and painted with acrylic paints.

 

 

Fortunately I had just enough time to make wands for the entire group!  After allowing each wand to choose an ABC club member we concluded my presentation with a short class in the swish and flick method.  Yes right in the middle of Peet's coffee! Even though most of the Peet's patrons looked the other way we ABC members had a blast! 

See what you are missing by not coming to ABC night?!

 

In the next couple of days I will continue my posts and try to catch up with the current swap.  Until tomorrow-swish and flick!









Pop Up Open Studio Tomorrow!

Welcome Everyone,
Its been a little while since my last post I know.  I am sorry to announce that C.Andrews Studio
has finally succumbed to the ravages of the current economic "recovery"  and closed its doors on
December 31st.  Unfortunately that means that all classes are also suspended.  I am taking a little sabbatical for the next few months to organize my ton of art supplies and also work on some new ideas.  Most likely those ideas will turn into more unique classes later this year provided that I can locate a new venue to teach at.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you that stepped through the C.Andrews Studio doors either to take a class or teach a class.  Without you C. Andrews studio and my dream would never have happened.

In the meantime I will simply be an artist.

And on that note- I would like to announce the Colony of Coastside Artists New Event:  The Pop Up
Open Studio.

What’s a Pop-Up Open Studio? This is a new Art Sale in the same format as our popular Open Studio event but without all the fanfare or fuss. These art sales will simply Pop Up on a monthly basis.  

Our first Pop Up Open Studio will be held tomorrow Saturday Feb. 9^th from 11:00 to 4:00.   I will be selling my work at Patt Sheldon's studio at 238 Palma in El Granada. Since we are close to Valentines Day this will be the perfect place to find that unique gift for a loved one or even for yourself!  Below you will find a list of all the artists and locations that will be participating in this first Pop Up.  Or simply follow the yellow Open Studio signs along Highway One!  

Half Moon Bay:

Lainey Saint Marie    
Painter Sculpter
470 Poplar Street
HMB (Lainey will be open until 6pm)

Michael Denning
Mixed Media/Collage
331 Miramontes Avenue
HMB

El Granada:

Patt Sheldon    
Weaving, Felting, Jewelry
238 Palma
El Granada

Connie Andrews       
Mixed Media/Collage/Assemblage
238 Palma
El Granada

Ellen Silva
Fine Art - Murals
464 The Alameda
El Granada

Moss Beach:

Aileen Cain
Fused Glass
730 Kelmore Street
Moss Beach

Ann Hurley

Pottery
730 Kelmore Street
Moss Beach

Helen Tsang

Textiles
730 Kelmore Street
Moss Beach

By the way our next Pop Up Open studio event will be held on Saturday March 16^th from 11:00 to 4:00.  Mark your calendar!

See you at the Pop Up.

 

Merry Christmas from C.Andrews studio

Merry Christmas from C.Andrews studio on the beautiful California coast!

May your day be filled with family, friends and good cheer

 

 

And as Tiny Tim reminds us " God Bless us all, everyone"

Altered Books Club swap offering

Greetings Everyone,

Well its that time again-yes of course Christmas but also Altered Books Club !
This is the first completed art of our much delayed 3rd swap. The first book that I've had the privilege of creating art for was Cindy's.  Cindy picked the theme of The Hunger Games . This is a wonderful series that takes place in a typically teen readers Dystopian America. Now for those of you who think this book is all about Children killing Children so you won't read it-please reconsider. Yes the backdrop for these books takes place in a post war America that has instituted Roman type games
where children are drawn by lottery to fight to the death.  But that's not what these books are all about.  Like Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter the Hunger Games Series is about Love, sacrifice and finding the courage to do what is right rather than what is easy. I once thought that I was not interested in this series and would never read it but I changed my mind and was rewarded with a trilogy that I am very sure will become a new classic.

So I bet you are asking yourself what does the image above have to do with all of this? And what exactly is it?  Pictured above is a scene right out of the book.  One of the main characters:Peeta Mellark is a bakers son.  He is kind and artistic  He also decorates the cakes at his fathers bakery. During the course of the books he is compelled for his own survival to disguise himself as part of the woodland landscape around him.  Above you can see Peeta disguised like the rocks near a river.
So I am really hoping that I was successful enough with this spread that you are now curious enough
to wonder how is was made.
This is a textural collage in 3-D relief.  I started with the only image I could find of Peeta disguised during the games.  I knew that I wanted his face to be 3-D and be slightly raised off the page. On top of the collaged image I sculpted Peeta's face using Creative Paperclay. Although I used to sculpt dolls this is the first time I have sculpted in relief. It is also my first time using Paperclay. It isn't as fine a material as my usual polymer clay but I think its a little stronger.  You also have the advantage of not having to bake it. The wet paperclay sticks to almost any surface but air dries in 24 hours.   Over the paperclay Peeta and the rest of the page I used a mixture of Golden's molding paste and Coarse Pumice Gel to simulate the rock texture. Then the page was painted using Golden's fluid acrylics and sealed with Krylon matte spray.  I also added real dried moss, bits of bark, silk leaves and sticks.
Over all I was pleased with the rock look but the image didn't quite resemble the actor from the film as closely as I intended. But it was a fun inspiring project and I urge you to try paper clay as well.
Well that's it and as they say in the book:

Happy Hunger Games and may the odds be ever in your favor...