It often surprises me how fast time really does speed by...and seems that the older we become, the faster it goes!  I have to admit right here and now that I am very behind schedule with blog posts....not that I don't enjoy working on them, but it seems that it's just more time spent on the computer and less time spent in my studio where I really want to be most every single day!  But with a new year comes new resolutions and I do hope to be here more... and I thank those of you who do follow my work for sticking by me, even with my lack of blog posts in the past!

Our winter here in the desert southwest has, for the most part, been colder than normal...there were mornings where our pool has actually frozen over around the edges...something we have never experienced in the five years we have lived here.  This is not something that thrills me...one of the reasons we left New York permanently...because of the cold, snow and ice!  I know, still a far cry from a "real" winter, but nonetheless made it rather chilly for us "desert rats", which now my husband and myself consider ourselves!

With the new year also came lots of projects...some finished and many just beginning!  Last year I taught my first online class "Metamorphosis Collage Bracelets" on Artful Gathering 2012.  I had such a wonderful time and so many students...no one could have been more surprised than myself!  I was in awe of the work that my students produced and a whole new world opened up for me...the love of teaching others!  So this year I have decided to teach two classes online at Artful Gathering.  A lot of work, but so fulfilling as an artist and a teacher.  Every single instructor is so talented and all are so very supportive of each other....an unusual thing to find and I am so very grateful for the opportunities that have come my way.

  I first discovered these altered playing cards through a swap last fall and I was instantly hooked!  A fun and ingenious way of taking a simple playing card, altering it and adding a favorite quote, word or phrase....I often need and appreciate daily reminders to myself of some of these...a gentle prodding, sometimes a word of comfort, and often an inspirational phrase is just what's needed in my day....I am thrilled to offer this class and look forward to sharing it with others....there should be a law about having this much fun!

Here is an example of the other class, "The Art Doll Chronicles"....this idea came to me last fall and had it mulling around in my head since then and right through the holidays.  This required vast amounts of time working on prototypes, and getting them "just right".  My husband Jim is not only a fabulous husband and partner, but an accomplished woodworker and we worked side by side on these, working out any problems and kinks in the development of these dolls.  I am happy to report that we have accomplished our task, after many months and he is busily cutting the pieces and getting them ready to sell as kits which will be an accompaniment to the class!  Three different styles of doll will be taught and I must admit that although they were so much work to develop we are ecstatic with the results and think the students will be, too!

I can't wait for classes to begin....not until June and I have a lot more work to do before then.  Filming begins very soon on both classes after a short break to take a much deserved breather.....in the meantime I have other work to catch up on and some work for The Urban Ranch General Store here in Las Vegas....she soon will have an online catalog which will be fantastic for the people that don't get to shop "in the flesh"!  

Before we know it, spring will be upon us and we will be as busy as the bees....in the meantime I hope to be more productive here and to keep you all caught up on the current events of Desert Dream Studios!  

Signing off for now and looking forward to another post to share more with all of you....and thank you for your interest in my work and classes!  MJC

I am amazed that summer is over and we are now into autumn. Although I would hardly know it if it weren't for the calendar staring at me....we had a very HOT summer with a lot of monsoonal moisture added to the mix that made it humid here in the desert southwest...something we don't experience too often, thank goodness!  Am glad to see autumn arrive even though our temp's have not reflected the change of seasons yet....but hoping for that real soon...I look forward to having the fireplace blazing, cooking soups and stews on the stove and baking too!  And all of the wonderful holidays to look forward to with friends and family.  I have been busy most of summer with teaching my very first online class on Artful Gathering 2012, which I am glad to report was a huge success....so much fun and I was amazed at all the wonderful work that was created by the students!  Between teaching and working in the studio my summer was chock full of work. A trip to Santa Barbara was cut very short due to a scratched cornea (ouch!), but we got to spend time with our precious grandsons and various projects around our house kept us plenty busy too.   I am currently working on some creations for Dia de los Muertos, or better known here as Day of the Dead....there's lots more on my worktable in the studio that are waiting for my attention, too!

