New Studio Pics

I know it's been a while, and here is part of the reason.....we totally redid this space and built in shelves and bookcases and drawer space. It's still not really finished but as close as we can come right now. It's a pleasure to work in and there seems to be endless storage(if that's possible).

....Now if I can just get over this artist's block things would be grand....I'm open to all suggestions....tell me how you got over yours....I know I'm not the first one to have it, but it sure feels empty.

Bangles....

Several people have asked me to offer brass bangle blanks for sale so I've put some on Etsy
http://www.etsy.com/shop/laurenabrams
these are the best I've tried, offered at an affordable price.
Hope you like them

Just Checking In

Sorry it's been so long since I posted....sometimes life gets in the way.

My mother turned 80 and we had a huge reunion(at my house...whew)that was wonderful and exhausting. Plus we are still putting finishing touches on my new studio(yes, pics will be here soon)

Today started out sadly, we found out my stepson's best friend died. Such a young man, and leaving a wife and children behind. Sometimes the universe doesn't make sense.

Thanks, Julie....your purchase of a pair of bangles from my Etsy store did give me a lift....I hope they brighten your day as well.

CraftEdu on YouTube

Here is a sampling of the CraftEdu instructors' work on YouTube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1mEkMC_f8E

Brass Bangles

I have been having a great time making these....it's addictive....the technique is loose and painterly and more fun than I've had in a while...

Having a bit of a learning curve doing my CraftEdu classes...but hopefully I'll be able to get some help tomorrow. Very excited to be doing these...

And my studio....is getting very, very close to being done...my wonderful daughter spend the weekend here with me and she organized me to within an inch of my life lol...I love her and I love the space....just some more wall treatment and molding and maybe the stairs covered and I promise I will be plastering photos all over the net......beware!

A Group of New Pieces

My best friend, Susan, is setting up a show for me in Orlando next week. She and several other clay artists have opened a gallery called Claybodies...they mostly do ceramic work but have also included polymer....and up until yesterday I was working hard at getting everything done for that. Here are a few of the pieces I did for the show...

it's always fun to have a show to do, it gives me motivation to create work I might not otherwise.

In this case I've made some bangles... it's hard to stop once you get going on those...thanks to a wonderful tutorial from amazing polymer artist and fellow instructor with CraftEdu, Melanie West. She has a great Etsy store with bangles and tutorials here:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/CorvusFlies
I learned to work on brass and found it very satisfying...I've never really covered anything before so it was a bit scary at first but now I feel like an old hand at it lol....












I also did a piece with wild stripes and a split pendant.....












and I think my most fun piece was this one....I took a painting I did some time back and made a transfer...something I learned from Kathleen Dustin's workshop....I can see myself going in this direction...it's what I've been wanting to do for a while now, combine polymer with my painting....








....speaking of painting, I am all set up and ready to photograph my first class for CraftEdu...nervous but excited.......I'll let you know how it goes...

Bye for now!

A Gallery of Trompe L'oeil Paintings

Here is a link to my new gallery done for CraftEdu.com.....I'll be creating classes to teach how to do faux finishes and paint trompe l'oeil objects on surfaces like tables and boxes.

http://craftedu.faculte.com/bp/MzA1MTY2MTA0Mg

CraftEdu.com

Wow....the last few days have been a blur of exciting new things....one of the best being a new educational opportunity coming....CraftEdu.com! The brainstorm of the amazing Donna Kato, it will have it's launch very soon...check it out on Facebook at
http://www.facebook.com/pages/CraftEducom/339651391037
and the blog is http://blog.craftedu.com/

And yes, I'm going to be an instructor!! I'm starting with trompe l'oeil and if that goes well maybe some polymer classes.....I've very happy about this, it's made me look at painting with a new attitude....something I haven't done in a while....

A New Pendant..."Kimonofly"

Here's one I just finished....someone mentioned that they look like "Kimono Bugs" lol.....so I've name them "Kimonoflies"....

New Work!

I've been on a roll for the last week or so....I'm working on some new pieces that, well....just do it for me....

I can see these in many different permutations...I'm really happy with these, they are refinements of some earlier pieces I liked but just didn't know what to do with lol..

In the background I can hear the sounds of the Pergo floor being installed in my *gasp* NEW STUDIO!!! Pictures as soon as it is done....

A Video...with me in it

I know I"ve been very remiss in writing in my blog....but lots of stuff happening behind the scenes....here's a video I just saw that has two pieces of my work in it

http://animoto.com/play/urxhHEsj5fuY6iCtz5Fbpg

Stay tuned...soon I'll be posting lots of new work I've been doing...in the meantime...have a look at the link...the music is lovely and there's some very nice work showcased....

In A Blog

I just found out I was featured in this blog a few days ago...

rivervalleydesign.blogspot.com

thanks...it's nice to be included in your lovely blog!

Sorry that it's been awhile since I've written....lots of things going on
...we just had the new doors installed yesterday in my new studio....now I'm getting ready to do some faux finishes on the walls....once it is all done, I'll post pics!

Also, I decided to pull out of Baltimore....lots of reasons, mostly fear lol....but I'm glad I did....I feel much better now and not stressed out so much, trying to come up with a line that would work...hopefully by next year I'll be ready...
In the meantime, I'm letting the muse relax for a while as I work on the studio and enjoy the warmth and coziness of our little mountain house while it snows like a mother outside....:)

"And Now For Something Entirely Different...."

I am in the process of designing a new studio and I've very excited about it....hopefully it will be done soon, but in the meantime most of my art supplies are in boxes, waiting....

I got the urge to paint...so I set up a small table top easel in the kitchen and did this....I really enjoyed it, it's been years since I've painted....and soon I hope to combine my paintings with my polymer clay pieces by using transfers....

In the meantime....here's a potato....