Mati writes:

“Hi, Lilla!

I wanted to share with you my new artwork from my current show SPIN-A New Twist on Vintage Board Games at Rare Device in SF. It’s a joint show with Maine artist Jennifer Judd McGee, inspired by our mutual admiration for the bold, graphic punch of vintage board games! The show opens September 2nd and will run until September 28th, 2010.”

Monday: Lisa DeJohn’s watertower in Breaking Bad

Yup, I’m going to Minnesota for the Creative Connection event! I’ve never seen any event like this and I’m very excited to attend.

They describe it as:
“a 3-day conference, crafting extravaganza and shopping emporium for creative women, women entrepreneurs…THE CREATIVE CONNECTION will bring together women who are passionate about being creative in their everyday lives as artists, mothers, bloggers, cooks, business owners and crafters. Come learn, create, market, shop and connect with like-minded women from all across the United States!”

Etsy is a major sponsor.

I’m attending a panel on how to get a craft book published, and all kinds of great stuff like that! It’s going to be networking central with craft book editors there, an Etsy executive, Amy Butler, and all kinds of folks. There’s a Handmade Market, a Junk Bonanza nearby, a luncheon on Women Entrepreneurs, growing your business, etc.

I’ll be there Friday and Saturday.

Here are some of the things I’ll be attending:

TAKING YOUR BUSINESS TO THE NEXT LEVEL
2:30 PM – 5:00 PM

Is your business ready to go to the next level? Do you know what that next level is … or how to begin to get there? Should you pursue TV, books, brand extensions, or Web licensing? How do you make the right connections to allow it all to happen, not to mention assess the costs and acquire financing? Hear from women who have expanded their businesses through multiple platforms and also from marketing and licensing professionals who will draw on personal experiences and share their professional advice to guide you through the process.

MODERATOR
Margo Tantau
PANELISTS
Leigh Standley
Candi Jensen
Heather Bailey
Tiffany Windsor

BOXED LUNCH WITH WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS
11:30AM – 2:00 PM

Pick up your boxed lunch, take a seat, and hear from extraordinary women who started their businesses based on what they love. Jill Braff, CEO of Scrapblog, will begin by speaking about her own personal journey of creativity and business. You will then hear from five women in creative businesses who, for each of them, what started as an idea, a necessity, or a creative moment has turned into a business and in some cases a national brand. How do they manage it all, or do they? How did they get to where they are today? What are their words of wisdom, best practices, biggest mistakes, and proudest moments. Join us for open and candid conversations with:

*Jill Braff, CEO of Scrapblog

* Cathie Filian
* Christine Plantan of russell+hazel
* Heather Bailey
* Kathy Cano-Murillo, the Crafty Chica
* Vickie Howell

———————————————

EDITORIAL PANEL BREAKFAST
8:00 AM – 10:30 AM

Start the day hearing from the top magazine and book editors in both print and online editorial. What is the future of print? Who is the e-reader? Will print survive the digital age? How do you get a book published? How do you become featured in a magazine? What should you know before publishing or launching a magazine in print or online? Our editorial panel will address these issues (and more) over breakfast with time for questions from you! We will first hear from Executive Editor, Jennifer Keltner, of Better Homes and Gardens Creative Collection who will speak about “Sharpening your creative spirit, re-ignight your passion for crafting”, a brief exploration in creativity. We will then hear from a panel of industry experts on the state of publishing today (and thereafter). Moderated by Nancy Soriano.

Jennifer Keltner, Better Homes & Gardens Creative Collection group
Panelists:

Christen Olivarez of Stampington & Company
Deb Gore Ohrn of Better Homes & Gardens Creative Collection Group
Jo Packham of WHERE WOMEN CREATE
MaryJane Butters of MaryJanesFarm
Nicole McConville of Lark Crafts
Tonia Davenport of North Light Craft Books
—–
CLASSES | JEWELRY
PETITE COEUR CUSHION
Teacher: Kaari Meng, (designed for Anthropologie and owner of French General, her book just came out, too)
Registration Code: 3FAM, 2SPM

The focus of this workshop is a small mourning heart, like those the French gypsies made using collected amulets found inside old pockets and church pews. Your hand-stitched heart, stuffed with sheep’s wool and embellished with vintage charms, will become a small good luck token to hang in your creative space — or use it as a pincushion for your small jewels. I’ll be teaching this class using a kit made especially for The Creative Connection!