For the past few months my husband Jim and myself have been working on a joint project for a donation for ALS of Nevada.  This is one of our favorite charities that we always like to donate to for their annual Art Wreath Festival that will be held this November.  It raises much needed money for their organization and we are always so happy to be able to participate in this event.  Many people in the Las Vegas area donate the most beautiful and creative pieces...ours will be just one of many that will be donated.  People are very generous with their time and talents here in Las Vegas!  

"Curious Anthology" is approximately 2' x 2'...comprised of 32 small shadowboxes that were individually cut out and put together by my very talented husband who is a woodworking genius!  I then created small vignettes, or for a better word, stories...the graphic pieces are cut out multiple times so that they appear dimensional...a painstaking process that requires a lot of time and patience.  The wood pieces are made from scraps and there are also a lot of vintage items and artifacts added to it.  I am into anything that can be recycled!
I want to note a special "thank you" to Marsha Salyer Jorgensen from Tumble Fish Studios for so many of her wonderful graphic images that I used.  She knows I am one of her biggest fans and am always thrilled to use her masterfully redone digital images whenever I can....thanks Marsha!  If you go to the Gallery section at the top of the page here you can see the works photographed individually and close up.  I will be sure to mention here in a blog post when the auction takes place and hope to post pictures of some of the other wonderful wreaths, too!

I have made this post longer than I had originally intended.  I hope to post some about a class I am taking starting next week with a wonderful teacher here in Las Vegas...Joyce Straus.  I love her to pieces, she is so multi talented and I can't wait to see what we are going to be creating!  Every Tuesday morning I am going to be in heaven for the next eight weeks...maybe she will let me take some photos and I can share with you all here...have a wonderfully creative day and enjoy your weekend!

We just returned from a week away with the camper up near Zion National Park in Utah.  So good to get away and we are fortunate that we live only about two and half hours away from this stunning area up in Utah.  Pristine vistas with unbelievable rock formations.  It never ceases to leave me speechless and in awe of it's beauty, no matter how many times we return there!  We only hiked one day as the temps were higher than normal (90's) and there is always plenty to do up that way...it was great getting away, but also good to come home.  This summer is going to be a busy one for us and so we were glad to get away with some R & R!

As I posted last in January many artists in Las Vegas were given these 16" diameter hearts by the local chapter of St.Jude Children's Hospital to create artwork on.  Some artists took on the larger hearts which are 5' diameter.  These all went up for auction at the Gala Event at the Four Season's Hotel here in Las Vegas just last weekend.  This is my piece which was created in a mixed media collage....I loved making it and considered it an honor and a privilege to have participated.  It is such a worthy organization and I will do one every year, if asked.  This organization treats children with cancer and catastrophic diseases whether they have insurance, or not...a pretty noble endeavor and cause, for sure.  I still have no word on what the piece sold for, but am sure it is more than I could have afforded to give them, so this is my small way of helping out....and my pleasure, indeed!

About a month ago I had a friend come to Las Vegas for a visit....we had met on Facebook about a year ago.  Her name is Kristin Hubick and she is not only a fabulous person in her own right, but also a fantastic vendor who owns Retro Cafe Art Gallery...an online supplier of the most wonderful supplies for artists and crafters.  You can find the link here.  I can't tell you how many terrific things I have purchased from her and her service is top notch, too!  
One day while she was here we met for the day and she wanted to go to Viva Las Vegas Stamps...sort of a landmark here.  A lot of locals and tourists go to this shop as it has more stamps than there are stars...seriously.  We had a great time there and then went to lunch afterwards.....

While we were having lunch, Kristin presented me with a gift she had made for me. I was not only surprised by her lovely gesture but upon opening it I was deeply touched....she had taken a photo of the heart that I had created and made an absolutely beautiful charm out of it on a necklace!  She remarked "I know that you donated the heart to St.Jude's, but wanted you to have it with you forever".  Seriously, I thought I was going to cry....I don't think I have ever been so touched by anything that someone has made for me!

On the other side is this touching quote by George Sand....how perfect a quote is that for this piece?!  I will treasure this forever and thank you again Kristin, from the bottom of my heart, I will treasure it always.  Not only is Kristin Hubick a great shop owner, but a very talented artist in her own right, and I am so glad we have become friends!

As many of you know, and for some who may not know, I am teaching an online class this summer on Artful Gathering 2012......you can find the link right here.  I am teaching a six week class titled "Metamorphosis Collage Bracelets".  I am so very excited and can't wait for the classroom to open up on June 6th!  I am looking forward to meeting my students and getting to know them better...I love to teach others and this is the perfect opportunity for me to do so without having to leave home and go to the expenses of travel and lodging....and the same for the students, too!  Six weeks of 24/7 classes, in the comfort of one's own home....what could be better than that?!  I will be available every day to answer questions on the videos and guide them every inch of the way.  It is important to me that they not only learn the techniques, but enjoy themselves while learning....after all, that's what it's really all about!  There are many other class offerings also....all fantastic teachers with wonderful talent!  Awhile back I created a promo video that tells a bit about the class and gives you a glimpse into my wonderful studio....I will post it below.  Registration for the class is still ongoing...it's all very exciting!

Here are a few examples of what I will be teaching in the class.  These are so much fun to create, I have had much success with them in the galleries and want to share what I have learned with other artists.  These two bracelets in particular will be raffled off to two students before the class is over!
I will be posting again as the class begins to share my experiences with you all....wish me luck and I am so excited and very grateful for this  experience that I know will prove to be wonderful!

ALS of Nevada has a Wreath Gala Silent Auction this coming Thursday....for those of you who are not familiar with ALS it stands for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.  A disease of the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that control voluntary muscle movement...better known as Lou Gehrig's Disease.  There is no cure.  
I became aware of this chapter last year, when they held their First Gala Wreath Event and was honored when I was asked to create a wreath for their auction.  
Here is a photo of last year's "wreath"....made entirely from polymer clay tiles that I had created and some little glass tiles that I had placed images behind.  They were happy with the wreath and it did raise some much needed money for them....I wish I had taken photos of some of the other marvelous creations that people donated and will definitely do it this time, for sure!  

Now, for some reason I am always hung up on the "wreath concept"....I don't know why.  I ponder this all summer and go over idea after idea in anticipation of the upcoming project....at first I had thought of doing a wreath entirely of little tiny jigsaw pieces that I had collaged...it wasn't long until I realized that the wreath would never be done in time...so I filed that idea (and the tiny pieces already completed) away in my head and in my studio for perhaps another project down the road somewhere. 
So onward I proceed with another idea that entailed cutting up many little squares and rectangles to collage onto......I must add here that my husband is not only so very supportive of all of my artistic endeavors, but also an integral and necessary part of many of my projects.  He is an accomplished wood craftsman with many talents and we often collaborate on a project that presents itself with special needs....such as measuring and cutting. 

So he creates a square base for the "wreath" and cuts me what seemed like a billion pieces in varying sizes of square and rectangles from melamine board bought at the local Home Depot (4' x 3'...very inexpensive) and I proceed to gesso each and every piece to give the paper "tooth" to adhere to the little squares...I collaged different backgrounds and images to each with matte medium and also applied graphite and pen and ink to the images to create depth....have to admit that what seemed like it would take me forever went along very swiftly.....when I am engrossed and loving what I'm doing the time seems to fly by!

Here is the completed wreath....there was a lot of sealing going on with the finished pieces, then glued in two different layers and two different heights.  I am pleased with the result....this is titled "Six Degrees of Separation" to signify how we are all linked to most everyone else in this world.  Thought it appropriate for this particular fundraiser.....we are all connected, no man is an island and what happens to one individual in some way effects us all, don't you think?  
I hope it raises them money that is so direly needed for the patients and their families.  It gladdens me to no end to be able to donate this to them!  

So Thursday, November 10th is the event....we look forward to this so much.  Last year's was beyond fabulous....great food, live music, wonderful people  and such wonderful art in the form of "wreaths" to observe, discuss and bid on!  Most everything is donated for the event which shows me how generous and caring so many people are!
I will be sure to take pictures this time and post here at a later date....I hope you enjoyed this post a bit....I am enjoying working on the blog more and more as the time passes and I get to know my way around here better.
Goodnight and will be returning with another post about the event and with some pictures for sure!