Students should bring to class:
• Small bits and bobs for embellishments (optional)
• Scissors

Materials kit will be provided at class.

Materials kit fee: $25.00

Friday: SPIN – A New Twist on Vintage Board Games

Susy writes:

“Hi Lilla,
I thought it might be of interest to say that Mati Rose, Sarajo and I are in the enormous tiny art show.

I got intoxicated with cadmium red, persimmon ink and paynes grey….I have 13 paintings the show.
they are 6×6 or 5×5. It was really fun to focus on such a small scale.”

Robin Zingone writes:

“Dear Lilla-

I have long been an admirer of your work, your business and your artists.
Sadly, work and life have eaten away at my free time, so I have rarely been
in contact with my peers. Well, that has changed this summer.
I have started a blog to raise money for charity, and it has just launched this week.
I am trying to start off with the heavy hitters in the industry and I’ve even
attracted some of my manufacturers to jump on board.
If you or any of your artists are interested in participating,
I would welcome the donations. Their presence would give the site alot of excitement.
As you will see I am including links for each artist and a bio too.
Below is more information.

Looking forward to hearing from you Lilla!

Best,

Robin

P.S. Saw you on Linkedin…someday you have to tell me all about your time with the Beat poets!”

This past year I lay in my hospital bed recovering from brain surgery and praying I would see again and walk again. Thinking if I ever recovered that I wanted to give back, to others feeling the same kind of hopelessness. Now that the gulf oil spill is haunting us all, I thought I would start with donations for the Natural Resources Defense Council.So I am calling in the help of my talented friends and colleagues. I have started a blog to collect donations for charity.

http://therobinzingoneproject.blogspot.com

This blog is run on donations from you and donations from the public.

What I need from you…and the sooner the better.

1. A good quality high res photo or jpg of a product you would like to donate.

2. A blurb about you, your company, your url or link.

3. A retail value. (must be over $25.)

4. A promise to ship the product to the donor.

5. Spread the word.

Check out the blog to see examples of product and text. You need not be an artist, donations can come from anyone and be anything, but should have a retail value greater than $25 such as:

archival prints with original signature

original paintings, photographs, illustrations

fashion, jewelry, accessories

stationery, scrapbooks, giftwrap, papergoods, cards

gifts, candles, bath & body products…anything someone would want to buy.

Be a part of what I hope will become something big.”

“hope is the dream of a soul awake”

Friday: New Bloom Repeat by Lisa Congdon

Silvia Portella writes:

Hi Lilla!

Pink Ghost, a gallery and shop in Hollywood, FL invited me to participate in their show “Screw Nostalgia, I want the future!” in which different artists offer their personal view of the future. My piece is the one you see here. My future would absolutely necessarily have thick fluffy bunnies (to be true bunnies are a must in my past, present and future… What would life be without them?), high intelligent cute little robots and, overall, a balance between technology, nature and respect for tradition.

Opening Saturday July 17th – 7 PM

PINK GHOST
1888 Polk St.
Hollywood, Florida 33020
USA

Best wishes! ^___^

Monday: Nest Spotting

Our Studio Operations Manager, Julia Parker, writes:

“Hi Lilla,
Just want to put a plug in for my good buddy and painting idol, Robert Moeller. His show I’m Selfish Too: Water is at the gallery HallSpace July 17- August 21, 2010 with the opening reception tomorrow from 3pm-6pm. For years Robert has been painting piercing yet lush abstract landscapes about the pollution of our waters (obviously now a subject at the forefront of many of our minds).

The show is at:
HallSpace
950 Dorchester Avenue
Boston, MA

Thanks!”

Robert Moeller, Pumping Station, 30×48, oil, charcoal and pencil on canvas

Robert Moeller, Drift-Keel, 30×48, oil, charcoal and pencil on canvas

Robert Moeller, Under, 60×48, oil, charcoal and pencil on canvas

Monday: Nest Spotting

Sarajo Says:

“Hi all,
I am part of a group show and magazine release party, curated by Guardian of Bravery magazine and hosted by Rothick Art Haus.
Opening reception is this Saturday, July 10 7-10pm. Rothick Art Haus is located at 170 S. Harbor Blvd in Anaheim, CA 92805.

Here are some photos taken in my studio by Joseph Gaitan of Guardian of Bravery Magazine, along with images of art for sale in the show.
They will be featured in the Studio Issue being released this Saturday.”

Friday: BP Logo Re-design contest

Click here to read Part I of Xenia’s trip with Aid to Artisans to El Salvador.

Xenia continues:
“Here are some finished samples. These ornaments also make up part of a mobile.

Tabletop Trees.

Cheeseboards.

More cheeseboard handles.

Village Candlesticks.

Bird Ornaments

…and many more.
The collection Jill and I designed will be available through Aid to Artisans. Anyone interested should contact Iris Huezo at iris_huezo@aidtoartisans.org

All-in-all this was just about my ideal creative experience. I was able to work with a new material, have a complete workshop at my disposal, collaborate with a great designer, and meet new people. And all in a beautiful setting with perfect weather.

Michelle Esmeralda (on the right) and friend posing on some work in progress.

I only wish that I had had more time to absorb the local style and develop a collection based on Fernando Llort’s original images. You can see his influence all over the village, on lamp posts, walls and houses.

He is also well known for designing the facade of the Metropolitan Cathedral in San Salvador.

Hopefully, I will have a chance to go back some day and work again with the people of La Palma. So long El Salvador!

The national tree of El Salvador: El Balsamo Y Maquilishuat

….and now, four months later I have just been asked to develop another collection for the La Palma artisans! Sadly, I won’t be traveling to El Salvador this time, but I am really happy to have this chance to build on the previous collection and to do something in the ‘La Palma’ style.”

Wednesday: Lilla’s Arlington Children’s Center sign

Xenia writes us:
Last December I traveled to El Salvador with Aid to Artisans and ceramic designer Jill Rosenwald. We were commissioned to work with the artisans of La Palma to design a new line of decorative products for the North American market.

The artisans of La Palma are known throughout Latin America for producing wood objects decorated with naïve, folkloric images. The La Palma style was created by El Salvadoran artist Fernando Llort who came to this mountain village in 1972 to escape the political unrest in the rest of the country. Inspired by the setting and people of La Palma he developed a simple iconography of birds, animals, trees, adobe houses, and religious themes that the people of La Palma are still using to decorate wooden crosses, nativity scenes, ornaments and various other decorative and functional objects.

Typical La Palma imagery found on a door.

Jill and I had 5 days to develop preliminary designs for new products and another 5 days on-site to complete them. We were commissioned to create at least 3 collections and at least 15 new items each. The finished products were presented a month later at the New York Gift Fair. Fortunately we had some help from local designer Raquel Giron and local marketing coordinator Iris Huezo who translated for us and generally took care of us.

We e-mailed our designs ahead and wood blanks were prepared from our sketches before our arrival.

Besides creating new designs, I tried to introduce hand painting techniques that would make the artisans’ work more efficient. For their present line of products the design is drawn with a black line and the colors are filled in by hand. This is a very laborious and time consuming process. I tried to use some of the same techniques I use in my own line. First paint a background color, then add the rest of the elements on top. Try to use simple dashes, dots and brushstrokes as much as possible to make the designs easy to reproduce repeatedly.

The workshop we worked in:“El Madero de Jesus”.

Leti working on one of the new designs.

Monday: Xenia’s trip with Aid to Artisans to El Salvador, Part II